Buddhism: Lies Disguised As Truth

Starting in October, we have taken some time once a month to investigate other denominations and religions and then compared them to biblical Christianity. So far we have studied Catholicism, Lutheranism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Islam. Though these denominations and religions differ greatly, there is at least some relationship or mention of the Bible and Jesus. Today, we will venture into a religion that only accounts for 7% of the world’s population and 1% of adults in the Unites States: Buddhism. After taking a closer look at Buddhism, you’ll see not only the lies it tells, but also the beliefs that have influenced many Christians’ understanding of God and the afterlife.

The History of Buddhism: A Highlight Reel

Buddhism began with a prince named Siddhartha Guatama who lived from 563-483 B.C. or 448-368 B.C. (depending on which scholar you believe). He had a life of ease and luxury, but he started questioning his life after seeing a sick man, old man, dead man, and a monk. These encounters brought to light the very real fact that he, too, would suffer, experience illness, and die one day.

This realization in addition to encountering the monk inspired Siddhartha Guatama to leave his life as a prince behind, and instead, be a wandering holy man in search of his most pressing questions.

1. Why must we suffer?

2. What causes suffering?

According to Buddhist teachings, Guatama sat under a fig tree in India after years of religious activity (i.e., fasting, meditation, and prayer). He remained under the tree for days continuing to mediate until he achieved enlightenment, called nirvana. After reaching nirvana, he was called the Buddha, meaning “enlightened one.”

An important note to make about the Buddha is that he did not desire worship. He and his followers have never claimed he is a god. He was simply a man who, they believe, achieved the ultimate level of enlightenment.

Buddhism and The Three Universal Truths

In order to begin to understand Buddhist beliefs, we need to examine The Three Universal Truths. Buddhism teaches these are true for everyone and everything, and the rest of Buddhism relies on these truths.

1. Everything in life is impermanent and always changing.

This “truth” sounds possible at first. How many things in our lives change? Everything, right? As a mom, the continual change in life has only become more apparent. What mom wouldn’t love to freeze time for a bit to enjoy her children and prevent them from growing up too fast?

However, believing that nothing is permanent negates God because the Bible is clear that God doesn’t change and has always been and will always be.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Hebrews 13:8

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

Isaiah 40:8

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;”

Lamentations 3:22 (ESV)

2. Because nothing is permanent, a life that is based on possessing things does not make you happy.

All right. Buddhist teachings have a point here. Things can make you temporarily happy, but they will never fully satisfy. Buddhists base this all on impermanency, but Christians know the truth about possessions.

The treasures of this world will all fade away, but true joy is in knowing the Lord. And, despite what Buddhists believe, that joy can be forever.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”

 Matthew 6:19-20

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Psalm 16:11

3. There is no eternal, unchanging soul and “self.”

Buddhism teaches that the “self” is just characteristics or attributes that will consistently change.

On the other hand, the Bible teaches that our soul is permanent. Our souls will either be in the Lake of Fire or with the Lord when our bodies die. Both of these scenarios are forever.

“Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”

Ecclesiastes 12:7

Buddhism And The Four Noble Truths

Buddhism teaches realities known as the Four Noble Truths. These are among the most important teachings of the Buddha to his followers, and most believe that the Four Noble Truths were his first teachings.

1. Dukkha

The first Noble Truth says that human life has a lot of suffering. Well, sometimes you have to agree, even if the ultimate conclusion is wrong. So far so good. You’d have to live in complete isolation to disagree with this claim.

2. Samudaya

Samudaya claims greed causes our earthly suffering. While I think we can all agree that greed can certainly cause suffering, Christianity reveals the true cause. The Fall.

God created a perfect world, but Eve fell for Satan’s deception and temptation. Consequently, sin entered the world, and we were cursed (Genesis 3). The world, once perfect, now has pain, toil, illness, and death because of sin. Why do we suffer? We suffer because of sin. Yes, greed can be lumped into the pile of sins we commit, but the problem is much bigger than just greed.

3. Nirodha

Nirodha states that suffering can end by renouncing samudaya, rejecting greediness. Buddhists believe we can earn rewards and end our suffering by our own merit. Of course, this flies in the face of biblical teaching. The only end to all suffering and pain will be in the presence of the Lord, and no one can make enough good choices to earn a place with Him. Only Jesus saves.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

4. Magga

Magga is the way to end suffering by following the Middle Path. The guide for the Middle Path is called The Eightfold Path.

Buddhism And The Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path

1. Right understanding and viewpoint as taught by the Four Noble Truths

2. Right values and attitude (e.g., rejecting selfishness, showing compassion)

3. Right speech (e.g., no gossip, kind speech, truthfulness)

4. Right action (e.g., committing no harm to living things, caring for the environment, being helpful to those around you)

5. Right work (e.g., engaging in useful activities, working jobs that do no harm to others)

6. Right effort (e.g., encouraging good, helpful thinking)

7. Right mindfulness (e.g., be thoughtful of your feelings, thoughts, and actions)

8. Right meditation (e.g., meditate and keep a calm mind, working toward nirvana)

Most of the Eightfold Path sounds like good advice. I’m in full support kind behavior, good citizenship, and self-awareness. May we all strive to live like that, but again, this is a list of things to do to work one’s way to the ultimate goal of the Buddhist faith. Hamster, meet wheel…

Buddhism And Meditation

Meditation is a word Christians often use when discussing the disciplines of a faithful Christian life. It is also a word that we will hear in Buddhist teachings, but this word has completely different meanings when a Christian and a Buddhist use it.

Buddhism teaches that meditation is essential for their faith. It involves looking inside oneself for truth and understanding. Meditation is a key component to reaching nirvana.

I have mentioned nirvana multiple times, and this might be a good place to pause and explain it a little bit more. Nirvana is freedom from suffering, and it is also a state of being fully alive and present in one’s current life. This is what people following Buddhism strive to achieve. They believe that meditating and achieving “inner stillness” will help them reach that goal.

What Can Meditation In Buddhism Look Like?

Below I have listed a few possible ways one may choose to meditate as a Buddhist. Essentially, though, you’ll see it’s pretty much thinking about something in a particularly focused way. I assume we all have a mental image of the stereotype. You decide how accurate that common depiction is.

Sitting quietly while admiring a beautiful garden

Chanting

Focusing on one’s own breathing

Contemplating a short poem

Practicing martial arts (they require physical and mental control and concentration)

Christian Meditation

Biblical meditation is nothing like what we see in Buddhism. We know better, as Christians, than to look inside ourselves for the answers and spiritual enlightenment. The Bible tells us what we will find inside: sin.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Jeremiah 17:9

Christian meditation is focusing, not on ourselves or things around us, but on God’s Word. It is not “listening” for a new message from God through contemplative prayer like some teach (e.g., Jesus Calling). Meditation is simple. We read and contemplate God’s written Word to learn more about Him.

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

Psalm 1:2

“I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.”

Psalm 119:15

Buddhism And Its Writings

Buddhism does not have a holy book. There are scriptures, but no writings have been fully accepted by all Buddhists.

Buddhist writings were created slowly after the Buddha had died. Moreover, the writings were done from memory based on oral tradition. “Thus I have heard” was a common phrase when sharing the Buddha’s teachings due to the information relying solely on oral transmission. Because it took so long to finally write his teachings, no one who had been with the Buddha was there when written records were created. His teachings were shared by word of mouth too long to be verifiable.

Discrepancies in people’s memories of the teachings led Buddhism to split into two main groups: Theravada and Mahayana. Mahayana Buddhism was affected by the cultures in which it existed. Therefore, Mahayana split into three more branches of Buddhism: Vajrayana, Tibetan, and Pure Land and Zen.

Due to the absence of one unifying holy book and statement of beliefs and the number of various kinds of Buddhism, it is difficult to firmly describe what Buddhists believe because it can differ significantly from one group to the next.

The Christian Holy Book: The Bible

Unlike Buddhism, Christianity has a book that accounts for the exact words our God said, eyewitness accounts for major events in our history, and miracles performed by our Lord.

The Bible has also been preserved since it was completed over 1,900 years ago. Not to mention, archeology and science continue to validate God’s Word to this day. Unlike the writings in Buddhism, the Bible is trustworthy and the solid, unwavering guide to our faith.

Buddhism: Salvation And The Afterlife

This is tricky. Salvation, as Christians understand it, is not a Buddhist idea. In fact, Buddhism rejects the idea of a personal, eternal God, and the permanent state of being after death.

Buddhism teaches to work through the Four Noble Truths and live by the Five Precepts.

1. Do not harm or kill living things.

2. Do not take things unless they are freely given.

3. Lead a decent life.

4. Do not speak unkindly or tell lies.

5. Do not abuse drugs or drink alcohol.

A person’s actions in this earthly life give her good or bad karma (the good or bad force that will determine your fate as a consequence of your actions). After death, Buddhism teaches that individuals are reincarnated. Bad karma means you’ll be born into a less desirable life. In contrast, good karma lands a person in a better life than the one before. The whole thing is a cycle of cause and effect.

Buddhism becomes quite complicated at this point. There are six realms one can be born into (i.e., heavenly realm, asura realm, animal real, hell realm, ghost realm, and earth realm). No matter where someone lands in these realms, the destination is not permanent.

When one reaches nirvana, she will finally leave the karma cycle after her death. What happens next is unclear. The focus in Buddhism appears to be more on the samsara (i.e., the cycle of life, death, and rebirth) and living the right way than the final consequence.

The Christian Response

As I already said, no one is working toward a better afterlife. Our works do nothing. We are all sinners who need to repent and ask the Lord to save us. We’re simply incapable of saving ourselves.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Romans 3:23

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Romans 10:9

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 14:6

As for Buddhism’s teaching concerning reincarnation, the Bible refutes that in no uncertain terms. We die once. Then, there will be judgment, not another try.

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Hebrews 9:27

The Bible On The Afterlife: Unbelievers

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (emphasis mine)

Revelation 20:11-15 (ESV)

The Bible On The Afterlife: Believers

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” (emphasis mine)

Revelation 22:1-5 (ESV)

Final Thought

Believe it or not, we have just scratched the surface of Buddhism. Even so, the stark differences between Buddhism and Christianity are on display. Buddhism is completely incompatible with the Christian faith. So, it makes me wonder… Why do so many Christian women believe in karma and the possibility of past lives? Why do they neglect studying the Scriptures but carve out regular times to “meditate” as a Buddhist might?

It’s easy to say we don’t believe in something, but occasional self-reflection might reveal we have let dangerous false teachings into our minds and even replaced good doctrine with them.

Buddhism is not an extremely popular religion, especially in America. The odds of most of us encountering a true Buddhist is rare, but be prepared to defend your faith with regards to Buddhism anyway. You might not meet a Buddhist, but you might meet a woman who has adopted some of Buddhism’s more appealing beliefs.

And, as always, pray for everyone who is in bondage to this behavior treadmill. Father, open their eyes to the many lies they have been told are truth. Show them where to find real Truth. Amen.

How about you? Have you ever believed in karma or maybe just hoped for it?

Image courtesy of Abhijeet Gourav via Unsplash.