The Heart of Christianity Sunday School Lesson for Sunday, 29 November 2015 at First United Methodist Church of San Diego, California, United States for Saturday, 28 November 2015

The Heart of Christianity Sunday School Lesson for Sunday, 29 November 2015 at First United Methodist Church of San Diego, California, United States for Saturday, 28 November 2015
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LIVING BUDDHA; LIVING CHRIST
THICK NHAT HANH
CHAPTER 10
Faith and Practice
Penetrating the heart of reality
Why does Hahn say that we must abandon our notions of God, Buddha, self, non-self, birth, death, being, & non-being?
Only the Son & the Holy Spirit know him
Why?
The substance of faith
How is the practice of cultivating the mind & the heart to be done? 
What two things are essential?
Taking refuge
Buddhist practice is taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma, & Sangha.  How is this done? What does it do for them?
Interior recollection
What are analogous practices in Christianity?  How are these practiced in Christianity?  What are your experiences with them?
Afflictions block the way
What part does focus & concentration play in these practices?
What are the 5 hindrances that block “the Buddha nature,” “the seed of enlightenment,” “the original mind,” “the Holy Spirit within?”  
What then is the practice to be?
How does transformation take place?  How do we reach “inter-being”, “the non-self?”
The abyss of doubt
Why should your practice not be stopped when some peace is achieved?
The original mind
Hahn says the Christian layperson should live a simple life & that a life of prayer & contemplation can be filled with joy & happiness. Do you agree?
He also says that if care is not taken, even apostolic ministry can lead one away from the original mind, the mind of practice & love. Do you agree?
An expression of love
What is needed for living the contemplative life while also doing the work that must be done?
How not to lose the contemplative life 
What is the heart of meditation?
Hahn says the question is not whether to be engaged or not, but how to engage without losing the contemplative life.  Do you agree?
Mindful living is possible
What are ways Hahn says that mindful living can be truly done?
Our original purpose
When one allows oneself to mindfully embrace suffering or allow the Holy Spirit to work within, the individual will come to really understand the nature of that suffering and no longer impose dogmas that cause further suffering.  Is this analogous to “love one another?”
The well is within us
How do we discover the well that is within us?
Religious experience is human experience
As human religious practice deepens & mindfulness becomes more sustained, what follows?
How is this different from “habit energy?”  How can “habit energy” be transformed?
Loving God is loving living beings
What does it mean “to rest in God?”
Empty of what
Hahn says every time we pray or invoke the name of God, the Holy Spirit is manifest in us as a seed, a mustard seed.  We begin to see things around us & within us more deeply.  Do you agree?
What are two Buddhist concepts that are doors that open to the “true nature of reality?”
How does delusion cause us to suffer?
The nature of interbeing
How does Hahn say the notions of impermanence & non-being become a direct experience for the practitioner?
What do you think of this concept:
Nirvana, the ultimate dimension of being, is touched when the reality of the non-self is realized.  Then one is free of fear, attachment, illusion, and craving. 
The ground of experience
What is the true deep meaning of “being born again” actually mean to Hahn?  How does Merton explain it?
What is the ground that makes this possible?
Concrete prayer
What is “stream-winning?”  How might this lead to “enlightenment?”
Total surrender
Hahn says touching nirvana, the ultimate dimension, is total & unconditional surrender to God.  How does Thomas Merton help us understand that?
Two types of causation
Hahn says that once the ultimate is touched, all notions are transcended.  What does he mean by that?
According to Buddhism, there are two types of causation: 
causation within the historical dimension and 
causation between the historical dimension and the ultimate dimension.
Explain these concepts.
Who is not unique?
Hahn says that the notion that Christianity is the only path to salvation & other religions are of no use, excludes dialogue, fosters religious intolerance, & is of no help.  Your thoughts?
The difference is in emphasis
Hahn says the true body of Jesus is his teaching and the only way to touch Him is to practice his teaching.  What does he mean by that?
Religious experience is above all human experience. Both similarities & differences are present in varying religions.  They only differ in emphasis.  Your thoughts?
Real dialogue brings tolerance
The absence of true experience brings forth intolerance & lack of understanding. Organized religions must bring forth conditions that create true practice & true experience to flower. How is studying this book suggesting that true dialogue within & between religions can bring true love & true peace?
-- 
Kay Gilbert, CNM, Ph.D.
Retired, School of Nursing
San Diego State University
4935 Dorena Court
San Diego, CA  92122

Email    kayg@mail.sdsu.edu
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