Catholicism and Zen

Ever since Catholic priests from Portugal and Spain entered Japan in the 1500’s on missions to convert the Japanese to Christianity, a quiet transformation has been taking place, beginning among those Jesuit missionaries and spreading into the present day among American and European Catholics, lay and ordained alike. As Rick McDaniel writes in this important book, in seeking to understand the Japanese mind so as to know better how to convert the Japanese to Christianity, these early – and later – priests undertook Zen practice.

Although there are a number of books written on Christianity and Zen, including several by Catholic clergy, this is the first to take it from its origins with the Jesuit missionaries sent to Japan, to interviews with the many contemporary Catholic clergy – priests and nuns both – who maintain their Catholic faith and practice and find it enhanced by their Zen training. Many of these men and women have done extensive Zen practice under recognized Zen masters and have become authorized themselves to teach Zen practice – and see no conflict with their Christian faith. The author himself was raised Catholic and has practiced Zen for several decades, thus having a unique background through which to explore the congruencies between the two, and his research has resulted in some fascinating insights into the accord between the two religions. Read on! – From the foreword by Ven. Mitra Bishop, Abbot, Mountain Gate