Buddhism and Christianity

1. Who was the Buddha?
• Siddhartha Gautama was an Indian prince who left the palace and encountered suffering, sickness, and death for the first time
• He followed a Yogi for six years in an intensive ascetic effort to achieve enlightenment and freedom from suffering, but found it only made things worse
• He realized that the true way lies in the middle path, avoiding both indulgence and asceticism
• He sat down under a tree and through meditation achieved freedom from suffering
• He then traveled for 45 years teaching others the Dharma, the way to achieve enlightenment, reach Nirvana, and gain freedom from suffering

2. The Four Noble Truths
• Suffering is the experience of all beings
• Suffering is caused by desire, grasping and struggling
• Suffering is eliminated by letting go of all desires and things
• The end of suffering (Nirvana) is achieved through the eightfold path

3. The Eightfold Path
• Right Understanding: See the world as it is and that all things change
• Right Attitude: Stop trying to manipulate others and the world and be open-minded and positive
• Right Speech: Speak the truth simply, gently, and boldly in a way that is kind and useful to others
• Right Action: Discipline yourself to live compassionately with all other beings and not harm others
• Right Livelihood: Support yourself through honest labor that does not bring harm to others but serves others
• Right Effort: Stop struggling and allow yourself to work effortlessly and experience all of life
• Right Mindfulness: Do everything with precision and clarity with total awareness
• Right Concentration: Always be fully engaged in the present moment with a quiet mind

4. The Buddhist Vow (Three Refuges)
• To take refuge in the Buddha (see Buddha nature of all creatures)
• To take refuge in the Dharma (truth)
• To take refuge in the Sangha (community)
• To take the five precepts of Compassion
* To not cause harm by killing, stealing, lying, misusing sexuality & intoxicants but revere life in all forms

5. Forms of Buddhism
• Southeast Asia (Theravada: the way of the elders, monastic)
• East Asia (Zen or Mahayana: lay practitioners, each follower seeks to become a Buddha)
• Tibet (Tibetan: devotion and prayer, many Buddhas such as the Dhali Lama)

6. Buddhism and Christianity
• Suffering is the experience of all beings and Christ embraced all of that suffering on the cross
• Suffering is caused by human ego and self-centeredness that is dealt with by Christ on the cross
• Love, compassion, kindness, gentleness, non-violence are teachings of Jesus and flow from the Holy Spirit in us
• Buddha could only show the way; Jesus is the way
• Buddha only found enlightenment in this world; Jesus brings us into eternal life
• Buddhism is based on human effort while Christianity is based on faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross
• Jesus is the Light of the world and He alone gives us true understanding and enlightenment

7. Talking with Buddhists
• Ask a lot of questions and seek clarification so you know exactly what he or she believes before saying anything
• Realize that Buddhism is rooted deeply in the culture so that religion and culture often cannot be separated
• Always look for common ground upon which to build bridges
• Don’t attack but seek to clearly present Christ in a way that is clearly understood and not misunderstood
• Buddhists tend to be polytheists or non-theists depending on which region they come from