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Subject: Christians doing Zen? (was Re: Can I practice ZEN and still be a ...)
Date: 27 Mar 1996 17:59:31 -0800
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|>2) Can I practice Zen and still be a Christian?

that depends on who you ask.  if you ask the conservative Christians they
 would tell you that it is evil and you will not likely be allowed to
 be part of the Church if you continued to have some contact with a Zen
 Temple.  you might get away with sitting zazen, but socializing with both
 groups could prove volatile.  all depends on how you want it to work

if you ask a Zen Master I figure it would vary a bit, hopefully both will 
 respond in the way you most needed to hear. :).  some would no doubt tell
 you that if you felt that any part your Christian path might stand in the 
 way of your dharma, your path to nirvana , then you must be prepared to
 let it go

liberal Christians, such as Quakers already do accept Zen Buddhists and
 Buddhists of other, weirder varieties, I'm sure, such is their syncretism
the same is true with liberal Buddhists, I'm sure.   in short it varies
 quite a bit from what I can tell sitting in this valley here

the best way to find out is to ask your religious authority associated
 with your Christian church, or a public reference librarian or one from
 a university who can assist you in looking up the information yourself
 if you want to get legalistic

enjoy.  religion is the echoes of suffering coming back across that Ocean
 from those who fly unto the Other Shore.  perhaps this is why the 
 Mahayana teach of the path of the bodhisattva and vowing to save all
 sentient beings before achieving nirvana, unlike the laughing happy
 Theravada saints