Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh is a

book that converges the ideas of Christianity and Buddhism.

I chose to analyze this book because I am Christian, and in

class I have observed similarities and differences between

the two religions. Growing up Catholic I did not always

agree with what I was taught or how I was supposed to look

at Jesus and God. I always had a guilty conscience, because

I am a sinner and Jesus died for me, and all other sinners.

There is pressure put on Catholics to live this high

standard that God has set for them to be allowed into

Heaven. Catholicism is a very strict and rigid religion.

Everything is carved in stone, cut and dry, black and white,

and no questions are to be asked. If one lives life as a

sinner and does not seek forgiveness he or she will be

rejected at the gates of Heaven and sent directly to Hell.

If one commits a sin he or she is to fear God's punishment,

and when something goes wrong God is punishing. The

perspective I have taken on life in the Catholic view is

that life is one's way of repaying Christ/God for their

sacrifice and gift of an undeserved life. Live life purely

this book has opened my eyes to the likenesses and

is able to leave it in order to walk peacefully with in it.

their concepts are clearly not the same. As a Christian,

Christianity. I find Buddhism to be extremely contradictory

Next, Thich Nhat Hanh associates Nirvana with the

sound heretical to many Christians, but I believe that

part of everything. Many Buddhists are atheists and do not

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1816
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)