4 of 7

Write now Article Tools

Zen and Christianity: An exploration in combining religions.

When comparing Christianity to Zen, it is important to note that the
two systems are not necessarily at odds with one another. One can
maintain belief in Christianity and the teachings of Christ while practicing
Zen. For instance, Kevin Hunt, a Trappist priest, became the first North
American Trappist to become both a Catholic monk and an authorized Zen

teacher (Schaeffer-Duffy, 2004). Schaeffer-Duffy quotes Kolvenbach as
saying "Many Christians, have found Zen to be a valuable instrument for
progressing in the spiritual life." Kolvenbach continues, "By coming
to focus on the present moment through the practice of the techniques of
Zen meditation, the Christian can become aware of God's immediate
loving presence" (Schaefer-Duffy, 2004).

Another point that should be made concerning the comparison of these
two systems is that Christianity is almost entirely a devotional
practice, while Zen is more of a philosophy dedicated to understanding and
improving oneself. Comparing these two religions is almost like comparing
the proverbial apples and oranges; however, it is also important to
understand how the two religions are similar and how they are different,
especially in the United States, where Zen is becoming more popular
despite Christianity's stronghold as the predominant religion.

Christianity is, in essence, dedicated to the study of the teachings
and scriptures of Jesus Christ. Similarly, to Zen practitioners, the
teachings of Buddha are very important. Despite the fact that it places
less importance on textual sources, The Four Noble Truths and The Noble
Eightfold Path are very important to the practice of Zen (Fisher, 2005).
This leads to one of the primary differences between Christianity and
Buddhism, however. Christianity places enormous importance upon the
written scriptures found in the Bible, and the New Testament, in
particular. Contrastingly, while Zen values the teaching of the Buddha, the
actual texts themselves are not emphasized.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion, celebrating the God of
Abraham. Zen, however, is nontheistic. This is partially why a person can be
Christian and still believe in Zen. In Zen, there is no other god to
worship, so Christians do not have to worry about following what the Bible
would refer to as "false gods." Likewise, they would not need to fret
over whether or not they were breaking one of the Ten Commandments,
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

One

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Exploring Chrisianity and Zen?
We want to hear your view. Write now!