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Christianity is a monotheistic religion that arose with the crucification of Jesus Christ and his subsequent resurrection. Zen Buddhism represents the teaching and philosophy of a prince named Siddharth, who gave up his throne, wife and wealth to find a way to reduce human suffering. They certainly make an interesting comparison for those wishing to learn religion.

They also serve to highlight the similarities in humans of all civilizations and faiths, and the universality of values and human virtues, even though one has its origin in the ancient civilization of India as a reaction to the ritualistic dominance of a certain preistly class, while the other arose in the holy city of Jerusalem in the West.

There are always more than one ways of reaching the same destination, and more than one language can be used to convey the same message. Once you understand that, it becomes far easier to appreciate the difference and similarities of Christianity and Zen. They seem to represent and advocate different paths, yet their destinations are not really far apart.

CHRISTIANITY vs. ZEN - A COMPARATIVE OVERVIEW

Christianity has its roots in Jesus Christ, considered the son of the god, who underwent immense sufferings, and was even crucified, only to get resurrection and save people from sin. The tenets of his teaching are provided in the holy Bible, the old and the New Testament. One central theme of Christianity is the belief in the trinity of God as the father, Christ as the son of the god, and the Holy spirit. Another characteristic of Christianity is the significance given to the death and subsequent resurrection of Christ, which is indicative of his special status as the son of god, as well as his control over death and his divine powers.

Zen is a form of Buddhist religion and philosophy that is based on the life and teaching of Siddhartha or Buddha, born in India over 25 centuries ago. The word 'Zen' derives itself from the Sanskrit word 'Dhyan' which means meditation, an integral part of self realization in Buddhism. In 475 A.D., BODHIDHARMA, a Buddhist master, travelled to China and propagated Buddhism there. His teachings lead to the acceptance of 'Dhyan', pronounced as 'Chan', and gave rise to the Ch'an school of Buddhism that became one of the popular religious faiths in China. Around 1200 A.D., Ch'an spread to Japan, where it was called 'Zen'.

CHRISTIANITY & ZEN THE DISSIMILARITIES

The biggest difference between Christianity and Zen is in their reliance

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