Quality Resources for Multicultural Ministry & Biblical Exploration

Buddhism

Owners and Slaves: The Problem with Karma

Friday, November 7th, 2008

In a chanting book received from a Thai Buddhist temple there is a section entitled “The Five Subjects for Frequent Recollection”. Four of these concern suffering, especially emphasising that the chanter has not “gone beyond” suffering. The fifth subject is kamma (karma) and it is implied that if one is to “go beyond” and attain […]

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Going Beyond Suffering: Buddhism & Christianity

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

In a chanting book received from a Thai Buddhist temple there is a section entitled “The Five Subjects for Frequent Recollection”. The first four of these concern suffering and the fifth, clearly related, concerns kamma (karma). The four concerning suffering are as follows:
I am of the nature to age (or decay),
I have not gone beyond […]

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The Three Refuges as Sources as Power, Wisdom and Wealth

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

In a chanting book received from a Thai Buddhist temple is a section entitled Going for Refuge. The monk chants three times that he goes to the Buddha for refuge, to the Dhamma for refuge and to the Sangha for refuge. Then he chants:
Pay homage to the Buddha; this will bring great power.
Pay homage to […]

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Worthy Disciples in Buddhism and Christianity

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

In a chanting book received from a Thai Buddhist temple there is a section of salutations to the triple gem, the three refuges: the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. The “Salutation to the Sangha” is translated from the Thai as follows”
Of good conduct is the Order of the Disciples of the Blessed One.
Of upright […]

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Self-Realisation of Truth in Buddhism and Christianity

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

In a chanting book used by monks in a Thai Buddhist temple is a section of salutation to the triple gems or three refuges. The Salutation to the Dhamma is translated as follows:
Well-expounded is the Dhamma by
the Blessed One, to be self-realised;
to be but approached to be seen;
capable of being entered upon; to be
attained by […]

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Buddhist Worship of the Buddha

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

In the chanting book I received from a Thai Buddhist temple the first section, “Pay Homage to the Triple Gem”, is followed by “Salutation to the Buddha”. The translation from the Thai reads as follows:
Such indeed is the Blessed One,
exalted, omniscient, endowed with
knowledge and virtues. Gone beyond,
knower of the worlds, a guide
imcomparable for the
training of individuals. […]

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Buddhism and The Triple Gem

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

I took a group to a Buddhist temple on Saturday. I was kindly given a copy of the chanting sheets used by the monks and lay devotees, translated from the Thai. The first section is entitled “Pay Homage to the Triple Gem”. This is followed by salutations to each of these “gems”, also called the […]

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Barriers to Buddhist Belief in Christ 3: Word-Centeredness

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

When Buddhist conceptions of Christ are positive they are typically highly mystical. So, having just described the hallowed presence of the Buddha, Thich Nhat Hanh continues,
When a sage is present and you sit near him or her, you feel peace and light. If you were to sit close to Jesus and look into His eyes […]

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Barriers to Buddhist Belief in Christ 2: Absolute Causation

Sunday, August 3rd, 2008

The Dalai Lama stretches to the limit the idea that everything has a cause, observing that the Buddhist Scriptures
do not assert an independent creator of the universe. Assertions of an independent self or an independent creator contradict the presentation that things arise merely in dependence on their causes (Joy of Living, 166; my boldfacing).
This Buddhist […]

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Barriers to Buddhist Belief in Christ 1: The Assimilating Model of the Buddha

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

Prolific and highly influential Buddhist scholar Thich Nhat Hanh illustrates one of the barriers that prevent Buddhists from believing Christ, namely the pre-conception that the Buddha is the ideal model and all others models must be assimilated to it. He assimilates Christ in this way so that Jesus ends up being but another expression of the […]

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