Zen Catholicism

by Aelred Graham

More timely than ever, this gem of a book blends East and West into a spiritual vision of enormous practical value.

Genres: Religion, Buddhism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Catholic

Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Ronny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great for those who want to learn about Zen in a no-nonsense fashion or for those who are interested in exploring Zen practice, but fear it may conflict with their religious beliefs. For the latter, this book got a Vatican proclamation that it did not distort Christian beliefs (I don't know what the official term is).

[Itai · Rating 3 out of 5]

While still in high school and after plowing through Thomas Merton, I read this volume. Today, a much better choice would be Patrick Henry's "Benedict's Dharma" - a reflection of the Rule of St. Benedict by Zen priest Norman Fisher, meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, professor Judith Simmer-Brown, and Yifa, a nun of the Chinese Buddhist tradition.

[HUGH MURRAY · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author, a very thoughtful Benedictine monk, has looked into Buddhism and found many practices and thoughts that any Christian can use to deepen their relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made an effort but lost enthusiasm a little over halfway through.

Some interesting insights here and there that make one want to examine the cited material. Largely a dated communication from one eager, open-minded theologian to others about a lack of Catholic praxis that could be served by that which Zen offers, with supporting evidence from the Catholic tradition.

Nice to see someone arguing for this, even though decades later one of the Vatican’s white papers declared Buddhist meditation verboten as result of what they called its purpose for pursuit of superhuman powers.

[Jackson Hager · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read, as it shows how little I actually know of Zen and Catholic philosophy.

[Margaret Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very welcome study of the compatibility of Zen Buddhism with Catholicism, its main point being that the former is a practice rather than a system of beliefs.