By Rev. Dr. Timothy Ehrlich

How I became a Zen Buddhist

I was raised going to a Presbyterian church every Sunday but I was skeptical, because I had never seen (or recognized) any evidence of the reality of God. When I was 16 my sister gave me a book on the religion she was into, it was called Be Here Now by Ram Dass, formerly Dr. Richard Alpert. Be Here Now is an amalgamation of mostly Indian Zen Buddhism with a little Protestantism thrown in. One of the things that had turned me off to Christianity was that I did not hear or see in it a clear directions and a path to holiness, happiness, and spiritual power. One of the most attractive things to me about Buddhism was the Four Noble Truths (of which the fourth Noble Truth is that there is an Eightfold Path to perfection).

When God Became Real to Me

I was immediately drawn to the Be Here Now approach and I became a practitioner. Then my sister was terribly injured in car accident and was expected to die. I instinctively prayed to God for the first time in my life. I prayed intently, open heartedly and from the bottom of my soul; I offered God my life in service for my sister’s life, and God answered my prayers and my sister lived even though she had sustained 23 skull fractures!

Christianity = Buddhism + Joy + Supernatural Help

I went on to become a United Methodist pastor, with a Masters and a Doctorate, and an expert on the Bible.  Along the way I discovered that everything that drew me to Buddhism can also be found in Christianity. Does it surprise you to know that orthodox Christian theology agrees with all the main points of Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths? The main difference is that Christianity emphasizes a more positive and uplifting approach to the same truths. Christians see the same truths but with an inverse perspective: Buddha said: “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you” (Udana-Varga 5.18). Jesus said “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12)

Christians seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to experience the abundant joy Jesus promises (John 15:11), being joyful to the point of overflowing with joy (Psalm 23:5). Without the element of joy and the spiritual help we Christians receive through the Holy Spirit, Buddhism is a duty bound and more somber approach to religion.

The 12 Points of Agreement Between Christianity and Buddhism.

The Four Noble Truths Seen through the Christian Inverse Lens:

1. The First Noble Truth is: Life is filled with suffering.

Christians certainly agree that no one leaves this life without experiencing a share of suffering. This seems obvious and certainly is borne out in both the Old and New Testaments, but again Christianity adds a more positive inclination.

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)).

In this passage we see the acknowledgement of suffering but also the positive declaration that Christians receive supernatural help with our suffering through the Holy Spirit.

2. The Second Noble Truth is: Suffering comes from desires for and attachments to things.

Christian theology teaches that when we desire anything more than we desire God we fall into the trap of idolatry – making a thing more important than the creator. All desires that occupy first place in our heart ahead of God ultimately lead to suffering to one degree or another.

In the Old Testament we are advised to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23, and Malachi 2:15-16) and Christ said the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all of your heart” (Mark 12:30).

 3. The Third Noble Truth is: Suffering will end when your desires end and your attachments to people and things are ended.

The first and second commandments (Exodus 20:3-4) tell us to put nothing ahead of God. The Christian inverse is ‘You will experience joy and peace in every circumstance if desire for God totally occupies your heart. “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans” 15:13 (NLT)).

4. The Fourth Noble Truth is: The path to end suffering is the Eightfold Path.

As you will see below, while Christianity does not have an equivalent listing of an eight-part plan in any chapter of the Bible, it does have the same guidance for holy living, it is just spread out through our scriptures. John the Baptist father said of Jesus that he came: “…to guide us to the path of peace” (Luke 1:79) and Jesus confirmed that there is a path that His disciples should follow (Matthew 7:14 ESV): “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

The path for Christians is clear: if you follow the teachings of Jesus, you will be blessed: “I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built.” (Luke 6:47-48 (NLT)).

The Eightfold Path Seen through the Christian Inverse Lens:

The Eightfold Path consists of eight “Rights” or things we should do to reach perfection:

Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. Some of these seem only slightly different from each other. There are subtle differences between understanding, thought and mindfulness but these differences become more apparent when we look at their Christian counter parts.

1. Right Understanding:

What is right understanding for a Christian? Realizing the truth of Jesus statement: “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength’” (Mark 12:29-30 NLT).

2. Right Thought:

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8).

3. Right Speech:

Speak honestly, respectfully, thoughtfully, and clearly. “There are six things the LORD hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family” (Proverbs 6:16-17, 19).

4. Right Action:

Act with integrity, giving reverence to God who is present now and created all, thoughtfully, and be thankful that giving in to animal hungers does not corrupt the heart, but be mindful of what does. “As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1 NIV2011).

5. Right Livelihood:

The Bible makes it clear that everyone should work if they are able (2 Thessalonians 3:10), and at something that God would not disapprove of. “And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands” (Psalm 90:17 NKJV). “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” (Colossians 3:23 NLT).

6. Right Effort:

Both the Old and New Testaments make it clear that we should work persistently and diligently: “15 Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, And an idle person will suffer hunger. (Proverbs 19:15 NKJV) “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, and who correctly explains the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)).

7. Right Mindfulness:

Keep a vision of what God would want you to accomplish clearly in your mind and filter everything you think, say and do through that lens.  But be mindful and wary of everything that distracts you. “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)). Jesus also admonished Peter: “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”” (Matthew 16:23)

8. Right Concentration:

Here is the hardest part: being consistent. “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Major Differences Between Christianity and Buddhism

Now that we have seen many things Christianity has in common with Buddhism I want to talk about our major differences;

Reincarnation

Buddhism teaches that if you follow this simple set of teachings (the Four Noble Truths including the Eightfold Path) you will find your way to holiness, spiritual power, happiness and unity with God, in this life or the next. For Buddhists the next life means reincarnation – you keep going life after life until you finally get it right. In Buddhist traditions Buddha had 547 reincarnations before he finally reached enlightenment and sainthood! I don’t know if Buddha was on a fast track or a slow track but in any case, it seems that the need to process through many failures and thus reincarnations may be why Buddhism is not as positive and uplifting as Christianity.

For Christians the next life means in heaven; we get one life and we believe that one lifetime is enough because it is filled with chances to get it right with God. The apostle Paul even said this:

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So, they have no excuse for not knowing God. (Romans 1:20) 

Christians don’t have a need for reincarnations because we are able to get to heaven after one life through our faith in Christ and the grace of God extended to us through the sacrificial atoning death of Christ.

Personal Relationship with God

Christianity also adds several important factors which Buddhism leaves out: Buddhists pray to Buddha and Bodhisattvas, who are not seen as divine, but rather as enlightened beings who can inspire and guide practitioners. Christians believe in and seek out a personal relationship with the Triune God, our most treasured source of inspiration and guidance.

Without belief in a personal Triune God[1] Buddhists also miss out on the grace of the eternal Creator who humbles Himself to be our Father, giving us the knowledge that we are forgiven, accepted, adopted as His children, overwhelmed with His love and filled with the joy of the Lord, which is our great strength.

Christians and Buddhists are both trying to climb the same ladder of purity and holiness to find our way to eternity, but Buddhists are trying to accomplish this through will power and focus alone, while Christians draw upon the supernatural aid of the Holy Spirit to help us climb that ladder. Through faith in God the Father we gain reverence for life and creation (Ephesians 4:6). Through faith in the Son (Jesus) we gain reverence for and acceptance of all humanity, including our own (Mark 12:31). Through the Holy Spirit we receive and revere God’s love (Romans 15:30) and our adoption: “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”

So we see that our relationship with the triune God, the three persons of God, empowers us, energizes us, and lifts us up (Romans 8:16); it guides us on the right path in life that leads to our best life on earth, and to life after our earthly life is through.

Final Observation

It is intriguing to me, in this comparison of Christianity and Buddhism, that we share so many of the same values, and that our beliefs about how we should live life are so similar. To me it also highlights how fortunate we Christians are that Jesus pointed the way for us to be able to have a personal relationship with God as our Father.

All grace, peace, faith and joy to you through indwelling of the Holy Spirit!

---

[1] Triune is a reference to the Christian doctrine expressed in the Nicene Creed that God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God because they share the same spiritual essence.