Why So Many Gods?
Buddhism
Buddhism has many ideas common to Hinduism (which predates Buddhism by many centuries).
The original ‘Buddha’ was actually named Siddhartha Gautama. Buddha is just a title meaning “Enlightened One.”
Siddhartha first studied several religions including Hinduism and found through ‘enlightenment’ that there was another way. His first sermon was the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
Buddhism is yet another religion based on man’s need to attain redemption through works.
Not all Buddhists believe the same thing, because they have sects just like many other religions.
Many Buddhists, especially in Japan, only consider themselves Buddhists because they were born into a Buddhist family.
The major Buddhist groups are:
The Eightfold Path
1. Right View. Must explore and accept the 8-fold Path and Four Noble Truths with an open mind.
["I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6]
2. Right Intention. You must renounce all your desires. You cannot hate anyone or anything.
[“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13]
3. Right Speech. Don’t lie. Don’t indulge in idle chatter. No gossip.
["Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” 1 Peter 3:10]
4. Right Action. Don’t kill any sentient creature. Only take what is given to you. Don’t commit any bad sexual acts, steal get drunk or gamble.
[“You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'" Mark 10:19]
5. Right Livelihood. Your job must not harm anyone or any creature.
[“ Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1 Thess.4:11-12]
6. Right Effort. Be perfect. Rid yourself of evil habits and character traits.
[“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matt. 5:48]
7. Right Mindfulness. Control your thoughts, be perceptive and free from desire or sadness.
[“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:5]
8. Right Concentration. Meditate (concentrate) on wholesome thoughts and actions.
[“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.” Psalm 119:15;119:48]
Four Noble Truths
1. Life means suffering.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
2. The origin of suffering is desire (or attachment).
According to the Bible, wrong desires lead to suffering, not all desires. And Jesus came to assure that we would have a full and meaningful life, not one devoid of desire, hope or pleasure.
“Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.” James1:15
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable: Give up your desires
“"I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can." Ecclesiastes 3:10-12
“Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires." Colossians 2:21-23
4. There is a path to the cessation of suffering. ( which is the Eightfold Path)
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4
Critical Thinking Skills:
(Questions to Ponder)
Notice that most of what Buddha taught was similar to what Jesus taught?
Yes, Siddhartha Guatama Buddha predates Christ by several hundred years, so some might argue that Jesus got His ideas from Siddhartha, but Jesus existed in incorporeal (having no body) form from the beginning. Therefore, way before He allowed Siddhartha to be born. Why do Christians believe Jesus existed before He even appeared on the earth?
Here are some reasons:
Gen. 1:26 - "Let us make man in our image..."
--Evangelical Christians believe that this references the trinity of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
Micah 5:2 -"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,...out of you shall come forth to Me, the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth[origins] are from of old, from everlasting.”
- -- This popular Christmas scripture, which prophecies the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, specifies that He has existed from eternity past.
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning."
--Jesus is the Word, and the He referred to as being with God in the beginning; this verse makes it clear that He is one with God, because He is God. Jesus has been with God as God from the beginning of time.
John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
--This verse goes on to state that Jesus became flesh, which means He was not flesh before, because before Jesus put on flesh, He was pre-incarnate (a fancy word for not having flesh yet).
As Christians, one might wonder:
If there is no God, who determines when you’ve done enough?
Who decides what you come back as in the next life?
The answer that some might give is, that the 'universe' judges and decides.
However, we know that there is a Judge and a final Adjudicator who does know and judge the actions, thoughts and motives of the heart and mind, and it is not the universe, but the Maker of the universe :
"All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice." Proverbs 21:2-3
There will be a Judge, and He will decide what happens to each of us our next life (the afterlife):
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books... If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20: 11-12,15
One might also wonder:
Why is the world population bigger now than when Buddhism first began if so many people are unenlightened and therefore probably coming back as animals, etc? Or as more and more people move into nirvana, shouldn't this decrease the world population?
"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment..." Hebrews 9:27
-- Because people do not return upon death, they go onto their eternal reward or judgement. Every person who is born is a completely new person with a unique and completely new spirit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice that there are a lot of good things that Buddhists believe about living a moral life. However, without the power of the cross, how do you attain them?
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6
"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. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10
Things to know about witnessing to a Buddhist:
Admit that Buddhism is a great philosophy of life- however, it is too high to follow. No one can attain perfection this way. We need someone’s help. That Someone is Jesus Christ. He wants us to be sinless and have only pure desires, however, He knows we cannot attain it through any amount of self-effort. Buddha gave the path, but gave no power to accomplish the task.
Buddhists do not believe in God (even though depending on their country of origin, they may worship idols). There is no mention of life after death, only endless reincarnations (like Hinduism) with an attempt to reach nirvana by following the Path.
Buddhists do not relate well to western ideas, so it is important to appeal to their cultural need for stories within stories. An effective way to illustrate Jesus’ redemptive work is this story:
Most important thing to remember in witnessing to Buddhists: Our task is communicating the person of Christ, not Christianity as a religion. Christianity is often seen as a ‘Western’ religion. So the focus should be on Who Christ is, not what Christianity dictates as a westernized religious system.
In Japan a survey was taken of Japanese Christians, and it confirmed what most missionaries to Buddhists have found—it takes many years of witnessing through your Christ-like life and words for the average Buddhist to come to Christ.
Most Buddhists are very family- oriented and will not convert if they feel their family will not approve or not follow. For instance, in Japan, unlike America, individualism is frowned upon.
Since Buddhists are profoundly aware of their unworthiness, you might want to begin with God’s love when you share verses, rather than beginning with usual fist step on the Roman Road (namely Romans 3:23). Start here instead: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Buddhism
Buddhism has many ideas common to Hinduism (which predates Buddhism by many centuries).
The original ‘Buddha’ was actually named Siddhartha Gautama. Buddha is just a title meaning “Enlightened One.”
Siddhartha first studied several religions including Hinduism and found through ‘enlightenment’ that there was another way. His first sermon was the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
Buddhism is yet another religion based on man’s need to attain redemption through works.
Not all Buddhists believe the same thing, because they have sects just like many other religions.
Many Buddhists, especially in Japan, only consider themselves Buddhists because they were born into a Buddhist family.
The major Buddhist groups are:
- Therevada Buddhism (the original Buddhism),
- Mahayana Buddhism (pop. outside of India, esp. Japan and China),
- Zen Buddhism (very popular in the US, ‘Zen’ means meditation) and
- Tibetan Buddhism (smallest group, they live in the mountains of Tibet; the leader is the Dalai Lama).
The Eightfold Path
1. Right View. Must explore and accept the 8-fold Path and Four Noble Truths with an open mind.
["I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6]
2. Right Intention. You must renounce all your desires. You cannot hate anyone or anything.
[“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13]
3. Right Speech. Don’t lie. Don’t indulge in idle chatter. No gossip.
["Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” 1 Peter 3:10]
4. Right Action. Don’t kill any sentient creature. Only take what is given to you. Don’t commit any bad sexual acts, steal get drunk or gamble.
[“You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'" Mark 10:19]
5. Right Livelihood. Your job must not harm anyone or any creature.
[“ Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1 Thess.4:11-12]
6. Right Effort. Be perfect. Rid yourself of evil habits and character traits.
[“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matt. 5:48]
7. Right Mindfulness. Control your thoughts, be perceptive and free from desire or sadness.
[“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:5]
8. Right Concentration. Meditate (concentrate) on wholesome thoughts and actions.
[“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.” Psalm 119:15;119:48]
Four Noble Truths
1. Life means suffering.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
2. The origin of suffering is desire (or attachment).
According to the Bible, wrong desires lead to suffering, not all desires. And Jesus came to assure that we would have a full and meaningful life, not one devoid of desire, hope or pleasure.
“Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.” James1:15
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable: Give up your desires
“"I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can." Ecclesiastes 3:10-12
“Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires." Colossians 2:21-23
4. There is a path to the cessation of suffering. ( which is the Eightfold Path)
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4
Critical Thinking Skills:
(Questions to Ponder)
Notice that most of what Buddha taught was similar to what Jesus taught?
Yes, Siddhartha Guatama Buddha predates Christ by several hundred years, so some might argue that Jesus got His ideas from Siddhartha, but Jesus existed in incorporeal (having no body) form from the beginning. Therefore, way before He allowed Siddhartha to be born. Why do Christians believe Jesus existed before He even appeared on the earth?
Here are some reasons:
Gen. 1:26 - "Let us make man in our image..."
--Evangelical Christians believe that this references the trinity of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
Micah 5:2 -"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,...out of you shall come forth to Me, the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth[origins] are from of old, from everlasting.”
- -- This popular Christmas scripture, which prophecies the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, specifies that He has existed from eternity past.
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning."
--Jesus is the Word, and the He referred to as being with God in the beginning; this verse makes it clear that He is one with God, because He is God. Jesus has been with God as God from the beginning of time.
John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
--This verse goes on to state that Jesus became flesh, which means He was not flesh before, because before Jesus put on flesh, He was pre-incarnate (a fancy word for not having flesh yet).
As Christians, one might wonder:
If there is no God, who determines when you’ve done enough?
Who decides what you come back as in the next life?
The answer that some might give is, that the 'universe' judges and decides.
However, we know that there is a Judge and a final Adjudicator who does know and judge the actions, thoughts and motives of the heart and mind, and it is not the universe, but the Maker of the universe :
"All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice." Proverbs 21:2-3
There will be a Judge, and He will decide what happens to each of us our next life (the afterlife):
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books... If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20: 11-12,15
One might also wonder:
Why is the world population bigger now than when Buddhism first began if so many people are unenlightened and therefore probably coming back as animals, etc? Or as more and more people move into nirvana, shouldn't this decrease the world population?
"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment..." Hebrews 9:27
-- Because people do not return upon death, they go onto their eternal reward or judgement. Every person who is born is a completely new person with a unique and completely new spirit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice that there are a lot of good things that Buddhists believe about living a moral life. However, without the power of the cross, how do you attain them?
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6
"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. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10
Things to know about witnessing to a Buddhist:
Admit that Buddhism is a great philosophy of life- however, it is too high to follow. No one can attain perfection this way. We need someone’s help. That Someone is Jesus Christ. He wants us to be sinless and have only pure desires, however, He knows we cannot attain it through any amount of self-effort. Buddha gave the path, but gave no power to accomplish the task.
Buddhists do not believe in God (even though depending on their country of origin, they may worship idols). There is no mention of life after death, only endless reincarnations (like Hinduism) with an attempt to reach nirvana by following the Path.
Buddhists do not relate well to western ideas, so it is important to appeal to their cultural need for stories within stories. An effective way to illustrate Jesus’ redemptive work is this story:
Buddha is on top of the mountain. He beckons to us to climb the mountain following his teachings. No one can reach the top because no one is good enough for God. But Jesus comes down the mountain and puts me on His shoulders and takes me up the mountain saying "You cannot do it with your strength; but I will give you My strength and power for you to come to Me.....
Most important thing to remember in witnessing to Buddhists: Our task is communicating the person of Christ, not Christianity as a religion. Christianity is often seen as a ‘Western’ religion. So the focus should be on Who Christ is, not what Christianity dictates as a westernized religious system.
In Japan a survey was taken of Japanese Christians, and it confirmed what most missionaries to Buddhists have found—it takes many years of witnessing through your Christ-like life and words for the average Buddhist to come to Christ.
Most Buddhists are very family- oriented and will not convert if they feel their family will not approve or not follow. For instance, in Japan, unlike America, individualism is frowned upon.
Since Buddhists are profoundly aware of their unworthiness, you might want to begin with God’s love when you share verses, rather than beginning with usual fist step on the Roman Road (namely Romans 3:23). Start here instead: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
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