Buddhism

It is known as the religion of enlightenment. Siddhartha Gautama promoted this religious teaching as a violent protest against Hinduism. He was born about 563 B.C. and died at the age of 80 about 483 B.C. There are many different sects and schools of thought in Buddhism. The Buddha taught that speculation about spiritual beings hinders one from achieving spiritual enlightenment, however, many Buddhist groups are very concerned with appeasing evil spirits and are very much enslaved by spiritual bondage. Though the different sects within Buddhism may differ in beliefs, all of their beliefs conflict in every way with the teachings of Christ.

Buddhism is simply another form of Hinduism with minor modifications. It is a flexible religion that accommodates the most unusual teachings and doctrines. Some of the major concepts and teachings of Buddhism are:

The Eight-fold Path -1) right understanding, 2) right speech, 3) right intentions, 4) right conduct, 5) right livelihood, 6) right effort, 7) right mindfulness, and 8) right meditation. These are believed to lead to singleness of mind, wisdom, and nirvana (a state of enlightenment).

The Four Noble Truths -1) Life is suffering. 2) Suffering is due to attachment. 3) Attachment can be overcome by certain spiritual techniques and knowledge. 4) The eight-fold path can accomplish this and achieve nirvana.

Karma -Man accumulates certain types of energy forces, which form his future existences on the path to nirvana.

Samsara (Reincarnation) -It is the repeated lifecycles of birth and death.

Christian Response

"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation."

Hebrews 9:27-28

Enlightenment (Becoming a Buddha) -This requires many lifetimes and the ability to contact the spiritual beings who can guide a person along the eight-fold path.

The Buddhists have a collection of scriptures call the Tripitaka, which means "three baskets." The first basket tells one how to live. The second basket discusses the basic ideals and teaching of Buddha. The third basket sums up all the teaching of Buddhism in a simple way to learn.

Buddha Statue: A Symbol of a Religious Founder
The Buddha Statue is a symbol of Buddhism's ancient founder, Siddhartha Gautama, a prince from northern India near modern Nepal, who lived about 563-483 BC. Buddhism was founded as a form of atheism that rejected the belief in a personal, creator God (Ishvara) who controlled the eternal destiny of human souls. Siddhartha Gautama denied the ancient theistic beliefs, because he found it difficult to reconcile the reality of suffering, judgment and evil with the existence of a righteous and holy God.

Buddha Statue: A Symbol of the Enlightened One
The Buddha Statue represents the "Enlightened One," the basic idol of Buddhism. Buddhism is a philosophy of self-perfection, the essentials of which are contained in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Buddhism follows various "scriptures," the oldest and most authoritative of which are compiled in the Pali Canon. The Four Noble Truths affirm that (i) life is full of suffering (dukkha); (ii) suffering is caused by craving (samudaya); (iii) suffering will cease only when craving ceases (nirodha); and (iv) this can be achieved by following the Noble Eightfold Path. Generally, the Path consists of right views, right aspiration, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right contemplation. Other Buddhist philosophies include the belief that nothing in life is permanent (anicca), that individual selves do not truly exist (anatta), that all is determined by an impersonal law of moral causation (karma), that reincarnation is an endless cycle of continuous suffering, and that the goal of life is to break out of this cycle by finally extinguishing the flame of life and entering a permanent state of pure nonexistence (nirvana).

Buddha Statue: A Symbol of a Belief System
The Buddha Statue represents a belief system that has evolved into three main philosophies:

1. Mahayana (the "Greater Vehicle") represents approximately 56% of the total Buddist population and is prominent in China, Japan and Korea. Over the years, Mahayana has opened itself to many different Asian beliefs and now treats Buddha as a god. 2. Theravada (the "Doctrine of the Elders") represents approximately 38% of the total Buddist population. Theravada is the closest to the original atheistic philosophy, and is principally followed in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia (Kampuchea), Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and Myanmar (Burma). 3. Vajrayana (also known as Lamaism or Tantrism) represents the remaining 6% of Buddists and is primarily found in Tibet, Nepal and Mongolia. Vajrayana has added disturbing portions of shamanism and the occult.

Currently, there are approximately 613 million Buddists worldwide, with approximately 1.5 million living in the United States. Buddhism has been growing in the U.S. due to surges in Asian immigration, endorsement by celebrities in music and movies, and its close ties to the New Age Movement.

Buddha Statue: A Symbol Hungry for Hope
The Buddha Statue represents a philisophical belief system. Interestingly, Buddhists are deeply concerned with overcoming suffering, but their philosophy denies that suffering is real. The hope of nirvana is really a hope in finally ending the cycle of suffering in this world. The law of karma can be very rigid and impersonal. Under the Buddhist system of moral cause and effect there is no mercy and no forgiveness. Escape is only possible through a continuous cycle of good deeds and striving for "unattainable" self-perfection.

References:
Marrs, Texe. Texe Marrs Book of New Age Cults and Religions. Austin: Living Truth Publishers, 1990. Smart, Ninian. Atlas of the World's Religions. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

A Christian Response to Buddhism:

Certain religious terms or phrases that you might use while witnessing to a Buddhist may have a completely different meaning to a person of a different heritage, culture, or belief system. For example, you wouldn't want to suggest to a Buddhist without much explanation that they should accept Christ and be 'born again'. To the buddhist, being born again equals a failure. Buddhism teaches that through a cycle of rebirths you can reach Nirvana.

Christian Response
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16

You might use the term 'new birth'. Explain to them that by accepting Christ we are born as a new person spiritually and are saved eternally. It isn't a physical rebirth, but a spiritual one.

Christian Response
"Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again."

John 3:3-7

Also, be careful when explaining that we are saved through grace. The Buddhist has been taught that you must work for anything good. They feel to attain something as desired as nirvana, one must practice meditation, observe the required rituals, live a life free from wrong desires and actions, and perform many other traditions and works. The idea that salvation is a free gift will seem very foreign to them and perhaps too simplistic and illogical. It will take time for them to understand God's love and forgiveness, and to accept their own inability to resist sin. Explain that salvation is not a gift handed out to anyone, there is an action on the part of the seeker, but the value of the gift is found in God's love for us. Spend a lot of time reading the Bible with them to help them understand this concept.

Christian Response
"But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Romans 10:8-10

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast."

Ephesians 2:8-9

When explaining Christ's crucifixion and the role it plays in salvation, don't be surprised if Buddhists find this idea abhorrent. They may ask "How can an all-powerful God allow himself to be killed in such a humiliating way?" There may also be a cultural barrier if the person you're speaking with is of Japanese descent. To them, Jesus' death on the cross possesses none of the qualities they admire in their society, such as serenity, strength, and honor. Point out to them that Christ is a living God and He conquered death. His death paid the price for our sins. Christ died for us because He loves and cares for us. Only a God who has suffered as He had can identify with our inner torments; only a God who really cares for us would allow himself to be so cruelly afflicted; and only a God who truly is God could rise from the dead and give eternal life to those who follow Him.

Christian Response
"...knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace."

Romans 6:9-14

"...whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it."

Acts 2:24

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16

"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."

Hebrews 1:1-4

Buddhists do not believe in heaven or in an eternity anywhere for that matter. They believe that by following the teaching of Buddhism strictly and leading a perfect life they will escape a cycle of rebirths and cease to exist. This end to the soul is called Nirvana. It might seem hard to believe that anyone would look forward to a gift of nothing, but it's important to understand that family traditions, an attachment to earthly pursuits and worldly pleasures, and a strong disbelief in God can blind them to how much better the hope Christ gives us is. Use your personal experiences and your own life as an example of the hope they can have.

Christian Response
"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

John 14: 1-3

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 *Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Matthew 19:23-24

When witnessing to a Buddhist, be prepared for spiritual warfare! We can always expect to be attacked when we're sharing our faith. Satan never wants to see us succeed. But, spiritual warfare may be especially intense in this case because Buddhists participate in idol worship, the veneration of the spirits of deceased ancestors, and ceremonial rituals for the purpose of appeasing evil spirits. If they are actively interacting with evil spirits, we can expect to be attacked. As Christians, we need not fear evil. Explain to the Buddhist that we don't need to appease evil spirits because we have power over them through Christ. Jesus already won that battle, and we can resist them, and cast them out as Christ did. Use examples from the Gospels of Jesus and His disciples doing just this.

Christian Response
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: *adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, *murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Galatians 5:19-21

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them (evil spirits), because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

I John 4:4

"For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."

I Thessalonians 1:9

"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen."

I John 5:20-21

Most importantly, love them. You have an opportunity to share with them the greatest gift they could ever receive, a relationship with Jesus Christ. Share the love of Christ with them in what you say and how you treat them. They have been deceived and they need your help. We should also love those who are different from us while not being afraid or ashamed to share the hope that is within us.