My first formalized introduction to Buddhism only occurred in late-August with my enrollment in the class. As someone raised in a Christian home, I had very little, if no, exposure to Asian religions. Not for a lack of theological teachings; I was taught the histories and beliefs of the Abrahamic religions, but that was all. However, after attending a few sessions of the class, I had a discussion about religion with the more religious members of my family. The overall question: “What if our belief is wrong?” In this sense, belief refers to the faith that Christianity is the one true religion of the world. The debate was thoroughly heated, and lasted for quite a while, however two things stuck with me: their belief indicated that Christianity
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Vipassana meditation is meditation focused at understanding nature, one’s true nature, and the nature of deep issues (Young, 1994). One key attribute of Vipassana meditation is the addressing and resolution of negative emotions. A reflection on biblical scripture is more beneficial, and applicable, when the individual reflecting is aware of his or her own nature, and any current issues, because the reflection may provide more insight. That is to say, Vipassana meditation provides a channel through which regular reflection on biblical scripture is improved. An article by Gable (2008) even found that invoking Buddhist practices in Christian missiology further engages congregations because of the deeper understanding invoked by meditation and self-reflection. Even if some Buddhist traditions can help improve the methods of Christian teachings, an interreligious exchange is still not widely …show more content…
Pope Benedict viewed Buddhism as “a possibility of touching the infinite and obtaining happiness without any concrete religious obligations,” and thought that this attractive notion would draw Christians away from the Church (Kasimow, 2015); it did. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s there had been an increase in Buddhist followers in the United States, mainly from Generation X and Millennials (Pew Research Center, 2015a). “Dual belongers,” individuals who identify as practitioners of two religions (e.g, Buddhism and Christianity) also arose during this time, and it was this idea that caused Christians to view Buddhism as a threat. However, what has been found recently, is that Christians, and Jews, are relying on the meditative practices of Buddhism to help them increase their spiritual connection to God (Kasimow, 2015). For example, author Sylvia Boorstein views Buddhist teachings as a way to reach peace, while her Christian practice helps her create peace within the world (Kasimow, 2015). In this way, the interreligious dialogue is not causing an exodus from Christianity, but is instead strengthening the individual ties to the
Vipassana meditation is meditation focused at understanding nature, one’s true nature, and the nature of deep issues (Young, 1994). One key attribute of Vipassana meditation is the addressing and resolution of negative emotions. A reflection on biblical scripture is more beneficial, and applicable, when the individual reflecting is aware of his or her own nature, and any current issues, because the reflection may provide more insight. That is to say, Vipassana meditation provides a channel through which regular reflection on biblical scripture is improved. An article by Gable (2008) even found that invoking Buddhist practices in Christian missiology further engages congregations because of the deeper understanding invoked by meditation and self-reflection. Even if some Buddhist traditions can help improve the methods of Christian teachings, an interreligious exchange is still not widely …show more content…
Pope Benedict viewed Buddhism as “a possibility of touching the infinite and obtaining happiness without any concrete religious obligations,” and thought that this attractive notion would draw Christians away from the Church (Kasimow, 2015); it did. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s there had been an increase in Buddhist followers in the United States, mainly from Generation X and Millennials (Pew Research Center, 2015a). “Dual belongers,” individuals who identify as practitioners of two religions (e.g, Buddhism and Christianity) also arose during this time, and it was this idea that caused Christians to view Buddhism as a threat. However, what has been found recently, is that Christians, and Jews, are relying on the meditative practices of Buddhism to help them increase their spiritual connection to God (Kasimow, 2015). For example, author Sylvia Boorstein views Buddhist teachings as a way to reach peace, while her Christian practice helps her create peace within the world (Kasimow, 2015). In this way, the interreligious dialogue is not causing an exodus from Christianity, but is instead strengthening the individual ties to the