Buddhism and Christianity are worlds unto themselves, with their two thousand-plus years of existence branching into a number of major and minor diverse sects, yet scholars have wondered at the similarities of their tenets since European colonizers of the nineteenth century made Eastern wisdom available in the West. Here are a few key ideas shared by the Christian faith and Buddhist wisdom.
Compassion in Buddhism and Christianity
Jesus expounded the love of one's neighbor as oneself and turning the other cheek; his teachings on caring for others are certainly some of the most popular in the whole of the Christian religion.
In kind, Buddhism developed an entire school of thought, known as the Mahayana (underpinning both Tibetan Buddhism and Zen), which gives one definition of enlightenment as the perfect realization of compassion and concern for others.
Selflessness in Buddhism and Christianity
“The Son of Man has no place to lay his head,” taught Jesus (Luke 9:58), who also cited the carefree nature of flowers and birds (in his Sermon of the Mount) as inspiration for a life less fettered by materialistic concerns. Jesus himself could be described as an ascetic who devoted himself to the spiritual education of anyone who would learn.
In Buddhist teachings — particularly early Buddhist teachings — selflessness is the very nature of enlightenment itself; the self is regarded as a cognitive delusion that, when dispensed with through meditation, reveals the world to be a holism absent of personal wants and worries.
Sin in Christian Theology and Buddhist Teachings on Karma
Both Buddhism and Christianity teach a doctrine of consequences, but with important differences. In Christian theology, an omnipotent and omniscient God dictates reward or retribution for acts in a system of ethics and proper faith as laid down in the Bible.
In Buddhist teachings, the immutable and impersonal law of karma functions, as do other physical laws, to determine reactions to actions; thus, Buddhism has less of a focus on the concept of (adhering to) good and evil than it does on understanding fully the laws of cause and effect.
Buddhist and Christian Faith
Faith is the cornerstone of the Christian religion, superseding even reason in a mysterious and devotional relationship one has with God; Buddhism is known as the non-theistic religion, placing the burden of understanding on personal experience and contemplation.
Yet even here there is a commonality: just as Christianity places its ultimate trust in the authority of God and Jesus Christ, Buddhist wisdom has it that one's teacher, or guru, is the very embodiment of enlightenment, and as such is to be treasured above all else. Thus, both Buddhism and Christianity teach that the recognition of a greater wisdom is key to understanding and peace.
Reconciling Christianity and Buddhism
The mutually reaffirming ideas of Buddhism and Christianity may comfort adherents of both faiths; others have chosen to follow both paths out of appreciation for the style of each. Whatever one's inclination, the manifest wisdom of the teachers of both traditions is a benefit to all. For a more detailed appraisal of the similarities, see The Parallel Wisdom of Jesus and the Buddha.
Sources
The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1994.
Josefine Cole - Josefine is a BA graduate of Naropa University's Religious Studies program, which emphasizes self-transformation through practice of ...
