The mileage of "Christian Zen" varies, depending who you talk to. Philip Kapleau, Roshi was not a big fan of such an idea, but issues of "Christian Zen" are better discussed on such forums as Zen Forum International.Justsit wrote:Some Buddhists enter the mandala through the Christian gate and proceed quickly; others, less so. You might be interested in some of their writings - Robert Kennedy Roshi, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and Zen master, author of "Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit;" William Johnston, "Christian Zen;" Lawrence Richardson, David Steindl-Rast, Thomas Merton (Trappist monk who actually ended up asking HH the Dalai Lama for Dzogchen teachings, but that's another story ), and others. You might also enjoy Thich Nhat Hahn's Living Buddha, Living Christ. It can be a difficult journey for those used to having answers presented rather than discovered. Letting go of "God" can be very scary, but it's kind of like removing a band-aid; some folks pull it off slowly and gently, and others just rip it and get it over with.
Best wishes,
Justsit
The idea of a singular omniscient, omnipotent, permanent, independent, unique cause of the cosmos - god - is not something that ever found favor within Buddhism from the Buddha onwards for reasons spelled in a number of msgs above. Any number of argument have been put forth against such an idea of a singular omniscient, omnipotent, permanent, independent, unique cause of the cosmos by various Buddhists during its history from the Buddha onwards.
The a question implied in the OP is if Buddhism can be practiced while believing in a god-notion and the answer to that is: sure. How one might reconcile god and Buddhism is an interesting question, but also equally interesting, does one need to reconcile the two in order to practice the Buddha's teachings? I would argue that the answer to that is: no. I suspect, however, if one's practice of Buddhism is successful, the idea of a singular omniscient, omnipotent, permanent, independent, unique cause of the cosmos will be let go.