Of religions.....
A casual friend of mine asked me the other day that whether I am a Buddhist or a Christian. Well, it is a profound question. I was born in a Taoist family, but was registered as a Buddhist. In fact, during those days in the 60's, most Malaysians of Chinese origin were registered as Buddhists because our parents are not that really educated and there were communication problems between the parents and the birth registration clerks. And in most cases, most Malaysian Chinese are not really that particular of the registration status of religion. So, here you go, I was an accidental Buddhist by registration.
During my childhood years, my family practiced Taoism. In fact, most of my family members still practiced Taoism. I started reading the Bible in 1993 and later in 2006, I also begin to read Buddhism texts. When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, I picked up the Bible again....
So am I a Taoist, Buddhist, or Christian ?
Frankly, throughout my adult years, religion was never an issue to me and I always treat it as a private matter. In my public dealing with friends and relatives, I attempt to keep my pubic life as secular as possible. One thing I do do know, when I was inflicted with chronic illness, I became more religious and tried to find a balance in my life to seek self healing. I turned to the Bible and tried to comprehend the words of God. Until today, as much as I want to adopt the words of God religiously, but I also realized, Buddhism's values has been deeply ingrained in my daily life. It is like my root and culture.
So, when I announced to my friends that I am a Buddhist Christian, my Christian friends stared at me with disbelieve and tried their level best to salvage this lost soul. But the surprising thing is, my Buddhist friends accepted me as what I am. They left me be and let me find my own path to seek my own enlightenment.
To me, Buddhism is a way of life, and the truth of being. And, Christianity is about the embracement of the Almighty God with Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior. Christianity gave me hope, but Buddhism gave me peace of mind. Of course, there are always differences in values and practices between Buddhism and Christianity, but my purpose in this life is not to thrive on the differences. My purpose is to walk the middle path, and to seek and embrace the commonalities between these two great religions.
As a Christian, I am still a God fearing person and I recite the Lord's Prayer on daily basis. As a Buddhist, I am still subscribing to the Four Noble Truths, The Eight Folds Path, and the Mediation aspects in my daily life.
Between Hope and Peace of mind, I walk the middle path, and had chosen to embrace both. So, I am a Buddhist Christian.
During my childhood years, my family practiced Taoism. In fact, most of my family members still practiced Taoism. I started reading the Bible in 1993 and later in 2006, I also begin to read Buddhism texts. When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, I picked up the Bible again....
So am I a Taoist, Buddhist, or Christian ?
Frankly, throughout my adult years, religion was never an issue to me and I always treat it as a private matter. In my public dealing with friends and relatives, I attempt to keep my pubic life as secular as possible. One thing I do do know, when I was inflicted with chronic illness, I became more religious and tried to find a balance in my life to seek self healing. I turned to the Bible and tried to comprehend the words of God. Until today, as much as I want to adopt the words of God religiously, but I also realized, Buddhism's values has been deeply ingrained in my daily life. It is like my root and culture.
So, when I announced to my friends that I am a Buddhist Christian, my Christian friends stared at me with disbelieve and tried their level best to salvage this lost soul. But the surprising thing is, my Buddhist friends accepted me as what I am. They left me be and let me find my own path to seek my own enlightenment.
To me, Buddhism is a way of life, and the truth of being. And, Christianity is about the embracement of the Almighty God with Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior. Christianity gave me hope, but Buddhism gave me peace of mind. Of course, there are always differences in values and practices between Buddhism and Christianity, but my purpose in this life is not to thrive on the differences. My purpose is to walk the middle path, and to seek and embrace the commonalities between these two great religions.
As a Christian, I am still a God fearing person and I recite the Lord's Prayer on daily basis. As a Buddhist, I am still subscribing to the Four Noble Truths, The Eight Folds Path, and the Mediation aspects in my daily life.
Between Hope and Peace of mind, I walk the middle path, and had chosen to embrace both. So, I am a Buddhist Christian.
1 comment:
Hi, great to know that. Buddhism is a teaching, it's not a religion, so there's no clash being a Buddhist and Christian. Buddha is a teacher not a God. Buddhism teaches transmigration, the fact that we have many lives, life after life and Einstein once said that it is comforting to know that we are not extinguished at death. Hope you can read up more about Buddhism, it is calm and enlightening teaching, I'm sure you'll find it rewarding.
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