i have started to look into Buddhism as a philosophical way to help myself with my OCD mindfulness and meditation looking more at the mindfulness meditation my mental health has been good since starting this but i want to look even more deeper into Buddhism as a Christian Buddhist i have read that you can follow Buddhism and still follow your christian faith my mental health has gotten to the point where my husband has to lock the door and keep keys on himself to meds most of the time i am a danger to myself and others but the last week or so looking at this has helped me so much i am more positive and happy doing this i am still christian i still believe in Jesus , God and the Holy Spirit i still want to celebrate Christmas and Easter yet i feel a pull towards Buddhism i talk to one of my pastor who told me just to follow the meditation and the mindfulness i asked him if it ok for me to go and join a Buddhist meditation class and he said no i feel disappointed and upset that i cant follow this but what the problem with this i am still Christian Am still going to church every week am a member of the church voting member maybe i dont see why he said this can someone please explain not allowed to do this i am unable to talk to my pastor again until Tuesday he know i have mental health problems but he dont know how things are going since the last time i saw him i wanted to show him that Buddhism is a philosophical but i was unable to explain to him i know that most of you will say that Buddhism is new age and of the devil but really ??? saying things like that makes your go 1000 years backward where women who helped people with medicine where burt at the stake for being witches where black people where slaves are,nt we going too backwards with things like that its 2017
not that dark ages you know i feel some want angry and upset I AM A CHRISTIAN BUDDHIST weather people like it or not
CAN SOMEONE EXPLANE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS ???
There is no such thing as a Christian Buddhist, as Buddhism is inherently atheistic. There is nothing Christian about Buddhism.
Buddhism teaches the concept of reincarnation (which is at direct odds with the Christian belief). They teach that reincarnation occurs due to ignorance and suffering- and that one can stop it by becoming a Buddhist. Different schools of thought claim different things. Theraveda Buddhism (the oldest form) doesn't believe there is forgiveness of sins (or negative karma), while Vajarana Buddhism believes mantras can help with this. Christianity believes we have eternal souls- Buddhism doesn't.
The eight-fold path itself isn't really at odds with Christianity (especially everything regarding ethical conduct)- excepting the eighth one regarding meditation. However- just accepting the eight-fold path doesn't make one Buddhist. You have to accept all of the Buddhist teachings, be part of a Buddhist community, and accept the Buddha.
They generally consider a Buddha to be an enlightened/awakened/purified person who will help others to achieve the same state. Mahayana Buddhists look at the Buddha as a god-like figure. In fact- Buddhists believe in various spirits and demons- though they don't see them as gods (but the way they relate to them amounts to worship/appeasement/whatever you want to call it). However- Buddhists generally claim to be atheistic (as they believe ultimately everything will come to nothing and cease to exist- and that there is no ultimate creator) even though they directly relate to spirits and demons.
In fact- demon possession is not unknown in Buddhism. They have various oracles, who are people (monks, nuns, priests) possessed by specific demons which have been known to them for centuries. It even makes the Dalai Lama uncomfortable. This is a big red flag.
The Dalai Lama has changed his views on non-Buddhists over the years. He's gone from believing that everyone should be Buddhist to recanting that belief. Now, he's even gone so far as to claim that Christ was a Buddha who reached enlightenment. While that's a nice thought- Christianity and Buddhism are two belief systems that are inherently at odds.
To me- despite the talk of enlightenment, etcetera- it seems like a hopeless belief system. Why bother at all if no matter what they teach you'll simply cease to exist one day?
If you have the stomach for it- you can watch this which shows an oracle or two being possessed: