West, who leads Buddhist and Christian retreats and belongs to the World Community of Christian Meditation, here uses the words of Christ's beatitudes as a jumping-off point for instruction in Buddhism. For example, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" becomes a lead-in for teaching the Buddhist virtue of detachment. "Blessed are they that mourn" segues into a Buddhist sense that death is part of life, that one should "let go of clinging to the life of the body and turn to the deathless". Christians are further instructed that this is the meaning of Christ's resurrection -- which will come as a surprise to anyone whose faith is founded on the empty tomb. West's openly stated hypothesis is that all faiths at heart are one; the unstated conclusion to which her instructions lead the reader is that that one faith is Buddhism. Prior to the chapters on the beatitudes are chapters on interfaith dialogue, meditation and meditation's psychological benefits. The book concludes with a chapter on mindfulness.The most appropriate audience for this book may be those who were raised Christian but who are interested in exploring Buddhism. West's presentation helps them make the transition by offering Buddhist teachings using Christian terminology.

The ancient Theravada Buddhist canonical suttas, the beloved Mahayana Buddhist sutras, and the Tao Te Ching have been lovingly mined for concepts and realizations. These ideas resonate with the heart of the teachings of Jesus the Nazarene as preserved in the Christian gospels. Presented in the arrangement and context of Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, "the truths presented are timeless and universal as a complete religion in themselves," says the author. The author describes the book as serving as the message of Jesus to the world in the context of Christian of Eastern thought, and points out that it is not really a Christian work. This is foremost a Buddhist writing, devoted to the same Dharma that Buddha so loved and taught 2500 years ago. It is presented through the teachings of the One who is called the Christ in the Western world. Then again, this is not really a Buddhist work as the linkage the author has made between the concepts of Christ and Buddha create a synthesis that transcends Christianity and Buddhism. The heart of this Dharma cannot really be defined of confined by a system of thought. It lives on the immediacy of the expression of those who take it to heart.

"[Thich Nhat Hanh] shows us the connection between personal, inner peace and peace on earth." --His Holiness The Dalai Lama Nominated by Martin Luther King, Jr. for a Nobel Peace Prize, Thich Nhat Hanh is one of today’s leading sources of wisdom, peace, compassion and comfort. Exiled from Vietnam over thirty years ago, Thich Nhat Hanh has become known as a healer of the heart, a monk who shows us how the everyday world can both enrich and endanger our spiritual lives. In this book, Jesus and Buddha share a conversation about prayer and ritual and renewal, and about where such concepts as resurrection and the practice of mindfulness converge. In this unique way, Thich Nhat Hanh shows the brotherhood between Jesus and Buddha-- and in the process shows how we can take their wisdom into the world with us, to "practice in such a way that Buddha is born every moment of our daily life, that Jesus Christ is born every moment of our daily life."

The Buddha's teachings center around two basic principles. One is the Four Noble Truths, in which the Buddha diagnoses the problem of suffering and indicates the treatment necessary to remedy this problem. The other is the Noble Eightfold Path, the practical discipline he prescribes to uproot and eliminate the deep underlying causes of suffering. The present book offers, in simple and clear language, a concise yet thorough explanation of the Eightfold Path. Basing himself solidly upon the Buddha's own words, the author examines each factor of the path to determine exactly what it implies in the way of practical training. Finally, in the concluding chapter, he shows how all eight factors of the path function in unison to bring about the realization of the Buddhist goal: enlightenment and liberation.

This book contains the works of a group of Evangelical mission "reflective practitioners," who are committed to developing ways to evangelize the Buddhist peoples of the world. As various forms of Buddhism gain popularity, this network tries to disclose creative approaches to reach them with the gospel communicated in culturally sensitive ways and with transformational impact. The five major dimensions of a holistic witness among Buddhist peoples discussed in this book are: experiential dialogue, intellectual dialogue, biblical exposition, cultural sensitivity, and economic development. We invite readers to gain access to the first volume, Sharing Jesus in the Buddhist World, which consists of nine papers that provide the framework and some concrete models of cultural-sensitive "contextualized" witness to peoples of Buddhist faith. It will serve as a rich resource for those concerned with the issues raised in this book.

Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path overlays perfectly onto Judaism's kabbalah mysticism. Kabbalah terms are explored for their usage in the Hebrew Bible.

The Beatitudes invite us to a new way of life—one of abundance, dignity, truth, and mercy. We've learned to live by striving, competition, and comparison, but what if we all have equal dignity and worth? Mark Scandrette shows how the Beatitudes invite us into nine new postures for life. Whatever your story, whatever your struggle, the ninefold path found in the Beatitudes is available to you.