Humans can find solutions to their problems by understanding Jesus’s words, which is the same as God’s words, and following his instructions. This process guides humans to reach the spiritual life which is the solution to all human’s problems. Grace and faith play important roles in humans’ salvation. Grace and faith are the first steps of entering a spiritual life. Grace and faith can be achieved through understanding Jesus which is the same as understanding God and believing in both and following their instructions.
The Qur’an and the New Testament both express the importance of peace and peacemaking as evident in Jesus’ Beatitudes “Blessed are the peacemakers”. The search for inner peace is the core message of the Qur’an and the New Testament and the adherents of both traditions are taught that inner peace will come through faithfully devoting yourself to God. The word peace is mentioned over ninety time is the New Testament and in other passages the quest for peace is address without actually using the term. In the New Testament Jesus’ life is the perfect model for living in peace. To have a close relationship with Jesus and his teachings will enable the adherent to experience this peace.
Finally, This concept is very compatible with my faith because the book discusses, “touching The Living Christ in each person we meet”, and also that I must learn from my experiences and take that knowledge and use it to make sure that I am going on the right path and that I am staying on the right path. To cut a long story short, the themes I have listed in this book report on Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Living Buddha, Living Christ, are healthy and recommended themes. Although, my faith does not promote these outwardly as a Catholic would the Ten Commandments, if one looks deeply into the words, one would see these themes in The Commandments.
I know understand that Buddhism is not all meditation and relaxing. There is a strict code of the four noble truths and the prescription of getting through them called the eightfold path. Much like Christianity Buddhism also has many different views on how to follow the religion, and has been broken up into different paths (yanas). The book also covers how Buddhism has a way of crossing into nirvana, and the journey enlighten followers have to make. In conclusion of the chapter Smith talks about the similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism and how they work with each others ideas.
Each has very distinct thoughts about how to lead life and which way best allows a person to achieve transcendence. For me, the refined version of Christianity that is not about physical completions, instead employing a more Buddhist approach of spiritual accomplishments, seem to most aptly provide a stable working relationship with Christ. My relationship with Christ will provide transcendence within my life and eternal glory thereafter. Works Cited Burtt, E.A. The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha.
The gospel of Jesus Christ. That is our singular purpose in the church--to go and make disciples. To go and to share the gospel with every single creature. He says we are to be of the same mind. We are to have a common understanding and a genuine agreement on the gospel.
Peace is Every Step, a book written by a Vietnamese man named Thich Nhat Hanh was just one of the readings that helped me to better understand what spirituality is. Hanh calls himself a Zen master, as well as being known world wide for poetry and advocating for peace. Additionally, an article titled “What is Spirituality?” that comes from the book The Holy Longing, written by Ronald Rolheiser, was another piece I gained spiritual knowledge through. Lastly, an excerpt from the book Awakening the Buddha Within, titled “We Are All Buddhas” was also a key part of my knowledge on spirituality. “We Are All Buddhas,” written by Lama Surya Das, a Lama who practices in Kathmandu, gave me a great deal of understanding about why one should practice spirituality.
Peace is a state of harmony where there is no violence or conflict between people or groups, especially in own personal relations. Peace is an essential part to becoming closer to God and being a faithful adherent. Islam and Christianity have similar views about achieving inner peace through the actions of Jesus Christ in the New Testament and through the Quran and Prophets sayings (Hadith). Through the sacred texts of these religious traditions the adherent guided to the ultimate goal of achieving inner peace. Christianity’s primary source in guiding the adherent to achieve inner peace is Jesus Christ.
I have discovered that by evaluating my core values, I am able to interpret the gifts that I have received from God and how I will be able to use those gifts throughout my life. This class has taught me a lot about the Franciscan Values. The core Franciscan values are community, compassion, peacemaking, and reverence for creation. Other values of Francis were the humility of God, mystery of God as generous love, and the integration of God, humanity, and cosmos (The Life & Spirit of Francis). St. Francis believed that God was the meaning behind his entire life.
Ultimately peace can be found in a union with God. Christians and Muslims are taught to live at peace with themselves and others, both within their own communities and in the wider world. Christianity has a strong emphasis on peace and peacemaking. The quest for inner peace is one of the main messages in the New Testament. The New Testament gives Christian adherents some extremely useful guidelines for individuals who wish to seek peace, both inner and external.