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BUDDHISM
I.
HISTORY AND CHARACTER
A. Began as a Reform Movement within Hinduism
Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BC)
A royal prince, he had not left the comfort of his palace. On a chariot
ride through the country side as a young man, he became aware of the
suffering of mankind and was thoroughly dissatisfied with Hinduism’s
answers to life’s problems.
While meditating for 49 days under a Bodhi tree, he found the
answers (later labeled the Four-Fold Truth)
 The chief problem in life is suffering.
 Suffering is caused by desiring worldly things.
 Suffering is eliminated only by abolishing desire.
 Adopting a lifestyle of moderation in all things extinguishes
desire and helps achieve salvation.
B. Original tenets of Buddhism
 Empirical: direct personal experience is the final test of truth
 Scientific: discern cause/effect relationships, find out what
advances your journey (he tried asceticism, wealth, tradition;
finally he did it on his own)
 Pragmatic: concerned with problem solving, resolving the
predicaments of life
 Therapeutic: aimed at easing suffering of this life
 Psychological/anthropological: began with man, his nature,
situation(not philosophical, ethereal, esoteric or theological;
did not deal with abstract concepts)
 Democratic: attacked the caste system; broke out of his own
caste
C. After Buddha’s death, the movement split into two schools.
Theravada (Burma, Thailand):
The “orthodox” Buddhism (the “way of the elders”; claims to be
closest to the Buddha’s teachings).
Buddha is a great teacher, a saint.
Man is on his own; he must work out his own salvation without
reliance on gods or any force beyond himself.
Religion is a full-time job (seen mostly among the monks)
Prayer is meditation.
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Mahayana (China, Korea, Japan):
The “liberal” Buddhism (preserves the spirit of Buddha, emphasizing
his life, not his teachings)
Buddha is god, a savior.
Man is not alone; there is a power grounded in nirvana.
Religion is relevant to life. Compassion and service are consistent
practices of the wise man.
Prayer is petition, supplication, calling on Buddha.
Mahayanist sects:
Pure Land Buddhism: one can go to paradise by trusting in the savior,
Amitabha.
Zen Buddhism: stresses intuitive, “the meditation that leads to insight.”
Seeks to transcend the limitations of language and ordinary reason.
D. Missionary Buddhism
Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism is a strong missionary faith. Zen
Buddhism, with its emphases on meditation and self-salvation,
became popular in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. There
are numerous Zen centers in the United States.
E. Comparison to Hinduism:
Hinduism is more physical/biological (heroes, divine fathers and
mothers, sexual symbols)
Buddhism is more psychological (meditation, compassion,
consciousness); it offers an answer to the hopeless fatalism of
Hinduism, rejecting its ritualistic, tradition-bound religion for an
emphasis on one’s own personal efforts.
II.
OVERVIEW OF BASIC BELIEFS
A. Supreme Being/Gods
Southern Buddhism: irrelevant
Northern Buddhism: Buddha
B. Key Figures in History
Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 BC)
Became the Buddha, the Enlightened One
For Pure Land Buddhists, Amitabha
C. View of Jesus
A teacher who may possess Buddhahood or Enlightenment.
One among many, not unique
His teachings can be valuable today.
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D. Sources of Authority
Sutras
Tripitaka (the Three Baskets)
E. Doctrine of Man
No eternal self or ego.
Concept of anatta (“no soul”) denies existence of self beyond mental
and physical attributes.
One lifetime for each person, composed of skanda (parts), held
together by the “thread of life”. This situation makes a person think he
is an individual, but these soon break down.
All that exists of a man after death is his karma (what he did or did not
do in life, which sets up waves of energy.) In reincarnation, the energy
of his karma rejoins the skanda into a new existence.
F. Basic Human Problem
The human condition is suffering caused by attachment to things and
the desire that accompanies this attachment.
The Four-Fold Truths define man’s situation and dilemma:
G. Solution to the Basic Human Problem
The goal of life is nirvana, the elimination of all desire related to
attachment, an escape from meaningless existence and continuous
rebirth.
Enlightenment is finally accomplished by following the
The Eight-Fold Path:
Right understanding/knowledge
Right thought/aspiration
Right speech
Right actions (selfless giving to others, alleviate human hurt)
Right livelihood
Right effort
Right mindfulness/contemplation
Right concentration
H. Value System
The Eight-Fold Path stresses moral virtue, including right action and
right vocation.
I. Life After Death
Possible attainment of nirvana (negation of suffering, perfect state of
passionless peace.
The soul, if there is one, is absorbed. There is no “life after death” as
such (except in Pure Land Buddhism).
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A. Contrast to Christianity
1. God
B: No need for gods; personal effort is sufficient
C: God is the personal, creating, holy, righteous, purposeful, just
God to whom man is accountable.
2. Man
B: Denies man’s social nature; individualism is paramount.
A pessimistic approach to life, seeking self-negation.
C: Upholds the value of man and the eternal value of human bodily
existence.
Affirms the essential value of man’s social nature: the Church.
Affirms an optimistic worldview: hope, life, re-creation of the
world.
3. Salvation
B: Seeks to resolve man’s problem through self-effort and
ultimately extinction. Salvation is passionless peace.
C: Salvation is rescue from certain judgment based on what Christ
did in a point in time in history.
4. After life
B: Absorption into “World Soul”
C: Individuals are eternally in the company of the personal, loving
God or eternally separated from Him.
J. CONVERSATIONS WITH FOLLOWERS OF BUDDHISM
1. Build genuine friendships
Invite conversation.
Learn before trying to “teach” or “correct”
2. Identify places of empathy with Buddhism:
Emphasis on prayer and meditation (particularly with Mahayana)
Buddhist must deal with real human needs, including the need for
love and belonging. All of us experience these needs.
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The Buddhist places a high value on practical application, personal
experience, and investigation of the truth.
Encourage a Buddhist to examine for himself the teachings,
promises and example of Christ.
3. Identify areas of contrast:
Morality: Buddhist sees living a certain kind of life as a
prerequisite for escape.
For the Christian, the moral life is a response to Christ who saves
and makes whole.
Suffering and the problem of desire:
The Buddhist sees suffering as a result of personal existence.
Therefore the remedy is the elimination of the self and its desires.
The Christian sees suffering as a consequence of sin and rebellion.
In Christ suffering and death have been conquered without
negating life and personality.
Highest good:
Buddhist: Disappearance and absorption of the individual is the
highest good.
For the Christian, the highest good is the love of God and salvation
in Christ.
4. Share Your Personal Faith in a God of love who comes to us
He comes to us: Love and hope for escape from suffering
Suffering then has meaning as it points one to Christ
Point to the parallels of Amitabha and Jesus.
Point out the differences also: see Eph. 2:8-10
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