Sadly, like most every page I encounter, it is rife with errors though I'm sure he doesn't intend to deliberate slander the Blessed One (AN 2.23). I hope he doesn't mind if I correct him out of compassion.
Following the presentation of a few basic facts, there is a section entitled Historic Background which states
Buddhism was founded as a form of atheism that rejected more ancient beliefs in a permanent, personal, creator God (Ishvara) who controlled the eternal destiny of human souls. Siddhartha Gautama rejected more ancient theistic beliefs because of difficulty he had over reconciling the reality of suffering, judgment, and evil with the existence of a good and holy God.This is not true true. I would say, Buddhism's founding principles are the four noble truths as laid out in SN 56.11 and dependent arising. For that see DN 15, Ud 1.1, and SN 12.23. The Buddha did not teach because he couldn't reconcile "the reality of suffering, judgement, and evil with the existence of a good and holy God," but because he wanted to understand the cause and thus the cessation of suffering. Where Buddhism does address notions of gods or supreme beings (see DN 1, AN 3.61) it is with regards to right view. The attendent beliefs of eternalism and speculation on the concept of a soul are one of the two horns of wrong view that Buddhists are encouraged to avoid.
We come to the next section.
CORE BELIEFS:
Buddhism is an impersonal religion of self-perfection, the end of which is death (extinction)—not life.Incorrect. The ideal termination of the noble 8-fold path is nibbana, not death.
The essential elements of the Buddhist belief system are summarized in the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and several additional key doctrines. The Four Noble Truths affirm that (1) life is full of suffering (dukkha); (2) suffering is caused by craving (samudaya);Stopping here as there is a misuse of a doctrinal term. While it is refreshing to see Pali terms in use, I am distressed by the manner in which it is defined. "Samudaya" is not craving. That is "tanha." Samudaya has "origin" as it's meaning as in "samudaya-sacca" that is "truth of origination." The Patisambhidamagga's active formulation is helpful here.
Suffering to be understood
It's origin to be abandoned
Cessation to be realized
The path to be cultivated
Continuing.
(3) suffering will cease only when craving ceases (nirodha); and (4) this can be achieved by following the Noble Eightfold Path consisting of right views, right aspiration, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right contemplation. that reincarnation is an endless cycle of continuous suffering, and that the goal of life is to break out of this cycle by finally extinguishing the flame of life and entering a permanent state of pure nonexistence (nirvana).No major objection to the other two noble truths. However there is a missing component that would be helpful in clearing up some confusion in what comes next. Read on for clarification.
Other key doctrines include belief that nothing in life is permanent (anicca), that individual selves do not truly exist (anatta)First, the term anatta is drastically misunderstood by the author. The doctrine of anatta, if it is to be translated is to be understood as "not-self" not "no-self." This is due to the three marks of existence, of which two are mentioned.
The standard formulation in the canon, here from SN 22.45 goes thus, "The five aggregates, monks, are anicca, impermanent; whatever is impermanent, that is dukkha, unsatisfactory; whatever is dukkha, that is without attaa, self. What is without self, that is not mine, that I am not, that is not my self. Thus should it be seen by perfect wisdom as it really is. Who sees by perfect wisdom, as it really is, his mind, not grasping, is detached from taints; he is liberated."
From SN 22.7-9, "Material form, feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness, monks, are impermanent. Whatever causes and conditions there are for the arising of these aggregates, they, too, are impermanent. How monks, could aggregates arisen from what is impermanent, be permanent?
Material form... and consciousness, monks, are unsatisfactory; whatever causes and conditions there are for the arising of these aggregates, they too are unsatisfactory. How, monks, could aggregates arise from what is unsatisfactory be pleasant or pleasurable?
Material form... and consciousness, monks, are without a self; whatever causes and conditions there are for the arising of these aggregates, they, too are without self. How, monks, could aggregates arise from what is without self be self?"
Or, as put in SN 22.59, "Bhikkhus, how do you conceive it: is form permanent or impermanent?" — "Impermanent, venerable Sir." — "Now is what is impermanent painful or pleasant?" — "Painful, venerable Sir." — "Now is what is impermanent, what is painful since subject to change, fit to be regarded thus: 'This is mine, this is I, this is my self'"? — "No, venerable sir."
To say that there is "no self" is a direct contradiction of the Buddha's words in SN 44.10.
Thus, as demonstrated, when all the conditions are in place, in this instance the three marks brought together as taught, right view can arise.
Continuing.
that all is determined by an impersonal law of moral causation (karma),On the contrary, it is as personal as we make it. There may not be a "lawgiver," but the law of karma still applies. While there is the fruit of bad karma ripening, think AN 3.76. For a more detailed treatment I recommend Nyanaponika Thera's excellent essay Kamma and its Fruit, as kamma operates with a considerable amount of flexibility.
And we finish with,
that reincarnation is an endless cycle of continuous suffering, and that the goal of life is to break out of this cycle by finally extinguishing the flame of life and entering a permanent state of pure nonexistence (nirvana).That is not what "nibbana" means. Think of the fire sutta, SN 35.28. Nibbana, translated literally, means "blowing out" as in a flame, a candle, or perhaps the cooling of the flames of craving. To say that nibbana is "non-existence" is to try and conceptualize what cannot be expressed in such exclusive terms. See Snp 5.6 as well as SN 35.23 (as well as the last paragraph of the notes there).
Our next stop is a section called
BRIDGES FOR EVANGELIZING BUDDHISTS
In it we find,
The gospel can be appealing to Buddhists if witnessing focuses on areas of personal need where the Buddhist belief system is weak. Some major areas include:No, suffering is very real, but we must remember to have the right view of suffering: that since suffering is caused, suffering can thus cease. As I wrote to the people at Red Lantern Resources,
Suffering: Buddhists are deeply concerned with overcoming suffering but must deny that suffering is real.
...knowledge of suffering is integral to release from suffering. As put repeatedly in the canon, 'I am oppressed with birth, aging, & death, with sorrows, lamentations pains, distresses, & despairs. I am oppressed with stress, overcome with stress. Perhaps an ending of this entire mass of suffering & stress might be found!' And it is there, in that understanding of suffering that awakening begins.Next, we have
Christ faced the reality of suffering and overcame it by solving the problem of sin, which is the real source of suffering. Now, those who trust in Christ can rise above suffering in this life because they have hope of a future life free of suffering. "We fix our eyes not on what is seen [suffering], but on what is unseen [eternal life free of suffering]. For what is seen [suffering] is temporary, but what is unseen [future good life with Christ] is eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18, NIV).Suffering is more than what is seen.
You offer eternal life to a Buddhist. Think of the first noble truth here. Why worry about the future when you can do things now? Ideally, Buddhist practice can lead one to the cessation of suffering in this very life.
Meaningful Self: Buddhists must work to convince themselves they have no personal significance, even though they live daily as though they do. Jesus taught that each person has real significance. Each person is made in God’s image with an immortal soul and an eternal destiny.More positions offered only upon speculation or another wrong foundation. We do have significance. What we do here and now will continue to have effects after death. However, you speak of eternity and immortality with things related to the soul and the body. When I speak of impermanence, I can gesture to me or to you. The laptop I'm writing on. Souls and such cannot be known hence why there is so much speculation about what it is and what happens to it.
But then, I can't imagine not needing any more motivation than knowing that one can act good. Perhaps I should quote James 4:17.
Jesus demonstrated the value of people by loving us so much that He sacrificed His life in order to offer eternal future good life to anyone who trusts Him. "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8, NIV). Future Hope: The hope of nirvana is no hope at all—only death and extinction. The hope of those who put their trust in Christ is eternal good life in a "new heaven and new earth" in which God "will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things [suffering] has passed [will pass] away" (Rev. 21:4, NIV).DN 16, "Now, then, monks, I exhort you: All fabrications are subject to decay. Bring about completion by being heedful."
Snp 773, Having desire as their fetter, bound to the pleasures of existence, [people] are hard to release, [and] indeed cannot be released by others...
Dhp 276, You yourselves must strive; the Buddhas only point the way. Those meditative ones who tread the path are released from the bonds of Mara
What is proposed by Christians is a violation of all notions of law and justice. This has a bearing on what sort of witnessing techniques you think will be effective.
Moral Law: Because karma, the Buddhist law of moral cause and effect, is completely rigid and impersonal, life for a Buddhist is very oppressive. Under karma, there can be no appeal, no mercy, and no escape except through unceasing effort at self- refection.Kamma is not a black tidal wave of punishment rushing headlong at us, on the contrary, good kamma can be
done now. That's the point of practice. See MN 101.
Christians understand that the moral force governing the universe is a personal God who listens to those who pray, who has mercy on those who repent, and who with love personally controls for good the lives of those who follow Christ. "In all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Rom. 8:28, NIV).If morality is not determined by free moral agents making choices, then there is no such thing as morality.
Merit: Buddhists constantly struggle to earn merit by doing good deeds, hoping to collect enough to break free from the life of suffering. They also believe saints can transfer surplus merit to the undeserving.I'd like to respond to this by quoting Sutta Nipata 3.2
"Alive,
you can do
acts of merit.
Your living the holy life,
performing the fire sacrifice,
will heap up much merit.
What use is exertion to you?
Hard to follow
— the path of exertion —
hard to do, hard
to sustain."
Saying these verses,
Mara stood in the Awakened One's presence.
And to that Mara, speaking thus,
the Blessed One said this:
"Kinsman of the heedless,
Evil One,
come here for whatever purpose:
I haven't, for merit,
even the least bit of need.
Those who have need of merit:
those are the ones
Mara's fit to address."
Jesus taught no one can ever collect enough merit on his own to earn everlasting freedom from suffering. Instead, Jesus Christ, who has unlimited merit (righteousness) by virtue of His sinless life, meritorious death, and resurrection, now offers His unlimited merit as a free gift to anyone who will become His disciple. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8–9, NIV).Good. We are agreed then. Merit is, on the whole, unnecessary (though not irrelevant, just not germane to this discussion). However, while the perfection of giving culminates with the sacrifice of one's own life, see Cp 1.1, Ja 316, one can only be saved by oneself.
Desire: Buddhists live a contradiction—they seek to overcome suffering by rooting out desire, but at the same time they cultivate desire for self-control, meritorious life, and nirvana.This is another "problem" based on lack of knowledge.
In my response to Ben Russell, who raised the same non-existant objection, I wrote,
This is an elementary misunderstanding. See Samyutta Nikaya 51.15 and Majjhima Nikaya 126. Of course, that ignores that the Buddha didn't speak of desire but tanha. To put it another way, the word tanha can be translated as desire, but this is a very poor word to encompass what is meant by the word, and as such has led to a very grave misunderstanding.Skipping past the next paragraph brings us to
JESUS AND THE EIGHTFOLD PATH
Wherein we read
Because Buddhists think a good life consists of following the Eightfold Path, the stages of the path can be used to introduce them to Christ as follows:No, right view is not just knowledge of dhamma, but it's proper grasping as well. Think of it more as proper view.
Right views: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and there is salvation in no one else (Acts 4:12).
Right aspiration: Fights and quarrels come from selfish desires and wrong motives (Jas. 4:1–3); right desires and motives honor God (1 Cor. 10:31).On this we agree, however, in Buddhism this is identified by being one of the results of a process called papañca see DN 21, MN 18, and Snp 4.11
Right speech: A day of judgment is coming when God will hold men accountable for every careless word they have spoken (Matt. 12:36).A god is unnecessary for this.
Right conduct: The one who loves Jesus must obey Him (John 14:21), and those who live by God’s wisdom will produce good acts/fruit (Jas. 3:17).Good conduct is it's own reward, and one doesn't need to aspire to end suffering to act for the good of all beings. It comes down to right view. See Dhp 1 and 2. Each step informs the other. Right view, that suffering has an end, leads to right intent, which aids one in right speech, right action, and right livelihood. When those are taken care of, it enables the easy practice of right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
Right livelihood: God will care for those who put Him first (Matt. 6:31,33), and all work must be done for God’s approval (2 Tim. 2:15). Right effort: Like runners in a race, followers of Christ must throw off every hindrance in order to give Him their best efforts (Heb. 12:1–2).See above.
Right mindfulness: The sinful mind cannot submit to God’s law (Rom. 8:7), and disciples of Christ must orient their minds as He did (Phil. 2:5).Submission and mindfulness are incompatible.
Right contemplation: The secret of true success, inner peace, self-control, and lasting salvation is submission to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and setting your heart and mind on things above where He now sits in glory waiting to bring the present order of sin and suffering to an end (Col. 3:1–4).A lie of exclusivism.
Now we get to
WHEN WITNESSING TO BUDDHISTSWhile those phrases won't trigger resistence in a Buddhist, Christians cannot offer a Buddhist something that we don't already have: a path to the cessation of suffering. As for merit, see above.
1. Avoid terms such as "new birth," "rebirth," "regeneration," or "born again." Use alternatives such as "endless freedom from suffering, guilt, and sin," "new power for living a holy life," "promise of eternal good life without suffering," or "gift of unlimited merit."
2. Emphasize the uniqueness of Christ.All religions claim uniqueness of their founders. Well, Buddhism holds that there have been many Buddhas.
3. Focus on the gospel message and do not get distracted by details of Buddhist doctrine.
Unfortunately, your unwillingness to engage with even basic Buddhist doctrine has made you a poor witness. The other part of the problem is that the gospel is irrelevant to Buddhists.
4. Understand Buddhist beliefs enough to discern weaknesses that can be used to make the gospel appealing (see "Bridges for Evangelizing Buddhists" and "Jesus and the Eightfold Path").The gospel cannot be made appealing without misunderstanding Buddhist doctrine or in some way compromising the character of what you're presenting. See your own point 5.
5. While using bridge concepts (see "Bridges for Evangelizing Buddhists"), be careful not to reduce Christian truth to a form of Buddhism. Buddhism has been good at accommodating other religions. Do not say "Buddhism is good, but Christianity is easier."Of course, easier isn't always better.
6. Share your own testimony, especially your freedom from guilt, assurance of heaven (no more pain), and personal relationship with Christ.Any Buddhist acting rightly would be free of regret, see Dhp 67-68.
I don't feel he need to address the 7th and final point. However, I feel that my goal has been accomplished in showing how unfamiliarity and misunderstanding through misapprehension is responsible for thoughts that the Buddhist system is "weak" and that evangelism can be effective if approached with these misunderstandings as one's only knowledge.
May all beings be happy and free from suffering.
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