A Catholic becoming a Buddhist but staying Catholic?

Question

I am a Catholic. Not sure if I believe in everything, but I am good Catholic. Some things have happened lately some good and some really bad, and I believe becoming a Buddhist will help me over come these things. Can I stay a Catholic and be a Buddhist at the same time? Either way, How do you become a Buddhist and how do you practice it in everyday life? So any info on being or becoming a Buddhist would be helpful. Thank You so much for any and all information.

Oh, and another question: I am still a teen. Can my parents say I can not become a Buddhist?

And any info about Buddhism would be great.

Answer 1

Read about Thomas Merton. He was a Trappist monk who became a Buddhist and remained a Catholic, a Trappist. He also wrote poetry and went on speaking tours, and this while he was in an order that required a vow of silence. The Catholic Church allowed him this freedom.

Some websites you can go to for info about Buddhism are

www.religioustolerance.
org/buddhism.htm
as well as
www.aiht.edu

Your spirituality is an individual thing. Your parents do not control this. I hope they would encourage you to follow your heart. If you show them what a loving, caring person you are as a result of your spiritual growth, they will have to share your joy.

And do look up Thomas Merton. He grew up in Canada and later moved to the USA. His first book was an autobiography called The Seven Storey Mountain.

Answer 2

Many people are both, in fact, I am, too. Thich Nath Hanh has written two interesting books about Catholic Buddhists or Buddhist Catholics: "Living Buddha, living Christ" and "Going home: Jesus and Buddha as brothers." Many pastors and priests practise Buddhism while being Catholic. Buddhism is a philosophy, a life-style and may not be considered a religion. Becoming a Buddhist usually occurs through life experience. "A broader vision: perspectives on the Buddha and the Christ" by Richard Henry Drummond is also an outstanding book.

Answer 3

There are many different types of Buddhism, so depending on where in the world you are and what type of practice you are interested in, I would recommend different schools to you. The Theravada school is mostly (although not exclusively!) popular in Southeast Asia, and options for women are more limited (for example, in some countries you can't become a Buddhist nun if you are a woman). I am more familiar with Chinese and Japanese Buddhism- one of the most popular forms of Buddhism in Japan is called Pure Land Buddhism, and centers around reciting one particular special Buddha's name- Amida. He is believed to have said, before his moment of death, that he would create a Pure Land paradise for all who believed to him and chanted his name. Thus there is a great deal of devotional practice centered around this Buddha, in this school. However, the most popular form of Buddhism in America is Zen, or Ch'an Buddhism- which has filtered down to popular culture so much so that many people are at least vaguely familiar with it. This school has a lot of interesting practices, including sitting Zazan (seated meditation), and meditating on koans, or paradoxical puzzles. (Such as, what is the sound of one hand clapping). You might consider looking in the phone book, or online, and visiting a Buddhist center in your area to get a feel for the activities at that location. They may offer special services or meditation sessions on weekends or evenings that you could attend either for a low fee or for free. If this seems too intimidating, you could get some books at the library on meditation or different Buddhist schools and try it out at home. If you are interested largely in the relaxation, or focusing element of Buddhist practice, I recommend that you try something rather sectarian (at least as practiced in the states)- a yoga class, or even a yoga video. You may find that you can get the kind of inner peace you are looking for without necessarily having to "convert" or come into conflict with your Catholic faith. I am not a practicing Buddhist, but have studied it academically, just so you know where I'm coming from. Best wishes!

It's fine with most Buddhist schools if you are a Catholic and a Buddhist, but I am under the impression that the Catholic Church would probably object. However, Catholicism is NOT something I'm that familiar with, so I can't really respond to your question on this point- but you could talk to your priest about it.

Answer 4

You cannot be a faithful Catholic and Buddhist. Buddhism is a false religion. They believe in a nothingness called nirva. It tries to escape from suffering, senses, desires, and everything because it does not believe in the dignity of a human being made in the image of God. Buddhism sees love as the reason for discomfort and tries to get a person to escape life.Catholics believe we should embrace the cross of suffering like Jesus. Love is the most important thing. Catholics believe we can have a personal relationship with the God of the Universe. If you want meditation and union with God, study Christian Mysticism.

Answer 5

I second that about Thomas Merton.

I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties you are enduring. May Christ's peace be upon you and may His grace overwhelm your difficulties.

Strictly speaking, Buddhism and Catholicism are in conflict over the nature of deity, although it is not impossible for Buddhist elements (transcendental meditation, retreat, pacifism, balance and harmony as objectives) to be incorporated into a Catholic life. Indeed, many Catholics practice centering prayer (much like meditation), go on retreats, are anti-war and pro-life, and it does not conflict with Christ's teachings to seek peace, harmony and balance so long as you do not sacrifice love in order to achieve these.

I think it may be most helpful for you to look at both faiths and see what it is that appeals to you. There is a great deal that goes along with each faith and it may be extraneous to what you need right now. When you say become a Buddhist, what do you mean exactly?

Contact me through my avatar, I'll try to walk with you through it as much as I can.

Procedae en pace im Nomine Christi (walk in the peace of Christ's Name)

Answer 6

Both Buddhism and Catholic basically teach people how to be freed from sin (or in Buddhist sense: desires which lead to sin).

I think Buddhist scriptures are really good (full of wisdom) in answering questions about life in a very simple, direct, and thought-provoking manner. Once you find the meaning of life (enlightment), you will feel God, Himself (sometimes referred to as "the Way" or "the Light").

In Catholic Bible, most of the Chapters are about History. The ones that are similar to Buddhist scriptures would be Proverbs (wisdom) and some Psalms, and The Letters of Paul, Peter, and John, where they guide and teach us how to live a better life and attain peace, hope, and love with one another. When you attain these, you will feel God Himself.

The difference is that Buddha was trying to find the "way" and the "light" and found it after many years of meditation and eliminating the desires to sin.
Amazingly, in Catholic, Jesus said that He is the "way" and the "light" of the world (Son of God). He came down from Heaven to break people's bondage of sin. There are a lot of historical evidence that many people were healed miracously from their sickness and demonic forces by exercising their spiritual faith in Jesus.
Imagine if Buddha finds Jesus at that time! =)

Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we all do not need to go though what Buddha went through to achieve wisdom and heaven (nirvana is the same as heaven). Very few people were able to endure such hardship to become a prophet /saints (or "Buddha" in Buddhist sense) before Jesus' arrival. After His sacrifice, through the help of the Holy Spirit, we are all can be saints. Because the Holy Spirit is here to guide us and to give us understanding about life so that we can attain the peace, hope, and love that Buddha attained.

Take note that Buddha did not worship idols... his followers (over the years) do... this is the only thing that are different than the Catholic tradition.

So yeah... take the wisdom from Buddha and apply it to real life and also keep your faith in Jesus. These two are a perfect combination for a stronger spiritual life in my oppinion.

Answer 7

Catholicism is a belief of the trinity. The Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. They also worship the Virgin Mary.

Buddhists believe that God is one. That God is All and that reincarnation is imminent. The purpose of life, is to live well enough to live a better "next" life. Over and over, till the ultimate nirvana.

I don't see how you could be both. As far as your faith and your parents, you can choose.

Answer 8

Yes, you can be Catholic and Buddhist at the same time. The answerer above me is wrong. She says "religion is based on the idea of one god". That is completely false. There are religions with more than one god and there are religions with no gods.

Answer 9

um i dont think that would work

religion is based on the idea of one god... how can you believe in two gods?!

id say that you should research buddhism more, and find out what it is about catholicism that you dont like.

maybe you should find out abiut the pros and cons of buddhism, because it may not be all what it seems.

and changing religion is a big step and id consider it over a long period of time

Answer 10

To be fully Catholic and at the same time fully Buddhist is impossible as the two does not share the same CORE.

Buddhist believe that the world is all about sufferings and impermanence (death). In order to free yourself from suffering is to enlighten yourself by means of meditation. When you meditate you try not to feel but only observe. Main aim is to attain Buddhahood (the enlighten one) forever.

Catholic Faith teaches that sufferings is an outcome of love. That Christ suffered because He loves. Sufferings can be overcome by means of Love. Different from Buddhism, Catholics love when it comes to sufferings. Love is all that matters. Love for God and Love for the people around us including ourselves. It is all about love. It doesn't matter whether there is suffering or not because in the end Love is what saves us, protect us, encourage us and strengthen us. Main aim is to be with God forever.

To me, human are born with emotion, are born with the tendency to love, to feel. Buddhism try to supress such feelings. They view feelings differently. In my view, it is just a different way of viewing things that all. But I would rather colour my world with love rather than plain colourless, odourless world without any feelings for the sake to free myself from suffering. (to attain buddhahood - main aim for a Buddhist)

Can you see the difference here? Which one will you choose? Meditation or Love?

But since you mentioned that you would like to practise what Buddhist practice but as long as it does not go against the Catholic CORE, then it is possible. After all, isn't Catholic Church teaches that GOD can be found in all things.

"All things on the surface of earth are created for mankind to help him to attain the end for which he was created. Mankind is to make use of them in as far as they help him in the attainment of his end, and he must rid himself of them in as far as they prove a hindrance to him."

You do not have to search in the Buddhist realm to be a buddhist. You can find it right at the heart of Catholicism.

If you want to practise buddhism within Catholic Faith this is what I recommend you to do:

1. Reflect on your whole day every night before going to bed. Try to notice the details of your day and "contemplate"/"meditate" on the specific moments where you felt peace/joy/love. Perhaps the little leaf that you encounter. Or that tiny flower that caught your attention. Maybe the drop of water that delights you. Do this without self judgement. For these moments, thank God for creating such things for you. Thank Him that you have life.

2. Then reflect on those moments of your emotions when you felt angry, or emotional, or bad, cruelty or sin of any kind. Ask God for His forgiveness.

3. Ask yourself these 3 questions. What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What am I going to do for Christ?

Well this is only the beginning. You can find it all in the Catholic Faith. It is never about just going to church every Sunday. It is never about just saying the rosary or memorising prayers. There is so much more to being a Catholic than you ever know.

Hope the above helps! I am done here.