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Understanding a Buddhist During Christmas
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As Christmas approaches, we are delighted to wonderful decorations, beautiful lights, great presents, and, for Buddhists in America and other western countries, the inevitable question “So, do you celebrate Christmas?”. 聽The question always brings a smile to my face as I answer “of course!”. 聽But how can a Buddhist celebrate Christmas? Like most American Buddhists, I wasn’t born into a Buddhist household. 聽My family was of the Christian/Catholic background, so we always had a Christmas tree, and knew of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. 聽The smells of freshly cut pine trees, alluring multi-colored lights, decorations, and (oh!) those presents, were just icing on the cake. So, do I celebrate Christmas? 聽As a Buddhist, I celebrate Christmas in a unique way. My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. ~ Dalai Lama This article is part of a series on Christmas and Buddhism. Click here to view more. Affiliate Links Disclosure:聽 This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. (You can read my full disclaimer here.). Visit and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more Buddhism videos: 聽https://www.youtube.com/user/alanpeto/聽Table of Contents Christ, the Bodhisattva Jesus helping others was a central part of his ministry. Here he is shown healing the mother in law of Peter.
If you ask most Buddhists what they think of Jesus Christ, you may be surprised to hear some very positive and supportive opinions. Without speaking to the spiritual context, we believe Jesus exemplified some of the values in what the Mahayana Buddhist tradition calls a “Bodhisattva“. 聽A Bodhisattva is one that forgoes their own benefit to help others and has compassion, kindness, and love for all beings. 聽Jesus definitely helped others in ways we still experience today by showing the world immense compassion, love, kindness, and beauty and how to incorporate that into their lives and help others. 聽So, for Buddhists, we can see Jesus as a blessing to this Earth with his teachings of peace and compassion.聽 However, Jesus is not a ‘Buddhist Bodhisattva’, of course, because his ministry and teachings were different than the Buddha Dharma. The immensely popular and well-known Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh聽wrote an extremely popular book titled “Living Buddha, Living Christ” (this book is on Oprah’s nightstand) which helps explain how both traditions can understand each other, and share similar beliefs (such as compassion). For Mahayana Buddhists, the aim of their practice is to become a Bodhisattva, which is an expression of what we call “bodhichitta” (which is the desire to attain enlightenment for the sake of others). 聽If there is a slogan for the Bodhisattva, it would be:May I attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Many Buddhists, both lay practitioners, and monks, take the “Bodhisattva vow” to reinforce this commitment:Beings are numberless; I vow to liberate them. Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to end them. Dharma gates are boundless; I vow to enter them. The Buddha Way is unobtainable; I vow to obtain it. Becoming a Bodhisattva in Buddhism is not like becoming a god; a Bodhisattva lives聽in the here and now working to help all living beings (read more in this booklet). An interesting part of the story of Jesus is that he was similar in some ways to a Bodhisattva (in his own faith, of course, and not Buddhism where the term and beings originate from). 聽In summary, Jesus descended into hell to free anyone who wanted salvation. 聽The point being Jesus didn’t abandon anyone…even those already in hell. 聽That’s kind of cool. 聽That story always strikes me as how we view Bodhisattva’s in Buddhism…we are actively living in “hell” in our world (not the hell you’ll read about in the Bible, but one of our own doing) and actively work to help and free those in this world from delusion. The Buddha TreeDo Buddhists have a Christmas Tree? 聽Well, we may have decorated pine trees in our homes, but it may or may not have anything to do with Christmas. Most people are not aware that things such as the ‘Christmas Tree’, was actually a pagan tradition during the winter solstice, which no Christian wanted to adopt at first (in fact it was banned by Christians, the Church, etc.). 聽It was only after it was promoted in a magazine that Queen Victoria had one that it was popularized, and then only in the late 1800s did Americans adopt it. 聽Even Christmas Day (December 25th) was during the very popular pagan winter solstice (the 25th was the ‘return of the sun’). 聽It’s still unknown when Christ was actually born, and this date was decided since there was already an established celebration that the church could switch from a pagan celebration to a Christian celebration. A popular Buddhist holiday, Bodhi Day, is聽celebrated in聽December as well (and goes on for 30 days) to celebrate the Buddha’s enlightenment. 聽Those multi-colored lights you use for your Christmas tree, are also used during this celebration on Ficus trees. 聽Although many Western Buddhists may have an artificial pine (Christmas) tree they can use it for the same purpose. So, having a “Christmas Tree” is quite acceptable for Western Buddhists to have, and some may even have one because some of their family members may be Christians, Catholics, etc. 聽Buddhism is accepting of other religions, so this wouldn’t bother us at all. 聽My Christmas tree still has my mom’s angel (from the 1960s) at the top every year. Wrapping Up a Buddha The Buddha wants to bring you the present of enlightenment!
When it comes to gift-giving, Buddhists look to Saint Nicolas (aka “Santa Claus”) for someone who resembles our values. The聽selflessness聽and compassion Saint Nicholas聽brought to children is something that is very much a part of Buddhism, which is the selfless act of charity and caring without expecting anything in return. 聽We are very mindful of what gifts we give to others and want them to be meaningful and not harmful. 聽For example, we would not give a gun (even a toy one) to a child as a present on a day that we want to express peace for all mankind.聽 Sorry Ralphie. The love, sacrifice, teachings of love, and kindness of Jesus Christ are the kind of things that Buddhists go all teary-eyed about. 聽We are all about how we are all connected and helping one another. 聽Just like the Buddha, Jesus (who came ~500 years later) also took in all sorts of people with various backgrounds into his flock. 聽Jesus didn’t care about your past, but where you are going. 聽The Buddha and Jesus would have a lot to talk about if they were walking together. When it comes to presents, Jesus and Buddha had different gifts, of course. While Jesus promoted salvation and heaven after death, the Buddha promoted inner salvation and heaven in the here and now. The Buddha gave us the gift of his teachings, which were his explanation of how “life” works (to sum it up in a single sentence). 聽Part of that gift is a present you make. 聽You ARE the present…all nicely wrapped up (with a bow even). 聽What is inside is the most beautiful gift in the world, known as enlightenment. 聽Do you know how you feel as you rip away the wrapping paper of a present (that is the same in Buddhism as ripping away the false concept of “self”)? 聽As you start ripping away, you become more excited, but also can see the ‘box’ of your present…which makes you more excited, because now you know what you are getting. 聽As you open the box (what we call awakening in Buddhism), you hold in your hands the actual present. 聽This is enlightenment. 聽Sorry if you were looking for a new game console instead 馃槈 If you’re are looking to get a present for a Buddhist for Christmas, look no further than my article about it (click here). “But Wait. Don’t You Worship to Your ‘God’, Buddha?” Not at all. 聽The historical Buddha that everyone knows (Siddh膩rtha Gautama) is not a “God” in Buddhism, but instead our respected teacher and above all…a human being. The Buddha told everyone that he was just a man who had found the meaning of life and end to suffering (enlightenment). 聽He never claimed to be any god, deity, or spiritual being. You may see Buddhists bow to a statue of the Buddha, but that is out of respect for him as our teacher, not as idol worship. 聽In Asian countries, students everywhere bow to their teachers out of respect and humility, and the Buddha is no different. 聽Some Buddhists even give offerings of food, water, etc., to a statue of the Buddha not as an offering to a god, but instead is a practice to bring about selflessness and compassion in themselves. 聽This is like “repetition in learning something”, and in Buddhism, this helps us to awaken and bring out the kindness in ourselves so we can share this selflessness and compassion with everyone. What Does a Buddhist “do” at Christmas? The Buddha really loves being around my Christmas tree!
Glad you asked! 聽I have an entire article about five things a Buddhist can do at Christmas. A Buddhist can continue their practice of being compassionate, caring, thoughtful, mindful, and respectful of others.聽 I not only take this time to take part in the traditional Christmas activities, but also to ensure I connect, understand, and embrace the many different religious activities that occur this time of year. The stories and examples of peace and love to all are a shining light of how we should all be with each other. Thank you for reading, and Merry Christmas!
If you would like to read two fantastic books related to Buddhism and Christianity, Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh has two great ones that are very popular:
If you are a Christian, this is not only a great book to understand Buddhist concepts, but to also see how they have similar parallels with Buddhism.聽 There are many points in the book that cause both Christian and Buddhist practitioners to pause and think not only of similar beliefs, but also how they can make their life better (and their faith stronger).聽 A must read book that helps to create understanding between these two religions. Purchase:聽聽Amazon.com print version /聽 Amazon.com Kindle Edition
A companion book to “Living Buddha, Living Christ”, this book is aimed towards Christians who may have become Buddhists, or who are exploring it.聽 The book helps guide them towards similarities between Buddhism and Christianity, and Buddha and Jesus, so they can remain in their Christian faith.聽 Buddhism reinforces that people should remain in their own faiths because it is the right thing to do, and not to become a Buddhist unless careful thought and understanding is first undertaken.聽 Ven. Hanh reinforces this longstanding belief as practiced by the Buddha with this book by helping those who follow Christ, but are exploring Buddhism, to feel reassured to stay in their religion. Purchase:聽聽Amazon.com print version /聽 Amazon.com Kindle Edition
Article Notes: Featured Photo:聽 CC photo by H茅l猫ne Villeneuve on Flickr Disclaimer The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only.聽 Alan Peto assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site.聽 The information contained is provided on an as-is basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness, or timeliness, and without any warranties of any kind whatsoever, express or implied.聽 Read full disclaimer here. This article is Copyright 漏 by Alan Peto.聽 All Rights Reserved.聽 Do not repost this article on any other website.聽 This article is published exclusively on alanpeto.com.You are here:聽 Home 禄 Buddhism 禄 Understanding a Buddhist During Christmas If you enjoyed this article, please share! 馃檹 Please Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... |
Living Buddha, Living Christ
By聽Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh
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