Christ and Buddha

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Christ and Buddha

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All Bible quotations are from the King James/Authorized version.
Text in red type is from the Pittsburgh Buddhist Sanghas website

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Can a Buddhist become a Christian? Certainly. Can a Christian who professes Jesus as Lord be a Buddhist? The answer to the second question depends on one's definitions. But I would say that a Christian may formally, though not with his heart, "worship in the House of [the god] Rimmon" if he has a good reason for doing so. Recall that after receiving healing from Yahweh the God of Israel, Naaman the Gentile asked Elijah:

18 In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing.

19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.

And, a good reason might be finding common ground so as to transmit the light of Christ, as Paul did when on Mars Hill he used the image to the "unknown god" (provided by the courteous Athenians to include gods of visitors from distant places) to talk about man's alienation from God and the wondrous opportunity to get to know him via Jesus. After all, let's be honest. Isn't a sincere Buddhist really seeking salvation?

From Acts 17:22-31:

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead

So then I feel quite comfortable in identifying with Buddhists, though I continue to affirm my commitment to Jesus Christ.

An instance in which one can see parallels with Buddhist teaching concerns the need to put aside the distractions of the world and the self in order to tune in to what some in the East call "the ground of Being." Whether the "ground of Being" is the God named Brahmin or, as I believe, God the Trinity, or as some Buddhists see it, some sort of cosmic cycle.

From the Bible's Psalm 46:10, we have:

10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Those two words, "be still" may imply a lot. Notice the centuries of monkish contemplation and meditation, or the rigors of some Christians past in attempting to tame their animal spirits. They were trying to draw closer to God by somehow calming down, which, after all, is the aim of Buddhist meditation. Of course, there is a big difference between the Buddhist aim of enlightenment and that granted the Christian believer the moment he accepts Christ as Lord. The Buddhist does not receive, at least not directly so, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is light years beyond and better than what a Buddhist can attain by human effort, as the Spirit is the one great gift that turns man into God -- both all at once and by slow degrees.

A Buddhist, I daresay, can identify with the Bible's 1 Kings 19. The still small voice is not in external nature. We are left to infer that the still small voice Elijah heard came from deep within. It is noteworthy that numerous Christian ascetics of centuries past have sought to draw closer to God by quieting the chatter of the self through meditation, contemplation, prayer and religious discipline, some to the point of mortifying their bodies as they tried to tame their animal spirits (the flesh). Christ indeed admonishes us to die to self. Matthew 16:25 tells us:

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Of course, fasting (not only from food) and prayer are good forms of self-denial, but it is also important to go to the foot of the table, learn meekness and humility, and put the other person's needs ahead of one's own. And, dying to self means, to paraphrase John the Baptist, "I must decrease that he may increase." (See John 3:30.)

Here is the "still small voice" passage from 1 Kings 19:

Elijah flees Queen Jezebel
1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 2Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. 3And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 5And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

A still small voice
9And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 10And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts [Yahweh Elohim]: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

11And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.

And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 14And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

15 And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:16And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. 17And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. 18Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Elisha called
19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 21And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

From the Pittsburgh Buddhist Sanghas website, I found a useful discussion of points on which Buddhism and basic Christianity agree [my comments are within braces]:

In the “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus states many concepts that would agree with many Buddhist traditions:

Be humble
Be compassionate (a possible translation of sympathy through mourning)
Live simply (a possible translation of meek)
Be ethical (a possible translation of righteous)
Be merciful
Be pure of heart
Be a peacemaker
Do not live in fear to do what is right
Be an example to others (“the light of the world”)
[Do not hide your light under a basket.]
Do not murder (the Buddhist First Precept)
Do not commit adultery (The Buddhist Third Precept)
Sin is not only found in action but in intention (the Buddhist concept of volitional action creating karma)
[The wages of sin is death; you reap what you sow.]
Keep your promises (The Buddhist Fourth Precept)
Turn the other cheek (The Buddhist concept of compassion or karuna)
[We hear that phrase a lot. Let's recall that it means that if someone slaps your face, offer him the other one to slap also.]
Do charity because it is in your heart to do so (the concept of dana)
[God loveth a cheerful giver (see 2 Corinthians 9:7)]
Do not judge ( The Buddhist concept of the three poisons: hatred, greed and delusion)
Always be seeking and questioning ( “seek and you will find .. “)
Beware of false prophets and judge them by the fruit they bare (the sutta of the Kalamas)

In many ways, this seminal talk of Jesus encompasses almost all of the major concepts of Buddhism.

[True Christians are in the world, but not of the world. Those who persecute such Christians may be thinking they are doing God a favor.

From Luke 12:49-53, we have:

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.]

Important differences
The definitive dividing line for Christianity and Buddhism is also set out in the “Sermon on the Mount.” While Buddhism is a faith of self-realization, Christianity is a faith of God’s revelation.
[I would say by self-realization is meant something more akin to soul-realization for the Christian, though many Buddhists oppose the concept of soul. Notice that practicing Buddhists in fact do attempt to die to self, if what is meant by self is the body-controlled part of the mind. Even so, the Christian belief is that the damage of sin is like when you can't even pay the interest on your debt and if you try to pay it, you just sink deeper into debt. That debt of sin, that no sinner can possibly pay off by his own efforts, was paid by the anguish and death of Jesus. You are bankrupt; ask Jesus to cover your debt.]

In order to be Christian, you must believe that there is a God and that Jesus was his only begotten son who came to Earth. (Well for most Christians).
[Once you receive the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for you not to believe in, because you know personally, God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit.]

But the Buddha purposefully did not speak of a creator God. He also lived 500 years before Jesus and would not have known him (although there is speculation that Jesus would have known Buddha’s teachings). Buddha not being a theist or atheist left alone the issue of God as irrelevant to his practice.

“I teach only the understanding of suffering,” said Buddha, “and the end of suffering.”

However, if Jesus is the way to salvation, can you believe in the practices of the Buddha and still be Christian? Isn’t Jesus the only way to the end of suffering?

For those who follow a Christian Buddhist path, Jesus himself could best present the answer. “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” said Jesus, “and unto God what is God’s.”
[From Matthew 22:20-22. This is a good saying. A Christian's heart should always be with Jesus, but why shouldn't he be friendly with Buddhists even to the point of showing respect to some of their practices?]
Buddhism is a faith in the practice of here and now. Christianity is a practice for the afterlife.
[My response is John 13:35: By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.]

Nirvana or heaven?
For those Buddhists who practice for an understanding of the afterlife, incorporating Christianity would be almost impossible. The concept of rebirth precludes the idea of an eternal heaven.
[Rebirth for a Christian means to be born again, this time of the Spirit so as to worship God in Spirit and in truth, rather than of the flesh of a woman. From John 3:3, we have: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God and from John 4:23-24 we have 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.]

The Christian faith requires the concept of heaven (although not historically a concept of hell[Jesus directly warns about hell on numerous occasions; I would say hell is where Jesus is not; so an interminable future without the Savior would be unpleasant indeed.]).

There is a God, a Heaven, and Jesus. So Buddhists who embrace the cosmology of certain sects of Buddhism or atheism, could never entertain the idea of Christian Buddhists: just as Christians who believe God is continually participating in every thought of their life could never believe in a happiness that is caused by their own free will. [Excellent.]

But what of God being in every aspect of the world? Effecting every action? Christians who consider adding Buddhism to their practice may find others like my family who think that no movements are made in the universe without God’s intervention. I would direct them to

Kings 19:11-13

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

In this understanding of God, the Creator would be one that does not interfere with the world in which we live, but only touches the heart of man to let him know he is there. It is up to man to make his volitional choices using his free will, and making his own happiness.
[On the other hand, Jesus says we can do nothing without him. From John 15:5 we have

[ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

From Matthew 28:18-20 we have

[18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen If Jesus will never forsake us, doesn't that mean he is empowering us at all times, even in our mistakes? Even among the unsaved, no criminal act occurs without the Father.

Consider, Romans 8:28

[And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Does not this imply that he is God is working with us at all times?

Also, from Colossians 2:2-4, we have:

[2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

[3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

[4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. In other words, the non-Christian Buddhist has no access to the wonders of the mind of Christ. And the nominal Christian seeking more wisdom via a Buddhist path is going nowhere. What would be far better would be to ask God for more of his Spirit, or Wisdom, as we are advised in James 1:5: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

[6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.]

[The story of Job tells of the story of a faithful man who is beset by all sorts of misfortune, but he “chooses” to keep his faith. While Jesus performs miracles and teaches his gospel, he always leaves these parables as tools so that his followers can make their own choices towards happiness.

[As Jesus says in John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. But if one worships Mammon, that is, if one is attached to the lures of the world, then one is not free to choose. Truth brings freedom. We have from [John 8:44-45

[44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

[45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.]

The Buddha does the same as Jesus, but without the need to exclude the idea of other faiths [The error here is that Jesus is not a religion. He is the Savior.] The Buddha said for us to always question and practice and see the truth by the fruits of our efforts. If a Christian can grow and develop his faith by adding the tools of the Buddha, then I see it as a good thing. [Agreed, as long as the Christian is led by the Lord; or at least, as long as the Lord does not object.]

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