Background Material and Questions for Living Buddha, Living Christ – Week 3
What are The Three Jewels?
As you progress through the book, Hanh will refer to “taking refuge,” by which he means turning to
sources for guidance. The Three Jewels are the primary sources for such guidance. They are:
Dharma – Buddha’s body of teachings showing us the way of love and understanding
Buddha – examining how Buddha lived his life; modeling Buddha’s behavior
Sangha – the community of monks, nuns, and lay people with whom one lives.
In Christianity, we can “take refuge” in a similar manner, by turning for guidance to scripture, to the
model for living demonstrated by Jesus, and to members of our faith community.
What are Dharma doors?
Hanh defines a Dharma door as an entry point “into the stream of the Buddha’s teachings . . .” If one
considers all of the written teachings of Buddha and oral tradition, any one piece of these could be the
source of an “ah-hah” moment, a moment of insight that prompts an individual to move a little further
along the path to enlightenment. Faith journeys, be it along the path of the Buddha or the path of Christ,
are often made up of a series of such doors that move us forward. In Buddhist tradition, they speak of
84,000 doors not as a direct count of all possible entry points, but rather to communicate the sense that
each individual’s journey is unique even though the individuals are all seeking a common goal.
What is detachment?
“Being detached does not mean that we cannot enjoy anything or enjoy being with anyone. Rather, it
refers to the fact that clinging very strongly to anything or anyone causes us problems. We become
dependent on that object or person and think, "If I lose it or cannot always have it, I am going to be
miserable." Detachment means, "If I get the food I like, very nice. If I do not get it, okay. It is not the end
of the world." There is no attachment or clinging to it.”
Definition Source:
http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/approaching_buddhism/introduction/basic_question
_detachment_nonviolence_compassion.html
The key to understanding the concept of detachment is that to achieve detachment is to “give up
clinging”, i.e., to give up a sense that we must have certain people and certain things in order to be
happy. The goal of detachment is to live in the present moment, finding contentment in what is
currently available in the moment, rather than spoiling the present moment with fears of losing what we
have or with desires to have more. Imagine the life of contentment available to you when your energies
are not tied up in “self”, i.e., in protecting what you have in the present and worrying about the future.
Detachment is not just a concept within the Buddhist tradition. Jesus offers similar advice to the young
man who wanted to know what “good thing” he must do to gain eternal life (See Matthew 19:16-30).
According to The Message:
“Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad,
because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone
who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye
of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19: 21-24)
When we stop approaching life with an “I got to have it, I got to keep it” attitude, we are in a position to
see the needs of others and to respond to them with love, understanding, and compassion.
More parallels in teachings to consider:
The teachings of Buddha and the scriptures offer similar advice regarding sin and salvation. The
following examples were taken from Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings by Marcus Borg:
Mark 8:35 Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will
save it.
Majjhima Nikaya 72.15 With the relinquishing of all thought and egotism, the enlightened one is
liberated through not clinging.
John 8:34 Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.
Dhammapada 24.9 People compelled by craving crawl like snared rabbits.
Luke 10:10-11 Whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into the streets and
say, “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you.”
Udanavarga 25.1 The wise man does not befriend the faithless, the avaricious and the slanderous, or
the one who stirs up strife; the wise avoid the wicked.
Read Chapter 4
Questions
1. On page 36, Hanh states “For me, the life of Jesus is His most basic teaching, more important than
even faith in the resurrection or faith in eternity.” After your initial gut reaction to this statement, look
deeply at what he is saying about how the historical Jesus (and the historical Buddha) serves as the
“way” or “path” for life. Then, return to the statement on page 36. What is Hanh really saying?
2. Consider Matthew 7:7-8 which says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock
and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to
the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Now, think about your own faith journey. Can you
identify a scripture verse, a statement made during a sermon, or an encounter that led to your “ah-hah”
moment and a commitment to Christ? What other Christian Doors have you encountered since that
first “ah-hah” moment?
3. Hanh lists 10 names for Buddha, each name capturing a characteristic of Buddha, a characteristic that
followers of Buddha can strive to achieve. How many of these could also be applied to Jesus? How
many are characteristics that you strive to achieve ?
Name
Tathagata
Arhat
Samyaksambuddha
Vidyacaranasampana
Sugata
Lokavidu
Characteristic in Buddhism
He who has come to us through the
right path.
One who is worthy of our respect and
support.
One who is perfectly enlightened.
One who is endowed with insight and
conduct.
One who has gone happily along the
path.
One who knows the world well.
Anuttarapurusadamyasarathi
Sastadevamanusyanam
Buddha
The unsurpassed leader of those to be
trained and taught.
Teacher of gods and humans.
Bhagavat
Blessed one
The enlightened one
Applies to Jesus
My Goals
4. Review the first paragraph of the section titled “Freedom from Notions” on page 53. Choose a few
familiar Bible passages and re-read them, looking deeply at the context in which the words were spoken.
Did this approach change your understanding of the passage? We will do some sharing related to this
activity during our next meeting.
5. In this chapter, Hanh draws clear distinctions between the historic person (historic Buddha, historic
Jesus) and the “way” for living that can be discerned through their daily actions and teaching (living
Buddha, living Christ). So you find this approach helpful when looking for the common ground in faith
traditions?