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Buddhists/In response to your answer to Leslie's question
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Question
You said in your reply that one cannot be both a Buddhist and a Christian. If one were to follow Buddha's teachings but in the abstract sense, seeing them as a means of making sense of the world - symbolic rather than actual realities - would you consider him a Buddhist? If this is the case, would it not be possible to combine Buddhism and Christianity or would both lose a major aspect of what they are trying to be?
Hi James,
I did not look up Leslie's question which must be quite some time ago. To answer your question, let me refer to only one fundamental belief in Christianity, the God concept. In Buddhism, to put it in very mild term, this concept of the Suprmeme God does not exist. As far as Buddhists are concerned, you still can practise the Buddha's teachings, even if you insist on believing other concepts not taught by the Buddha. The Buddhists will not condemn you. But can Christians condone anyone who does not want to believe in the existence of the Supreme God? If your answer is "Yes", then it is possible to be both Christian and Buddhist. If otherwise, the conclusion is obvious.
Smile from justinchoo :-)
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Answers by Expert:
Justin Choo
Expertise
When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.
Experience
I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple.
My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @
http://www.ksridhammananda.com
Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.
Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @
http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/
Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)
Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)
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