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In his book, Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers, Thich Nhat Hanh, the aptly named "father of mindfulness", writes that, as he sees it, "if there is a real encounter between Buddhism and Christianity, there will be a very drastic change within the Christian tradition, and the most beautiful jewels in the tradition will be able to emerge. If we can bring into Christianity the insight of interbeing and of non-duality, we will radically transform the way people look on the Christian tradition, and the valuable jewels in the Christian tradition will be rediscovered." Elsewhere, he writes that "There is a misconception that Buddhism is a religion and that you worship Buddha. Buddhism is a practice, like yoga. You can be a Christian and practice Buddhism. I met a Catholic priest who lives in a Buddhist monastery in France. He told me that Buddhism makes him a better Christian. I love that."

Paul Knitter, an American theologian, has written a book by the title Without the Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian, which "narrates how [an] esteemed theologian...overcame a crisis of faith by looking to Buddhism for inspiration. From prayer to how Christianity views life after death, Knitter argues that a Buddhist standpoint can encourage a more person-centered conception of Christianity, where individual religious experience comes first, and liturgy and tradition second."

These two aspects: the insight of non-duality and the emphasis on individual spiritual experience are at the center of the vision of Mindfulness Plus Church. Like Thich Nhat Hanh and Paul Knitter, respectively, we recognize the pressing, urgent responsibility of rediscovering the valuable jewels in the Christian tradition in a time of a collective crisis of faith. Subjectivism, skepticism, nihilism and cynicism are the order of the day. These "isms", we recognize, are in no small part due to the history of Western ideas, in which the phenomenology of stoicism guides us to factor life into what we can and cannot completely control. Whether intentional or not, most of us are basically trained in this factoring, of boxing-up reality according to this false dichotomy of control. This dualistic splitting can be seen in the Bible, particularly in the letters of Paul the Apostle.

This splitting of self and world, subject and object, is not only false according to experience, but it has painful consequences. What was meant to overcome suffering and bring serenity, causes suffering and brings confusion. So through the practice of mindfulness, the insight of non-duality can be cultivated to see through the deceit of false dichotomies and dualisms.

At Mindfulness Plus Church, we smilingly recognize not only that times are changing, but, precisely that time itself is change. We understand declining church attendance as a sign of many factors, including the sheer expensiveness and time-consumptiveness of living in late-stage capitalist modernity. We understand that one very important, and often unacknowledged, factor is the dualistic theology implicit and sometimes explicit in Christian doctrine wherein one is either believing or doubting, either religious or spiritual, either epistemologically agrees with the whole spiritual tradition, or remains skeptical about any knowledge at all, and on-and-on. And, for that factor, many have left Church and Christianity for good, seeking spiritual guidance in non-dualistic directions, such as in the Eastern traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism through meditation and yoga practices.

True to the insight of non-duality, the idea behind Mindfulness Plus Church is that we do not have to leave the Church or Christianity behind. Through mindfulness practice, we can get in touch with our roots, and can water those roots in ways that nourish ourselves, the world, and our ancestors. The choice between practicing mindfulness or going to church is a false dichotomy. There are other options, and Mindfulness Plus Church is one of them. Hope you will join us on this path of rediscovery, healing and joy!
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