French Benedictine monk Benoit Billot preaches syncretism between Catholicism and Buddhism. Above center, he says a "meditative Mass."

After many years as a Benedictine, Fr. Billot experienced a crisis. To resolve it he traveled to Japan and was initiated into Zen Buddhism. On his return to France he founded the Maison de Tobie - The House of Tobias. There, according to Le Monde des Religions, he teaches Buddhist body positions and exercises on how to manage breathing, sexuality, and circulation of energy.

Referring to his own life, he says: "I passed from a penitential and monastic vision of the body to a dynamic vision turned to enjoyment and exercise." One can only wonder what this represents regarding sexuality...

Below, the statue of Buddha holding a Crucifix that Le Monde des Religions chose to illustrate in its dossier on Buddha and Jesus in its July-August, 2006 issue.