Salvation in Buddhism and Christianity

Robert R. Wadholm

A comparative analysis of salvation in Buddhism and Christianity reveals stark

contrasts between the grace of Christ and the self-saving action and enlightenment of

Buddha. "The long road of transmigration is a road of pain for the traveler: let him rest by

the road and be free" (The Dhammapada, translated by Juan Mascaro 1973, v. 302). Thus

spoke Buddha. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that

whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NIV). Thus

spoke Jesus. Each quote hints at important aspects of the two opposing worldviews. In

the first, Buddha assumes a cyclical view of time, a world-denying view of suffering, and

an individualistic view of salvation. In the second, Jesus assumes a lineal event-filled

theocentric view of time, a world-loving empathetic view of suffering, and a

Christocentric view of salvation. Buddhist and Christian concepts of salvation are

compared in this essay in an attempt to understand the significance of each founder's

roles in salvation, the models of salvation espoused by modern followers of Buddha and

Christ, and the similarities and differences between Buddhist and Christian salvation.

First, the life and teachings of Buddha and Christ (as they relate to the idea of salvation)

will be examined. Second, various modern Buddhist and Christian concepts of salvation

will be explored. Third, the salvation that Buddha presents will be analyzed. Fourth, the

salvation that Christ offers will be evaluated. Fifth, Buddhist and Christian concepts of

salvation will be summarized and contrasted.

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 The Life and Teachings of Buddha

Buddha was probably born in India in the sixth century B.C. with the name of

Siddartha of the Gautama clan. Legends surrounding Siddartha’s life (written nearly four

hundred years after his death) reveal that he was the son of a Kshatriya raja (an Indian

ruler) (Hopfe 2005, 127). Before Siddartha was born, it was predicted that when he grew

older he would either become a great king or a great teacher and monk. Siddartha’s

parents were told that if he saw four sights (a dead person, an old person, an ill person,

and an ascetic monk) he would become a great teacher and monk. Wanting better things

for their son, Siddartha’s father attempted to keep his son secluded from the four sights

by surrounding him with only young, beautiful, healthy people. His father’s plan failed

when Siddartha left his father’s palace one day and saw each of the four sights. After this,

Siddartha left his home and family behind (by this time, Siddartha already had a wife and

child) and became an ascetic monk (128). After several years of self-mortification,

starving, and solitary meditation, Siddartha realized that he could find no satisfaction in

this way of life. At age thirty-five, Siddartha had come to the end of his rope. He sat for

many days and meditated beneath a fig (bodhi) tree in a hopeless state, when suddenly

Siddartha found what he had been looking for his whole life. Siddartha became

enlightened. From that moment on, he was the Buddha, and his teachings on

enlightenment and suffering found a foothold in India (129–130). After teaching for

forty-five years, Buddha reached the end of his life in this world. Buddha’s final words

(according to tradition) were: “Subject to decay are all component things. Strive earnestly

to work out your own salvation” (131).

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 Ultimately, Buddha (and his followers after him) sought liberation from samsara

(wandering), which is “the beginningless cycle of birth, death and rebirth, composed of

the realms of gods, demigods, humans, ghosts and hell beings” (Lopez 2004, 554). This

had been a central concern of Hinduism, and now became of utmost importance to

Buddha and his followers. Something must be done to escape the endless wandering.

Buddha taught that everyone is afraid of danger and death, and everyone counts life dear

(Dhammapada, vv. 129–130). The mind struggles to free itself from death like a fish

striving for water when thrown on dry land (v. 34). The key to escape from death (and

consequently samsara) is enlightenment to the unreality of the world. “When a man

considers this world as a bubble of froth, and as the illusion of an appearance, then the

King of death has no power over him” (v. 170). If people can free themselves from

desires, they will find enlightenment, and rise above good and evil, dispelling all fear (v.

39). Infinite freedom is found when a person has no cravings or desires for this world or

for another world (v. 410). Buddha claimed:

“I have gone round in vain the cycles of many lives ever striving to find

the builder of the house of life and death. How great is the sorrow of life

that must die! But now I have seen thee, housebuilder: nevermore shalt

thou build this house. The rafters of sins are broken, the ridge-pole of

ignorance is destroyed. The fever of craving is past: for my mortal mind

has gone to the joy of the immortal Nirvana” (vv. 153–154).

Nirvana means “extinguished like a candle” (Hopfe 2005, 132), and is the “extinguishing

of tanha (desire, thirst, craving)” (133).

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 Juan Mascaro (1973) falsely asserts that “Buddha avoided metaphysical

questions,” and made his teaching “free from metaphysics,” instead focusing on personal

ethics (21). However, Buddha taught that humans are without souls (or true “selves”)

because souls do not exist (which is a metaphysical postulate). What humans think of as

souls are actually a combination of the physical body, feelings, understanding, will, and

consciousness (Hopfe 2005, 132). This combination of non-soulness (anatman) is born,

dies, and is reborn in an endless cycle. Attachment to the world, anatman, and samsara

causes suffering. The idea of suffering (dukkha) for Buddha “is an all-encompassing

sense of life lived with perpetual loss” (Zacharias 2001, 40). The Hindu idea of Karma

(the belief that past actions, even from previous lives, drastically affects present reality)

combines with Buddha’s idea of suffering to produce a self-made prison of painful

wandering for every individual in the universe. Buddhists seek refuge from suffering in

the “three jewels,” which are the Buddha, the dharma (the teachings of Buddha), and the

sangha (the Buddhist community) (Lopez 2004, 556). The refuge that is safe and free

from sorrow and suffering is the “Four Great Truths” given by Buddha (Dhammapada,

vv. 191–192). First, suffering exists. Second, suffering is caused by attachment and

desire. Third, salvation from suffering exists. Fourth, salvation from suffering is found

when a person follows Buddha’s “Eightfold Path” in order to get release from the cycle

of samsara. The eightfold path to the elimination of suffering is: 1. right understanding,

2. right thought, 3. right speech, 4. right action, 5. right livelihood, 6. right effort, 7. right

mindfulness, and 8. right meditation (Fisher 1999, 44). Buddha’s soteriology and ethics

derived directly from his understandings of reality and causality (that is, his

metaphysics).

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 Buddha taught that “even the gods long to be the Buddhas who are awake and

watch” (Dhammapada, v. 181). The gods are transitory and ineffective in bringing about

salvation from the suffering of samsara. Individuals must seek salvation elsewhere. It is

to the Buddhas that they must go. They must listen to the Buddha, follow his teachings,

and commune with his followers. People must look for answers to the eternal in the

eternal. “All things indeed pass away, but the Buddhas are forever in Eternity” (v. 255).

Although the Buddhas were without souls (they were anatman) and were “extinquished”

in Nirvana, and though they were in truth only illusions in this world (v. 170; Lopez

2004, 460), the disciples of Buddha must nevertheless follow Buddha’s path if they are to

achieve liberation and enlightenment.

The Life and Teachings of Christ

Christ was probably born around 6 B.C. in Judea with the name of Jesus of the tribe of

Judah. Eyewitnesses (such as Christ’s mother, Mary) tell us (through historical

documents written twenty to sixty years after the events they describe) that Jesus was a

descendant of David, and that he was prophesied over before his birth (Luke 1–4). Before

Jesus was born, it was predicted that he would be “the Lord” (1:17, 43; 2:11), “the Son of

the Most High” (1:32), the eternal King of Israel (vv. 32–33, Matt. 2:2), born of a virgin

(1:18–25; Luke 1:34–35), “the Son of God” (v. 35), “a horn of salvation” (v. 69), the

Savior and Christ (2:11). At around the age of thirty Jesus began his public ministry after

having been baptized by his relative, John, in the Jordan River (3:21–23). As he was

being baptized “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form

like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I

am well pleased” (3:21–22).

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 Jesus summed up the mission of his ministry when he read a passage of the Old

Testament in his hometown synagogue: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has

anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the

prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the

year of the Lord’s favor” (Isaiah 61:1–2; Luke 4:1–19). Jesus taught in the streets, on

hills, by the sea, from boats, in houses, in synagogues, and in the Temple in Jerusalem for

about three years. As he went about teaching, he healed many people, drove out demons,

and even brought dead people back to life. Many of the Jewish leaders were jealous of his

popularity and incited a mob against him in Jerusalem during Passover week. Jesus was

hung on a cross with the words “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are

doing” on his lips (23:34). His last words before he died were “Father, into your hands I

commit my spirit” (v. 46). Jesus’ story does not end there, however. Several days later,

Jesus rose from the dead and showed himself to his disciples over a period of forty days,

until he was caught up into heaven. Jesus appeared to more than 500 people after his

death, proving his resurrection (1 Cor. 15:6). Before he left to go back into heaven, Jesus

told his disciples to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit, which would enable them to be

ministers of his gospel “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Ultimately, Christ (and his followers after him) sought to save the world from sin

and its effects. The Jewish scriptures had focused on God’s work in creating, sustaining

and saving the world, and on humanity’s sinfulness and estrangement from God. Now, in

Christ’s view of history, it was the Son of God who would bring salvation to the world

(John 3:16). The salvation that Jesus offered was spiritual rebirth (vv. 3–8), life-giving

renewal (4:14), and eternal communion with God (3:16; 14:2–3). Belief in Jesus allowed

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a person to cross “over from death to life” (5:24). Jesus taught that “all who are in their

graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and

those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (vv. 28–30). Jesus would not only

raise people from the dead at the final resurrection (11:24); he would also raise people

back from the dead in his own time on earth (vv. 43–44). Jesus’ power over death

extended even to his own person “because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on

him” (Acts 2:24; John 10:18). Through his death on the cross and resurrection from the

grave Jesus saved people from their sickness, bondage to spiritual powers, spiritual

blindness, and from the oppression of sin.

Jesus’ ethics were based firmly in his eschatology (Schrage 1988, 24–25). In

Jesus’ preaching, the imminent coming of the kingdom of God fills a central role in

determining the actions of humans (37). The kingdom of God brings with it rewards and

punishments. Good actions are a consequence, not a condition, of the establishment of

God’s kingdom, and bad actions lead to divine punishment (28). Jesus is the person who

brings this new kingdom, and powerfully represents and preaches what human conduct

must look like. Jesus’ ethics are essentially Christocentric eschatology. The “clear

message” of Jesus’ ethics is theological and Christocentric, and is clear and concrete in

its application (81). Schrage affirms that in the synoptic Gospels ethical obedience has

“missionary implications” (145). For Mark, discipleship becomes the key concept of

Christian ethics. Christ-centered obedience and imitation mark the Christian life.

Matthew emphasizes a better righteousness, a new and more complete ethic than the Old

Testament could offer. This higher truth is based in Jesus’ admonitions and life. Luke

centers on the lives of prophets, apostles, and Jesus, presenting paradigms for Christian

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living based in Christocentric pneumatology (153). The Christian witness broadens as

disciples are made, as Christ’s righteousness is obeyed, and as humble servants follow

the Spirit’s leading.

Jesus (and his disciples after him) affirmed that salvation is only possible through

Christ, the Son of God (John 3:16; 14:6; Acts 4:12). Belief in Jesus’ saving words and

actions is the same as belief in God the Father’s saving words and actions (John

14:9–11). Christian faith is thoroughly theocentric and Christocentric. Salvation from sin

and death comes only by the name of Jesus (2:38; 16:31) and by the power of God’s

Spirit (John 1:12–13; 3:5–8).

The Followers of Buddha

Buddhists must follow and listen to the Buddha. But how can a person follow

someone whose pyschosomatic existence was a mere illusion, whose teachings are

inscrutable? In The Perfection of Wisdom (translated by Gregory Schopen), Buddha

speaks to one of his disciples and says that “those who saw me through form, those who

associated me with sound—they have engaged in a misguided effort. These people will

not see me. The Awakened One is to be seen from the doctrine; the Tathagata is the body

of doctrine; but indeed, the substance of the doctrine is not to be understood, nor is it

possible for it to be understood” (Lopez 2004, 460). The Buddhist scriptures (or more

particularly, the sutras, or sayings of Buddha) are not considered infallible, perfect, or

permanent, but are instead thought of as guides to personal experience of the four noble

truths, and are thus helpful in leading a person to the end of suffering (185–186). In the

end, it is not the Buddha, his teachings, or his followers that saves a person.

Enlightenment must be experienced personally (though no true self actually exists).

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 Shortly following Buddha’s death conflicts arose over the role and teachings of

Buddha. At the present, there are two main groups within Buddhism—Mahayana and

Hinayana (Fisher 1999, 133). Most Buddhists in the world are Mahayana, a word that

means “The Greater Vehicle” (45). Mahayana are found in China, Japan, Vietnam, and

Korea (Hopfe 2005, 148). Within Mahayana Buddhism are several lesser subgroups,

among which are Tibetan Buddhism (in which advanced meditation practices and rituals

are performed to develop “inner qualities”), and Zen Buddhism (in which discipline and

meditation guided by a master help the student to find the “natural mind”) (Fisher 1999,

45). Mahayana are generally more liberal than Hinayana in their interpretations of

Buddhism. Hinayana Buddhists are a minority conservative group, of which the

Theravada (meaning “Teaching of the Elders”) is the most dominant (among many other

subgroups) (44–45). Theravada are found in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and

Laos, and are thought to mirror early Buddhism more closely than does Mahayana. Both

Theravada and Mahayana center on Buddha, his teaching, and the community of his

followers, but view Buddha and his mission in different ways. Mahayana Buddhists view

Buddha as “a universal, eternal principle,” while Theravada Buddhists view Buddha as a

teacher and example. Mahayana Buddhists seek not only personal enlightenment, but

other-enlightenment as well (45; Hopfe 2005, 137).

Within Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism two models of enlightenment are

espoused (both models are present in both groups to some extent, further subdividing the

groups) (Lopez 2004, 505). In the recognition model, ignorance is suddenly dispelled

through an experience. People save themselves from within (by introspection). In the

purification model, a person gradually comes to understand and be enlightened through

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his or her own works. People save themselves from without (by action). These two

models are present in the two types of Theravada meditation: 1. Sammatta, intense

concentration which brings gradual progress toward enlightenment, and 2. Vipassana,

insight meditation which brings sudden enlightenment (Hopfe 2005, 136).

Buddhist salvation is by no means a mere journey into metaphysical

enlightenment. Indeed, the centrality of compassion in Buddhism comes out not only in

the sacred writings, but also in modern Buddhist social activism (Fisher 1999, 47). Fisher

points out that modern Buddhism looks beyond meditation and enlightenment to practical

physical good works through anti-warism, demands of social justice, environmentalism,

and through “non-violently protesting genocide” (47). In Sri Lanka many Buddhists and

Buddhist monks are involved in practical community-building efforts.

The ideal Buddhist who receives salvation is known as a Bodhisattva (future

Buddha). In Theravada, Bodhisattvas are merely ideal pre-enlightened individuals,

whereas in Mahayana they are savior figures who assist in the enlightenment of others

(Hopfe 2005, 137). Thus, those who are saved are to save others. However, in one

important Mahayana text (The Perfection of Wisdom), Buddha declares that a Bodhisattva

cannot think of leading other living beings to Nirvana, because “after having led living

beings thus to final Nirvana, there is no living being whatsoever who has been led to final

Nirvana,” presumably because individual “selves” are illusions, and thus cannot be saved

(Lopez 2004, 455). The nature of compassion for the Buddhist, then, ultimately consists

of an illusory non-person assisting an illusory non-person toward utter extinguishment of

pain in the emptiness of Nirvana.

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 The Followers of Christ

Christians must follow and listen to Christ. How can a person follow someone

who was God, who performed great miracles that validated his message, and who no

longer dwells physically on earth? Concerning Christ’s deity, Christian must remember

that although they are personally not gods, they are given a sympathetic example in

Christ, and “we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was

without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may

receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15–16). Jesus

“did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant . . . he humbled himself and became obedient to

death—even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6–7). Concerning Christ’s miracles, Jesus told his

disciples that “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do

even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Indeed,

the disciples received power from heaven on the day of Pentecost, and went on to

perform miracles like Christ (Acts 2:43; 3:6–7; 4:30; 9:34–43; 14:8–10; 20:10–12).

Concerning Christ’s physical absence from his disciples, Jesus promised to send God’s

Spirit to his disciples to guide them in the truth of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John

15:26–27; 16:5–16). Also, Christians are taught, rebuked, corrected, trained in

righteousness, and equipped for every good work by God-inspired Scripture (2 Tim.

3:16–17). “No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For

prophecy never had its origins in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were

carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20–21). Christians are able to read eyewitness

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accounts of Jesus’ life, words, and actions in the gospels (1:16; Luke 1:2). Thus, by the

Spirit, a person may come to knowledge of salvation through Scripture.

In the centuries following Christ’s death conflicts arose over the role and

teachings of Christ. Divisions which occurred throughout Christianity’s history resulted

in the many variations of Christianity extent today. Several broad (and sometimes

misleading) categorizations of Christians are: 1- Traditional/authoritarian churches (i.e.

Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Armenian churches) and 2- Bibliocentric

churches (i.e. Protestants, such as Evangelicals and fundamentalists). Within these broad

categories there are many denominations, affiliations, and organizations.

Traditional/authoritarian churches are found mainly in North and South America and

Europe. Bibliocentric churches have large contingencies in every populated continent on

earth, particularly in Asia, Africa, and North and South America. Both

traditional/authoritarian churches and Bibliocentric churches center on Christ, his

teaching, and the community of believers, but view Biblical interpretation, the role of the

church in salvation, and the personal experience of salvation in different lights.

Bibliocentric churches are generally more evangelistic than traditional/authoritarian

churches.

Within Bibliocentric and traditional/authoritarian churches two models of

salvation are espoused (both models are present in both groups to some extent, further

subdividing the groups). In the “born again” or “grace” model, persons come into contact

with the good news of Christ’s free gift of salvation and believe in Christ, accepting him

as their Lord and Savior. People are saved immediately by believing in Christ and his

work on the cross, are sanctified by Christ’s Spirit in them, and are transformed into

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Christ’s image after they are resurrected from the dead. In the “works” model, persons

come into contact with Christianity and seek to conform their lives to Christ’s (or more

often, the church’s) example. People are saved gradually by working their way to heaven.

All that is required is to be a good person and follow the church’s man-made rules and/or

traditions. The “works” model is very rarely found in any church’s official doctrines (the

“born again” or “grace” model is almost universally acknowledged in official doctrines),

but evidences itself often in Christian preaching, teaching, and practice.

Christian salvation (in either model) is no mere intellectual, spiritual, or emotional

enterprise. Christ calls for Christians to accept God’s love for them in Christ and share

that love with other people (John 15:12). The centrality of compassion in Christianity

comes out not only in the sacred writings, but also in modern Christian social activism.

The salvation that Christ brought was not only spiritual, but was physical and socio-

economic as well. All over the world Christians are involved in community-building

efforts. Christians feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, deliver the demon-

possessed, and give gifts to the poor. According to the “born again” model of salvation,

these practical good works are the supernatural outflow of God’s work in individuals and

communities. According to the “works” model, these works are not merely fruits of

salvation, they are salvation.

The ideal Christian in the traditional/authoritarian churches are generally known

as “saints,” and may perform key functions in practical and spiritual salvation for those

who pray to them. In the Bibliocentric churches, ideal Christians are called Christians. A

non-ideal Christian is not a Christian at all. In the New Testament, every Christian was

considered a “saint” (holy one) because all Christians have accepted Christ’s holiness as

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their own. According to The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration, a

document setting out the fundamentals of modern Evangelical faith and signed in

agreement by such notable Christian leaders as J. I. Packer, Lee Strobel, Billy Graham,

Chuck Colson, Charles Swindoll, Ravi Zacharias, Thomas E. Trask, Pat Robertson, and

Bill Bright, “Salvation in its full sense is from the guilt of sin in the past, the power of sin

in the present, and the presence of sin in the future” (qtd. in Akers, Armstrong, and

Woodbridge 2000, 243). Within the Bibliocentric churches all Christians are exhorted to

live exemplary lives and be living witnesses to unbelievers around them. Christians are to

lead others to the salvation that they have found in Christ.

The Salvation That Buddha Presents

Buddha’s Salvation from Suffering: Enlightenment

The natural world cannot reveal the ultimate truths to a person. A person must

find his or her path within (Dhammapada, vv. 254–255). Buddha said that “It is you who

must make the effort. The Great of the past only show the way” (v. 275). Buddha cannot

save his followers (only they can save themselves). The gods cannot save Buddha’s

followers. Buddha accepted the power of the Hindu gods, but denied their efficacy in

bringing humans salvation, which downplayed their ultimate significance. The only clear

path that leads a person to transcend sorrow is to be personally enlightened to the truths

that “all is transient . . . all is sorrow . . . all is unreal” (vv. 277–279).

Introspection becomes the method of salvation through enlightenment. A person

must analyze his or her own sins, but not contemplate other’s wrongdoings

(Dhammapada, v. 50). The person who does evil suffers in this world and in the next

world (v. 15), “but the greatest of all sins is indeed the sin of ignorance. Throw this sin

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away, O man, and become pure from sin” (v. 243). Thus, knowledge is the key to

liberation, and knowledge comes through experience and meditation. But must a person

merely be personally enlightened to the unreality of the world and be detached from

everything in order to be set free from the bondage of this illusory cage of existence?

Buddha’s Salvation from Suffering: Individual Action

Confession of belief and “enlightened” wisdom are not enough. “If a man speaks

many holy words but he speaks and does not, this thoughtless man cannot enjoy the life

of holiness” (Dhammapada, v. 19). Buddha sums up his teachings as “Do not what is

evil. Do what is good. Keep your mind pure” (v. 183). Enlightenment and action go hand

in hand; even the substance of the eightfold path is an acknowledgment of this truth. But

in order to do what is right and not do what is wrong, a person must know what is right,

and what is wrong. A sin, according to Buddha, is an action that a person has to repent of

(v. 67). Where does such evil action arise? “Any wrong or evil a man does, is born in

himself and is caused by himself; and this crushes the foolish man as a hard stone grinds

the weaker stone” (v. 161). Humans are the root of their own evil. If people sin, they are

the only ones responsible for their sins. For Buddhists there is no such thing as a “small

sin.” A little evil at a time builds up eventually into great evil. Therefore, all evil and sin

must be avoided (v. 121). Buddhists are called to love in a world of hate, to be healthy in

a world of illness, and to have peace in a world of struggle (vv. 197–199). They are called

to go beyond pleasure and pain, because these things are transient (vv. 209, 216). They

must go “upstream” against passions and worldly life (v. 218). Doing good works is

contagious, and the effects of virtue are potentially universal (v. 54).

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 What is Buddhist purity from sin supposed to look like in practical living? The

five rules of moral conduct for lay Buddhists are: 1. do not kill, 2. do not steal, 3. do not

lie, 4. do not commit adultery, and 5. do not get drunk (Hopfe 2005, 131). Angry and

hurtful words, actions, and thoughts are all wrong even toward those who hate you

(Dhammapada vv. 223–224, 231–233). It is good to be self-controlled, follow the rules,

eat moderately, live alone in a room, and have no sex. The mind is kept pure through

practicing the highest consciousness (v. 185).

Priests or monks are given similar rules of conduct. They should not return evil

for evil (Dhammapada, v. 389). They should be “tolerant to the the intolerant, peaceful to

the violent, free from greed with the greedy,” and should not kill or hurt any living being

(v. 405–406). Some of the most significant rules of conduct for Buddhists monks are:

1. do not kill (be compassionate), 2. do not steal (be content), 3. do not have sex (be self-

disciplined), 4. do not lie (be truthful), 5. do not slander (be a peacemaker), 6. do not be

harsh of speech (be pleasant-tongued), 7. do not speak frivolously (be profitable in

speech) (Thomas 1935, 47). In addition to these rules concerning actions and words,

monks are told not to injure seeds or plants, not to eat at improper times, not to

participate in or watch others participate in dancing, singing, music, or shows. Monks are

not to use adornments or perfumes, not to sleep in large beds, not to accept gifts of gold,

silver, raw grain or meats, women, girls, slaves, livestock, or land. Monks should never

go on errands or take messages, or buy or sell material objects. Monks should not cheat,

cut, kill, bind, rob, pillage, or be violent to other people (Hopfe 2005, 131).

The wages of sin is karma, death, and rebirth in hell. “When a fool does evil

work, he forgets that he is lighting a fire wherein he must burn one day” (Dhammapada,

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v. 136). There are no places a person can go to escape from evil actions or death (vv.

127–128). The effects of purity or sin are not necessarily apparent at first, but if a person

is patient he or she will receive the fruit of their actions (whether good or bad) (vv. 119–

120). “Some people are born on this earth; those who do evil are reborn in hell; the

righteous go to heaven; but those who are pure reach Nirvana” (v. 126). The liar (v. 306),

the evil man (v. 307), the hypocrite (v. 307), the adulterer (vv. 309–310), the person who

imperfectly lives an ascetic life (v. 311), and “those who carelessly allow their life to pass

by” are all on the path of hell and are going to suffer in hell in future lives (v. 315).

The Salvation That Christ Offers

Christian Grace

The natural world can reveal many ultimate truths to people, such as “God’s

invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature” (Rom. 1:18–20), but only

through Christ can a person find salvation (Acts 17:30–31). God’s love is the force

behind the salvation that he offers (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8). Everyone is a sinner (Rom.

3:23). “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our

Lord” (Rom. 6:23). People must repent of their sins (2:38; 17:31), believe in the Lord

Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection (16:31), and carry their “crosses,” give up everything

they have, and follow Christ (Luke 14:25–33). The person who refuses to repent and

believe is condemned by God, and will “perish” in hell (John 3:16–18; Rev. 20:15; 21:8).

Belief and repentance are important keys to salvation. While salvation is a personal

choice that must be made, Christians are also chosen and predestined by God for

salvation (Eph. 1:11–14). But must a person merely believe in their heart in Jesus and

confess with their mouths that God raised him from the dead to be saved (Rom. 10:9)? Is

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salvation merely a gift to be accepted? Yes, God’s grace is completely free, “not by

works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:9). That is why it is called “Good News.”

Christian Action

God’s grace in Christ is costly, not cheap. It is not a self-given grace (people do

not earn it). Neither is it a grace that costs people nothing. True Grace is costly because it

cost God his only Son, and it costs Christians their lives just as it cost Jesus his life

(Bonhoeffer 1959, 46–47). “Costly grace is the Incarnation of God” (48). Discipleship

and grace go hand in hand (49). While Christian salvation is a free gift, and is not earned,

Christ has made Christians “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good

works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10). Christians must not

merely call Jesus “Lord”—they must do what Christ says. “The aim of the Christian life

is to produce those good works which God demands” (Bonhoeffer 1959, 334). Christians

are to love their enemies (Matt. 5:43–48), and forgive those who sin against them (6:12–

15). However, Christianity is not about following rules. As Paul eloquently states:

Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as

though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle!

Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use,

because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such

regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed

worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but

they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence (Col. 2:20–23).

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Paul goes on to challenge Christians: “Set your heart on things above, not on earthly

things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God . . . . Put to death,

therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil

desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:2–3, 5). Why should Christians not love the

world or anything in the world? “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who

does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15–17).

Love is the greatest virtue (Col. 3:14). God is love, and showed us his love

through the gift of salvation in his Son (1 John 4:7–9). God’s love paid for humanity’s

sins through Christ (v. 10). God pours his own love into people so that they can love one

another (vv. 11–12). Spiritual gifts, knowledge, faith, giving to the poor, and martyrdom

are all vain enterprises without love (1 Cor. 13:1–3). Love is patient and kind (v. 4). It is

not envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, or easily angered (vv. 4–5). Love always

protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres (v. 7). Love for God must outweigh love for one’s

own family or self (Matt. 10:34–39). Jesus affirmed that loving God with all your heart,

strength and mind and loving your neighbor as yourself were the way to true life (Luke

10:27–28). But this love is only possible after a person has accepted God’s love and

forgiveness for them (7:44–47; 1 John 2:5; 4:7–8). On the other hand, those who refuse to

accept God’s gift in Christ are on the path of hell. “The cowardly, the unbelieving, the

vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and

all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Rev. 21:8).

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 Amazing What?

Considering the plight of humanity, Buddha asked:

How can there be laughter, how can there be pleasure, when the whole

world is burning? When you are in deep darkness, will you not ask for a

lamp? Consider this body! A painted puppet with jointed limbs,

sometimes suffering and covered with ulcers, full of imaginings, never

permanent, for ever changing. This body is decaying! A nest of diseases, a

heap of corruption, bound to destruction, to dissolution. All life ends in

death (Dhammapada, vv. 146–148).

Buddha says that “by oneself the evil is done, and it is oneself who suffers: by oneself the

evil is not done, and by one’s Self one becomes pure. The pure and the impure come

from oneself: no man can purify another” (v. 165). People are the cause of their own grief

and suffering. No one can save another person—that is the work of each individual self

(though the existence of a real “self” is denied by Buddha). People must save themselves

by their own works, but there is no true self to do the saving, and no real self to be saved.

And salvation brings only utter extinguishment.

Jesus taught that unless people were completely righteous, they could not enter

the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:20, 48). A good man stores good in his heart and bears

good fruit, while an evil man stores evil in his heart and bears bad fruit (Luke 6:43–45).

Good and bad actions come from the heart. It is the heart that must be changed, not

merely the outward actions. Salvation is a matter of receiving a new heart. Buddha is in

accord with Christianity when he taught that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and

goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). But Christianity affirms that “without the shedding

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of blood there is no forgiveness” (9:22). Jesus paid for humanity’s sins by sacrificing his

own blood and body to pay humanity’s debt (v. 14). Jesus showed the world the greatest

kind of love—love that sacrifices itself for others (John 15:13). “Christ is the end of the

law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4).

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Rom.

10:13). Individual persons will be saved from death, decay, and sin, to live with God

forever (Rev. 22:1–5).

Buddha taught that the path of truth is narrow, and that most people miss it. “Few

cross the river of time and are able to reach Nirvana. Most of them run up and down only

on this side of the river” (v. 85). Jesus said “Make every effort to enter through the

narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Luke

13:24). There will be many people in hell who think that they deserve heaven (vv. 25–30;

Matt. 25). In Buddhism, a person can “fall” from enlightment. Such a person “was free

and he ran back to his prison” (Dhammapada v. 344). Similarly, in Christianity

individuals can choose to turn their backs on their Creator and Redeemer (Heb. 6:4–12),

and lose the salvation that God freely offers.

Buddha taught that there is no real “self,” no ultimate personal God, and no way

to escape suffering outside of one’s personal actions (Zacharias 2001, 70). Jesus taught

that we have truly responsible “selves,” that there is an all-powerful God who came to

free people from their prison of sin, and that all people have to do to escape (not just from

suffering, but from sin and its wages, i.e. death) is to believe in what Jesus did for

humanity and follow him with the power of his Spirit and grace. Buddha claimed to be

humanity’s teacher. Jesus claimed to be humanity’s Savior. Buddha acknowledged

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human suffering, human sin, the human debt of sin (karma), and human ignorance, and

taught humans to disattach themselves from suffering, sin, debt, and ignorance, in order

to be enlightened and dissolve into emptiness. Jesus became a human, entered into human

suffering, debt, and fallenness, and redeemed humanity from the curse of sin in order to

commune with humans and give humans eternal life with God. The major difference

between Buddha’s and Christ’s soteriology is the difference between “Amazing Non-self

(anatman)” and “Amazing Grace.”

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 REFERENCE LIST

Akers, John N., John H. Armstrong, and John D. Woodbridge, Eds. 2000. This We
Believe: The Good News of Jesus Christ for the World. Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 1959. The Cost of Discipleship. New York: Macmillan.

Fisher, Mary Pat. 1999. Religion in the Twenty-first Century. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.

Hopfe, Lewis M. and Mark R. Woodward. 2005. Religions of the World, 9th ed.: Media
and Research Update. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Lopez, Donald S., Jr., Ed. 2004. Buddhist Scriptures. New York: Penguin Books.

Mascaro, Juan, trans. 1973. The Dhammapada. New York: Penguin Books.

Schrage, Wolfgang. 1988. The Ethics of the New Testament. Translated by David E.
Green. Philadelphia: Fortress.

Zacharias, Ravi. 2001. The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha. Sisters, OR:
Multnoma.

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