Popular Culture Review Vol. 11, No. 1, February 2000 | Page 153

Synthesizing Eastern and Western Religious Traditions

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Japan’s Shinko Shukyo, its “new religions,” have integrated key elements of
Christianity into their teachings, focusing on the life and works of Jesus and New
Testament chronicles. Although there are over 100 new religions.
Thomsen suggests eight characteristics of these religions: “(1) They center
around a religious Mecca ... a central point where all the believers go on special
occasions (2) They are easy to enter, understand, and follow (3) They are based on
optimism ... Life is beautiful and there is always a sun above the clouds ... healing
by faith, and prevention of sickness (4) They want to establish the kingdom of God
on earth here and now, (5) They emphasize that religion and life are o n e ... In most
of the new religions believers are taught that religion in itself has no value if it is
not intimately connected with daily life, (6)They rely on a strong leader, (7) They
give a person a sense of importance and dignity, (8) They teach the relativity of all
religions ... and the doctrine of inclusiveness (Thomsen, p. 28).
Thomsen notes that: “It is amazing to see various versions and parts of
Christianity embedded in the heart of the new religions.” Christ is mentioned with
the greatest respect and reverence in the majority of the new religion, and it can be
said that most of the phases of the life of Christ are to be found in one form or
another. Christian terminology is used extensively, and words from the bible are
quoted freely.” For example, Jesus is treated with great respect among the new
religions, as are the narratives of the stilling of the sea, the Sermon on the Mount,
and the Lord’s Prayer. Further, Christian terminology is often employed and words,
phrases, and images from the Bible are quoted often, (p. 29) This is not unusual, as
McFarland (1967) explains, because two central narratives running though Japan’s
(and other Eastern religions) is the reconciling of opposites and an encompassing
syncretism (p. 92-93), exemplified by the often quoted verse as “There are many
paths to the mountain top,” and “Obscured by the mist and shadows, many are the
paths winding up the mountainside, but when the summit is attained, the pure
beams of the full moon pour their radiance upon every wanderer alike.”
This case study concerns the synthetic rhetorics of the Vietnamese monk, Tich
Nhat Hanh (known affectionately as Thay or teacher by his students. Thay is a
self-proclaimed Existentialist, an activist concerned with authenticity and “Lived
Experience.” Bede is a Romantic that is captivated by with the Indian aesthetic
and participates in that aesthetic by not only living in India but in living as the poor
in India lived. Our primary text for this analysis is Thay’s Living Buddha Living

Christ.
Thay’s Synthesis
Thay’s existential philosophy bears resemblance to K