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Where do I get off?Ninety percent of my writings are based on my own experience, the rest on research. By the time I was 19, I believed all religions led to God, and that if I saw God in the form of a statue, I could honor that statue and God would accept my image of him. Logically it made sense. My question to Christians was: "Would you, a loving parent, execute your child? No? Then how could a loving God?" It always left them speechless.
I felt Christians were limiting God’s greatness if only one man knew the road. Even though I had accepted Christ as my savior at 6, I turned my back on him at 18 and followed "My Sweet Lord," adopted Krishna and eventually an Indian guru. Having spent 30 years learning and practicing eastern religion, having known many people doing the same thing, I have knowledge of why Jesus pops up in eastern religions and is considered one of their patriots.
Marketing. The idea that Jesus has the same message as all great saints and sages. Or, come on in, the water's great.
This series deals with the concept that eastern religions can reconcile with Christianity, and we’re starting with Buddhism. I have a Buddha statue in my garden. He looks pretty content meditating under the gardenia flowers. Though I didn’t personally worship Buddha, I’ve read Buddhist literature over the years and had friends who were Buddhists. I understood Buddhism because I practiced a form of Hinduism, and Buddhism spun out of Hinduism. Some of the books I studied were, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, The Autobiography of the Dali Lama, Awakening the Buddha Within and I even tried to slug through the Tibetan Book of the Dead. My final impression about Buddhism was it was passive and a little boring.
Something Personal:
My husband and I were very close to someone who was (by his own admission) a Tibetan Buddhist. Raised a Mormon, he left the LDL church for a Hindu religion before deciding he was a Tibetan Buddhist. He was extremely knowledgeable about the subject, but study and meditation never brought him peace. He died of alcoholism at 55. He drank because he couldn't find peace for the things he had done in his youth. He could not forgive himself in Buddhism, and even though the doctors told him one more drink would kill him, he took it, rather than live in regrets and shame. Everyday we think of him, and everyday we hope he asked forgiveness on the way to the hospital and God accepted him into the gates.
Twisting the message of Christ - A little back-story, please.
Religions have throughout time used the name of God for evil purposes. This is nothing new, but it’s one of the topics that often come up from non-believers. Satan will always find ways to manipulate weak people to twist the words of God for power. The only way to know what Jesus Christ said is to read the Bible and do some research on Biblical history. Jesus Christ’s message is not metaphorical. He said what he meant and meant what he said. Period.
True Christians believe in the Trinity. Father. Son. Holy Spirit. Christians believe Jesus, and only Jesus, can save us and once saved, we'll spend eternity in Heaven. Any other take on Jesus or His message, is not His message. We must stand for the Truth, even when it’s not popular. Paul said to the Corinthians, "to beware of Idolatry and do not conform to the values of our society." 1 Cor. 10:7
Paul uses the illustration of the Israelites in the wilderness where they "offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings: and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play" Ex. 32:6. The Israelites imitated the false worship of the peoples around them rather than waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain with God’s instructions.
Eastern religion is false worship of mere people who once walked this earth, and until very recently, people born into Christian families wouldn't have looked east for the answers that are in their Bibles. The 1960's counter culture turned me toward eastern philosophy and eventually religion. The global world is charming people today, especially our youth, to look for other belief systems because, they say, Christians are intolerant for standing for God’s Word. They’re being told not to hold too tightly to their beliefs, that all religions are pleasing to God, and not to "taste one fruit," as if God were a banana. They’re being told Christians are narrow-minded and there's no absolute truth.
They’re learning this in our high-schools and colleges.
Eastern religions that practice meditation will pull scripture out of context to make their point.
"Be still and know I am God," Ps 46:10 for example has a lot of milage. I often used this scripture to defend my Hindu-influenced faith. Eastern religions believe this passage means to mediate and know God. But a little research clearly shows what the true meaning of this means:
For his own glory (v. 10): Be still, and know that I am God. ...Let his own people be still; let them be calm and sedate, and tremble no more, but know, to their comfort, that the Lord is God, he is God alone, and will be exalted above the heathen; let him alone to maintain his honour, to fulfil his own counsels and to support his own interest in the world. Though we be depressed, yet let us not be dejected, for we are sure that God will be exalted, and that may satisfy us; he will work for his great name, and then no matter what becomes of our little names. When we pray, Father, glorify thy name, we ought to exercise faith upon the answer given to that prayer when Christ himself prayed it, I have both glorified it and I will glorify it yet again. Amen, Lord, so be it. (Matthew Henry Concise Commentary on the Bible.)
Another commentary:
The word translated "be still" comes from the Hebrew term raphah. This word is found in various forms in the Old Testament, with different shades of meaning. It refers to that which is slack, or to let drop, or in some instances, to be disheartened or weak. When used of a person (as opposed to some inanimate object) it often has a negative connotation.
Interestingly, "be weak" is here commanded. In other contexts, those who let their hands "drop" from work are condemned. Those who are disheartened are commanded to take courage. In contexts where "being still" is condemned, we find that certain obligations were being neglected, and God’s people were admonished to take initiative to fulfill their duties. (Christian Courier).
There's nothing about Meditation
Now, let’s talk about Buddha.
Do Buddhist have anything to say about Jesus?
No. A Buddhist is someone who follows the teachings of Buddha.
Who was Buddha?
Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) was born in 566 BC, in the small kingdom of Kapilavastu. His father was King Suddhodana and his mother was Queen Maya.
The young prince became disillusioned about the sad state of the world outside his splendid palace life, and sought answers to the world’s suffering. Though he was married at a young age, he abandoned his wife and family to seek enlightenment. He tried various Hindu ways, all of them unsuccessful, but one day, when he was near death from living a life of renunciation, heard a message that life was about balance. He regained his health and sat under a Bodhi Tree and refused to move until he could bring happiness into the world.
What are the Teachings of Buddha and What Does Jesus Say about the same topics?
The Four Noble Truths of Buddha
Noble Truth # 1. The truth about suffering is that it exists. Life is suffering. Birth, aging and dying is suffering.
Jesus acknowledges suffering. Jesus understood the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, and the integral part it plays on the human experience. Suffering can’t be avoided, but he can lighten our load: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light." Matthew 11:28-30
Noble Truth # 2. Our reaching into the world of dreams, our desire to fulfill what cannot be fulfilled is what brings us our suffering.
Jesus acknowledges desire, often another word for sin. We try to gratify the sinful nature within us, only to be left with shame, blame, ruin. Jesus can fulfill our every desire. "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12
Noble Truth # 3 & 4. Only when we have broken the mirrors of illusion can we end our suffering, and 4. the Eight-Fold Path can help us to break our habits of suffering.
God’s world is an allusion to Buddhists.
What is the Buddha’s Eight-Fold-Path?
1. Right View. The right way to think about life is to see the world through the eyes of the Buddha--with wisdom and compassion.
We look only to Jesus: "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John: 12:44-46
2. Right Thought. We are what we think. Clear and kind thoughts build good, strong characters. 3. Right Speech. By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone. 4. Right Conduct. No matter what we say, others know us from the way we behave. Before we criticize others, we should first see what we do ourselves. 5. Right Livelihood. This means choosing a job that does not hurt others. The Buddha said, "Do not earn your living by harming others. Do not seek happiness by making others unhappy." 6. Right Effort. A worthwhile life means doing our best at all times and having good will toward others. This also means not wasting effort on things that harm ourselves and others. 7. Right Mindfulness. This means being aware of our thoughts, words, and deeds. 8. Right Concentration. Focus on one thought or object at a time. By doing this, we can be quiet and attain true peace of mind.
One only has to read the Beatitudes to receive this wisdom and more.
3"You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 4"You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One dearest to you. 5"You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. 6"You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. 7"You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘careful,’ you find yourselves cared for. 8"You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. 9"You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. 10"You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. (Matt. 5:3-10) MSG
Does Jesus’ message relate to Buddha’s?
We can see that Buddha had some wisdom, but so did George Carlin. Works is not the message of Christ. Salvation is His message. Some people will challenge us because Buddha lived before Christ, and claim Christ took the teachings of Buddha. If Jesus learned Buddhism, who would have taught it to him? The teachings of Buddha were not written down for centuries after his death. The means of teaching were taught orally, and done in monasteries. Buddhist monks lived in isolation for thousands of years, not traveling the globe to teach the Buddha’s teachings. They would not have seen a point to traveling and spreading the Buddha’s teachings since Buddha’s teachings do not command that they do more than the eight-fold path.
There is no evidence of Jesus studying anything but Judaism, just like all young Jewish boys would have studied. He even spoke with temple rabbi’s at the tender age of twelve, and said he was in his "father’s house."
Only Jesus commanded us to share his Word with the world.
"Go and preach to all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Mark 16:15-16
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the His Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20
What are some general differences between Jesus and Buddha?
Jesus died on a cross for our sins and arose from the dead.
Buddha grew into an old hermit and died.
Jesus healed.
Buddha did not heal anyone.
Jesus performed miracles.
Buddha did not perform miracles.
Jesus hit the road and started a ministry.
Buddha abandoned his wife to poverty and shame while he sat under a tree contemplating.
Jesus promises us life with Him after death in His Kingdom
Buddha claims if we follow his path of works our soul will devolve into nothingness and we will never see those we loved and died before us.
Why do I have to know anything about Buddhism if I’m a Christian?
Without a Road to Damascus experience, it’s not likely we can convert Buddhists. But our young people, and fence sitters, will listen if we know the subject. If we’re facing someone seeking spirituality, which Buddhism promises, and our only tool is the Bible, we might lose them to preconception. The Bible’s light is often too bright for certain moments. Though quoting scripture is Truth, and part of our witness, its been banished as the final Word by Satan’s active agenda in world affairs. Sometimes we must look inside the toolbox of another's belief to see what they’re building.
Final Word
Besides some wisdom on living right, the teachings of Buddha do not reconcile with teachings of Christ.
Christ said it best, "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever live, and believe in me, shall never die." John 11:25-26
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