The Hindu word “karma” is used more and more often with a Western twist in meaning. Often people say it to mean “luck” (good or bad) or even as a gleeful expression of revenge. I myself once held a belief in karma when I was following Eastern and New Age beliefs and often thought of how someone who had wronged me would eventually suffer karma for what they had done. … [Read more...]
Eastern Religious Views versus the Judeo Christian View of God
Introduction Not too long ago, I received a text message from one of our students in our Student ministry at church. His text was asking for my thoughts regarding a friend at school, who was tinkering with the idea of leaving Christianity for Buddhism. One of the things I learned from that early morning text, was that doing apologetics was sometimes like that of a "first … [Read more...]
Pure Land Buddhism (Pseudo Buddhism)
Before delving into how a post on Pure Land Buddhism relates to Christian apologetics, let me provide a brief introduction to the history and development of thought in this ancient Buddhist philosophy. INTRODUCTION Pure Land Buddhism is a Mahayana School of Buddhism; it focuses on the attainment of nirvana through the merits of Amitabha Buddha, who is the focus of this sect. … [Read more...]
Evaluating Buddhism
[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: Buddhism originated in the spiritual quest of Siddhartha Gautama, the prince of Kapilavastu in modern day Nepal. The prince saw “four sights”. First sight was an old man, followed by a sick man, a corpse and finally … [Read more...]
Vajrayana – Fast Track to Nirvana
Vajrayana Buddhism, also called “Thunderbolt Vehicle” or “Diamond Vehicle,” is considered by some to be the third vehicle in Buddhism, the other two being, Mahayana, and Theravada. It is widely believed that this school of thought originated as a reaction to the highly philosophical Mahayana Schools in India in the Nalanda University, one of the earliest universities in the … [Read more...]
Comparision of the transformation in Buddhist Emperor Asoka with the transformation which Christ brings about
To help understand the transformation brought about by Buddhism, let us take the example of King Asoka. King Asoka, was the Emperor of the Maurya dynasty, who ruled over the kingdom of Magada. Asoka, was a very cruel young man and the title, “Chandashok” meaning, “Asoka, the terrible” was given to him. It is said that he assassinated most or all of his half brothers in order to … [Read more...]
Mahayana Buddhism – A Short Introduction and Analysis
Mahayana means greater vehicle, as compared to other schools of thought which were considered lesser vehicle. Mahayana is the dominant school of Buddhism in the world today. The form of Buddhism found in countries such as China, Tibet, Japan and Korea is Mahayana. The now popular Zen Buddhism of Japan and the Vajrayana of the Dalai Lama are Mahayana Schools of thought. … [Read more...]
A Comparision of the Ethical teachings and Impact of Jesus and Buddha
The ethical teachings of Christ vs Buddha Christ’s teachings : Love God with all your heart , soul , mind and strength. Love your neighbour as you love yourself . Love one another , as I have loved you. Loving your enemies . Holy living – in thought , word and deed. Lust of the eye is equivalent to adultery. Anger is equivalent to murder. Forgiveness of friends and … [Read more...]
The Origins, Assumptions and Superstitions of the Buddha’s thought
During the time of Gautama Buddha, there were two religious systems which predominated the landscape of India, namely Hinduism and Jainism . Gautama when he renounced his wealth, position and family and began his spiritual quest, encountered many philosophies. He came across vedic ritualistic Hinduism , upanishadic vedantic philosophical Hinduism, Jainism and Atheism. Vedantic … [Read more...]
How to Share the Gospel with Buddhists
This approach can be used for sharing the Gospel with anyone, making necessary alterations to match their worldview. One of the simplest ways to share the gospel with Buddhists is to first ask them to share what they believe about God, sin, salvation, etc., i.e their worldview, and then employ active listening, questioning etc to engage them and finally share the gospel with … [Read more...]