The problem with your question is that you don’t enumerate on WHAT type of buddism we’re talking about here.
I guess that depends on what you mean by goal. Both Christianity and Buddhism claim to offer their followers salvation. There are obvious differences but the same basic goal of saving human beings is the same. I think even rough comparisons can be made, like karma/sin and Heaven/Nirvana.
Well, it depends on which philospher you talk to. Aquinas stated that only 3 things in Christianity needed to be taken on pure faith, 1) the Resurrection, 2) the Trinity, 3) the Virgin Birth.
Some of the teachings of Buddhism might be considered self-evident. These are probably going to be things that most people can agree on. However, many of its claims, like karma, reincarnation, nirvana, etc, are not self-evident.
thank you. Our goal is salvation = be with God. Buddism’s goal is what? there is no salvation in Christian terms but perfection of one’s state. right? i do not think we can compare God to Nirvana since nrivana is a state humans reach, not an entity we look for.
That is true, which is why I feel that only rough comparisons can be made. Perhaps the biggest difference with Christianity is Buddhist versions of salvation involve man’s efforts alone. Still, I think a “competitive comparison” can be made. If memory serves, Nirvana is a permanent state that lasts beyond death, a state of permanent happiness, deathlessness, selflessness, etc. The interesting thing is the lack of a deity in all this and that serves as one of the biggest differences of all.
buddhism is an attractive way of life to those who are looking for “spirituality” against the materialistic world. In this regard it does not refute Christianity which offers great morals for a better spiritual and social life. Yet am not sure Buddhism has the hope and satisfaction and love Christianity gives in addition to the moral codes.
does it mean that reincarnation stops at a certain time in which the human himself becomes deathless with permanent happiness?where is this achieved? what happened to buddha according to them?
Well, I’m no expert on Buddhism but I am pretty sure that Buddhists believe that attaining nirvana ends the cycle of death and rebirth. A quick search turns up a term known as parinirvana, which is apparently the last stage of nirvana, attained only after death.
I would imagine everything involving reincarnation and nirvana are based more on faith than anything else.
Most traditions of Buddhism do not require an element of faith as in Christianity. However, if you define faith as simply a belief, then certainly Buddhists have “faith”. If you didn’t have any faith at all, what would be the point of following anything?
Karma is reasonable. It’s similar to reap/sow. Do bad things and you see that bad things come. Do good things and you’ll see that good things come your way.
Buddhism’s goal is to reach the state of mind of nirvana, extinguishing the three poisons of greed, hatred and ignorance. Once these are extinguished, one can be said to be enlightened and the cycle of birth and death for them is completed. That’s right. God and Nirvana cannot be compared. Totally different “things”.
This is true. In my study and practice of Buddhism, the biggest difference I saw in the two were the absence of a “Creator God” and the negation of an immortal soul. Buddhism, by and large, does not accept a Creator God, nor does it accept that a human soul is eternal. Life is taught to be a never-ending cycle, like a circle, no beginning and no ending and therefore the idea of a Creator God escapes them.
Not by just examining them, but by following them and seeing that they work. You cannot learn to swim just by examining books about swimming - you actually have to get into the water. At its simplest there are three parts to Buddhism:
Buddhism works for me. That does not mean that Christianity will not work for you.
Yes, Buddhism takes a stance against materialism. And yes, Buddhism doesn’t seek to negate Christianity, but to find common ground. The great Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh has a statue of Jesus and Buddha on his altar and has written a few books on the two figures and the two religions. He finds common themes and practices the common values of love, selflessness, compassion, generosity and a host of others. And, he often teaches his followers about Jesus.
If you want to prove reincarnation for yourself, then go to your library and get a copy of a translation of the Visuddhimagga by Buddhaghosa - the Nyanamoli translation is a good one. Read Chapter 13 from paragraph 22 onwards. That gives instructions for remembering your past lives.
eople long for big thrills. Peak experiences. Some people come to Zen expecting that Enlightenment will be the Ultimate Peak Experience. The Mother of All Peak Experiences. But real enlightenment is the most ordinary of the ordinary. Once I had an amazing vision. I saw myself transported through time and space. Millions, no, billions, trillions, Godzillions of years passed. Not figuratively, but literally. Whizzed by. I found myself at the very rim of time and space, a vast giant being composed of the living minds and bodies of every thing that ever was. It was an incredibly moving experience. Exhilarating. I was high for weeks. Finally I told Nishijima Sensei about it . He said it was nonsense. Just my imagination. I can’t tell you how that made me feel. Imagination? This was as real an experience as any I’ve ever had. I just about cried. Later on that day I was eating a tangerine. I noticed how incredibly lovely a thing it was. So delicate. So amazingly orange. So very tasty. So I told Nishijima about that. That experience, he said, was enlightenment.I agree that karma is a reasonable idea but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is self-evident. At least not in my experience, where I’ve seen fairly unpleasant people do well for themselves, while I see fairly good people never catch a break.