Cross-Cultural Communications

Sharing the Bread of Life With All People

By: Dr. Judith Bartel de Graner and Dr. Quentin McGhee

Expanded Commentary by Dr. Alan Johnson for

Lesson 9 The Worldviews of Hindus, Buddhists, and Chinese
Two of the core elements of worldview are to define humanity’s problem and to pose an answer to that problem. The
metaphysics that drive the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism are found in a series of interrelated concepts. At the heart
of the human dilemma is the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth called samsara. What drives the cycle of birth, death
and rebirth is karma (action) which is the law of cause and effect. Karma, which is tied to the desire to live and do, is what
binds us to the illusion that the material world is real (Zaehner 1966:4-5; Burnett 1992:75).
In both Hinduism and Buddhism human existence then is seen as illusory. The notion of maya in the Vedanta school of
Hinduism means that only God (Brahman) exists and is real and the world is maya-illusory. In Buddhist thought the notions
of anatman (no self) and conditioned or dependent origination means both at the individual level and the external world all
is impermanent and there is no lasting essence or soul nor are there permanent things that exist (Skilton 1994:30-31).
The quest then is to break out of this illusion, the core concept in Hinduism is moskha or mukti and is translated as
escape, release, liberation or emancipation (Zaehner 1966:5).
This then is metaphysics that shape the understanding of the human dilemma and solution to that dilemma for both
Hinduism and Buddhism. It is in how this liberation is achieved and in the nature of the state of that release where Hinduism
and Buddhism diverge and also where there are differences within the many schools of thought inside of both of these
religious systems.
Liberation in Hinduism
There are two other key concepts in Hinduism that inform the worldview and nature of the final liberation. Dharma in
Hinduism has two distinct senses: it is what is set down in the sacred texts, thus is law and religion and duty, but it is also
an “eternal law that governs all human and non-human existence...[it is] the ‘form’ of things as they are and the power that
keeps them as they are and not otherwise” (Zaehner 1966:2-3). In classical Hinduism brahman is “the eternal substrate of
the universe from which the ‘eternal’ dharma proceeds” (1966:3).
It was in the Upanishadic literature, compiled shortly before the time of Buddha that a new teaching about rebirth and
transmigration of the soul arose. Skilton explains it in this way (1994:16):
1. People looked for that which was the basis of the external phenomenal world, the underlying essence of all things-later
this came to be known as brahman.
2. They looked for the ultimately existent thing within the individual, that which supports the life and consciousness in each
of us-this came to be termed atman.
3. “Perhaps inevitably, there came those with the ultimate secret teaching that identified these two, which said that atman
and brahman were one and the same” (1994:16).
Skilton notes that this view fueled the search to fine the ‘One’ that lay behind the cosmos, and that by internalizing this
insight freedom from the cycle of rebirth could take place (1994:16).
Zaehner shows the connection between brahman and dharma in classical Hinduism as brahman creating and sustaining
the world and then reabsorbing it into himself, that this is his dharma (1966:103-104). Thus the final state of the person who
gains the insight of the illusory nature of reality and comes to see the unity of brahman and atman is to be reabsorbed into
brahman, as a drop of water is absorbed back into the ocean.

Faith & Action Team, 429 U.S. Hwy 65, Walnut Shade, MO. 65771
Web: www.FaithAndActionSeries.org Email: Info@FaithAndActionSeries.org Phone: (417) 881 4698
 Richards says that “while what salvation is from might be agreed [in Hinduism], what it is to, and how it is achieved, are
by no means agreed. Traditionally, three paths to salvation are considered valid, and disputes as to which is the superior way
have not been uncommon” (Richard 2007: 10).
Richard reminds us that to speak of the three paths of salvation in Hinduism is very artificial because the reality is that
“most Hindus demonstrate aspects of each of the three paths in their lives” (2007:10). He overviews these three paths in this
way 2007:10):
• The way of knowledge (jnana marga) is knowledge gained through meditation and supra-rational realization and
salvation is moving beyond personality.
• The way of works (karma marga) originally meant to do the sacrifices required in the Vedic scriptures but later
changed to include all of the duties of life and today can even include social service and humanitarian work.
• The way of devotion (bhakti marga) is now the most popular path and is the essence of popular Hinduism where
devotion is focused on a particular god and salvation “is to fellowship and enjoyment of God, not to an emptiness
beyond personality as in the way of knowledge (2007:11).
Liberation in Buddhism
Scholars place Siddartha Gotama as one member of a class of religious practitioners known as parivrajaka who were
wanderers. They were people who rejected the older traditions of the Brahmin priestly caste and rejected the claim to
privileged knowledge of the revealed wisdom of the Vedas by that class (Skilton 1994:17). Skilton defines them in this way:
The parivrajaka was a person who, dissatisfied with the restrictions of this developing society and with the
ritualism of established religion, left their home and their role in society in order to wander at will in the world,
supported by alms and seeking spiritual liberation. The Buddha himself was to join this class of religious wanderers
at the beginning of his own quest for liberation.
It was during his wandering and seeking liberation through various methods that he had his Enlightenment experience
and learned the Four Noble Truths that make up the core tenets of Buddhism for all its major branches.
Buddha saw that the world and everything in it, including all deities and all human experience, are marked by anitya
(impermanence, transitory), dukkha (painful and unsatisfactory, suffering), and anatman (devoid of self or essence) (Skilton
1994:27).
Dukkha is the main subject of the Four Noble Truths. The structure of the four truths follows ancient medical formulas
in stating the nature of the illness (diagnosis), the condition that brings about the illness (cause), whether the illness can be
cured (cessation), and the means of bringing about the cure (extinguish) (Skilton 1994:28)
• The first Noble Truth is Buddha’s diagnosis of the sickness of humankind, which is dukkha, usually translated as suffering.
Since everything is impermanent, all objects, people, mental states, and worlds are transitory and pass away; thus our
experience of life is dukkha (Skilton 1994:28-29).
• The second Noble Truth has to do with the cause of suffering which is craving for sensual pleasure, existence, and
nonexistence.
• The third Noble Truth is the cessation of suffering, which comes about by extinguishing craving.
• The fourth Noble Truth is how to extinguish craving by following the Eightfold Path.
Buddhists traditionally divide the path, the means to liberation from samsara (endless cycles of birth, old age, pain, death,
and rebirth), into three groups: the moral disciplines of right speech, right action, and right livelihood; the concentration
group made up of right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration; and the wisdom group of right view and right
intention (Bhodi 2011).
Skilton points out some of the ways in which Gotama rejected and altered core concepts of the Hinduism of his era.
He says that one way of looking at the conditioned existence of samsara is to see it as a refutation of the Upanishadic
teaching that reality was saccidananda-extent, conscious, and blissful. What the Upanishads call sat-existence, was anitya-
impermanent; cit-mind, was anatman-lacking selfhood, and ananda-bliss, was really dukkha-unsatisfactory. “One could
say that the essence of the Buddha’s insight, the core of his wisdom, was the understanding, assimilated to the depths of his
being, that all conditioned things change” (Skilton, 1994: 31). Where Hinduism believes in transmigration of the soul, so
that a person is actually reincarnated, Buddhism teaches that at death the five aggregates that come together to make up a
person are broken up and come back together in rebirth. There is no enduring essence of the person.
 For Gotama there is no single reality such as brahman, and for him the question of whether there were or were not deities
was unimportant. The important issue was the quest for liberation from suffering through following the eight-fold path. The
result of being enlightened and liberated from samsara is nirvana. Rather than being absorbed into brahman, the Universal
Soul, one’s cycle of rebirths is stopped. Nirvana, which means extinguished/extinction, ends the cycle of suffering and
rebirth, and thus becomes the highest aspiration of the Buddhist.

B. The Supernatural in Hinduism and Buddhism (Holy books; God; angels and demons; supernatural
phenomena)1
Holy Books
The main Hindu scriptures, all written in *Sanskrit include (Richard 2007:16-30):
• Vedas-four collections of poems and hymns directed to various deities and dated from around 1000 BC and after.
• Brahmanas-were produced by the priests (Brahmans) and grew out of the Vedic hymns. It deals with rituals the priests
were to perform.
• Upanishads-were speculative philosophical literature dating from the 6th and 5th centuries BC. “Vedas” in the narrowest
sense refers to the four collections of hymns, and its broadest sense can include the hymns, Brahmanas and Upanishads
together.
• Ramayana and Mahabharata (which includes the Bhagavad Gita)-are the two great Hindu epics and are most influential
and well-loved among the common people.
• Puranas–comprise 18 major stories and many lesser ones that deal with the creation, destruction, and reconstruction of
the universe, genealogies of the gods, and stories of incarnations of the gods.
• Tantras-are the latest of the Sanskrit scriptures and form the basis for Tantrism. Richards points out that although late
in origin “the roots of Tantrism are deep in the history of Hinduism and of India” and its influences can still be found in
popular Hinduism (2007:29-30). There are two major sections. one that focuses on devotion centered on a goddess and
the other on secret rituals that include sexual practices and human sacrifice.
The Buddhist holy scriptures for Theravada are written in Pali and called Tripitaka (the three baskets). They take up 45
volumes and include the basket of order (which includes monastic codes, accounts of Buddha’s life and development of the
monastic order), the basket of teachings (featuring discourses of the Buddha, his disciples, and tales of the previous lives of
the Buddha) and the basket of special learning (speculative and philosophical teaching for monks). The Mahayana scriptures
include teachings of the Buddha and other texts and are found primarily in Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan languages.
God.  For Hindus Richard points out that any effort to try and briefly explain the concept of God in Hinduism in bound
to fail because there is no single concept (2007:11). He suggests that thinking in terms of a “fluid monotheism” is more
accurate. Brahman, the universal soul, is the supreme God but interacts in the world in various ways and manifestations.
The primary and most popular deities are Vishnu and Shiva, with the worship of God as mother a third key stream. The
practical polytheism of people (there are 330 million gods) is handled by assimilating them into lower levels of the hierarchy
of deities (Richard 2007:12-15). Buddhists have no personal God who is the creator of all things. In their understanding of
samsara any deities are inside of the cycle of rebirth and thus are in need of liberation themselves.
Angels and demons.  Hindus and Buddhists believe in a long list of supernatural beings. The most important are devas
(shining ones from heaven) and asuras (the evil spirits of darkness). Spiritual beings can help or hinder humans and are
contacted through ceremonial means to invoke their assistance.
Supernatural *Phenomena.  Hindus and Buddhists believe in supernatural events and happenings.
A newspaper in Bangalore, India printed the story about a crowd of
people around a house. They gathered after hearing about a miracle in an
idol. The idol or statue was a foot tall, and carved from marble. The miracle
was that the idol had opened one eye. The miracle occurred in the house of
Lakshmi. She feels blessed that the god had been reborn in her house. “I am very
happy”, said Lakshmi.” It happened on Thursday, *Buddha Purnima –a festival
celebrating Buddha´s birthday. Cleaning the idol, I noticed that the left part had dust
on it. As I wiped off the dust, the god opened his left eye. It is my fortune. Lots of
people are coming to my house.”
Marble statue of Sai Baba
3
 This type of story is common in India. People with Hindu or Buddhist worldviews accept and understand the testimony
of a stone idol that opened one eye. But, students from other continents will see the story as strange or confusing. Some may
think, “How can anyone believe a stone statue can open one eye!” Reading this story, we can discover some aspects of the
worldview of Lakshmi and her neighbor´s. They believe that: miracles happen; an idol may represent a god; a god may
interact with humans through an idol a miracle brings good fortune; a god can be reborn.
C. Nature and Humanity
Time in the Hindu and Buddhist worldviews is cyclical and very long. The basic unit is
the kalpa that lasts 4.2 billion years (Burnett 1992:77). In the Hindu view with brahman
as the ultimate reality there is a continual creation-destruction cycle. Buddhism, in
rejecting the idea of a single reality does not have a strongly defined cosmology of
how the world came into being. Burnett points out that in the Hindu school where
all things are manifestation of the one brahman, it means that there is no distinction
between the supernatural and natural, it is all one system. Things lie on a continuum
from pure spirit such as gods and demons down to pure matter (1992:72-74). In
Buddhist thought all sentient beings including gods, angels, and powerful spirit
beings, the human realm, the world of animals and the realm of demons is contained
in samsara . All sentient beings are in need of breaking out of the cycle of rebirths.
This means that heaven and hell are temporary states where stores of merit are used up in
heaven or demerit is paid back in hell and then another cycle of rebirth takes place.
Symbols representing the different
This means that within human society there is also a continuum of people based religions of India
on the results of karma from previous lives. In Hinduism this is expressed in the
notion of cast. Buddhism rejected caste but still understands hierarchy based on stores of merit or demerit. In such a view
power is self-validating because one can only become powerful (or wealthy, successful and so on) by having accumulated
good karma from previous lives.
D. Sharing the Gospel with people influenced by Hindu and Buddhist Worldviews
In the battle for lost humanity, the Christian missionary must discern between a Hindu-Buddhist view and the biblical
view. Our God is not in a cosmic battle to gain control of the universe. The universe belongs to God. He is NOT a good
force battling an equal evil force. God does not win some battles and lose some.† God is all-powerful. Jesus said, “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). The only authority Satan has is that which God
allows– and the authority humans give him by rejecting God. Satan and demons, evil and sin exist in the world. Christians
battle these in spiritual warfare. But in this battle, there is no doubt that God is Sovereign– all power in the universe is His.
Our war is not to help God gain control of the universe. He already has that. Our battle is for the loyalty of people’s hearts.
Our great question is: “Who will allow God to establish His kingdom in their hearts?”
In this section we will first look at some of the challenges of sharing with people who have a worldview rooted in the
conceptual world of Hinduism or Buddhism. The final section will suggest some practices that will help you share the
Gospel not only with Hindus and Buddhists, but with anyone who has a radically different worldview than your own.
The challenge of sharing with Hindus and Buddhists
People always understand communication through the filtering of their own worldview. Because there are such radical
differences between Hindu and Buddhist worldviews and the Christian worldview, it becomes very challenging to present
the Gospel in a clear fashion.
Most people try to share their faith with others in the same way that they have learned it in their own cultural setting.
When they find themselves working in a new cultural setting they may learn the new language and then proceed to share
the Gospel in the same way and as the answer to the fundamental questions they had in their own home setting. This can
create confusion in the listener as they interpret the Christian concepts through the filters of their own religious worldview.
In a Western worldview impacted by the Bible and the Jewish and Christian faiths, we often share the Gospel as the
answer to man’s need. Humans are separated from God because of their sin and rebellion. God’s answer is in Jesus Christ
who died for our sins, rose from the dead and who grants eternal life to those who entrust their lives to him.

†
See Paul G. Heibert, Spiritual Warfare & Worldviews, EMS, Fall, 2000.
4
 Take a minute and think of what we have learned about the Hindu and Buddhist worldviews above and how these core
ideas from the Gospel would sound to them.
If we start talking about the human problem of sin as having broken our relationship with the living God, we immediately
have moved on to ground that is unfamiliar to our listeners. If there is no God, then there is no sin. Rather in the worldview
of karma and good and bad action you have merit and demerit which affects your status in your next rebirth. Humans do
not need to be saved from sin but from ignorance and need to see the illusory nature of what they wrongly think is reality.
To talk about God is difficult because for Hindus this can mean many manifestations of one God (Brahman). This means
that the God of the Bible and Jesus would be just one among many manifestations. For some Hindus it could mean an
impersonal, unknowable deity. In the Buddhist view God himself is in need from liberation from the cycle of rebirth as well
so he can be of no help.
When we talk about Jesus’ work on the cross to people who have a karma based worldview, they understand actions in
this life are the result of actions in a previous existence. Thus to be crucified as a young man means that Jesus did something
bad to deserve this in a previous life.
To trust in Jesus then also becomes problematic. For the Hindu he is just one choice of many manifestations of the one
Universal Soul, and for the Buddhist, they are taught to depend only on themselves as the follow the eight-fold path. We
offer them eternal life, but the cycle of rebirth is for them a form of eternal life which they are seeking to escape because it
is suffering.
This brief overview helps you see how your Hindu and Buddhist friends will reinterpret what you are saying through the
filters of their worldview.
Sharing Good News Hindu and Buddhist Friends
Some people find it discouraging that it is so difficult to share the Gospel clearly with Hindus and Buddhists. But we
need to remember, the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation for people from every culture and religious background
(Romans 1:16). If you are patient and willing to learn and understand your Buddhist or Hindu friends you can begin to share
the Good News of what God has done through Jesus in ways that answer their deepest longings.
In this section we focus on things that you can do that will help you build an environment where you can communicate
truth and make space for the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of your friends.
1. Build good relationships with Hindus and Buddhists.
Christian demographers tell us that 86 percent of the Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist world do not know a single Christian.
Many of them have never had a single conversation with a Christian, much less develop a good friendship with one. To
reach these people with Christ’s love requires making space for a genuine relationship. Your life is going to provide the
interpretive background for anything you say to them about Jesus.
2. Bring issues of faith to the forefront of the relationship.
Be upfront about who you are and your faith in Christ. Buddhists and Hindus and others can feel set up when Christians
pursue a friendship with them and then after a period of time spring on them that Jesus is the greatest thing in their lives. We
need to genuinely love and serve people and not see them as objects of our mission. At the same time we need to let them
know that our lifestyle choices are deeply connected to our relationship with Jesus Christ.
When eating together, let them know you pray over your food and invite them to participate. Ask them to tell you what
they do before eating. Tell people what you did over the weekend and about going to church. Talk about your Christian
spirituality, devotional life, and fasting and prayer. Most of the world outside the West sees people as born into their religion.
For instance, they think all Americans are Christians. Imagine what they think Christians do. They are genuinely shocked
to find that really following Jesus Christ results in a changed life of purity and holiness. Talking about their perceptions of
what Christians are like is a great starting point for sharing.
3. Recognize that virtually all the concepts you normally think about when you share the good news with people are not
clear to your Buddhist and Hindu friends.
As we have illustrated above, notions of God, His creation, His character, sin and the human dilemma, the cross, faith,
and eternal life all sound strange to Buddhists. They often reinterpret them in light of their worldview. For instance, they
often equate God with the law of karma. They see Jesus’ death on the Cross as the result of living a bad life and accumulating
5
much demerit in previous lives. Virtually every key element in John 3:16 is an enigma to the person who sees life according
to a Hindu or Buddhist worldview.
4. View sharing the gospel as a process. Share content and check for understanding.
If the people we are talking with do not easily understand the content of our message, instead of rushing through the
points of the gospel and pressing for a decision to receive Jesus, we need to communicate the content of the gospel and then
ask questions to assess what they understand. Sharing the gospel is a process and not a point-in-time event. This includes
dialogue, not just monologue. For instance, ask questions about what they believe and practice in their faith. Find out what
is happening in their life, what problems they are facing. Often sincere inquiry will cause people to ask you how you handle
things in your life, bringing the chance to talk about your relationship with Jesus.
5. Tell stories from the Bible, read the Bible with them, and let them read it on their own.
Folk Buddhists and Hindus do not have a tradition of reading their sacred texts. At the same time, they often love stories.
Much of the way they communicate their faith is via stories. This is a great opportunity to tell the stories of the Bible to
people in answer to specific issues they may be facing or worldview issues.
6. Help them probe the implications of a decision to follow Jesus.
Because Buddhists and Hindus focus on correct practice more than correct belief, they are often thinking about what the
message means to them in terms of their social relationships rather than whether it is true or not. Taking time with people
and allowing them to ask questions as they explore the implications of a decision to follow Jesus are critical to having them
make an informed decision. Remember they may come from societies that value saving face and will pray the prayer to
make you happy without any actual commitment to follow Jesus. When they do make a decision it needs to come from their
heart and voluntarily.
7. Whenever possible work with the entire family.
Try to build a positive climate for the potential new convert by building trust with the family. In societies that highly
value respect for elders and parents, for a Christian to lead a child or minor away from their ancestral path is the ultimate
insult and a grievous offense. We set potential converts up for failure if we lead them to faith but then let them stand alone
against the enmity of their closest social relations.
8. Expose them to the community of faith.
Invite your friends to a small group, to a gathering of Christians, and to church services. Let them hear of God’s grace at
work in people’s lives. Utilize small group and larger group events to expose people to personal testimonies and the gospel.
9. Buddhist people come to faith through experiencing Christ and not through verbal presentations alone. Pray they will
experience God’s power in healing, signs and wonders.
Normally in our Western tradition of witnessing, we talk about the gospel but do not often pray with people to experience
the power of Christ. Do not simply say, “I will pray for you.” Ask people what needs they have and pray with them for
healing, blessing, and provision right then. Invite people to pray on their own as well. The experience of answered prayer
often opens the eyes of folk Buddhists who will then be more open to learn about Jesus.
10. Pray for your Buddhist and Hindu friends.
At the end of the day, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that draws people to Jesus. One convert from a Buddhist country
shared how her initial attraction to a church in her homeland was to the foreigners teaching English there. She attended
church services, but they made no sense to her. Then while listening to a message on Revelation 3:20 she said Jesus knocked
on the door of her heart and she invited Him in. This is what Jesus does; He reveals himself to people. Let Him use you to
plant the seed of the gospel into the hearts of Buddhist people in your life.
Question:What should Akhil do? Explain.

Case study:   Akhil was a Christian who had gotten work at a printing press. He arrived early on Friday morning
and saw a group of workers completing their prayers to Krishna. They were gathered around a large picture of the
Hindu god Krishna. His face was blue. Over his shoulders were strings of flowers and and tinsel. The owner of the
print shop provided funds to by coconuts, bananas, and sugar to offer at the weekly puja (Hinduism’s worship ritual). He

6
believed that his faithful offerings to the god, brought prosperity to his business Akhil tried to quietly leave, but the press
foreman, Prasad, had seen him. They had recently become friends. Akhil hoped to win Prasad to faith in Jesus Christ some
day. Akhil watched each employee eat. Then a leader put a spot of kunkumam (colored powder) on each person’s forehead.
This reddish spot showed the person was purified by eating food the god had left. Akhil knew that Prasad believed eating
food offered to a god was a sign of goodwill. It was like the giving or receiving a present at Christmas. But Akhil also knew
that eating the food and receiving the reddish dot were part of Hindu worship. Akhil looked at the plate of food from the
altar of the god. Prasad offered Akhil some of the food. Akhil did not want to damage his relationship with Prasad. But,
he did not want to compromise his relationship with Christ. What should he do?2

Bibliography and Suggested Readings

Bhikkhu Bodhi, “The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering.” Available from http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/
authors/bodhi/waytoend.html. Accessed 21 October 2011.
Burnett, David. Clash of Worlds. Nashville, Tennessee: Oliver Nelson, A Division of Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992.
Hesselgrave, David J. Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally. 2nd ed.: Zondervan, 1991.
Maguire, Jack. Essential Buddhism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs and Practices. New York: Pocket Books, 2001.
Richard, H. L. Hinduism: A Brief Look at Theology, History, Scripture, and Social System with Comments on the Gospel in
India. Pasadena, California: William Carey Library, 2007.
Sen, K.M. Hinduism. Middlesex, England: Pelican Books, 1986.
Skilton, Andrew. A Concise History of Buddhism. NYC, NY: Barnes and Noble Books, 1994.
Yamamoto, J. Isamu. Beyond Buddhism: A Basic Introduction to the Buddhist Tradition. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity
Press, 1982.
Zaehner, R. C. Hinduism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1966.

Endnotes
1
Adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/hinduism/
2
http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/food.htm