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Buddhism
Apologetics and Discernment
Ministry of
Calvary Chapel Aurora
Buddhism
Buddhism is mans attempt
to escape pain and suffering
through self-perfection and
meditation. The goal is to
eliminate desires in an
attempt to stop the endless
cycle of reincarnation and
karma by attaining
enlightenment and thus
extinguishing self, desire,
and pain; while at the same
time becoming one with the
universe.
Buddhism
“Richard Gere makes his
admiration for the Dalai Lama,
the Tibetan spiritual leader in
exile, well known. Gere
periodically retreats to Tibet to
brush up on his Buddhism.
While there, the actor enjoys a
very different existence than he
does in Hollywood. According to
Gere, he has a simple room and
has to share a bathroom. There
is a limited supply of water and
no television, air conditioning
or newspapers. Self-prescribed
torture? For Gere, as he
explains it, this is his time to
relax, to meditate, to release.”
- The College of New Jersey website
Buddhism
Buddhism is a “way of
living based on the
teachings of Siddhartha
Gautama, the Buddha.
Buddhism focuses on
personal spiritual
development. Buddhists
strive for a deep insight
into the true nature of
life.”
- AMG’s Encyclopedia of World
Religions, Cults & the Occult
Beginnings of Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama (563-483
BC) was born into a wealthy
Hindu family in India.
Siddhartha was isolated from the
outside world by his over
protective father and grew up
knowing little or nothing about
sickness, poverty, suffering or
death.
Turned to the “middle path”
between asceticism and
sensuality.
Beginnings of Buddhism
Found “enlightenment” under
an Indian fig-tree, or bodhi-tree
i.e., “tree of enlightenment.”
Beginnings of Buddhism
Siddhartha’s enlightenment is said to
have come in three stages:
1. Remembered his previous
reincarnations.
2. Understood the cycles of birth, death
and rebirth.
3. Understood The Four Noble Truths.
Beginnings of Buddhism
Siddhartha was now
“the Buddha” – the
enlightened one.
Buddhism Statistics
• Approximately 390 million Buddhists worldwide.
• That means that approximately 1 out of every 20 people consider
themselves a Buddhist.
• China has the largest number of adherents with over 100 million.
• Japan follows second with around 90 million.
• Other countries with large Buddhist populations are Thailand,
Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, Cambodia and India.
• Thailand has the highest percentage of Buddhists with 95% of the
country practicing the belief.
• As of 2004, there were approximately 1.5 to 3 million practicing
Buddhists in the United States with as many as 26 million utilizing
Buddhist elements in their spiritual lives.
Buddhism Beliefs
• The Four Noble Truths
• The Eightfold Path
• The Veneration of Buddha
• Reincarnation and Karma
• Nirvana
• Meditation
The Four Noble Truths
#1 The existence of pain and
suffering.
“Birth is painful, and
death is painful; disease
and old age are painful.
Not having what we desire
is painful, and having
what we do not desire is
also painful.”
- Handbook of Today’s Religions
Biblical Teaching
“Then God saw everything
that He had made, and
indeed it was very good.”
- Genesis 1:31
“So God created man in His
own image; in the image of
God He created him; male
and female He created
them.”
- Genesis 1:27
Biblical Teaching
Because of the disobedience
of Eve, Gods pronounces…
“I will greatly multiply your
sorrow and your
conception; in pain you
shall bring forth children;
your desire shall be for your
husband, and he shall rule
over you.”
- Genesis 3:16
Biblical Teaching
Because of the disobedience
of Adam, Gods pronounces…
“Cursed is the ground for your
sake; in toil you shall eat of it
all the days of your life. Both
thorns and thistles it shall bring
forth for you, and you shall eat
the herb of the field. In the
sweat of your face you shall eat
bread till you return to the
ground, for out of it you were
taken; for dust you are, and to
dust you shall return.”
- Genesis 3:17
The Four Noble Truths
#2 The cause of pain and
suffering.
“[Pain is caused by] the
craving desire for the
pleasures of the senses,
which seeks satisfaction
now here, now there; the
craving for happiness and
prosperity in this life and
in future lives.”
- Handbook of Today’s Religions
Biblical Teaching
We can Biblically demonstrate
that we have choices and
freewill.
1. We can choose to believe or
not (John 3:16; Rmns 10:11)
2. We can choose to be foolish
or wise (Matthew 7:26)
3. We can choose to believe or
reject the Scriptures (John
20:30, 31)
The Four Noble Truths
#3 Ending of pain and
suffering.
“To be free of suffering
one must give up, get rid
of, extinguish this very
craving, so that no
passion and no desire
remain.”
- Handbook of Today’s Religions
Biblical Teaching
In John 16:33, Jesus says, “In
the world you will have
tribulation” notice that God
said “you will have
tribulation.”
The word tribulation [Greek:
thlipsis], literally means
“anguish, burdened,
persecution, trouble.”
Biblical Teaching
“Consider it all joy, my
brethren, when you
encounter various trials,
knowing that the testing of
your faith produces
endurance. And let
endurance have its perfect
result, that you may be
perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing…Blessed
is the man who perseveres
under trial; for once he has
been approved, he will
receive the crown of life,
which the Lord has
promised to those who love
Him”
- James 1:2-4, 12
The Four Noble Truths
#4 Eliminating pain and
suffering by following The
Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path are
not steps that must be
taken in the sequential
order in which they are
listed but are considered
wisdom, conduct and a
mental discipline that are
to be developed
simultaneously with each
other.
Biblical Teaching
“a thorn in the flesh was given
me…concerning this thing I
pleaded with the Lord three
times that it might depart
from me. And He said to me,
‘My grace is sufficient for
you, for My strength is
made perfect in weakness’
…Therefore I take pleasure
in infirmities, in reproaches,
in needs, in persecutions, in
distresses, for Christ’s sake.
For when I am weak, then I
am strong.”
- 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
The Eightfold
Path
The Eightfold Path
#1 Right Understanding – In
other words, you must
accept the Four Noble
Truths and the Eightfold
Path.
The Dharma wheel representing the “Noble eightfold Path”
Biblical Teaching
Jesus said that He is “the way,
the truth, and the life”
(John 14:6) and that there is
no “salvation in any other,
for there is no other name
under heaven given among
men by which we must be
saved.” (Acts 4:12)
The Eightfold Path
#2 Right Thought – You must
harbor no ill will toward
people.
The Dharma wheel representing the “Noble eightfold Path”
Biblical Teaching
Arguments, fights, and
discontentment come from
selfish and wrong motives
and desires (James 4:1-3)
while right desires and
motives honor and glorify
God (1 Cor. 10:31).
The Eightfold Path
#3 Right Speech – Do not lie,
slander, gossip or indulge in
idol talk.
The Dharma wheel representing the “Noble eightfold Path”
Biblical Teaching
One day, God will hold men
accountable, “for every idle
word men may speak, they
will give account of it in the
day of judgment.” (Matthew
12:36)
The Eightfold Path
#4 Right Action/Conduct –
Don’t kill a living creature,
take only what is given to
you and don’t commit
unlawful sexual acts.
The Dharma wheel representing the “Noble eightfold Path”
Biblical Teaching
The ones who belong to Jesus
will keep His
commandments and obey
Him (John 14:21), and those
who live by His wisdom will
produce “good fruits,
without partiality and
without hypocrisy.” (James
3:17)
The Eightfold Path
#5 Right Livelihood – Your
occupation must not harm
anyone.
The Dharma wheel representing the “Noble eightfold Path”
Biblical Teaching
God will take care of those who
are His and put Him above
all things (Matthew 6:3133), and we should be
“diligent to present
ourselves approved to God, a
worker who does not need
to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.”
(2 Timothy 2:15)
The Eightfold Path
#6 Right Effort – Resolve to
abandon any qualities in
you that are evil and strive
to acquire only those
qualities that are good and
perfect.
The Dharma wheel representing the “Noble eightfold Path”
Biblical Teaching
We should “lay aside every
weight, and the sin which so
easily ensnares us, and let
us run with endurance the
race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the
author and finisher of our
faith” (Hebrews 12:1, 2).
The Eightfold Path
#7 Right Awareness – Be aware
and alert and be free of any
desires or sorrows.
The Dharma wheel representing the “Noble eightfold Path”
Biblical Teaching
“Because the carnal mind is
enmity against God”
(Romans 8:7), we should
have the “mind” of Jesus
Christ (Philippians 2:5) and
we should meditate on
“things that are true, noble,
just, pure, lovely, of good
report, virtuous and
praiseworthy” (Philippians
4:8).
The Eightfold Path
#8 Right Meditation – When
you have removed all
pleasures, both sorrow and
joy and all evil qualities,
then you can enter the four
degrees of meditation
which is produced by
concentration.
The Dharma wheel representing the “Noble eightfold Path”
Biblical Teaching
There is only one way to have
inner joy and peace and that
is to follow Jesus for “He
Himself is our peace”
(Ephesians 2:14), and in
Him “we have our peace”
(John 16:33), and when we
meditate on the things of
God, the “peace of God will
be with [us]” (Philippians
3:9).
The
Veneration
of Buddha
The Veneration of Buddha
Throughout the
Philippines and
Southeast Asia, it’s
not uncommon to see
thousands of Buddha
idols and “people
bowing before dead
statutes. For many of
these people Buddha
has become their
god.”
The Veneration of Buddha
“Ever since the four
canine teeth of the
Buddha after
cremation came to be
in the possession of
devas, nagas and
men, these were
preciously guarded
and received special
veneration and
worship.”
- Temple of the Tooth website
Shwedagon Pagoda or Golden Pagoda in Rangoon, Burma
“Every day of the year, people parade up the winding steps
of this 600-foot monument to place thin pieces of gold
on the shrine, light candles and incense, and pray for
their dead ancestors before these wood, stone, and metal
statutes.”
- Ron Carlson and Ed Decker, Fast Facts on False Teaching
Biblical Teaching
“And God spoke all these
words, saying: ‘I am the Lord
your God, who brought you out
of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage. You shall
have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself
a carved image--any likeness of
anything that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth; you shall not
bow down to them nor serve
them. For I, the Lord your God,
am a jealous God’”
- Exodus 20:1-5
Biblical Teaching
“But our God is in heaven; He
does whatever He pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of men's hands. They
have mouths, but they do not
speak; eyes they have, but they
do not see; they have ears, but
they do not hear; noses they
have, but they do not smell;
They have hands, but they do
not handle; feet they have, but
they do not walk; nor do they
mutter through their throat.
Those who make them are like
them; so is everyone who
trusts in them.”
- Psalm 115: 3-8
Biblical Teaching
“‘You are my witnesses,’ says
the LORD… ‘Before Me no God
was formed. Nor shall there be
after Me. I, even I, am the
LORD, and besides Me there in
no Savior.’”
- Isaiah 43:10, 11
“Thus says the LORD, the King
of Israel…‘I am the First and I
am the Last; besides Me there
is no God.’”
- Isaiah 44:6
“Away with you, Satan! For it
is written, ‘You shall worship
the LORD your God, and Him
only you shall worship.’”
- Matthew 4:10
Reincarnation
and Karma
Reincarnation and Karma
Reincarnation or samsara
literally means “in the
flesh” or “to come again in
the flesh” and refers to the
cyclical wheel of man’s soul
as it passes into another
body after death.
Karma is the belief that
every action that this life
causes, a reaction in this or
the next life is inextricably
woven into the “rebirth” or
“successive lives on earth.”
Biblical Teaching
The Bible teaches that
human beings live once and
die once.
“And it is appointed for
men to die once, but after
this the judgment.”
- Hebrews 9:27
Biblical Teaching
While here on earth, people
decide their eternal destiny
in one single lifetime.
“And these will go away into
everlasting punishment, but
the righteous into eternal
life.”
- Matthew 25:46
Biblical Teaching
Other passages that can be
used to refute the false
teaching of re-birth or
reincarnation
“We are confident, yes, well
pleased rather to be absent
from the body and to be
present with the Lord.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:8
Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvana literally means
“extinction”,
“extinguished” or “blown
out.” This is the ultimate
goal of Buddhists,
characterized by the
extinction of craving, the
cessation of suffering and
the separation of ego.
Nirvana
“Buddhism…says that we have no
soul. There is no “you.” We have
only karmic energy that is
transferred to us from our past life
and is no longer generated when we
are enlightened. Thus, the journey
ends with the extinction of any
sense of our personal identity. Our
energy is united with, or dissipated
into, all other energy. We no longer
exist. For the Buddhist, this is
nirvana.”
- Christianity and World Religions
Biblical Teaching
Instead of seeking
“enlightenment” we should
seek Jesus since He claimed
to be the light of the world
“I am the light of the world.
He who follows Me shall not
walk in darkness, but have
the light of life.”
- Jesus (John 8:12)
Biblical Teaching
“To him who overcomes I will
give to eat from the tree of life,
which is in the midst of the
Paradise of God.”
- Revelation 2:7
The word paradise [Greek:
paradeisos] means “a park, an
Eden (place of future
happiness).”
The word “paradise” literally
means “garden of pleasure” or
“garden of delight.”
Meditation
Meditation
There are many different forms
of Buddhist meditation with the
purpose of basically “shutting
down” the mind. This can be
achieved several ways by using
techniques such as fasting,
posture positions, breathing
exercises and repetitive
mantras.
Meditation
“some people have found
Transcendental Meditation to be
harmful. Altered states of
consciousness led to contact with
spirits. Moreover, some deep
mediators have developed
increased anxiety, confusion, and
depression. Too much deep
meditation can hinder logical
thought processes. One researcher
found that “as a person enters or is
in an ASC [altered state of
consciousness], he often
experiences fear of losing his grip
on reality, and losing his self
control.””
- Handbook on Cults & New Religions
Biblical Teaching
Biblical meditation needs to be
understood since the words
“meditate” or “meditation” is
used twenty times in the Bible.
“But his delight is in the law of
the LORD, and in His law he
meditates day and night.”
- Psalm 1:2
Biblical Teaching
The word meditate [Hebrew:
hagah] means to “ponder by
talking to oneself, speak, study
or talk.”
It does not mean to “empty
oneself” or for your mind to
become a “void” and “shut
down.”
Jesus Christ
or
Buddha?
Jesus Christ or Buddha?
“Buddhas do but point the way;
work out your salvation with
diligence.”
-Buddha
“I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.”
- Jesus
Jesus Christ or Buddha?
“Let, therefore, no man love
anything; loss of the beloved is
evil. Those who love nothing
and hate nothing, have no
fetters.”
- Dhammapada 211
“But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, selfcontrol.”
- Galatians 5:22, 23
Jesus Christ or Buddha?
The Eightfold Path is the way
for you to better yourselves so
that salvation will be attainable.
Reincarnation and karma is the
means to reach this ultimate
goal.
- Buddhism
“And there is no other God
besides Me, a just God and a
Savior; there is none besides
Me. Look to Me and be saved.”
- God
Jesus Christ or Buddha?
Siddhartha Gautama, the
Buddha, was a mere man who
died, was cremated, buried and
never rose again.
Jesus Christ foretold of His
death, burial and resurrection
after three days to demonstrate
that He is God Incarnate.
Jesus Christ or Buddha?
“Jesus answered and said to
them, ‘Destroy this body and in
three days I will raise it
up.’…But He was speaking of
the temple of His body.”
- John 2:19-21
Jesus Christ or Buddha?
So, who is the better Christ?
Buddha who is still in the grave
or Jesus Christ who sits at the
right hand of God in heaven
(Psalm 110:1; Heb. 1:13),
interceding on behalf of
believers (1 Timothy 2:5)?
Conclusion
Just like all other attempts of man to reach up to God by our own
works, we will fail. The Bible makes it clear that nothing we can do in
the way of works, no good act can merit us salvation based on what
we’ve done.
• Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
• Isaiah 64:6 “And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.”
Not only is Jesus the only way to the Father (John 14:6), but He offers
more hope than Buddha. Jesus extends salvation to the entire world
(John 3:16) and He is the Christ, the Messiah, the “Lamb of God who
takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)
Questions?
[email protected]