In the past 20 years, several books have come out comparing Jesus and Buddha and
attempting to put them on the same level, claiming that they have similar
teachings. Are their teachings truly comparable?
The alleged figure called Buddha (means "the enlightened one") was raised in India as a Hindu. However, he came to disagree with many Hindu teachings and wanted to "reform" Hinduism. He ended up starting a new religion, perhaps inadvertently. Buddha hated polytheism, the Hindu ascetic practices, and the caste system, among other things about Hinduism. Buddha not only rejected polytheism but never made a statement about God, so Buddha is non-theistic (neutral regarding a supreme god). He boiled down humanity's problem to what he called "suffering" (dukkha) and the need for liberation from this suffering. This led to Buddhism.
Buddhism holds that the goal for humanity is to alleviate suffering. The
Buddhist core principles about suffering and ending it are embodied in the Four
Noble Truths:
1. Suffering exists
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path
(Above from http://www.buddhaweb.org/)
The Eightfold Path involves practicing the following: Right View, Right
Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right
Mindfulness and Right Concentration. (http://www.buddhanet.net/4noble.htm)
The words translated as "suffering" and "desire" encompass a wider meaning than
they do in English.
The Pali* word translated as suffering is dukkha and carries the idea that
suffering arises from impermanence, which is caused by being attached to this
world, reality, or truth (called "conventional truth") in contrast to ultimate
truth. Suffering includes even the concept of enjoying anything that is
impermanent. This world and all that is in it is temporal in Buddhism. Enjoying
something through this attachment is therefore suffering, because the enjoyment
will come to an end. Having joy in anything that is temporal is suffering. (See
explanation of dukkah at
http://buddhism.about.com/od/thefournobletruths/a/dukkhaexplain.htm).
"Desire" in Buddhism is more than wanting something; it is a grasping at or
craving (tanha) for this life, world, or reality. Buddhism teaches that grasping
at this world comes from "Ignorance of the self" (http://buddhism.about.com/od/thefournobletruths/a/fournobletruths.htm).
The self is temporal and not real (i.e., the not-self, anatta or anatman), thus
keeping one in the cycle of rebirth. To believe that that this life is real and
that you have an individual identity is illusory and hinders true awakening
(also called enlightenment or realization), bodhi. The word Buddha comes from
bodhi and means "the awakened one" (http://buddhism.about.com/od/enlightenmentandnirvana/a/bodhinirvana.htm).
Many admire Buddhism because its teachings on ending suffering often include
references to compassion. Compassion, karuna, arises from wisdom and in
Buddhism, wisdom is "understanding or discernment of the Buddha's teaching,
especially the teaching of
anatta, no self" (http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/a/compassion.htm).
Compassion is the desire to free "all sentient beings" from rebirth. "Sentient
beings" include all living creatures, including animals, residents of all the
realms (similar to worlds of spirit beings), and demi-gods. One must be human to
attain enlightenment, so compassion is needed for these non-humans (including demi-gods) to be reborn as human.
Suffering comes to an end when one escapes rebirth and attains Nirvana, which
means "to extinguish." Nirvana is the state in which one has extinguished the
notions of false reality and false self (the individual self which does not
exist). Some Buddhists sects teach that Nirvana is "oneness with the Absolute"
(http://buddhism.about.com/od/enlightenmentandnirvana/a/bodhinirvana.htm).
The path also includes Buddhist meditation, Mindfulness, because the mind is
part of this temporal reality and must be transcended in order to grasp true
reality and shed attachment to this reality, which causes rebirth. Meditation is
not done to calm anxiety, but to bypass the mind and reach a state of no-mind or
no-thought so that one sees that there is an existence (the "true" self or
Buddha nature) independent of his thoughts and mind. This "true" self (phrase
for convenience, not a Buddhist term) is sometimes called the Witness and the
"true" Buddha Mind sometimes referred to as Big Mind. Mindfulness meditation is
to bring the meditator to realization that he is the Witness.
For this reason, the mind and thoughts are often popularly referred to as
"monkey chatter," "monkey mind," or "mind chatter" by those in the West
promoting Mindfulness. One must learn to control or tame the monkey mind so that
Big Mind can take over (http://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries.com/showthread.php?985-Monkey-chatter-in-Theravada-(Mahavihara)-Buddhism;
http://www.berkeleyzencenter.org/Lecture/oct2001.shtml).
Buddha Mind is our real nature, the unconditioned 'Mind' - and words are
metaphors here, remember - that lies beneath the conditioned monkey mind that is
interdependent with the world with which it interacts. Moreover, the monkey
mind, our everyday mind, is conditioned by our genes, our upbringing, our
subconscious, our memories, fears and loves.
http://buddhaspace.blogspot.com/2010/02/monkey-mind-buddha-mind.html
Doing Mindfulness over a period of time causes the worldview to shift; one can
then allegedly realize his "true" nature and understand that the temporal world
is not real. Therefore, the practice of Mindfulness is necessary to end
suffering, according to Buddhist teachings.
Quotes from Buddhism
"Buddhism aims at the truth and if not everyone has the capacity to understand
it yet, they perhaps will be ready for it in their next life" (http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/qanda07.htm).
"The doctrine of anatman (or anatta in Pali) is one of the central teachings of
Buddhism. According to this doctrine, there is no "self" in the sense of a
permanent, integral, autonomous being within an individual existence" (http://buddhism.about.com/od/abuddhistglossary/g/Anatman.htm).
"Very simply, our bodies, physical and emotional sensations, conceptualizations,
ideas and beliefs, and consciousness work together to create the illusion of a
permanent, distinctive "me."
The Buddha said, "Oh, Bhikshu, every moment you are born, decay, and die." He
meant that, every moment, the illusion of "me" renews itself. Not only is
nothing carried over from one life to the next; nothing is carried over from one
moment to the next."
http://buddhism.about.com/od/karmaandrebirth/a/reincarnation.htm
Jesus, the Son of God, taught that man is sinful and needs redemption.
Therefore, seeking things of this world will not bring true happiness because
one's relationship with God is broken due to sin. So Jesus said, "But seek first
His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you"
(Matthew 6:33). True joy only comes from knowing the true God.
True peace comes not in knowing the "true nature of self" (i.e., knowing that it
is temporal, according to Buddhism) but in knowing Christ, who reconciles man to
God, who is righteous, through faith in Him and His work on the cross.
Reconciliation brings peace with God. Until then, one is under the wrath of God
because God cannot accept sin.
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith
into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God."
Romans 5:1-2
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send
the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved
through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has
been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the
world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were
evil." John 3:16-19
"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son
will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:36
This world was created by God and is real, in contrast to Buddhist teachings. We
are individuals with a lasting identity who face eternity with or without God.
Jesus willingly suffered inexpressible agonies to pay the penalty for sins on
the cross, thereby affording a way of salvation for those who believe. His work
on the cross is complete and is sufficient, providing eternal life to those who
believe.
"For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him
shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." John 6:40
"For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true
one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did
he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters
the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would
have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has
appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the
sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to
face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many
people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring
salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9:24-28
Any resemblance between Christianity and Buddhism is superficial. In actuality,
the contrast between Buddhism and Christianity could not be greater.
Buddhism teaches that this world is illusory, there is no lasting self, one must
awaken to true self to end attachment to this life and therefore end rebirth;
and the goal is Nirvana, a state of extinguishing all desire and therefore all
suffering. There is no God who loves man; no Jesus who suffered to provide the
way of salvation; no relationship with a God is offered. Nirvana is
extinguishing desire and self for a oneness with an abstract state; eternal life
in Christ is peace and joy with God forever.
Whatever one may think of either Buddhism or Christianity, it is clear that they
are incomparable in their core teachings. Buddhism disagrees with Christianity
on the meaning and purpose of suffering and how to end it, on the existence of a
Creator God, on the nature of man, on the fact of sin, on the need for
redemption, on the truth of who Jesus is, on the way to end suffering, and on
the life after death. In short, Buddhism and Christianity disagree on all the
important spiritual issues.
*Pali is the language of the original Buddhist teachings
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An article by Ken Ammi on Buddha and Jesus
http://www.truefreethinker.com/articles/buddha-and-jesus
The Lotus and the Cross, by Ravi Zacharias
Brief explanation of the practice of Mindfulness
http://buddhism.about.com/od/theeightfoldpath/a/right-mindfulness.htm