What do you think?
Rate this book
Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity
A profound reflection on how complementary themes in Buddhism and Christianity could serve as the basis for a truly ecumenical faith
• Compares Zen meditation with the Greek Orthodox practice of Hesychasm (prayer of the heart)
• Shows how Buddha and Jesus represent the distinct yet complementary values of meditation and compassion
In Asian spiritual traditions the mountain traditionally symbolizes meditation while the ocean signifies compassion. Jean-Yves Leloup uses this metaphor to compare Buddhist and Christian approaches to meditation and compassion to reveal the similarities and divergences of these profound practices. Emphasizing their complementary nature, Leloup describes how Jesus and Buddha are necessary to one another and how together they form a complete Jesus as awakening through love, and Buddha as awakening through meditation. Where Buddha represents the forests, Jesus represents the trees. Buddha is brother to the universe, whereas Jesus is brother to humanity.
Nevertheless, these two religious traditions have a profound common ground. Compassion is central to Buddhism, and meditation practices have been central to many Christian traditions. Both view murder, theft, and the destructive use of sexuality as great barriers to realizing our essential being, and both agree on the need to rise above them. Here, however, Leloup suggests that both faiths could benefit from the precepts of the other. The complementary aspects of Christianity and Buddhism offer the possibility for a truly profound ecumenical religion whose interfaith relations are based on deep understanding of the true meaning and practice of meditation and compassion and not merely shared goodwill.
• Compares Zen meditation with the Greek Orthodox practice of Hesychasm (prayer of the heart)
• Shows how Buddha and Jesus represent the distinct yet complementary values of meditation and compassion
In Asian spiritual traditions the mountain traditionally symbolizes meditation while the ocean signifies compassion. Jean-Yves Leloup uses this metaphor to compare Buddhist and Christian approaches to meditation and compassion to reveal the similarities and divergences of these profound practices. Emphasizing their complementary nature, Leloup describes how Jesus and Buddha are necessary to one another and how together they form a complete Jesus as awakening through love, and Buddha as awakening through meditation. Where Buddha represents the forests, Jesus represents the trees. Buddha is brother to the universe, whereas Jesus is brother to humanity.
Nevertheless, these two religious traditions have a profound common ground. Compassion is central to Buddhism, and meditation practices have been central to many Christian traditions. Both view murder, theft, and the destructive use of sexuality as great barriers to realizing our essential being, and both agree on the need to rise above them. Here, however, Leloup suggests that both faiths could benefit from the precepts of the other. The complementary aspects of Christianity and Buddhism offer the possibility for a truly profound ecumenical religion whose interfaith relations are based on deep understanding of the true meaning and practice of meditation and compassion and not merely shared goodwill.
- GenresSpiritualityReligion
176 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2000
27 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Jean-Yves Leloup
116 books80 followersJean-Yves Leloup, an Orthodox theologian, is well known in Europe, North and South America as a popular author on spirituality and psychology. He is the founder of the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the International College of Therapists. He has written more than fifty books and has also translated and commented the gospels of Thomas, Miriam of Magdala, Philip and John.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 3, 2011
Will definitely be re-reading this in the future.
October 22, 2018
I adore this book.
Split into two sections: Meditation and Compassion.
I read the Meditation section over a half dozen times. It avails itself differently each read.
I needed to mature more to fully appreciate the section on Compassion. Still now, I know I will learn more reading it again.
Jean-Yves Leloup makes Buddhism accessible to Western Christians. He makes Meditation and Compassion accessible to people of many walks of life. Lastly, he subtly demonstrates the place of meditation and compassion in the lives of teachers, caregivers, and counselors.
I would consider this book a complement to Living Buddha, Living Christ by TNH.
Split into two sections: Meditation and Compassion.
I read the Meditation section over a half dozen times. It avails itself differently each read.
I needed to mature more to fully appreciate the section on Compassion. Still now, I know I will learn more reading it again.
Jean-Yves Leloup makes Buddhism accessible to Western Christians. He makes Meditation and Compassion accessible to people of many walks of life. Lastly, he subtly demonstrates the place of meditation and compassion in the lives of teachers, caregivers, and counselors.
I would consider this book a complement to Living Buddha, Living Christ by TNH.
June 29, 2017
I should preface my review by saying that I was raised in a deeply Catholic family but have read about and studied other faiths at several points in my life. This book was deeply illuminating to me when I was still a practicing Catholic and still reveals to me how to be a better human being on a second reading as an atheist.
October 1, 2015
I truly enjoyed this book. I was not expecting to, figuring this book to try to thread the line too carefully between Christianity and Buddhism. Alas, I was surprised!
The book's main thesis that is played out in the end of the book is that real joy and nirvana comes when all the world is free from suffering. This thesis contains the aspects of sin, redemption, sanctification, forgiveness, social justice, and freedom. These remain integral parts of Christian theology, and I was pleased to learn they are a part of Buddhism too.
Here are the most powerful quotes of the book:
About welcoming suffering: "When we speak of suffering, of taking it upon oneself, you must beware of any suggestion of pain-worship, or any sort of masochism. When we welcome suffering, it does not mean that we consider it a good thing. WE can welcome it because we no longer fear it, in order to transform it, to replace it with joy and peace. Within us is a love, which is capable of this."
About suffering: "Sometimes we must undergo hardships, breakups, and narcissitic wounds, which shatter the flattering image that we had of ourselves, in order to discover two truths: that we are not who we thought we were; and that the loss of a cherished pleasure is not necessarily the loss of true happiness and well-being." (109)
On influencing the world: "To walk the path of love and compassion is to convert our mind, to transform our seeing, to enter into a process of metanoia. Our thoughts influences the world in which we live - not only our subjective world, but also objective structures as well."
Great book! Got it from my sister who gave it to me at random.
The book's main thesis that is played out in the end of the book is that real joy and nirvana comes when all the world is free from suffering. This thesis contains the aspects of sin, redemption, sanctification, forgiveness, social justice, and freedom. These remain integral parts of Christian theology, and I was pleased to learn they are a part of Buddhism too.
Here are the most powerful quotes of the book:
About welcoming suffering: "When we speak of suffering, of taking it upon oneself, you must beware of any suggestion of pain-worship, or any sort of masochism. When we welcome suffering, it does not mean that we consider it a good thing. WE can welcome it because we no longer fear it, in order to transform it, to replace it with joy and peace. Within us is a love, which is capable of this."
About suffering: "Sometimes we must undergo hardships, breakups, and narcissitic wounds, which shatter the flattering image that we had of ourselves, in order to discover two truths: that we are not who we thought we were; and that the loss of a cherished pleasure is not necessarily the loss of true happiness and well-being." (109)
On influencing the world: "To walk the path of love and compassion is to convert our mind, to transform our seeing, to enter into a process of metanoia. Our thoughts influences the world in which we live - not only our subjective world, but also objective structures as well."
Great book! Got it from my sister who gave it to me at random.
February 3, 2017
Wonderful and meditative book about the deep spirit behind both Christian and Buddhist belief and practices. The author is clearly a mystic with deep insight himself, and that is conveyed in his writing and stories.
The elements that stuck particularly with me:
-"We learn to love what is unlovable, what is unpleasant."
-"To be inhabited by compassion means to be someone who can no longer be despondent, nor unhappy, because they know that love is Love, that life is Life, and that Love and Life will have the last word, right in the heart of all our deaths. Yet, they also know that Love is not loved, that Life is not loved, and they perform their actions in order that there be a little less suffering."
-"The practice we need is one in which we can live in an attitude of nondefensiveness, nonduality, and nonparanoia."
-goodwill - means to willfully chose to see what is the good in everyone, including your enemies
The elements that stuck particularly with me:
-"We learn to love what is unlovable, what is unpleasant."
-"To be inhabited by compassion means to be someone who can no longer be despondent, nor unhappy, because they know that love is Love, that life is Life, and that Love and Life will have the last word, right in the heart of all our deaths. Yet, they also know that Love is not loved, that Life is not loved, and they perform their actions in order that there be a little less suffering."
-"The practice we need is one in which we can live in an attitude of nondefensiveness, nonduality, and nonparanoia."
-goodwill - means to willfully chose to see what is the good in everyone, including your enemies
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews