Christo-Buddhism

Beatriz

IOTL, Sikhism can be considered an attempt at 'bridging' Islam and Hinduism. It is much harder to imagine a 'bridge' religion between Buddhism and Christianity due to the larger differences between a salvationist theist religion that does not believe in karma or reincarnation, and a non-theistic religion that does. However, midieval religions like Manicheanism borrowed both Buddhist and Christian terminology, such as referring to St. Paul as 'Dharma King Paul'.
Also, new religious movements in East Asia (China, Japan and Vietnam mainly) reference Jesus and Christianity as a precursor religion to be superceded, as in the Cao Dai religion where Jesus is seated below Li Bai, but there isn't really a 'Christo-Buddhist' religion.

Is it possible for such a religion to emerge post-1900?
 
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overoceans

Post-1900, probably not likely, at least not if you're looking for a religion with numbers in the same league as Buddhism and Christianity themselves.

You do have new-agers who claim to be following any number of established deities at once("Buddha and Jesus are both with me on my journey" etc), but that sorta thing pretty much opreates at the level of self-styled practitioners, and doesn't become institutional or intergenerational.

From what I've seen in Korea, Christians and Buddhists get along fairly well in the social sphere, sometimes even within the same family, but this hasn't led to much theological cross-polliniation. Christians, with the exception of a small number of progressives allied with the World Council Of Churches, remain pretty exclusionary in their claims.
 

overoceans

Apparently, the Church Universal And Triumphant(ie. Elizabeth Clare Prophet and the gang) have both Christ and Buddha among their "Ascended Masters", but Buddha at least is a pretty minor character in the pantheon, and I don't think there's anything really Christian or Buddhist about the theology.
 

athgtq16129

overoceans said:
I don't think there's anything really Christian or Buddhist about the theology.
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There isn't, New Age/New Thought/Theosophy are fundamentally Western movements that misinterpret and modify Eastern spirituality to fit their own worldview, Orientalism but religious.
 

Beatriz

overoceans said:
Post-1900, probably not likely, at least not if you're looking for a religion with numbers in the same league as Buddhism and Christianity themselves.

You do have new-agers who claim to be following any number of established deities at once("Buddha and Jesus are both with me on my journey" etc), but that sorta thing pretty much opreates at the level of self-styled practitioners, and doesn't become institutional or intergenerational.

From what I've seen in Korea, Christians and Buddhists get along fairly well in the social sphere, sometimes even within the same family, but this hasn't led to much theological cross-polliniation. Christians, with the exception of a small number of progressives allied with the World Council Of Churches, remain pretty exclusionary in their claims.
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I meant something on the scale of Sikhism

Buddhists in Indonesia have interpreted their theology to allow for a placeholder for god
1652114241920.png
 
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PakistaniGuyUK

PakistaniGuyUK

Banned
I think its possible but would require someone like L Ron Hubbard in OTL to create such a syncretism in ATL. Someone familar with Christian and Buddhist thought (doesn't necessarily need to be a scholar, just someone charismatic) maybe living for many years in the Far East who then returns to the West to develop a fusion of the two. Most likely to happen in the United States, and most likely the followers will be Americans/Westerners numbering around 10,000 or so in the very best case scenario.
 
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Tom_B

The best bet for even partial success (and it is still a long shot) is probably with Rudolf Steiner being more successful, living longer and deciding to turn Anthroposophy into a new religion (something he he did not want OTL) Owen Barfield converts his fellow Inkling C.S. Lewis to the religion. Maybe you get Thomas Merton to jump on board and boosting its popularity.
 
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overoceans

Tom_B said:
The best bet for even partial success (and it is still a long shot) is probably with Rudolf Steiner being more successful, living longer and deciding to turn Anthroposophy into a new religion (something he he did not want OTL) Owen Barfield converts his fellow Inkling C.S. Lewis to the religion. Maybe you get Thomas Merton to jump on board and boosting its popularity.
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Thanks for cluing me in to Barfield. Wasn't previously familiar with him.

That said, my guess would be that very few people have been converted by C.S. Lewis, without already having been raised in a Christian milieu(either family or the wider culture). So I'm doubtful that he'd have much more success pushing a relatively unknown commodity like anthroposophy.

(I know some people who were impressed enough with steinerist education to send their kids to Waldorf Schools, while remaining largely skeptical about the mystical aspects. Which indicates to me that, credible though some of their ideas may be, a lot of their fans feel no inclination to go whole-hog.)
 
vlitramonster

vlitramonster

Beatriz said:
I meant something on the scale of Sikhism

Buddhists in Indonesia have interpreted their theology to allow for a placeholder for god
View attachment 740326
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Mostly because of state requirements. Indonesia's national ideology enforces foremost the idea of Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa, basically having to believe in god (an obvious Islamic bias). Most religions outside the purview of theism, including Buddhism, had to bend over backwards just to justify their existence to the Indonesian government. Sanghyang Adi Buddha is their way of doing so.

Could've been worse, though. Like what the Confucians had to do.
 

Sam R.

Not all Buddhism is karmic, and reincarnation can be anything from moment to moment bridges between consciousness as an instantiated (embodied) phenomena without personality; some continuity of specific consciousness between lives; general consciousness’ flows; general consciousness flowing between lives; and personalities literally happening over again with a continued impression of individuality.

it’s a mess like faith or grace.

Buddhism has been compatible with known identified pantheons, agnosticism, atheism, and the idea that personality (ie me, you) is illusory.

So all you need is an atheist conception of depersonalised consciousness and you can slot Christianity over the top. There are active “mindfulness” discourses using non-deistic/karmic Buddhism. Christians have made Christian themed ones.
 

Nephi

Banned
They're not that different

  • Buddha: "Consider others as yourself." (Dhammapada 10.1)
  • Jesus: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Luke 6.31)



  • Buddha: "Let us live most happily, possessing nothing; let us feed on joy, like radiant gods." (Dhammapada 15.4)
  • Jesus: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." (Luke 6.20)



  • Buddha: "If anyone should give you a blow with his hand, with a stick, or with a knife, you should abandon any desires and utter no evil words." (Majjhima Nikaya 21.6)
  • Jesus: "If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also." (Luke 6.29)



  • Buddha: "During the six years that the Bodhisattva practiced austerities, the demon followed behind him step by step, seeking an opportunity to harm him. But he found no opportunity whatsoever and went away discouraged and discontent." (Lalitavistara Sutra 18)
  • Jesus: "When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time." (Luke 4.13)
 

CB13

The biggest hurdle is the formation of the Roman Catholic Church.

If you look at the Gnostic Gospels instead of the books written (and edited) long after Jesus's death which ensures a central role for the church, there's much more in common than you may realize. 🍻
 
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