By juxtaposing Christianity and Buddhism, one can see how western religions compare and differ from eastern religions as the religions encompassing each region share some common ground, giving one a worldly view of religion. While the two contain similarities, as there is some sort of end result after your life ends, the way to get to this end result as well as the end result in itself contain differences. According to Buddhism, one follows a set path in order to reach the ultimate end goal which is nirvana, while in Christianity one contains the Bible as a guide to Heaven. As a Christian and a religion major, I am fascinated by the afterlife and its many forms, especially in the doctrines of Buddhism and Christianity. I thought it would it be interesting to examine these religions because each offers a different journey to the afterlife causing most to not notice their similarities. I also wanted to highlight the differences in how suffering can be viewed and escaped within the two.
There are Four Noble Truths that lead one towards enlightenment and nirvana. The first Noble Truth is Suffering, which has many forms such as physical pain, psychological pain, dissatisfaction, pleasurable things, impermanence; also suffering is viewed as something one wants to be rid of. This differs from how Christians feel about suffering, as in Christianity suffering is viewed as something God brings upon you as either a test of your faith or strength; also it could be viewed as a necessary part of your journey that God knows you can conquer. For example in Corinthians it is said that, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it,” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
The second Noble Truth is the Origin of Suffering. This deals with the fact that suffering is caused by craving for sensory pleasures, aversion to ending the cycle of life through sickness and old age, also something like depression could make some crave death. We crave permanence, which should be avoided because there is no permanence. On the other hand, in Christianity it is understood that those who choose to live a life by God will have to undergo suffering. In Timothy one passage states, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (2 Timothy 3:12). Thus it is not the people causing suffering upon themselves, it is the result of their devotion to God, it is a part of the journey.
The third Noble Truth deals with the Cessation of Suffering. The elimination of suffering entails that one eliminates conditions that suffering depends upon. One should liberate oneself from any attachments. This Noble Truth is looked upon as being a cure while the fourth Noble Truth, the Path, is looked at as being the prescription (Gethin 63); this means that in order to eliminate suffering one must follow the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path contains: right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. While in Christianity if one follows the commandments, repents for their sins, as well as believes in Jesus and his word then one should end up in heaven. In the Bible it is stated that, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16).
Overall, it is hard for me to picture myself putting the Four Noble Truths into practice as a Christian, but I understand their purpose for those who are Buddhist. In Christianity we believe that there is one life and then you go to Heaven or Hell based on how you lived. I can see similarities between the Noble Eightfold Path and Christianity because we too have guidelines that believers should follow in order to have a good life. Also there is suffering that takes place, but unlike Buddhism it is not all our doing, as we believe in a predetermined path. But one can use freewill and lead themselves astray from their journey to God; but, rather than being reborn in a lower cycle of life, one would just go to Hell for living a morally incorrect life which is like being reborn in a lower cycle except it would be eternal.
Works Cited:
New Revised Standard Version. Bible Gateway. Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
Gethin, Rupert. “Four Truths: The Disease, the Cause, the Cure, the Medicine.” The Foundations of Buddhism. New York: Oxford UP, 1998. 59-84. Print.
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I thought this point you made was most interesting because it stresses the similarities between the two religions. You pointed out that, “it would be interesting to examine these religions because each offers a different journey to the afterlife causing most to not notice their similarities.” Intending that the part of the religions that is similar, is the way the religions view life after the death of the body. This is very curious to me, do Christians believe in reincarnation or just some other kind of experience after death of body?
There is clearly a lot of critical thought that went into this comparison and I find the ideas present are necessary to acknowledge and really interesting–however comparing the two belief systems only reaffirms how different they are in the broadest sense, to me at least. Although there are certainly surface level consistencies, it is impossible to ignore the fact that all of the aspects of Christianity similar to the Four Noble Truths/Noble Eightfold path are motivated by the presumption that Heaven/Hell/God exists, whereas Buddhism’s closest version of this is Nirvana, which has a rather vague description judging by the definitions I’ve been exposed to thus far. I had not studied Buddhism before this class, and even with the first few weeks of work we’ve done it has become apparent that Buddhism functions underneath a (basically) entirely different framework than that of religions with a supreme god/afterlife. With any belief system there will be some kind of journey taking place, which in this way all religions are similar–however the crucial differences lie in what motivates these beliefs. Looking at it through such a lens lends itself to an analysis of religion that sees each religion as its own, not gaining insight through the connection to another religion’s logic.
I’ve also had similar thoughts exploring the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Christianity, as I was raised Catholic. I like how you described both of the religions as a “journey”, which really rang true to me in my own practice and that of the Buddhist followers. It was also interesting how you compared Christianity to the Four Noble Truths, an idea I hadn’t thought to explore. Your analysis was both interesting and thought provoking.
Your juxtaposition of Buddhism and Christianity reinforces the incompatibility of Buddhist traditions with the Christian faith that emphasizes monotheism and disapproval of worshipping false idols and religions. However, given that Buddhism is a non-theist religion that has a long history of merging with other religions, such as Shinto and Confucianism, many Buddhists do not feel conflicted about adopting other traditions, and therefore, are able to form a fluid religious identity. On the other hand, I believe that many Christians, especially in Western cultures that have a long history with monotheism and rigid doctrine, are unable to accept Buddha’s teachings because they do not mention about salvation through Jesus Christ, which is an important belief in Christianity.