Buddhism vs Christianity

What are your views on these two religions? I'm not trying to start any arguments but I hope to hear (in this case, it's "see") everyone's views.

I personally feel that there are both similarties and differences on these two religions.

Both taught human beings not to kill, steal, lie, not to be unchaste etc. These are the main similarities. Anyone has other views?

 

Buddhism makes more sense and is still very complex.

One of the main differences between the two is that Buddhism escapes the doctrine of "self". It is hard to understand this if you're a christian. It accepts that we are mortal and see's that believing in an afterlife as weak. bla bla bla.. I'd go on but I'm afraid I may bore the good Christians because they won't listen anyway (once again, if you're an "open-minded" christian. I dost apologise *removes hat*)

 

Both are paths that may lead to the nexus of God. Choose not, for they are allies in pursuit.
Let the curiosity bestowed upon you by the Lord guide you; there are yet new paths to discover.

 

umm.. no. Not really.. how can Buddhists have a nexus to God when they don't believe in God? They believe (im speaking for most when I say this I presume) that there could be lots of gods that have no particularly great significance but play their part in nature etc

Also I have to add to the similarities and differences bit that buddhists are the only "religion" that haven't had a holy war.

 

oops sorry I didnt mean to say umm no :S that sounded harsh. Forgiveness if you please i dont know why I wrote that.

 

Christ took our place and died the eternal death that we were supposed to die. Christianity teaches that we are not saved and made better people by our own efforts but we are saved and made better people by claiming Christs victory over sin(grace) and by having a continuing relationship with Him. The Christian God is one that is a personal being that loves us and cares for and about us. We don't have to keep trying and trying, to be good, hoping that in the next life we will get it right and escape. We believe that we only have one life to live. However in that one life we have a divine friend that is holding out his hand to us saying, you dont' have to do it all by yourself. Take my hand we will do it together.

 

even though i'm not actually a buddhist, i believe in it more than i believe in christianity. i try to follow as much as i know about buddhism, as much as i can.

a christian friend of mine once told me that buddhism seems "LSD-ish." but, wouldn't christianity seem LSD-ish to a buddhist?

 

but then, wouldn't christ and/or God still accept you, if you still believed in something else, while believing in him/them? cuz i believe in jesus christ, but i also believe in the buddha. in my opinion, they were two regular people who walked the earth like we do, but with more spitirual enlightenment, than the rest of us. my opinions on religion are very mixed, but i like it the way they are.

 

Most buddhist schools believe that personal effort, meditation etc, is necessary in order to reach salvation. There are exceptions, for instance the Pure Land school of Japan, who believe it is solely reliant upon the saving grace of Amitabha Buddha. This seems on the face of it similar to Christian belief, but the big difference is in what is implied by the word 'salvation'.

For the Buddhist, salvation or nirvana means the ending of individual existence, which is seen as being of an illusory nature. The ego is disolved in the universal consciousness from which it originated.

Christianity on the other hand holds out the promise of a continuation of an individual existence lasting throughout all eternity, under conditions infinitely superior to those we experience now, in loving relation with God.

 

the definition of "god" may be different, but thats where all spirituality leads.

 

"but then, wouldn't christ and/or God still accept you, if you still believed in something else, while believing in him/them? cuz i believe in jesus christ, but i also believe in the buddha. in my opinion, they were two regular people who walked the earth like we do, but with more spitirual enlightenment, than the rest of us. my opinions on religion are very mixed, but i like it the way they are."


-Jesus says he is the only way. If Jesus is God what does that make budda? ...just a sinful person.

 

Righto, well then, back to balanced, thoughtful conversation...

 

i think buddhism was a litte more complex than the teachings of JC, jc just kinda layed down some good behavior and morals and all that. buddha was all about getting into the mind, and becoming truely aware.

 

no...christians say jesus is the only way

 

loverofthewoods,

"no...christians say jesus is the only way"


Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

-John 14:6

 

If anyone knows about the Gnostics (the other major faction of Christianity that opposed the hierarchical mainstream Church in Roman times, before the Church gained power in the Empire and eradicated them), there's quite a lot of similarity between them and Buddhist thought. The Gnostics were into self-salvation, individual spiritual journeys, that stuff. They also had that notion of all material things being evil, etc. Though they were very dualistic, unlike the Buddhists, they believed in Plato's model of an abstract universe balancing out our physical one.

They're all interesting, although I could never buy their package, Gnostics or Buddhists. They've got too much asceticism and too dim a view of human nature for my liking. There were "libertine" Gnostics though, as opposed to ascetic Gnostics, who decided that since everything physical was evil, they'll just do whatever they please because it doesn't matter. Now those guys I kinda liked, a shame they got stomped out as well by the Augustinian Church.

 

i think you completely missed my point....and i dont think bible quotes proove your point either

...also even if jesus did say that, that would be all the more reason for me not to follow his self rightous ways, one does not have to belive in christ to be a spiritual being....think about if someone were to say somthing like that today... they would be labeled a crazy and probably crucified as well



...i should really stop posting in the christian forums...:X

 

you said Jesus did not say he was the only way, I gave you his words.... no misunderstanding

 

yeah i wouldnt quote jesus on that one...lol.

there are a lot of ways inside the way... if you know what i mean.

 

Christianity posits things which one must take on faith, Buddhism posits things which are evident. Christianity teaches that one can't have direct experience of the Supreme, Buddhism teaches that one is one with the Supreme or that no Supreme exists. Christianity teaches that actions lead permanently to heaven or hell once and for all time, after this life, and in stressing the afterlife more than life itself Christians feel free to destroy this very world in their idealistic zeal. Buddhism teaches that karma follows every action and so one can make life here and now heavenly, and if not through our own actions then through noones.