Buddhism

By James M. Rochford

According to a 2012 Pew Research Study, half of a billion Buddhists populate the Earth today—roughly 7% of the world population. While Buddhism is a very popular religion, many people are unclear as to what Buddhism teaches. In writing this article, we appealed primarily to three secular sources: Nigosian’s World Religions, Hopfe’s Religions of the World, and Carmody’s Ways to the Center.

Founder: Siddhartha Gautama

Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism sometime in the sixth century B.C. “Gautama” was his clan, and “Siddhartha” was his name. This is similar to the title Jesus of Nazareth (that is, “Nazareth” wasn’t Jesus’ last name; it was the place of his birth). Hopfe writes, “The life of Gautama, as he has come to be known, is surrounded by legend and his exact dates are subject to question. Nevertheless he probably lived during the sixth century B.C. and was a contemporary of Mahavira.”^{^[1]} Nigosian writes, “The traditional story of his life and his teachings were transmitted orally for over four centuries before being documented sometime between the first century BCE and the first century CE.”^{^[2]} Carmody^{^[3]} and Hopfe^{^[4]} concur with this viewpoint regarding the historicity of Siddhartha Gautama’s life.

Siddhartha was born in northeast India (modern day Nepal), as the son of a wealthy raja. He married his cousin and had an infant son. At age 30, he left them in search of answers to the human condition, leaving his opulent lifestyle.^{^[5]} At first, he became an extreme ascetic, sitting on thorns, starving himself, eating only a grain of rice per day, sleeping with corpses, and even eating his own feces!^{^[6]} However, he quickly saw that ascetism wasn’t the key to enlightenment.

He ate food and meditated under a fig tree until he reached enlightenment. This could have lasted anywhere from one night to 49 days, depending on tradition. He was severely tempted during this time by Mara—the evil one. Mara gave him three temptations: (1) his wife and father being taken away by an enemy in a vision, (2) sexy dancers trying to seduce him, and (3) demons trying to scare him with arrows.^{^[7]} However, Siddhartha persevered through this, becoming the Buddha (or “the enlightened one”).

Siddhartha called his path the Middle Way, “because it avoided the extremes of both affluence and asceticism, both of which had only caused him to suffer.”^{^[8]} He preached his first sermon after reaching enlightenment, which became the Four Noble Truths. Initially, he garnered only five committed disciples. However, Halverson writes, “Eventually, he won thousands of followers, who formed communities called sanghas. After forty-five years of spreading his message, Buddha died.”^{^[9]} Hopfe writes, “The Buddha reportedly died at the age of eighty after eating some bad mushrooms. According to tradition, his final words were, ‘Subject to decay are all component things. Strive earnestly to work out your salvation.”^{^[10]}

Buddhism after Buddha’s death

After Buddha died, Buddhism developed a missionary mindset. However, it took two centuries for Buddhism to spread out from India. Hopfe writes, “The rulers of India, who were enamored of this new religion, sent Buddhist missionaries into neighboring Asian countries.”^{^[11]}

Much of this missionary impetus came from the conversion of the Indian king Ashoka. Halverson writes, “King Ashoka… ruled India from 274-232 B.C. Ashoka was a warrior-king who, during one battle, became so revolted by the bloodshed that he resolved to renounce all such fighting. He subsequently converted to Buddhism and devoted himself and his resources to it propagation. Ashoka commissioned Buddhist missionaries to go to the other parts of India, as well as to Syria, Egypt, Cyrene, Greece, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand.”^{^[12]} Hopfe writes, “It is said that Asoka was to Buddhism what Constantine was to Christianity.”^{^[13]}

Buddhism did well in Asia. Halverson adds, “In the sixth century A.D., the Indian scholar Bodhidharma introduced Ch’an Buddhism to China. Ch’an Buddhism is a technique for meditating on the ‘Vast Emptiness’ within oneself… This form of meditation migrated to Japan… and was the predecessor to Zen Buddhism.”^{^[14]}

Buddhist beliefs

Buddhism is agnostic or atheistic

We would categorize classical Buddhism as an atheistic or agnostic worldview. Hopfe writes,

There is nothing in the life and teachings of the Buddha to indicate that he intended to found a new religion or even to reform Hinduism. His teachings are more concerned with ethics and self-understanding than with anything that might be called religion… The Buddha tended to be agnostic and sometimes atheistic in his teachings regarding the gods. He was more concerned that people work out their own salvation than that they appeal to the gods for help and support.^{^[15]}

However, like other religions, Buddhism has various sects that have distorted its original teachings. This is why folk-Buddhists will often speak in polytheistic terms, rather agnostic or atheistic categories (worshipping their ancestors for example). Nigosian writes,

Although Buddhism, especially the Mahayana of China and Japan, philosophically denies the existence of a creator god that controls both nature and human destiny, in popular religion Buddhism is incurably polytheistic. Homage and worship are given to a whole hierarchy of spiritual beings—gods, Buddhas, deified persons, and animals—at the head of which is a Supreme Deity endowed with personality, will, intelligence, and love… Undoubtedly, in discussions of Buddhism, it is incorrect to use the term ‘God,’ with its Christian, Jewish, and Islamic connotations.^{^[16]}

Buddhism denies the existence of a self or soul

Because of its rejection of a personal God, Nigosian writes, “Buddha maintained that an individual soul or ego does not exist.”^{^[17]} Hopfe writes, “Among the most unique teachings of the Buddha was that the soul did not exist. According to Buddha, people live in a state of anatman (nonsoulness). What is called a soul is actually a combination of five mental or physical aggregates: the physical body, feelings, understanding, will and consciousness.”^{^[18]} Our first person experience of the world is, therefore, an illusion.

Of course, as we have argued elsewhere (see chapters 1 and 2 of Evidence Unseen), we believe that our first person experience of reality shouldn’t be denied without an overwhelming reason to do so. Even if reality is an illusion (i.e. The Matrix), someone (a personal self) would still need to exist in order to be tricked into believing it was an illusion. That is, even if we are a brain in a mad scientist’s laboratory being poked and prodded by electrodes to think that we are seeing a real, external world of physical objects, someone (a personal self) would need to exist to think that they are in a physical world. Thus, those with a Christian worldview disagree with this central tenet of Buddhism.

Buddhism believes in the Nirvana

Nirvana is dissimilar from the Christian view of eternal life. Hopfe writes, “The word used to describe this release is Nirvana, which basically means ‘extinguished’ or ‘put out like a candle.’ Thus the goal of basic Buddhist thought is not the achievement of some state of bliss in some heaven but the extinguishing of the self and its desire.”^{^[19]}

Buddhism teaches reincarnation

According to Buddhism, an individual goes through multiple reincarnations before one reaches the state of Nirvana. Hopfe writes, “[The physical body, feelings, understanding, will and consciousness are] bound up in the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth that is typical in Indian religions.”^{^[20]} For a complete assessment of this subject, see our earlier article “Reincarnation.”

Buddhism consists of four noble truths

The First Noble Truth: Nature of Suffering (dukkha). The universal experience of human suffering is the effect of past karma.

The Second Noble Truth: Suffering’s Origin (anicca). The perception that causes such suffering is human cravings and the attachment to the world.

The Third Noble Truth: Suffering will cease if we give up our attachment to our cravings and attachments.

The Fourth Noble Truth: The fourth truth is the way in which we are able to cease suffering. It is also called the Noble Eightfold Path.

Buddhism teaches the eightfold path

Buddhism teaches that the Eightfold Path leads the practitioner self-awakening and liberation.

1. Right understanding

2. Right thought

3. Right speech

4. Right action

5. Right living

6. Right effort

7. Right awareness

8. Right meditation

Prayer Wheels

Jesus taught that we should speak to God as our Father (Mt. 6:9) in a personal way. This is in contrast to using “meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words” (Mt. 6:7). We see such repetition in Buddhist prayer wheels. Hopfe writes, “Another feature of Tibetan Buddhism that seems to be unique is the use of the prayer wheel. No one knows the origin of this, but its major use has been among the Tibetans. One form of the prayer wheel is a cylinder that contains various prayers and ritual incantations. Within this cylinder is an agitator of some kind. It is believed that by turning the agitator and stirring the prayers, the prayers are somehow prayed. The most common form of the prayer wheel is a small model that can be carried on one’s person and activated regularly.”^{^[21]}

Who is the Dalai Lama?

A lama in Tibetian Buddhism is a clergyman. Lama means “superior one.” Dalai literally means “the sea.” This explains the depth of the person.^{^[22]} The Dalai Lama is the ruler of Tibet. Hopfe writes, “When one Dalai Lama dies an extensive search is made for his replacement. A group of monks scours Tibet for a child who seems to have the qualities and characteristics of the dead Dalai, since it is believed that following his death he will reincarnate himself in the body of his successor. When the group has found such a child and agrees that this is the new Dalai Lama, the boy begins a long period of training that prepares him for leadership of the nation.”^{^[23]}

Tibet was claimed by both India and China for years. Neither pressed its claim, until China finally did, when it invaded Tibet in 1950. They set up a puppet government. In 1959, the Dalai Lama tried to free Tibet, but was put down. He fled to India.

Different sects of Buddhism

Differences between Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism
	Theravada Buddhism	Mahayana Buddhism	Vajrayana Buddhism
What does the name mean?	(From Hinayana) Literally “the lesser vehicle”	Literally “the greater vehicle”	Literally “the diamond vehicle”
Accessibility?	Accessible to only a few	Accessible to everyone	———
Popularity?	Less popular	More popular	———
Where is it Popular?	Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Vietnam	Bhutan, Mongolia	Tibet
What is the Goal?	Try to reach arahat (i.e. one who has attained enlightenment); accomplished by becoming a monk or supporting the monks	Try to reach bohhisattva (i.e. one who has attained enlightenment to guide others); those who reach it “are pictured as sitting in heaven answering the prayers of those who need their help.”^{^[24]}	Try to reach through tantra (i.e. Hindu practices involving occultic techniques)
Who is Buddha?	Buddha is only a man; there can be only one Buddha; some Theravadians have an elevated view of Buddha (e.g. divine, omniscient, sinless), but this isn’t common	Buddha was a manifestation of a divine, universal Absolute (or “Buddha essence”); there can be many manifestations of the Buddha	Buddha is manifested in the Dalai Lama—the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara (the bodhisattva of compassion)
What is Enlightenment?	Enlightenment occurs through our sole effort	Enlightenment occurs through gaining help from others who have reached it	———
Scriptures?	Only uses the Pali Tripitaka as Scripture. Pali refers to the language of the writings; Tripitaka means “the three baskets” of teachings (e.g. Buddha’s sermons, rules, and philosophical teachings)	Uses an open canon of Scriptures—not limited to the Pali Tripitaka; these would include the Lotus Sutra and the Perfection of Wisdom and the Heart Sutra	Uses Scriptures such as the Kanjur and the Tanjur

Communication Points

We hope that this material has been helpful for you to understand the Buddhist religion. However, we do not suggest blasting your Buddhist friend with all of this material in conversation, because it would most likely be overwhelming. We would compare this to waking someone up from a deep sleep by dumping a bucket of ice water on their lap. While this might work in waking them up, it will also alienate the person in the process. A more tactful approach is in order.

For this reason, consider these guidelines in dialoguing with Buddhist friends and family:

First, distinguish between actual practitioners and imitators. Westerners often like to adopt various aspects of Buddhism, but they do not adopt the entire worldview. Therefore, we would err in engaging them as full-fledged Buddhists, when they are merely dabbling in this faith. Moreover, other practitioners will be folk-Buddhists, who will worship ancestors and demi-gods. Therefore, it is wise to ask your friend questions about what they believe before engaging on these worldview issues. Remember that Solomon wrote: “He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him” (Prov. 18:13). Try to determine whether your Buddhist friend is a monist or an animist. Most Eastern Buddhists are animists—not monists.

Second, eastern thinkers have a totally different paradigm; therefore, make sure to define your terms. One author explains, “Most Buddhists have never heard the Gospel because they have misheard it.”^{^[25]} Many characteristics of God’s emotions are viewed as being wrong or ego driven. Therefore, take your time in explaining God’s attributes and personal nature.

Third, find common ground with your Buddhist friend. For instance, we can agree with Buddhists on the fact that (1) desire can cause suffering, (2) personal peace comes from dwelling on something that is permanent, and (3) self-discipline is important and so is prayer.

Fourth, explain that ultimate reality is personal—not impersonal (sunyata). Explain the implications of finding peace and joy in a personal God versus an impersonal void. As believers, we can have joy due to the fact that we have a relationship with a personal Being, but Buddhists cannot have this in finding an impersonal void.

Fifth, utilize the bodhisattva bridge. Halverson writes, “There are concepts within Buddhism that can be used as bridges to help Buddhists understand the Gospel. One bridge has to do with the doctrine of the bodhisattva. A bodhisattva is one who, out of compassion, has refused to enter nirvana in order to assist others along the way to enlightenment. The part of this concept that is significant as a bridge to the Gospel is that the bodhisattva is able to transfer his extra karmic to the one who believes in him.”^{^[26]} This has been helpful in explaining the message of Christ.