Christianity_and_Buddhism

Baptists and Buddhists Although the differences in Buddhism and Christianity, namely the Baptist denomination, are many there are also similarities. One of the main similarities between Buddhism and Baptist Christians is the manner in which the followers should treat others and serve their community. Both religions encourage helping others and treating others with respect. One of the most obvious differences is the belief in a deity. Buddhists do not belief in a deity, Baptist Christians believe in one God. (Gage, 2009) Baptist Christians believe their faith is black and white. The word of God in the Bible reigns supreme. Buddhists are not rigid in their beliefs. According to Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen master, “Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truths”. He goes on to say, “Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones.” (Barbara, n.d., ¶ 3) The other major difference is how each religion came to fruition. Buddhism began with a young man venturing outside his home for recreation. The young man was Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha was born into a privileged existence in the year “580 BCE”. (Woodlands Junior High School, 2009, ¶ 4) Siddhartha was a prince who was doted on and protected by his family. He was kept within the palace walls until he ventured outside via each of the four gates. It was at this point that he saw four sights that he had never encountered: a sick man, an old man, a poor man, and a corpse. (Woodlands Junior High School) This encounter caused Siddhartha to question his way of life. Siddhartha was so disturbed by the suffering he witness and the revelation of the inequalities of people he left his family: father, aunt, wife, and baby son. Siddhartha embarked on a journey in which he encountered much suffering. He fasted to experience the suffering as others have endured. It was in this state bordering on starvation that he heard a teacher speaking about music. The teacher explained, “If the strings on the instrument are set too tight, then the instrument will not play harmoniously. If the strings are set too loose, the instrument will not produce music. Only the middle way, not too tight and not too loose, will produce harmonious music.” (Hooker, 1999, ¶ 5) This conversation changed Siddhartha’s life. He came to the realization that the ideal way to live is in the middle. One should not live totally materialistically nor should one live in a manner that denies one’s body of its basic needs. “The way out of suffering was through concentration, and since the mind was connected to the body, denying the body would hamper concentration, just as overindulgence would distract one from concentration.” (Hooker, 1999, ¶ 5) After the realization of the “middle way” Siddhartha began an intense regimen of yogic meditation. During this time of intense meditation Siddhartha came to an “understand his previous lives and the entirety of the cycle of birth and rebirth, or samsara, and most importantly, figured out how to end the cycle of infinite sorrow.” (Hooker, 1999, ¶ 6) After coming to the understanding, Siddhartha became the Buddha. As the Buddha he began teaching his revelations to others to free people of their suffering. The Buddha’s first teachings took place at the Deer Park. During this teaching he explained his “Four Noble Truths”, which have continued to be a Buddhism foundation: all human life involves suffering, suffering is due to desire, suffering of humans is ended by ending desire, and desire can be ended when the “Eightfold Noble Path” is followed. The “Eightfold Noble Path” involves following “right” actions: “right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.” (Hooker, 1999, ¶ 8) These Noble Truths make up the Dharma of Buddhism. Dharma is essentially an idea that everything in the universe is related. Humans and animals are related as well as plants and soil. Treatment of the world around humans is important for this reason. An animal’s life is equally important as a human life. Buddhist teachings speak against violence, meat eating, and war. The “Four Cardinal Virtues” are moral imperatives: friendliness, joy, compassion, and equanimity. (Hooker, 1999, p. 10) One of the steps one must take to reach Nirvana is to focus on one’s action towards others. One does not have to be exclusively Buddhist to reach Nirvana. According to Reverend Fugon Cindy Beach of The Savannah Zen Center located in Savannah, Georgia, “any person who meditates to understand themselves, their place in the world, and truly adopts the practices and beliefs of Buddhism may achieve Nirvana”. (F. Beach, personal communication, October 27, 2009) Reverend Fugon goes on to say that any member of any religion can incorporate Buddhist practices into their daily lives. Meditation is an area in which she believes can be easily learned and will be beneficial to everyone who learns, regardless of their religion. The Savannah Zen Center is a wonderful environment in which to meditate, although meditation can take place anywhere. The Savannah Zen Center’s meditation room is a large open space with dark stained wood floors, numerous windows for natural light, a wall fountain with water flowing down glass tiles, and yoga mats lining the room. Reverend Fugon Cindy Beach has been with the Savannah Zen Center since 2002. She began studying Buddhism in the mid sixties and became ordained in 1997 in San Francisco. Reverend Beach is now on the path to Priesthood. According to Reverend Beach, she became interested in the principles of Buddhism while working as a psychotherapist. She became interested in specifically the Zen philosophy of Buddhism. Zen Buddhism focuses on the practice of meditation. (F. Beach, 2009) According to Buddha’s teachings ignorance created by human emotions of hate, greed, and delusion are barriers to people knowing that everyone of us is enlightened. In Zen Buddhism meditation and enlightenment are one in the same. There is no training involved to realize “the Way”. In every religion there is a belief present in what happens after one dies and how our world came into existence. Baptists believe the universe was created by God and everything on Earth was created by God as well. Buddhists have differing beliefs on how our surroundings were created. Some believe that creation is a never ending cycle. Land forms followed by people from the souls that previously inhabited the world, then the universe dissolves, and finally the cycle repeats. Another outlook is that everything is an illusion. The Baptist and Buddhists have evolution in common. Neither group prescribes to the belief of evolution. Baptists feel evolution is a direct “slap in the face” to the basic belief that God created the world and everything in the world. (L. Brown, personal communication, October 28, 2009) Buddhists believe evolution might have happened but “evolution is not the full story of life on earth and that because of this more questions are left unanswered than answered”. (Religious Tolerance, ¶ 2) There are no similarities between what Baptists and Buddhists believe when the subject is what happens after death. Baptists believe that if people are saved by the “Grace of God” then the saved soul will ascend into heaven. Heaven is seen as an area where people meet their ancestors and friends who have passed before them as well as meeting God and Christ. (L. Brown) “Grace of God” means that people are saved from hell by their faith in God, Lord Jesus Christ, and the Bible. Baptists focus their beliefs on God. According to Baptists if one is not saved by the “Grace of God” one will suffer for eternity in hell. Hell is described as the worst place one could imagine. (L. Brown) Buddhists believe that when one dies if Nirvana is not reached the soul will continue on to attach itself to another life form. Life through Buddhists eyes is not permanent and none of the states of existence are permanent either. (F. Beach, 2009) Which life form one’s soul is attached to after death is dependent upon one’s actions while alive which is karma. Karma is a “this for that” belief. The ultimate goal of any Buddhist is to end the life and death cycle. Grieving is a process both groups practice due to the loss of a loved one, this is a natural process. In Buddhism followers are reminded of the imminence of death and to prepare for their own death. Followers are reminded to behave responsibly and be positive to both themselves and others. Buddhists practice chanting from the Buddhist scriptures as the person is on their death bed so this is the last thing a person hears. (Tang, 2002) The final state of mind for a dying Buddhist is the most “important moment of all” due to the rebirth process. Buddhists believe the spirit does not leave the body immediately and is affected by the treatment of the corpse. Everyone must refrain from touching the body for hours after death before beginning after death care. The body must be treated respectfully and gently as not to disturb the spirit’s transfer to another state in life. Buddhists pray for the dead after death to help the spirit move on. The death process is similar in the sense that a clergy member is brought in to pray for the person’s soul. There are not special considerations after the death of a Baptist. Once the person is declared dead the soul is en route to heaven or hell. Another similarity Buddhists and Baptists share are the existence of holidays in each religion that are important to the followers. Each religion has one holiday that is considered the most important holiday above all other holidays. The most important holiday for Buddhists is Wesak. Wesak is celebrated in May during the full moon. This holiday is to celebrate the birth and death of Buddha and to remember his enlightenment. During this time people decorate and clean their houses and bring gifts of food, flowers, and candles to the monks. (Palo Alto Medical Foundation, 2009) The most important holiday for Baptists according to Pastor Leslie Brown, is Easter. “Most people think Christmas would be the big holiday for us but if it were not for the death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven by Jesus, there would be no Christianity”. (L. Brown) During Easter Pastor Brown’s church, Bloomingdale Baptist, focuses their sermons on the events taking place before trial of Jesus. On Easter Sunday a Sunrise Service is performed to signify the resurrection and ascension into heaven by Jesus. Most people would not think there are similarities between Buddhists and Baptists however, there are similarities. The followers of both religions pray over their dead, have one holiday that is more important than all other holidays, learn to treat others respectfully, and grieve over the loss of their loved ones. The differences in the religions are more obvious to an outsider. Buddhists believe that all living things are equal; Baptists believe man is the “top dog” of the species. (L. Brown) Buddhists focus on meditation and knowing themselves as well as treating others well. Baptists focus on prayer and reading scriptures from the Bible. Buddhists are taught to not follow any doctrine, even the Buddha’s. The most obvious differences are the belief in a deity, life, and death. Buddhism does not have a deity, believe that the creation of life is an illusion, and one’s soul moves on after death unless the ultimate goal of Nirvana is obtained. Baptists believe in one God, the creator and judge. When a Baptist dies it is believed they go to heaven if saved by the “Grace of God” or descend to hell for an eternity of pain and sorrow. In the end the most important similarity of the two religions is the followers. The followers may be from different walks of life but are all human beings deserving respect and the right to practice what they see as the “way”. References Barbara, O. (n.d.). What do Buddhists Believe'. Retrieved October 16, 2009, from http://buddhism.about.com/od/introductiontobuddhism/a/budbeliefs.htm Gage, M. B. (2009). What Does a Baptist Believe'. Retrieved October 22, 2009, from http://www.baptistbasics.org/baptists/b003.php Hooker, R. (1999). The Historical Siddartha. Retrieved October 18, 2009, from http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/BUDDHISM/SIDD.HTM Palo Alto Medical Foundation (2009). Buddhist Holidays. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from http://www.pamf.org/preteen/share/celebrations/buddhist.html#Magha Puja Day and Sangha Day Religious Tolerance (1995). Beliefs of World Religions. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_denom2.htm Tang, T. N. (2002). Buddhist View on Death and Rebirth. Retrieved October 28, 2009, from http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma5/viewdeath.html Woodlands Junior High School (2009). Information on Buddhism Religion. Retrieved October 16, 2009, from http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/religion/buddhism.htm