Buddha Vs Jesus
2 Peter 2:1-3 (NLT)
But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.
Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money.
But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.
Matthew 7:14-15 (NLT)
But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.
You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.
The overall goal of this study is to compare and contrast the wisdom found in Buddhism and Christianity in order to gain a deeper understanding of Christianity and in order to better understand the concepts contained in Buddhism and other similar Eastern religions.
Click on the introduction and each concept below for more information
Concept #1) Buddhism teaches that “to live is to suffer”. Jesus tells us to pick up our cross but also gives us life and life abundantly. Buddhists cultivates detachment in order to escape suffering, but Jesus says to give it to Him and He will take care of it. He even says that in our weakness His power is made stronger.
Concept #2) Buddhism teaches that attachment is the root cause of all suffering.
Concept #3) Buddhists believe that following the rules of the 8-fold path will lead to enlightenment. Jesus came to set us free from the law. Israel proved that you cannot perfectly follow the law, and the harder you try the more you will miss the mark of the 2 main commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul, and love others as much as you love yourself. If everyone could do that perfectly, there would never be any need for the law.
Concept #4) Jesus gives us dominion over the earth and the power to live holy, godly lives. Buddhists seek escapism and do not believe God desires to or has the ability to help them.
Concept #5) Buddhism and Christianity use similar but also different methods to achieve mind renewal.
Concept #6) Buddhists believe in karma and reincarnation. The Bible teaches that we only live once then believers will be judged by God for what they did right and wrong, and unbelievers who rejected Jesus will be judged and then spend eternity in hell.
Concept #7) Buddhism and Christianity both teach that there is interconnectedness throughout all of creation, but they have different views on what that means regarding the nature of God.
Concept #8) Buddhism teaches that all of physical reality is impermanent therefore life does not have any real meaning, except that we should do no evil and aim to only do good so that we can become enlightened and escape all the suffering in the world. Christianity teaches that the meaning of life is love: to love God above all else and to love others as much as we love ourselves.
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