Can one truly be a dedicated Catholic or Christian at the same time one is a dedicated Buddhist? Does each religion suffer because the person is not totally committed to the one religion over the other?

ABSOLUTELY NO

Christianity gets its name from Jesus Christ. Buddhism gets its name from Buddha. I know the teachings of Jesus, and they will in no way merge with any other religion. Jesus Christ is convinced that He is the only way to heaven: "No man comes to the Father except through Me." To marry these two religions, you have neither. You have a new self-made religion with no continuity or substance.

No, you can not be a Buddhist and something else. You can, however, practice some form of meditation and your own religion. This form of meditation may be based on Buddhism, but that does not make you a Buddhist.

Someone who dances on the fence between Buddhism and Christianity will never taste the full flavor of the other. I think such thinking comes from those who wish to retain aspects of their Christian heritage/tradition as well as of those with little to know theological background.

ABSOLUTELY YES...

Buddhist...Catholic
His Holiness the Dalai Lama...His Holiness the Pope
malas...rosaries
Chenresig...Jesus
meditation and prayer...meditation and prayer
monks and nuns...monks and nuns
compassion...compassion

Works for me. :-)

I feel that we can believe in anything we see is possible. If we believe in Buddhism and God, it could be arranged. It all depend on us, what we want to believe in. I believe that God, the creator, the supreme being does exist in Buddhism. Others may not.

I believe that I can be a Buddhist and a Hindu. The two relgions hardly contradict each other, and I feel I can commit myself with two religions.

I now see biblical statements such as "...except thru me" as subtle mis-translations. In that case, a reasonable and compatible meaning is not that one must believe Jesus to be another divine entity, but that one doesn't understand god unless one does so in the manner in which Jesus (and Siddhartha) did, by personal experience. These days, I am certainly a Buddhist and certainly not a Christian, but there is not much of a distinction to be made between them if one reads Christian texts with a Buddhist mind.

I do consider myself both a Buddhist and a Christian. However, I look at Christ differently than what I believe the average Christian does. First, I consider Buddha and Christ to both be buddhas in that they were both enlightened. There are many similarities between what the two taught, and I did not really understand Christ's words until I studied Buddhism. I see Buddha as being "christened," and I see Christ as having attained buddhahood. The only real differences I perceive in their respective teachings is that they were talking to two different audiences in two different parts of the world at two distinctly different times.

I'm a Buddhist who believes in Jesus. Jesus in your heart=the buddha-nature in you.

RELATIVELY YES

I am a devout Episcopalian who goes to Rite I every Sunday. I say and believe the Apostle's Creed and confess my sins and take Eucharist, the very act forgiving me of my sins. I am able to believe this and at the same time practice Buddhism, preferably in the vispassana tradition. I believe that we always were, are now, and always will be, part of God; i.e. consciousness.

Buddha never taught that his teachings were the superior way. Buddhism is not 'the' way, it is one way. The level of attainnment that can be reached compared to other spiritual traditions, some would argue is greater. The only superior path is 'right view' and I am sure this is possible to attain in any spiritual tradition.

[Consider] Thich Nhat Hanh's answer from the standpoint of PRACTICE (not doctrine) to a Catholic priest in the following citation from "Living Buddha, Living Christ":

A Catholic priest from North America asked me "Thay, I see the value of mindfulness practice. I have tasted the joy, peace and happiness of it.I have enjoyed the bells, the walking, the tea meditation and the silent meals. But how can I continue to practice when I get back to my church?" I asked him "is there a bell in your church?". He said "Yes". "Do you ring the bell?" "Yes". "Then please use your bell as a bell of mindfulness calling you back to your true home."

Buddhism and other religions: Join the debate.