World Religions in a Nutshell (17 page)

Although Buddhism does not concern itself with God and the afterlife, some say that Buddha (Gautama) did not rule out the existence of a God or gods altogether. So as Buddhism grew and spread, local deities and religious practices were included in it. Today, Tibetan Buddhists believe in a large number of “divine beings.”

Gautama never taught that he was a god or that he should be worshiped as a god, but the Mahayana sect believes Buddha became a
Bodhisattva
, a savior-like god, and can be called upon for help. The Mahayana believe numerous celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas occupy the universe as gods and goddesses that assist and inspire the Buddhist practitioner, while the Theravada sect of Buddhism does not believe in the existence of deities.

Who Is Jesus?

Most Buddhists would probably consider Jesus to be an Enlightened Master, though definitely not the Son of God. The Dalai Lama believes that Jesus is “a fully enlightened being.” In an article in
Christianity Today
, the interviewer challenged the Dalai Lama with this thought:

“
If Jesus is fully enlightened, wouldn’t he be teaching the truth about himself? Therefore, if he is teaching the truth, then he is the Son of God, and there is a God, and Jesus is the Savior. If he is fully enlightened, he should teach the truth. If he is not teaching the truth, he is not that enlightened.”
²⁶

The Dalai Lama stated that Jesus had lived previous lives
and that His purpose was to teach a message of tolerance and compassion, to help us become better human beings.

Heaven and Hell

Buddhism does not teach eternal life spent in either a Heaven or Hell after death. They may consider it “Hell” to have to endure the untold sufferings of many lifetimes on earth, but they don’t believe in any place of eternal punishment. There also is no place of eternal reward in Heaven. Instead, their goal in life is to reach Nirvana, or Enlightenment—a state of mind that is free from desire.

Sin and Salvation

The idea of original sin, or of sin at all, has no place in Buddhism, so there is no need for salvation from sin and its consequences. In fact, Buddhists believe that people do not have individual souls. Instead, they are composed of five elements (physical form, feelings, ideations, mental developments and awareness) that combine to form a human being at the time of birth. Although there is no eternal soul to continue on after death, Buddhism still believes in karma and reincarnation (rebirth). Their view differs from the Hindu view, however.

In Hinduism, the same individual is reincarnated into another body through numerous lives, as he continually tries to work out his karma. In Buddhism, a person who dies is reborn as someone else. Still, because Buddhists believe in karma, they contend that the person’s achievements in life will continue on into their next bodily form. The way they explain it is that “the consciousness of a person remains even after he is no more. It even manifests in his future life.” So the person continues, but there is no soul. As one Buddhist website admits, “One finds a little contradiction here.”
²⁷

Because karma, the Buddhist law of moral cause and effect, is completely rigid and impersonal, life for a Buddhist is very oppressive. Under karma, there can be no appeal, no mercy, and no escape except through unceasing effort at self-perfection. Through numerous lifetimes, Buddhists endure an endless cycle of continuous suffering, and their goal is to break out of this cycle by finally extinguishing the flame of life and entering a permanent state of pure nonexistence (Nirvana). The ultimate goal of the Buddhist is not life, but death (extinction) by releasing their attachment to desire and the self. The reward for all their ceaseless labor is therefore to cease to exist. In this way they hope to achieve liberation and freedom (“salvation”) from suffering.

Buddhist Customs

The essential elements of the Buddhist belief system are summarized in the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and several additional key doctrines.

The Four Noble Truths
affirm that:

1. Life is full of suffering (
dukkha
).

2. Suffering is caused by craving (
samudaya
).

3. Suffering will cease only when craving ceases (
nirodha
).

4. Suffering can be eliminated by following the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Noble Eightfold Path
supposedly is the way to the cessation of suffering. It includes the following:

1. Right Understanding—Understanding reality as it is, not
just as it appears to be.

2. Right Thought—Change in the pattern of thinking.

3. Right Speech—One speaks in a non-hurtful, not exaggerated, truthful way.

4. Right Action—Wholesome action, avoiding action that would do harm.

5. Right Livelihood—One’s way of livelihood does not harm in any way oneself or others, directly or indirectly.

6. Right Effort—One makes an effort to improve.

7. Right Mindfulness—Mental ability to see things for what
they are with clear consciousness.

8. Right Concentration—Being aware of the present reality
within oneself, without any craving or aversion (involves
deep meditation).

The Noble Eightfold Path is seen as a practical guideline
for ethical and mental development to free the individual from “attachments and delusions” (things that cause suffering). Buddhists believe that following it will lead to understanding the truth about all things. They emphasize the practical aspect, because it is only through practice that they can hope to attain a higher level of existence and finally reach
Nirvana. The eight aspects of the path are not a sequence of steps, but are attitudes and actions that can be developed simultaneously.

The Five Precepts
are the basis of Buddhist morality. They are not given in the form of commands such as “Thou shalt not...,” but are training rules in order to live a better life in which one is happy, without worries, and can meditate well. The Five Precepts, in general, consist of five abstentions:

1. Abstain from harming living beings (non-violence toward sentient life forms). This includes human beings, animals and insects. However, Buddhists can eat meat, if the being has not been killed for them specifically.

2. Abstain from stealing, which means not taking what is not given.

3. Abstain from sexual misconduct. This includes being unfaithful to one’s partner, involvement with prostitution or pornography, immoral thoughts, etc.

4. Abstain from false speech, which includes lying, gossiping, etc. This means speaking the truth always.

5. Abstain from intoxicating drinks and drugs (which lead to loss of mindfulness), except those taken for medicinal purposes.
²⁸

How to Reach a Buddhist

It’s clear from the teachings of Buddhism that this is another works-righteousness religion, with a fear that if righteousness isn’t attained, there with be another rebirth into this world of suffering.

Hollywood has made reincarnation look to many like an intriguing alternative to Heaven. So many latch onto the belief that they may have lived another life in the past and will return after death in another life. But a little probing shows that they haven
’
t given much thought about their belief: Who is in charge of giving out bodies? What is God’s (or whoever’s in charge) criteria for doing so? If they are hoping to come back as royalty or a great stallion, what do they have to do in this life to merit such a reward? Or what does one have to do or be to end up coming back as a cockroach? What were they in past lives, and what did they do to merit the life they have now? Asking some of these questions may help them see that their belief is illogical, and has no proof.

Then share with them the Good News, that if they want to go where there is no more suffering, there’s only one Way for that to happen—and it’s a belief that can be backed up by verifiable proof.

As in other religions, Buddhism uses some of the same words as Christianity, but with entirely different meanings. For example, to avoid confusion, don’t tell a Buddhist that he must be “born again.” Since the Buddhist’s goal is to
avoid
being reborn, that phrase indicates failure and gives a negative view of what becoming a Christian means. Instead, explain to him that he can be born as a new person spiritually and be saved eternally.