Comparing Religions: Buddhism and Christianity - Report Example

COMPARING RELIGIONS: BUDDHISM AND CHRISTIANITY There are 7 continents in this planet. These 7 continents are composed of approximately 200 countries. Each of these countries is made up of different races and ethnicities that have different beliefs and traditions. One of the differences that these populations have is religion. In some cases this factor unites a particular civilization but in some cases it makes them divided. Each religion has different comprehensions when it comes to the different aspects of life. One particular religion will have a concept of the Higher Power which will differ from the other religious conviction. There are ideas and concepts that may be the causes of misunderstandings and arguments between believers of different faiths.1 Theology can be described “as the study which, through participation in and reflection upon a religious faith, seeks to express the content of this faith in the clearest and most coherent language available.”2 However others may think of theology as “the effort to mediate between culture and religion.”3 Buddhism is a belief that originated in the Indian Subcontinent which is now known as Nepal. It was founded by Prince Siddhartha Gautama during the 6th Before the Current Era (BCE). Gautama then became the Buddha or the Enlightened One and Buddhism was given birth. It is perceived by most to be the oldest living religion in history.4 Christianity on the other hand was founded by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth during the 1st century Anno Domini or After Death (AD). This happened with the belief that Jesus was the Christ or the chosen one. It was said that those who founded Christianity were also some of the disciples of Jesus namely Peter, Matthew, James and John. Other founders were said to be those who have published gospels of their interaction with Jesus like Mark and Luke.5 When Christianity was founded, paganism or the worship of false gods was put to an end. According to Neville and Wildman, “comparing religious ideas can be a cognitive enterprise aiming to produce true and important knowledge.” Upon comparing different beliefs therefore should be rationalized through a systematic process which will provide adequate explanations as far as why the comparison was made.6 At some point, this justification however raises a question of the true point of comparison between beliefs. Should religion be an aspect of a person’s life that needs to be respected by his fellows? Each belief has its concepts of what is true and what should be done. It is something that one could not argue to another that a particular religion’s concept of the truth or of the whole belief is untrue. There will be terms or words which will differ in emotions and expressions depending on the religious belief a particular person belong. An example of this would be the word “love.” It is just a word yet it has different concepts and perceptions depending on the religious faith of a person. For Christians, love can be related to the divine love given by Jesus Christ to mankind when He sacrificed his own life for the salvation of the people. In contrast, love in Buddhism is a type of an ego-centered and thoughtless relationship. Love and compassion are 2 different words yet may be given the same or different meanings depending on the religious teachings one person is taught to believe. Compassion is commonly used in Buddhism to express the “love” which is more pronounced in Christianity.7 There is a particular group who pertains to themselves as religious pluralists or pluralists. They are said to “seek[s] to draw the faiths of the world’s religious past into a mutual recognition of one another’s truths and values in order for truth itself to come into proper focus.”8 This group searches not the mistakes that a particular religion may have. Instead it seeks to understand the differences and respect the teachings of each religion. Accepting the teachings for what they are will lessen the arguments between religious organizations have more valid claims.9 It is noted fact that it is not just Christianity that claims openly or indirectly that its teachings are formally correct. Other religions also claim the same belief with regards to their principles. Either this is how spiritual groups encourage members into their association or it is done to make their members stay and continue preaching their doctrines. Others may perceive that the Christianity being practiced in recent years to be more accepting towards the teachings of others belief. One of the teachings which are being widely accepted is Buddhism.10 People are considering that the Christian life is not anymore being carried out mono-religiously. Christianity, according to a number of theologians and spiritual teachers, is being considered in recent years as multi-religious. If such fact is being accepted, there is no more point of comparing teachings and doctrines of different religions. A spiritual teaching may differ from another yet it aims only the same thing, inner peace and better understanding of how a person can have a healthy spirit. Buddhism follows the doctrines and searches the path towards enlightenment. Christians read the doctrines to be enlightened. There are parables in the Christian teachings which can be compared and contrasted in Buddhist parables. Christian principles have its differences to the Buddhist philosophies yet followers of both religions see and feel the serenity beyond the differences. A concept however that was brought up by Hanaoka-Kawamura that could have tickled the inquisitiveness of a reader was when the author stated, “the parable of Lukes biblical prodigal son shows the house in the dimension of being, where an ontological God saves us humankind, and the parable of the rich mans poor son shows that the house as enlightenment and the way as religious exercise are always mutually interrelated.”11 Again, Christian parables compared to a Buddhist parable. Different mode of how each religion preaches its doctrines yet aims for the same result for their followers. There is however a statement by Hanaoka-Kawamura that could be kept in mind by readers as to how a person should accept certain thoughts and ideas which may or may not belong to the teachings of their respective religion. The author said, “in contrast to this parable of the prodigal son, the true self can be within absolute infinite openness not just within the house, but also simultaneously on the way.” A person can find peace when he searches within his thoughts and feelings. Another person on the other hand may find it through others who may introduce teachings or other scriptures which will aid him in the search for truth and peace.12 Every person is different from another. One person’s peace and contentment differs from another. The way that one may find his true calling may not be the way another man can find his own. Though there are paths that have been taken and life-lessons learned the hard way, it does not mean that when another person takes the same path and the same hardships and trials like the previous people did, the same results will be achieved. Scriptures and doctrines are only guides as to how life is to be lived. Different people have different lives to live and different ways of living it. A man has his own free will on what to do and who to follow when it comes to the time he needs to make a decision. There are people who may be born in a belief that their parents were born and baptized in yet it is not where they will truly find the peace that their spirit is longing for. Religion should be guiding people on what path to follow so that they will find enlightenment, peace and happiness. It is not a secret among religions that there are people who convert to another faith at least once in their lifetime. It does not mean that the person found out something wrong about the religion itself. A particular religion is not better than the others. Christianity is not better than Buddhism or vice versa. Sometimes, when a person converts into another religious faith, it only means that it is there that he found his peace and happiness, his enlightenment. Can others then follow that person so they can also find that inner peace and happiness? The answer would be no. There is no 2 person in this world that has the same fate. None of the 7 billion people in this planet has the same road to take in the search for their happiness and enlightenment.13 Ogden on the other hand stated that “one can consistently claim that Christian beliefs are formally true while allowing that others’ beliefs also can possibly have such formal truth only if one takes the position that there are religions other than Christianity that are as formally true as it is.”14 With this statement, there is an acceptance within Christianity that another religion may be as formally true as it is. This can be any other religion like Buddhism. The latter belief have gained a number of followers not because of the loss of faith to other religions yet it is in Buddhism that they have found the peace and happiness which is more important than sticking into a certain belief yet having that struggle within the self in search for enlightenment. If a person is not a pluralist according to Ogden, one cannot truly understand this concept. Open-mindedness is needed in accepting the fact that one may have peace in Christianity while the others may find it in Buddhism or in any other religion. There is no right and wrong in this matter. Religion is a complex subject even for this modern world to be explained. The truthfulness of religion rely on the person himself.1516 People of today’s world are lucky as they are not condemned in following the religious conviction of their choice. Society is not dictating the people’s belief anymore. Buddhism has also opened up to the society in showing its teachings and sharing how one can achieve the enlightenment. Some people find the simple way of living by the Buddhist to be an act of purity and sacrifice that worldly possessions are not important in achieving enlightenment. Every person is equal. There is no rich and no poor. What is owned by a person today is left in this world when the person dies tomorrow. 17 Both Christianity and Buddhism believe that there is a life after a person has left his physical state. This is what both teachings are preparing their followers for. It is not for them to think only for themselves and how their souls will be saved. Yet it is for their followers to attest that one’s action today will affect the fate of his soul. A person’s soul is not saved by the amount of money that he has accumulated in his lifetime. Yet to be saved, one should contemplate as to what he should do to save his soul and the fate of his kin. According to a passage in the Book of Galatians chapter 6 verses 7-9, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”18 This justifies the teachings perhaps of all religions that exist. What is being done now is important as tomorrow is depending on it. One may be true to one’s self yet he is being untruthful towards his peers. This will definitely affect an event that may happen in future. What people are experiencing today is brought by his actions in the past. A religion’s existence does not face any threat as long as there are people believing in the scriptures and texts. It is true when Knitter said that one of the challenges for Christians is to open up their minds towards the acceptance of the existence of other religions. Buddhism and other religions should also do the same. It is not to prove which is better or which is true yet it is to promote peace, happiness and enlightenment as at the end of each day all men and women are brothers and sisters sharing a one big home which is this world.19 Bibliography Hanaoka-Kawamura, Eiko. Zen and Christianity: From the Standpoint of Absolute Nothingness. Maruzen Publication Service Center, 2009. Hinson, E. Glenn Hinson. The Church Triumphant: A History of Christianity Up to 1300. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1995. Knitter, Paul F. Can Christian Theology be Only Christian? A Dialogical Theology for the Third Millennium? Edited by David G. Schultenover. Ontario, CA: The Edwin Mellen Press, Ltd., 1 991. Macquarrie, John. Principles of Christian Theology. London, UK: SCM Press, 1966. Neville, Robert Cummings and Wesley J. Wildman. Ultimate Realities. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2001. Ogden, Schubert M. Christian Identity and Genuine Openness to the Religious Beliefs of Others. Hawaii, USA: University of Hawai’i Press, 2005. Race, Alan. Christians and Religious Pluralism: Patterns in the Christian Theology of Religions. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1982. The New International Version Bible, Biblica. 2011. Thomas, Edward Joseph. The Life of Buddha as Legend and History. New Delhi, IN: Asian Educational Services, 2000. Read More