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The Death of Buddha VS. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

INTRODUCTION

Is there a single transcendent God? Is Jesus Christ God incarnate? Is there a way to break free from the cycle of life and death? Buddhism answers the first two questions with a resounding no, yet it deifies its own founder Gautama in the process. According to Buddhism there is a way to break free from the cycle of this world, by reaching enlightenment. For the follower of Jesus Christ the way to find release from the cycle of sin and death is by accepting the work of the cross and looking forward to the promise of resurrection. How can these themes and concepts be used to in sharing the gospel with a Buddhist? The story of the Buddha’s death provides this opportunity.

THE DEATH OF THE BUDDHA

As the Buddha lay dying he gave a sort of “final will” to his followers. In anticipation of his passing he relayed final instructions for the roles of elders and disciples within the monastic community.[1] With his dying breath, he said “Work out your salvation with diligence!”[2]

According to the account, as the Buddha died he passed through the four stages of meditation and upon passing through the final stage he fell dead.[3] Interestingly, upon his death a scene ensued that closely resembled the death of Christ. At the moment of death a great earthquake occurred, causing great fear and awe.[4] Also, strangely enough, when asked what should be done with the remains of the Buddha, Ananda declared that his body should receive the treatment due of a king of kings.[5] Again, bringing to mind the similar title found within the Biblical text used to describe Jesus Christ.[6]

According to the text the body of the Buddha was wrapped in 500 layers of linen and then burned.[7] Despite the flames the story recounts that there were no ashes that remained from the skin, joint fluid, and organs of the Buddha. Instead, all that remained were the bones of the “Blessed One.”[8] What must be clarified is that according to Buddhist tradition there is not a single Buddha; instead there are countless numbers of Buddha’s.[9] However, the world may only have one Buddha at a time and for this time Gautama is the Buddha.[10] Regardless of his death, as long as the message of Gautama provides the answer for mankind he remains the Buddha for this present age.[11]

The result of this theological position is a deifying of Gautama. In a very real sense he has become for the Buddhist, God. This is despite the fact the Gautama had no desire to start a religion nor to become a god-like figure. In fact, Buddhism not only fails to embrace the idea of a supreme, transcendent being, but it goes so far as to deny the very existence of any such being.[12] In response to what has developed through the mythical approach to Buddhist thought what can a Christian do to bridge the gap between the Buddhist and the Gospel?

THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE

According to the 14^th Dalai Lama, Tenzen Gyatso, Jesus Christ was not God incarnate (as this would violate Buddhist theology) but instead was one of the Bodhisattvas.[13] This makes Christ a figure to be honored and venerated but not to be seen as divine in the Biblical sense of the word. How then do we make case for the Christian gospel in light of the text previously examined? One way would be to discuss the witness of the resurrection.

When Gautama Buddha died his followers observed his body’s destruction. They saw his flesh consumed by flames and to this day they have made no claim of any type of resurrection. On the contrary, Jesus Christ’ followers watched Him being crucified, witnessed his burial and encountered Him after His resurrection. One way to demonstrate the superiority of Christ and His claims to being God incarnate is by presenting the historicity of the resurrection event.

In his teaching Gautama Buddha never claimed to be God, Christ however, did make explicit claims to deity. At His trial when asked if He was the Messiah and the Son of God, Christ responded “I am.”[14] In the Gospel of John, when confronted by a mob of Jews, Christ declared the crux of Hebrew theology, the Shema, was referring to Him.[15] By saying that “before Abraham was I AM,” He is calling to mind the words of Jehovah to Moses in the book of Exodus.[16] This theme is repeated throughout John’s Gospel.[17] To deny Christ claimed to be God, that is the supreme and transcendent cause of all things, would be academically dishonest. All that remains is to see if Christ’s claims can be validated by the resurrection.

The claims of Christ to literally be God in the flesh would be meaningless unless it was confirmed by something miraculous. The miracles of Christ were numerous; however, the greatest miracle is that of the resurrection.[18] When examined objectively the proof for the resurrection mounts into an indisputable force. Using Gary Habermas’ minimal facts approach, a case for the resurrection can be presented using just three points.

First, the empty tomb represents a great strength to the resurrection case. The disciples would not have believed Christ was resurrected had his body still lain in a tomb. Further, the Jewish authorities could have crushed the Christian movement by producing the bodily remains of Jesus Christ. The historical evidence for Christ’s burial and the ensuing empty tomb is nearly free from any type of scholarly contestation.[19]

Second, the disciples claimed to have seen the risen Christ. The result of these encounters radically transformed the disciples from fearful cowards to preachers boldly proclaiming that Christ was raised.[20] This does not make Christ’s resurrection a historical fact, however, it does mean that these Jewish men (who had no prior concept of a pre-judgment bodily resurrection) truly believed that what they saw across forty days was the risen Christ. The fact that they were willing to suffer and die for what they preached means that they truly believed what they were preaching. After all, who willingly dies for something they know to be a lie?

Lastly, skeptics were transformed into believers. Saul of Tarsus, the great persecutor of the church, experienced an encounter with the risen Christ that resulted in his conversion. What would cause an enemy of the church to change so incredibly that he would became the writer of the majority of the New Testament? Clearly, only something he believed was a genuine encounter with the risen Lord would cause such a transformation. Further, the unbelieving half-brother of Jesus Christ, James, experienced something that moved him from disbelief to becoming the head of the church at Jerusalem. What can account for the attestation of disbelieving enemies, besides historical reality?[21]

In looking to the historical fact of the resurrection in contrast to the then and now dead Gautama Buddha, the reader is left with a dichotomy. The crux of this dichotomy is simple; Christ claimed to be the personal and supreme God of the universe in the flesh while Gautama did not. Christ gave his resurrection and post resurrection appearances as proof of His deity. All miraculous stories regarding the Buddha on the contrary, fall under what Madasmy Thirumalai calls the mythical Buddha.[22] While Christian is grounded in first century, historical fact, Buddhism is based upon myth, and developed legends. Most Buddhist are aware of this fact and would even go so far as to claim that a religion based upon pure thought rather than historicity is superior.[23] For the Christian this can cause great difficulty in sharing the gospel with a Buddhist. However, what can be accomplished is showing that Christianity has grown based upon historical realities and has remained largely the same theologically for nearly 2,000 years. Buddhism, however, has meandered theologically, absorbing and reshaping the folk-religious beliefs of its adherents. In light of this and the fact that Christ is raised while Gautama remains in the grave, opens the door for a very strong apologetic.

CONCLUSION

Despite the many similarities within the moral and ethical sayings of Gautama Buddha and Jesus Christ, the two completely part theologically.[24]Christ claimed to be God in the flesh, Buddha did not. Christ validated the claims of his message through His resurrection from the dead. Buddha’s disciples watched as his body was consumed by flames and made no claim of a resurrection of any sort. While some, including the 14^th Dalai Lama, claim the Christ should hold an elevated position within Buddhist theology the question for the Buddhist should be this; does not the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead show him to be greater than Gautama Buddha who experienced no such validation? In order for the Buddhist to remain devoted in their faith they must be able to adequately answer the problem of the resurrection.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Corduan, Winfried. Neighboring Faiths. Downers Grove, IL.: InterVarsity Press, 1998.

Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith. Wheaton, IL.: Crossway Books, 1994.

Habermas, Gary & Licona, Michael. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI.: Kregel Publications,2004.

Tennent, Timothy. Christianity at the Religious Roundtable. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 2002.

Thirumalai, Madasamy. Sharing your Faith with a Buddhist. Minneapolis, MN.: Harvest House, 2003.

Van Voorst, Robert. Anthology of World Scriptures. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.

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[1] Van Voorst, Robert. Anthology of World Scriptures: Mahaparinibbana Sutta 6.1-10 (Belmont, CA: Thomson & Wadsworth, 2006).

[2] Ibid

[3] Ibid, 6.12

[4] Ibid, 6.33. When Christ died on the cross a earthquake ensued that tore the veil in the Temple and opened the tombs of Old Testament saints. The sky was darkened and a great fear fell upon those in the region. (Matthew 27:50-53).

[5] Ibid, 6.33-34

[6] Revelation 17:14, 19:16.

[7] Mahaparinibbana Sutta 6.45-48

[8] Ibid.

[9] Madasamy Thirumalai. Sharing You Faith with a Buddhist (Minneapolis, MN: Harvest House, 2003), 47.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Thirumalai, 47.

[12] Timothy Tennent. Christianity at the Religious Roundtable (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002), 101. What happens instead is the folk-level development of spiritual hierarchies that resemble polytheism.

[13] In the Mahayana tradition a Bodhisattvas are “Buddha’s in the making.” One achieves this role by putting off his own spiritual advancement for the right to stay behind to help members of humanity achieve inner peace.

[14] Mark 14:60-62

[15] John 8:56-58

[16] Exodus 3

[17] John 8:24, 18:14.

[18] See for instance when Christ healed the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12. He not only healed but He also forgave sins which only God could do. Cf. John 10:24-39.

[19] William Lane Craig. Reasonable Faith (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1994), 273.

[20] Gary Habermas & Michael Licona. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2004), 50.

[21] Habermas, 71.

[22] Thirumalai, 46.

[23] Winfried Corduan. Neighboring Faiths (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 246.

[24] See for instance; Dhammapada 10:1 and Luke 6:31. It should be pointed out that such similarities are not shocking in the least. After all, how many different ways can moral and ethical truths be stated?

TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT CHURCH

Bill Hybels Repents?

The following is a copy of ChristianityToday’s blog entry about Bill Hybels “schocking” revelation about the methodlogy he has been espousing for three decades.

Let’s hope others (i.e. Rick Warren) follow suit…

Willow Creek Repents?

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/682

Why the most influential church in America now says “We made a mistake.”

Few would disagree that Willow Creek Community Church has been one of the most influential churches in America over the last thirty years. Willow, through its association, has promoted a vision of church that is big, programmatic, and comprehensive. This vision has been heavily influenced by the methods of secular business. James Twitchell, in his new book Shopping for God, reports that outside Bill Hybels’ office hangs a poster that says: “What is our business? Who is our customer? What does the customer consider value?” Directly or indirectly, this philosophy of ministry—church should be a big box with programs for people at every level of spiritual maturity to consume and engage—has impacted every evangelical church in the country.

So what happens when leaders of Willow Creek stand up and say, “We made a mistake”?

Not long ago Willow released its findings from a multiple year qualitative study of its ministry. Basically, they wanted to know what programs and activities of the church were actually helping people mature spiritually and which were not. The results were published in a book, Reveal: Where Are You?, co-authored by Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek. Hybels called the findings “earth shaking,” “ground breaking,” and “mind blowing.”

If you’d like to get a synopsis of the research you can watch a video with Greg Hawkins here. And Bill Hybels’ reactions, recorded at last summer’s Leadership Summit, can be seen here. Both videos are worth watching in their entirety, but below are few highlights.

In the Hawkins’ video he says, “Participation is a big deal. We believe the more people participating in these sets of activities, with higher levels of frequency, it will produce disciples of Christ.” This has been Willow’s philosophy of ministry in a nutshell. The church creates programs/activities. People participate in these activities. The outcome is spiritual maturity. In a moment of stinging honesty Hawkins says, “I know it might sound crazy but that’s how we do it in churches. We measure levels of participation.”

Having put all of their eggs into the program-driven church basket you can understand their shock when the research revealed that “Increasing levels of participation in these sets of activities does NOT predict whether someone’s becoming more of a disciple of Christ. It does NOT predict whether they love God more or they love people more.”

Speaking at the Leadership Summit, Hybels summarized the findings this way:

Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for.

Having spent thirty years creating and promoting a multi-million dollar organization driven by programs and measuring participation, and convincing other church leaders to do the same, you can see why Hybels called this research “the wake up call” of his adult life.

Hybels confesses:

We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.

In other words, spiritual growth doesn’t happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships. And, ironically, these basic disciplines do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage.

Does this mark the end of Willow’s thirty years of influence over the American church? Not according to Hawkins:

Our dream is that we fundamentally change the way we do church. That we take out a clean sheet of paper and we rethink all of our old assumptions. Replace it with new insights. Insights that are informed by research and rooted in Scripture. Our dream is really to discover what God is doing and how he’s asking us to transform this planet.