Thich Nhat Hanh vs. Abraham Joshua Heschel
Iris Gallegos
02/23/12
RT201C Thich Nhat Hanh Vs. Abraham Joshua Heschel
Thich Nhat Hanh and Abraham J. Heschel used their writing in order to educate outside people about their religions. They both addressed the importance of the human person, God or Ultimate Reality, and the world. These authors came from completely different parts of the world and have completely different beliefs in regards to their religion. Yet, so much is similar in their thoughts of being a devout or right practitioner of Buddhism or Judaism. In both of the readings a theme present throughout the books was the concept of suffering or embarrassment in order to achieve a higher state of life such as Nirvana (Buddhism) or Heaven (Judaism) and also the connection one has with the world.
It is important to know where these authors came from and what shaped their views of life in order to understand their beliefs and their interpretation of their religion. Abraham J. Heschel was a Jewish Rabbi, a Holocaust survivor, and a civil rights activism in the U.S. He was well known for marching alongside Martin Luther during the black civil rights movement. He was also influential among the Christian and Catholic communities. Due to his experience during the Holocaust, he was very passionate about equality for everyone.
Thich Naht Hanh was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and poet. Thich Naht Hanh was a strong promoter of peace and knowing how to live in the present moment. He devoted a lot of his time in educating people of other religions about Buddhism, meditation and how to live mindfully through bringing the ancient practices of Buddhism into the world today and making it relatable to our lives today.
Suffering and humility is something I saw throughout both books and even though the authors belonged to different religions they referred to it in similar ways. “Embarrassment is a response to the discovery that in living we either replenish or frustrate a wondrous expectation.”
02/23/12
RT201C Thich Nhat Hanh Vs. Abraham Joshua Heschel
Thich Nhat Hanh and Abraham J. Heschel used their writing in order to educate outside people about their religions. They both addressed the importance of the human person, God or Ultimate Reality, and the world. These authors came from completely different parts of the world and have completely different beliefs in regards to their religion. Yet, so much is similar in their thoughts of being a devout or right practitioner of Buddhism or Judaism. In both of the readings a theme present throughout the books was the concept of suffering or embarrassment in order to achieve a higher state of life such as Nirvana (Buddhism) or Heaven (Judaism) and also the connection one has with the world.
It is important to know where these authors came from and what shaped their views of life in order to understand their beliefs and their interpretation of their religion. Abraham J. Heschel was a Jewish Rabbi, a Holocaust survivor, and a civil rights activism in the U.S. He was well known for marching alongside Martin Luther during the black civil rights movement. He was also influential among the Christian and Catholic communities. Due to his experience during the Holocaust, he was very passionate about equality for everyone.
Thich Naht Hanh was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and poet. Thich Naht Hanh was a strong promoter of peace and knowing how to live in the present moment. He devoted a lot of his time in educating people of other religions about Buddhism, meditation and how to live mindfully through bringing the ancient practices of Buddhism into the world today and making it relatable to our lives today.
Suffering and humility is something I saw throughout both books and even though the authors belonged to different religions they referred to it in similar ways. “Embarrassment is a response to the discovery that in living we either replenish or frustrate a wondrous expectation.”
Bibliography: 1. Hanh, Thich Nhat. Essential Writings Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2001. 2 [ 2 ]. Thich Nhat Hanh, Essential Writings, (Maryknoll, Orbis Books, 2001) Pg. 1-3 [ 3 ] [ 4 ]. Abraham J. Heschel, Essential Writings, (Maryknoll, Orbis Books, 2011)Pg. 56 [ 5 ] Thich Nhat Hanh, Essential Writings, (Maryknoll, Orbis Books, 2001) Pg. 100 [ 10 ]