Burning Quest - Part 7

What is karma?  

Well, it's kind of your own fault, but here's an explanation given by Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda in his book What Buddhists Believe, page 113...

"Karma is an impersonal natural law that operates in accordance with ones actions.  It is a law in itself and does not have any law-giver.  Karma operates in its own field without intervention of an external, independent, ruling agent."

Therefore there is no God or gods that are necessary to govern our lives.  Just live and let live all by oneself.

A person reaps what they sow.  Sow good, reap good.  Sow bad, reap bad.

But how do you explain bad things happening to those who sow good?  Those who sow bad have no authority or accountability but their own.

God has a plan for each and every one of His children and that plan is not to harm us but to be used for our own good (Jeremiah 29:11).  When we rebel and want to follow our own way, that's where we run into trouble.  

I'm glad my Heavenly Father, God, is my "external, independent, Ruling Agent".  However it is not quite truth that He is external.  When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior through faith, God sent His Holy Spirit to indwell me (and any other follower of Jesus Christ); therefore, He is internal.  God seeks to commune with His children and He also wants us to follow His ways out of love and gratitude for Him.  This is to make Him King of my life--to become that "Ruling Agent" and allow Him to be the "Accountant" of my life.  He has our best interests at heart.

Sri Dhammananda points out on page 114 that it's the mind that is the individual's "lawgiver" giving "volition" to do good or bad causing that person to reap the consequences of their own actions.

The Fall had total bearing on our minds thus its corruptness and need of redemption and renewal.  This not through our own efforts (according to God's Word Ephesians 2:8) or training our minds but through the blood of Jesus Christ who God gave to all of mankind.  Once justified by faith, then, and only then are we able to work on sanctification of our minds and then on our actions through obeying God's Word  and the Holy Spirit's convictions, help and influence in our lives.

I'd like to insert here two short paragraphs that I believe are so succinct in explaining, in brief, two big words:  justification and sanctification.  We will run into these terms as we wade through this Burning Quest series.  Here then from the book The Gospel According to Rome by James G. McCarthy, page 68...

"Sanctification and justification must not be confused.  Justification is a declaration of God by which a person is forgiven and credited with the righteousness of God.  It is a once-and-for-all event by which a person comes into a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Practical sanctification is a process by which the Christian's moral character and personal conduct come into growing conformity with his legal standing before God.  It is a work of God but one in which the believer must cooperate (Romans 6:19)."

God does not want to be impersonal to us His creatures.  He wants relationship and interaction: communion.

The Buddhist reckons without this but the question needs to be asked, "Where did a human being's mind come from in the first place?

We must reckon with God's sovereignty and man's responsibility.  I think if you read another article it will give you an idea of these.  Please click on the link following:  Testing God.

"The Buddha says, "There is no place to hide in order to escape from karma results..."" (page 117).

This means whatever a person does or does not do, the consequences are his and his alone.  No one else is to blame: not some pre-programmed life by a "supreme being but ones own self is responsible".  I tell you however, that there is a place to hide.  Rather not a place, but a Person, and that Person is none other than Jesus Christ.  He is the One to have suffered for my sins and their consequences.  He took my punishment.  I accepted this gift and received forgiveness of sins, His suffering the penalty of those sins on my behalf; and giving eternal life with Christ in the end.  All praise and gratitude belong to Him.

Thank-You, Father, God.

Again from Sri Dhammananda page 118...

"...we are not slaves to our karma.  Nor are we mere machines that automatically release instinctive forces that enslave us.  Nor are we mere products of nature.   We have within ourselves the strength and ability to change our karma..."

A determined decision to make such changes do happen to great degrees but it's the perseverance that can be problematic.  Even with the Holy Spirit's help our own spirit and will may work against our good intentions  to submit to God our Father and rely on Him in the progressive sanctification department.  Just think of the people who make New Year's Resolutions or the ones who give something up for lent, these things often peter out eventually.    Saving oneself would be a determined full time exhausting job; it does sound rather like slave work to me.

Sri Dhammananda says optimistically on page 118...

"Our minds are mightier than our karma and so the law of karma can be made to serve us.  We do not have to give up our hope and effort in order to surrender ourselves to karmic force.  To off-set the reaction of our bad karma that we have accumulated previously, we have to do more meritorious deeds; and purify our minds rather than simply rely on worshiping, performing rites or torturing our physical bodies in order to overcome our karmic effects...a person can overcome the effects of his or her evil deeds if he or she acts wisely by leading a noble life."

To outweigh the effects of  bad deeds one needs to perform more good deeds so that whoever, or whatever, receives your "mental continuum" will have a better life while aiming to eradicate suffering; a kind act in and of itself.  So whatever or whomever is to receive your 'gift' needs to rely on you doing your part, hopefully, for better, not for worse.  You, yourself may not suffer/gain the consequences but the next person/critter will, it seems.

Many likely have heard of mind over matter.  Yes, God has given many, mighty minds. Yet I prefer to rely on God's work in me to bring about the good character and the renewing of my heart and mind.  The heart change comes through the justification a person receives at the point of salvation.  The mind change can then follow suit (sanctification process).  We do not have to worry about making the next person or critter's life miserable.  At the end of our own physical body, God takes care of our soul and spirit till He's ready to call us to be with Him forever and give us that incorruptible body as we read about in Burning Quest - Part 6.

                                                         ~ERC  2018~

Burning Quest - Part 6

"He loves me; he loves me not," chorused the young girls as they plucked one after another of the many small petals off their respective summer daisies.  "Hurray!" they'd exclaim, when it ended with, "He loves me!"

We human beings can be so changeable, often at the drop of a hat.  Making up one's mind, especially with big decisions of life, can be quite a challenge.  Things change, situations change, outcome of a prognosis uncertain...

Life itself is in flux, from birth to death.  That which used to give pleasure may now be a bore; the one who was a friend yesterday, today is now an enemy.  Our very physical bodies began to die the moment we were born; continual change.

Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda, author of the book What Buddhists Believe describes this continuing flux as the "Law of Impermanence or Change" as according to Gautama Buddha (page 112).  Because of this, he also "denies the existence of eternal substances" (page 112).  He continues...

"Matter and spirit are false abstractions that, in reality are only changing factors (Dharma) which are connected and which arise in functional dependence on each other" (page 112).

For instance, going up the food chain, one species dependent upon another for food, allowing perpetuity of each species, or not.  If there are too many deer in the forest, introduce wolves to decimate the numbers or allow hunters more seasonal shots.  Or, if there are not enough trees, plant some so birds of the air have places to nest and gain protection from other flying predators; you get the picture of nature being in harmony and interdependent balance.

Yet to further the quandary...

"Buddhism teaches that the mind seeks a permanent existence but life creates an impermanent physical body.  We take this as life, and then unsatisfactoriness disturbs the mind.  This is the source of suffering." (pages 112-113).

If one believes there is nothing eternal, that there is no spirit ("false abstraction") and there is no God, then that individual is indeed in a dilemma and of all people most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19).  No wonder the more intense suffering.

So what will happen to the mind, or the storing up of accumulated knowledge and good/bad karma when the body housing the mind, or "mental continuum" is no longer?  It must inhabit a new form (body); for example a cockroach, snake or other animal or even another human being.  Buddhists call this "rebirth" but there will be more on this subject later on in this series (pages 112-113).

It is rather significant that Gautama Buddha taught that the mind seeks a "permanent existence" yet because of the impermanent physical body, therein is conflict and  source of suffering.  

Praise the Lord, there is God. That He is eternal.  That He gives life eternal through His Son Jesus.  There is eternal life.  

Yes our physical body dies and decays; "dust to dust, ashes to ashes".

"...from dust you are and to dust you will return" (Genesis 3:19).

But God will give us Christians new bodies that are incorruptible when He calls His children home to Heaven to be with Him forever (1 Corinthians 15:42-49 ESV)...

"So it is with the resurrection of the dead.  What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable." (vs 42)..."The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven" (vs47)...Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven." (vs 49).

This imperishable/incorruptible body we will be given will be able to sustain the permanence of eternal life as our spirits live on.  This is good news.

More good news is that then all suffering and unsatisfactoriness will be no more.  This is due to the unchangeableness of the God of the universe, the Creator God; the Sustainer God; all one and the same great and mighty Being, my Heavenly Father, God.  All things will then be permanently good and stable; unchangeable. 

We change but He changes not...

"I the LORD do not change..." (Malachi 3:6 NIV)

We also know that, 

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8 NIV).

Because He is the same and does not change, we can trust and rely on Him, forever.

Another aspect of changeableness is that of renewing our minds.  Once a person belongs to Jesus, having accepted salvation by faith, our Heavenly Father wants us to be conformed to His likeness. That is when our conduct and character need to become more like Christ's.  

We ourselves want our own children to behave in certain ways, so does God our Father desire for His children to behave in certain ways.

There is a saying that goes something as follows:  God loves us just the way we are (meaning He accepted us sinners to come to Him through Jesus Christ and we didn't have to raise ourselves to a certain standard to earn merits to be accepted and receive His salvation) but He loves us too much to leave us that way (again, the purpose is not for earning any merit points for earning any acceptance but to have renewed minds and lives).

And again, we love our children to bits and accept their foibles and eccentricities but we also want them to behave with common courtesy, and to form good character and conduct; thus we train and discipline to accomplish the task.     

You may wish to read this other link as an example of this Christian living idea called "Morning Musings - Do the Do".

I believe all of us have our weaknesses and God wants to help us and holds His Son up as His standard for us.  He wants us to grow and mature and to be like His Son Jesus (Romans 8:29).  In Romans 12:2  (ESV) we read...

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will."

While still alive and living on this earth we do need our minds to change and be "renewed" to Christ's likeness.  We can do so by living according to God's Word.  Read it and then obey it.  This we will do till Jesus calls us to Heaven and then we will no longer have to struggle; our hearts and minds will focus on Christ Himself without the distractions of our own desires and will.  Our imperishable bodies and our fully redeemed and renewed minds will then live on forever in permanent existence with Christ in the perfection of Heaven.  He makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

                                                      ~ERC  2018~

Burning Quest - Part 5

In this entry of Burning Quest we'll delve into the Eight-Fold Path to Enlightenment that Gautama Buddha believed helped to...

"...develop the mind by restraining from evil and observing morality..." (page 102)*

Thus Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda remarks in his book What Buddhists Believe.

If you'll recall from Burning Quest - Part 4, this Eight-Fold Path, also known as "The Middle Way", is the 'cure' to eliminate craving and desires, allowing a person to attain Nirvana.  We learned of the problem that led to discovering the cause of suffering and from thence to this cure on towards Nirvana.

Sri Dhammananda asserts that this Eight-Fold Path is the most important of Gautama Buddha's teachings (pages 108-109)* as it helps one to identify the unsatisfactoriness of our selfish greed and craving.  However with the "right effort...and right mindfulness" a person can achieve the end of their personal suffering.

This Middle Path has been broken down into three main aspects that of Sila (morality), Samadhi (mental culture) and Panna (wisdom)" (page 103)*.  These need to be developed simultaneously starting with morality.

Much of the morality aspect reads a lot like the Ten Commandments given to the children of Israel more than a millennium before Siddhartha Gautama arrived on the scene that we can read about in Exodus 20:1-7 in God's Word; the dilemma was the same back then as in Gautama's time and as it is today.  According to Sila, 

"we must bring good to other (living beings) by abstaining from killing, slandering, stealing, becoming intoxicated or being lustful."  

In a nutshell, a person needs to have right speech, action and livelihood for righteous living (pages 103-104)*.

The idea of this Way starting with morality is that it can in turn develop the mental culture.  The mind becomes more easily controlled and concentration increases.  So with right effort, mindfulness and concentration one gains good Samadhi for righteous living (pages 103-104)*.

Progression in those first two aspects of the Middle Way gains one wisdom.  It follows that the more the concentration, the more wisdom can be acquired and give right understanding and thoughts to the individual disciplining themselves with this regimen.  That is the Panna for righteous living; the good moral conduct and so the cycle can continue (pages 103-104)*.

So one needs right effort to live the right way and earns one merits or "wholesome karma", moving one along the path to Nirvana.  "Unwholesome karma" (demerits), of course, head one in the opposite direction.  It is vital to keep the body, speech and mind under control and in time will benefit a person with...

"One, "mental and physical well-being: comfort, joy, calm, tranquility.Two, turn the mind into an instrument capable of seeing things as they truly are and Three, prepares the mind to attain wisdom." (page 109)*.

This formula for living trains one to be 

"detached from worldly pleasures, to think of others' welfare,...maintain loving kindness, good will, benevolence in the mind (as opposed to hatred and ill will...) and to act with harmlessness and compassion to all beings." (page 105)*.

This sounds very much like a plausible prescription for eradicating suffering and bringing a person to a very good and satisfactory life and end result.  And, yes, there are those who are said to have been able to succeed in this, obviously, Gautama Buddha, for one.  No doubt many have had good success, but has it been enough?

There have been many over the millennia of time who have tried "good works"; just read through the Old Testament of the Bible.  They too had a prescribed way to live.  The Law of God revealed the human heart and mind for what it was/is, always bent on sin.  Yet, the trouble does not lie with The Law, rather with the individual and his/her struggle with sin, or as the Buddhist would say, with the cravings and desires as manufactured in ones' mind (See also Romans 7:7-24).

Again, some did wondrously but when you look at individuals such as King David; Solomon; Jeremiah, Isaiah and other Old Testament characters, who did live according to those rules and regulations delineated by God our Heavenly Father and Creator, we see they still grappled with being righteous.  They failed miserably and/or took to mourning for the failures of others such as did the prophet Jeremiah.

Abraham and Moses who lived/began living, pre-Ten Commandment days, also failed despite their more righteous living.  Both those men had to learn hard lessons.  Eventually they learned to trust God and it was their faith, not their works, that was accounted to them for righteousness (Galatians 3:6; Hebrews 11).

Take a look at Philippians 3:9 NIV...

"...and be found in Him (God), not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Jesus Christ-the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith."

Romans 9:30 NIV is of help too...

"What shall we say?  That the Gentiles [as opposed to being Jews], who did not pursue righteousness, [as the Israelites did], have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith."

Faith in Jesus Christ is of essence to securing the righteousness and the righteous living God requires and desires of us human beings.  It is more than that too.  He desires relationship with Him.  Abraham was called a friend of God (James 2:23 NIV).  Moses had a very close relationship with God and could speak "face to face with God as one speaks with a friend" (Exodus 33:11).  In the New Testament we see the apostle John leaning on Jesus' bosom.  Pastor Nick Bibile explains that the bosom represents, 

"the center of your affections, passions, inmost intimate feelings".

That is the relationship which God desires with each and every one of His children; with every human being He has created, in fact.  Yet He will not force anyone to it.  He wants the genuine desire of our hearts; therefore, relationship, not de-tachment.  His love for His human creatures longs for us to reciprocate and our love for Him spurs us on to that righteous living.  Do we love Him?  He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Because of God's great love for us, He doesn't leave us to our own devices.  He gives His children the empowering help of His Holy Spirit.  Once we belong to Him through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit teaches and guides to do what is righteous in God's sight.

This will definitely lead us to the correct speech, actions and mindfulness, etc.

"When we walk by the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Romans 5:17 NIV).

Please pause, find a Bible and read Romans 5:13-26.  This will show you life with and without the Holy Spirit.  Yes, there will still be that 'tug-of-war' of the cravings and desires "of the flesh", the human will, till we get to Heaven but there is hope and righteousness through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of God who indwells each believer who has attained salvation through Jesus Christ, to live a progression of sanctification (subsequent entries will deal with this) aiming for perfection and a conforming to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

Our problem and cause of suffering is sin.  Faith in Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection is the cure.  As we live out our lives in Christian living--walking by His Spirit--we will please God.  However we do not have to earn that salvation ourselves--Jesus paid for it all.  All we have to do is accept His salvation by faith.  It is a gift.  Receive it.  We owe it to Him.

To finish off this entry here's another hymn I'd like to share about God's righteousness.  I couldn't find a YouTube rendition of it so musical score included.

                                                ~ERC  2018~

References:

Page numbers marked with * come from the book What Buddhists Believe by author Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda.

Scripture references are as marked above.

Other quotations, click on link provided.

Burning Quest - Part 4

When there's a problem, one looks for a cause, a root cause, not a symptom, and then searches for a cure.  In a nutshell, this is what propelled Gautama Buddha on his quest.  On his forays into the wide, wide world, sighting physical and mental pain; seeing the diseased and aged people outside the safety of his sheltered, sterile palace, struck him with life's reality.  What a shock to his system!  Such misery was a definite problem.

This brings us to the first of the Four Noble Truths that are said to have enlightened Gautama Buddha...

"...to recognize the prevalence of Dukkha" [suffering] (page 99 of What Buddhists Believe by Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda).

Gautama Buddha had recognized it alright!  He further concluded...

"...That pleasure or happiness...in life is impermanent."

Reality's sad reflections indeed.  Knowing the problem then begs the questions:  "Why?  What's the cause of this problem of suffering?"  Knowing and "identifying the cause" (page 100) is the Second Nobel Truth.

"'Craving or desire (tanha or ragu) is the cause of suffering,' said Buddha" (page 100).

Sri Dhammananda explains in his book on page 100...

"Craving is a powerful mental force present in all forms of life, and is the chief cause of the ills of life.  It is this craving that leads to repeated births in the cycle of existence."

We do not have to look too far down the road since the beginning of time to know this.  The serpent in  the Garden of Eden used this against Eve (Genesis 3:1-6).   The fruit looked good, Eve was tempted and she disobeyed and ate.

Not much later on, look what the LORD saw in Genesis 6:5 NIV...

"The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time."

Again in 1 Timothy 6:10 NIV we read...

"For the love [emphasis mine] of money is a root of all kinds of evil..."

Today, we are not much different.  Yet the underlying cause of suffering, is disobedience, not craving.  Eve's disobedience was sin causing separation from God.  Eve well knew God's command of Genesis 2:17...

"...but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil..."

Eve had a choice:  to eat, or not to eat; disobey or obey.

Despite the command she allowed her craving to override obedience.  Adam followed suit.

The result of craving and disobedience was sin.  Look at the remainder of Genesis 2:17 (NIV)....

"...for when you eat from it, you will certainly die..."

The New Testament reiterates that point in Romans 6:23...

"The wages of sin is death..."

It's no wonder there is such suffering in the world among the human race, which in ripple effect, affected all of creation.  Creation groans (Romans 8:22).

Recognizing Dukkha (suffering) and its cause makes one wonder, "Is there a cure?"  This is the Third Noble Truth of Gautama Buddha.

Sri Dhammananda tells us on page 101 of his book...

"...Eliminate it at its root by the removal of craving in the mind...The state where craving ceases is known as 'Nirvana' ('ni'  +  'vana'  =  departure from or end of craving)"

                                Problem  >  Cause  >  Cure  >  Nirvana

God does not leave the human race in the death throes of sin's wages.  God tells us in Roman 6:23 (NIV)...

"...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

And in 1 John 1:7 (NIV) we get the joyful news...

"...the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, purifies us from all sin."

This is the all surpassing 'cure'; the way to truly 'eliminate' craving and sin...that's a gift from God.  There will be more on this subject in subsequent blog entries.  It's best to add here that craving itself is not sin but the action one takes to fulfill the craving may well be, such as in Eve's case where she went against God's express command and disobeyed.  Yet, the craving was conceived in the mind and brought to fruition by the heart. 

Gautama Buddha's cure is to follow a whole outline of ways in which to lead...

"...a pure religious life without going to extremes" (page 102).

This 'outline' is called "The Noble Eight Fold Path to Enlightenment" or simply put, "The Middle Way".   The next blog entry in this series will explain these.  When a person follows this, they can..

"...purify themselves with diligence and patience...and it will be possible to see an end to suffering" (page 101).

Gautama Buddha realized that righteousness was needed and felt that following this Middle Path will spiritually develop and mature an adherent to achieve both righteousness and Nirvana.  A person does not need to rely on outside help but needs only to rely on his/herself to accomplish their own Nirvana.  Sri Dhammananda remarks that Gautama Buddha has led the way to this Middle Path; all do well to follow.  

This reminds one of John the Baptist whom we read about in the New Testament of the Bible.  He was the forerunner of Jesus Christ.  He told people to repent because One greater than he was coming and the people of the time needed to ...

"Make straight the way for the Lord"  (John 1:23 NIV).

John the Baptist went about preparing people for Jesus arrival, asking them to repent and to be baptized.  He did not claim to be the way to that righteousness God requires of us, rather he pointed Jesus out and declared...

"Look, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!"  (John 1:29 NIV).

Jesus told His listeners...

"I am the Way and the Truth and the Life..."  (John 14:6 NIV)

What a wonderful 'cure'!  Jesus gives the permanent joy of sins purified, by Him, not from our own effort, and forgiveness and the promise of everlasting life with Him in Heaven.  In addition, He gives us His Holy Spirit Who helps us to overcome our cravings and desires that do not please God should we choose His help.

Salvation through Jesus Christ leads to the certain end of suffering.  In Heaven there are no more tears, no more darkness, sorrows, decay or misery and no more death.  Suffering ceases, and great joy in the Presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be realized.

Praise His Holy Name.

                                                          ~ERC  2018~

Burning Quest - Part 3

Here is a summary of sorts of Buddhism and how it has trickled down to what it is today.

At the time of Gautama Buddha's teachings there had not been an organized system of Buddhist religion (pages 75-77 of What Buddhists Believe by Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda).  As these ideas grew and were taken on by others and dispersed out to other cultures (from India outwards), those cultures gave the Buddhists' teachings their respective cultural tweak.

Because of that, although there are the basic characteristics of the original teachings, much has deviated therefrom and many other practices have 'adulterated' the original.  Instead of practicing the pure original teaching:  

"self-discipline, self-restraint, cultivation of morality and spiritual development...attention and effort were put into protection from evil spirits...black magic...sickness...the human intelligence...and has...polluted the sublime teaching of the Buddha" (page 76).

As Steve Cioccolanti, Thai author of From Buddha to Jesus remarks, Gautama Buddha's words were not written down until years  later (possibly 300 yrs later).  They were then written on palm leaves which eventually disintegrated, so much was lost.  Through ensuing years there have been symposiums where leading Buddhists gathered to document a more organized collection of those teachings.  Later versions thereof did lose major portions of the more original versions.  If I remember correctly, one of those more original versions is kept by Cambodians (it's been a while since reading this book so that precise detail many be debatable).

Sri Dhammananda says...

"...one must go back and study and investigate the original teachings"(page 77)

Originally they were passed down orally and memorized and some even feel that it is the spirit of the words and not the text that needs preserving yet having things written down can solidify the teachings and help others read and learn of the teachings.

As followers of Jesus Christ who read God's Word the Bible, we learn from the sixty-six books within the one Good Book.  The teachings of Jesus Christ and all He did while walking the earth in His human form were recorded faithfully by His servants, who were eyewitnesses, as they were taught by the Holy Spirit of God.  Some say that as early as twelve years after Jesus ascended back to Heaven that some of the Gospels were written and that definitely before 70 AD.  There would have been those still living who could verify what was written; in so doing the accuracy of the words, works and events were preserved.

The Tripitaka is one of the Buddhist's sacred texts which comes in three sections (or baskets):  Disciple (Vinaya Pitaka) showing how to live ones life among the Sangha delineating major and minor offenses; Discourse (Sutra Pitaka) which are mostly by Buddha but from others as well; Absolute Doctrine (Abhidarma Pitaka) which gives...

 "the analytical doctrine of mental faculties and elements containing moral and psychology and philosophy of Buddha's teaching as opposed to his moral discourses" (page 84-85; 89).

There are two main schools of Buddhist thought:  Theravada (established in Sri Lanka about the 3rd century BC) and Mahayana.  These schools have some differences but do have areas of agreement.  Some of those areas of agreement are the Four Noble Truths; The Eight-Fold Path; they reject the idea of a supreme being who created and governed this world; they accept the karma taught by Gautama Buddha; reject the belief in the eternal soul; accept rebirth after death; and that Nirvana is the final goal or salvation; among others (pages 77-79).

Theravada Buddhism is seen mostly in Sri Lanka, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand and "customized" to the respective locale while China, Japan and Korea have greater leanings towards Mahayana Buddhism.

There is a third major sect of Buddhism, incidentally many Westerners are attracted to this, called Vajrayana *1 which is practiced in Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan and Nepal.  This is the "most mystical and esoteric of the schools" *2  You've heard of the Dalai Lama?  This is where he hails from.

Interestingly, according to Sri Dhammananda,

 "there have been no wars of one school against another"! (page 81). 

 At least not with guns or weapons; perhaps with the tongue?  Verbal war?

The book What Do Buddhists Believe, written by Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda, explains mostly the Theravada persuasion as seen in the country of Malaysia, from whence Sri Dhammananda hails.  From this book, as well as from internet articles, come my gleanings and perspectives.  I know full well, I'm just scratching the surfaces of knowledge regarding Buddhism in general but as said before, this is my quest to have some idea of this religion and compare with those of the followers of Jesus Christ.  There may be times I need to stand to be corrected, and I apologize for any misinformation.  What gets written in this Burning Quest series is meant for general knowledge and hopefully kindle a quest of your own in seeking God's truth.

The major area which an individual needs to address is the mind, so says Sri Dhammananda and that according to Gautama Buddha.  He asks the question in regards to mind and matter on page 95 of his book...

"What is mind?  No matter.  What is matter?  Never mind."

The physical body refers to 'matter' while the mental forces refer to the 'mind'.  He goes on to say on page 96...

"...the greatest scientists have accepted that mind precedes matter in order for life to originate.  In Buddhism, this concept is called 'relinking consciousness'."

I'm not going to elaborate on that, except to say that it was God who created us human beings; that is 'matter'.  THEN He breathed into man and made him a living being (Genesis 2:7).  So matter came first in that sense.  However the mind of God was there before any of creation came into being; God's is the greatest mind ever and so the greatest scientists, made by God, are correct in that order.  Just mind that now.

God's mind is a marvel.  Here's some verses about God's mind from Isaiah 55:8-9...

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.  For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

For more Bible verses about God's mind, click on the link. 

As we move forward throughout this Burning Quest series take note that much of Buddhist teachings will be about the mind while God's Word directs us to the heart as well as the mind.  As we move along, note that the Buddhist does not believe that God exists; note also that it will be assumed that from God's Word's standpoint, God is.  Followers of Jesus Christ firmly believe that God exists and that He is.

                                                      ~ERC  2018~

References:  Please click on link to see respective reference.

*1.  Vajrayana Buddhism
*2.  Mystical & Esoteric

The page numbers seen in parentheses are from the book What Buddhists Believe by author Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda.   For other references please click on the links provided.

Burning Quest - Part 2

In some ways Gautama Buddha had his heart in the right place.  He wanted to show others "the correct Path"; so said Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda in his book What Buddhists Believe (page 21).  Sri Dhammananda goes on to say that Gautama Buddha had "love for the suffering multitudes".

By comparison, writes Sri Dhammananda, other "philosophers and great thinkers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, lacked that love." (page 21).  In another part of the world about that time, in China, roamed the ancient sage Confucius.  He too gave the masses a way of life to live honorably, and to honor the Heavenly Ruler (Shang Di).  I don't recall reading anything about love but there was a deep concern that others would live according to his teachings and in which another wise guy, Mencius, wrote those teachings down as accurately and meticulously as possible for posterity.  Confucius wanted subsequent generations to live in a correct way.  (Reference book God and the Ancient Chinese by Samuel Wang and Ethel R. Nelson)

A major difference between Confucius' teachings and Gautama Buddha's was that belief in a Supreme Being.  Most unfortunately neither man had opportunity to have met Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ was born about 500-600 years after these gentlemen.  He is the Supreme Being and Heavenly Ruler as well as the loving Savior Redeemer He came to Earth to be.

Back to Gautama Buddha.  He then never learned of God's grace.  God's grace out-poured upon humankind through His Son Jesus Christ's death and resurrection securing salvation for one and all.  It is still an age of grace and God's offer is still being held out to one and all who will put their faith and trust in Him. 

The first hurdle in this for the Buddhist, then, would be to even accept the fact that there is a Supreme Being.  Second, that He loves them and wants to help them.  Third hurdle,  that they can rely on Him; a Person outside of themselves.  Fourth, that He came to offer them salvation and righteousness and that they do not have to earn it themselves.

Jesus came...

"...that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10 KJV).

And now we come to a strange sort of thing.  One of Gautama Buddha's concerns was to eradicate suffering.  According to Sri Dhammananda, he wanted to ...

"...show the world how to get rid of suffering and disease, decay, and death and all the worries and miseries of living beings." (page 20).

Isn't that a good thing?  Yes!  Why else would we have doctors and nurses and the whole medical profession in operation?  They're supposed to help one and all get better and to alleviate mankinds' physical, mental, emotional ills.  There are social workers helping other types of distress and miseries.  They alleviate but often don't eradicate.

Is it possible to eradicate?  Buddha felt so with his way of life.  He taught others those ways yet still 2500 years later there is still much suffering.  Buddha's aim was for the individual to work on their own personal behavior to make it better for themselves but also to encourage others along that path too.  The better the behavior, initially generated by governing the mind (will read more about this in subsequent entries), the lesser one would suffer.  It is an ongoing battle but one Gautama Buddha felt could be attained if one worked at it long and hard enough.

Then onto life's stage comes Jesus.  Jesus took upon Himself all that suffering of all people, the consequences of The Fall of man:  all the sin and bad behavior. 

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23).

Jesus took it all to buy our pardon; that all might have life and that abundantly.  This is such a positive note for mankind.

Jesus suffered.  The suffering did others good.  That's a strange thing.  Another strange thing is, that when a person accepts God's gift of salvation, we are told to expect suffering.  Expect suffering, not the eradication thereof!?

Our Master Jesus suffered, not for His own wrong deeds (He had NONE-He is perfect), but for ours.  If our Leader suffered, so will His followers (John 15:18).

That is, the suffering of persecution.  There is the suffering of sickness and other trials and tribulations.  "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them." (Romans 12:14).  If a follower of Jesus Christ can do that, they show out God's grace to others as Jesus did to mankind.  He too had compassion on the multitudes.  Look what Matthew 9:36 NIV says about how Jesus felt...

"When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed, and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

The followers of Jesus Christ have some responsibility to have compassion too and are directed, even, to ask for it as James 5:14 says...

"Is anyone among you sick?  Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord."

But there is another aspect about suffering, not to go looking for it, but embracing it should it come to you.  Isn't that strange?

James chapter 2:2-12 talks about trials and temptations that they are a testing of one's faith.  That sets off a chain reaction of good things:  perseverance; maturity, completeness.  A person won't lack anything.

Here's something else from 1 Peter 4:1...

"Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin..."

It seems suffering can "burn off" the sin, like dross from a silversmith's work.  Proverbs 25:4 remarks...

"Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel."

God, the Heavenly Silversmith, produces 'vessels' out of His children through the suffering.  Look what else suffering can teach:  patience (James 5:7)-the dross in this case could be impatience; to "stand firm" (James 5:8)-dross of wishy washiness; self-control; holiness, obedience to God and His ways (1 Peter 1:13-15); and living in harmony and love with the brothers in Christ; and riddance of malice and slander and grumbling (1 Peter 3:8-11; 4:9).  The list could go on...

These can accomplish what is needful in our life.  Please find this link Morning Musings - Suffering Helps to see more.

This is radical thinking to be sure.  You'll find throughout this Burning Quest series, that Gautama Buddha aimed for perfection in the mind's thinking en route to Nirvana (achieving ceasing of suffering).  That is his salvation.

In Jesus Christ there is justification.  The making of a person to be righteous in God's eyes.  Yet there is another side to the coin.  That is progressive sanctification, that aiming for perfection by living according to the teachings found in God's Word; that is often attained through suffering, not the eradication thereof.  Strange, but true.

It is time to discuss a suffering that is not necessary.  Life brings people much suffering through the bad deeds others perpetrate upon their victims.  The victims suffer.  That is real and not their fault when someone else sexually, physically, emotional &/or spiritually abuses them.  Those evil things are totally devastating.  I will not minimize that one iota!!

As the years go by a victim may well have great difficulty forgiving the perpetrator especially if the abuse had been an ongoing daily nightmare.  A great accumulation of wrongs against them, stored in a person's inmost being.  This is very understandable.

Deep in that inner being a harmed person often ends up with suppressed anger and unforgiveness.  As the years go by that can fester into bitterness and hate.  Holding all that may well one day manifest in the form of varying diseases.  Thus victimized again.

Yet there is hope.  Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 (NIV)...

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

And more hope.  Look what 1 Peter 5:7 says...

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

Someone with ages and ages worth of grief from abuse or even from other wrongs done to a person over the years (false accusations; bullying) can bring all the whole kit and caboodle to Jesus.  Give it all to Him.  He cares for you.  Find rest.

An extension to that is to release the anger, the bitterness and the unforgiveness to Him too.  All those pent up emotions given to Him.  And as the layers of emotion are released and released, maybe not in one day but over time will be sweet release.  Another layer would be to forgive the perpetrator.  Yes.  For fuller, more complete healing, forgiveness to the one (s) who've injured you is imperative.   This won't allow the perpetrator off the hook.  He/She will still have to be responsible for his/her own actions.  Yet, you, the victim, will be set free; free from the suffering of the soul and spirit that need not be.

There is one author by the name of Henry W. Wright who wrote Be In Health.  Wright writes that many health issues stem from spiritual issues such as unforgiveness.  God's Word also asks us to forgive and  "to rid yourselves of every root of bitterness" (Ephesians 4:31).  When we do so we "obtain the grace of God" (Hebrews 12:15); sweet release and replacement.  We would not want to fail to receive His grace.

God created us and knows well what will happen to our health if we don't forgive and relinquish the anger, hurt and bitterness to Him.  Let us keep NO record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5), multiply grace upon grace; in so doing we do what is right in God's eyes and lessen that type of suffering we do not need to endure.  

Strange, but true.

When followers of Jesus Christ get to Heaven, 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 has passed away."  (Revelation 21:4 NIV)

All those things will pass away.  We will live together, with Christ, suffer-free for all eternity.  

Praise the name of Jesus.

                                                       ~ERC  2018~

Burning Quest - Part 1

When you read the Bible, you'll see that Jesus has many names.  The names reflect the various aspects of who He is and of His character, His attributes.  Jesus is the sweetest name I know.

Yet, searching for the truth can certainly be a challenging pursuit.  There are times when two or more things may look or sound like the real things.  How does one discern that truth that does set a person free?

Speaking of the names of the Lord Jesus and comparing with some of the terms used for Gautama Buddha one would discover some very similar connotations.

Jesus is the Light of the world who gives us life (John 8:12)...

``When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, `I am the Light of the world, whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.`` (NIV)

Jesus can help us shed His light for us on such a quest.

From the book What Buddhists Believe written by Dr. K. Sri. Dhammananda we read,

"The Buddha was born to dispel the darkness of ignorance..."(page 20).

Sri. Dhammananda also claims that Buddha was...

"the most compassionate one who illuminated this world with loving-kindness." (page 20).

Again he refers to Gautama Buddha as...

``Lokavidu`-the knower of the world"(page 14).

We know that Jesus is God and it was God`s love and compassion that sent Him to the world on behalf of the human race.  We learn from God`s Word that Jesus is omniscient.  There are verses that read...

"For He knew who was betraying Him..." (John 13`11); "You know all things..." (spoken by others about Jesus-John 16:30); "Jesus perceived their malice..." (Matthew 22:18); "And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them..." (Matthew 12:25); and another, "But He knew what they were thinking..." (Luke 6:8).  

Yes, even at times even we human beings can guess what others are thinking but those are more guesses and assumptions.  Jesus KNEW all things.  His compassions fail not.

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed; for His compassions never fail." (Lamentations 3:22 NIV)

So we have the Lord Jesus Christ and there is Gautama Buddha listed with similar virtues.  How can a person discern to whom to turn?

1 John 4:1 NIV, gives investigative advice...

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God..."

At this juncture with this idea of testing, please check out this link with the title Morning Musings-The Real Thing.

Other advice comes from Deuteronomy 18:22 (NIV)...

"If what a prophet claims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken..."

Throughout this Burning Quest series, I pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you and draw you to God through Jesus Christ as you follow your own investigation on who is the light showing you the right path to life.

Dr. K. Sri. Dhammananda says that Buddha told of...

"the way by which one could conquer one's own world-...that the whole world was within us and it is led by the mind and that mind must be trained and cleansed properly..." (page 14)

Gautama Buddha's way is to live by the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path to Enlightenment.  Living according to these help one "conquer one's own world" and this is something to do for yourself; self-reliance.  Much of those "truths" are good; but are living them out, enough?

He gave out those teachings and it's up to the individual to take hold of for themselves.  Since then many people have chosen this way.

Jesus tells us that He is "The Way" (John 14:6).  He left His Father's (God), Home in Heaven to come to Earth to be The Way.  He came to be the Conqueror.  To get the victory over sin, death and Hell and to earn salvation for all who have faith to accept this gift.  He came because He desires us to rely on Him.  To rely on Him for salvation.  To rely on Him to conquer the thoughts in our minds; to train them to do what's right and good; to give us the new heart and the Holy Spirit to empower us to get the victory over ourselves in day to day living.  With life in Christ this is possible.

The burden of the challenge is not solely upon the individual.  Jesus walks with us in our struggles.  We walk in tandem with Him.  He will...

"Never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

"The Lord our God" (who can be your God) "will walk with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

Gautama Buddha became a well-known figure in his day and down throughout the ages.  Jesus, too, created pivotal marks upon the world, then and now.  In our hearts and minds let's allow Jesus to be preeminent (Colossians 1:18).  In Jesus Christ the Savior of the world we can have salvation that brings everlasting life.  We aim for perfection because of Jesus who was born perfect; lived a perfect life; died and rose again to make the perfect way, to be The Perfect Way to relationship with God our Heavenly Father.

While reading various articles from the internet it would seem that many have made a god out of Gautama Buddha.  However, according to Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda, Buddha...

"never agreed to be regarded as a god or a reincarnation of a god..." (page 16).

Sri Dhammananda quotes Anguttara Nikaya, and I quote him where it is said that Gautama Buddha said...

"I am not a deva nor any other divine being; neither am I an ordinary human being...He belonged to...a special class of enlightened beings, all of who are Buddhas" (pages 16-17).

It can be deduced then, that one need not worship such, nor treat him as a god;  perhaps someone to venerate but not to worship.

Jesus Himself tells us He and God His Father are one.  John 10:30, 34-38 (NIV)...

"I and the Father are one..."

Jesus is fully man and fully God.  

"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity (God) lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9 NIV/NLT).

Consider that.

Now consider this:

Either Jesus was who He said He was or He was a big liar.

If an individual believes that Jesus is who He said He is, then come to Him now and accept His salvation.  There will come a time when that choice is no longer viable.  I plead and pray with you so that you will do so before it is too late.  

See this from Romans 14:11...

"'As surely as I live', says the Lord, "every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will acknowledge God."

Jesus the Way is Truth and His Way is Truth.

Here is a hymn that comes to mind,

"Decide for Christ today,                                          
And God's salvation see;                                        
Yield soul and body, heart and will,                      
To Him who died for thee!  

Christ alone can save-Break the power of sin;Christ doth fully satisfy The heart that cleaves to Him." 

                                    

 We can then give praise and adoration and worship to Jesus Christ Who is God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the sea and all that are in them.  He is our Savior and Redeemer.  He is..

"The Way and the Truth and the Life, No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus said  (John 14:6). 

His name is the name to know.  Jesus, blessed Redeemer.

                                                         ~ERC  2018~

NB.   
Please note the reason for this Burning Quest series by reading the Burning Quest Preface & Introductary.  TQ.

Burning Quest-Preface and Introductory

Preface:  IN this upcoming Burning Quest series you will see many points of comparison of Buddhism measured against God's Word, the Holy Bible.  I will not use the phrase, 'measured up to Christianity'.  Christianity, if you look at some pie charts of the world religions, encompasses those who claim to be Christian but often add to or take away from God's Word.  

Measuring up to God's Word are followers of Jesus Christ who, according to God's Word, have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and that not of themselves but as a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8).  

Thus the preference to say, "followers of Jesus Christ" who live by the standard of God's Word.

Although many references for my discoveries come from various articles from the internet (links will be interspersed as reference made), this work is based largely on a book written by author Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda, called What Buddhists Believe.  Page numbers given beside quotes will reflect this book.

You'll discover, as according to one pastor in his sermon some years ago,  that the major religions are superficially the same but fundamentally different to the message of Jesus.

I hope you'll stick with me over the many upcoming entries in this series and be able to see, know, and understand God's love, care, grace and sure hope of salvation.  I pray you too, will have that burning quest to recognize and accept for yourself just how you, an individual, can be saved through the suffering of Jesus Christ.  That's God's paradox for you.

Strange, but true.

                                                               ~erc~



And now begins Buddha and His Burning Quest...

There is the story of a chieftain's son who was sheltered from the outside world by said chieftain, the father.  This chieftain's son was given the handle "Siddhartha Gautama".  This Gautama is more well known, the world over, by the name, Buddha.

Gautama Buddha, a highly intelligent fellow, instituted a world pivotal philosophy by which to live.   He taught that it was a "Middle Path" that he walked on and encouraged one and all to tread it for themselves.

The story continues and is that Gautama was kept from seeing  life outside the home confines; what life was really like:  the old, the misery, the sick and diseased and death; kept from seeing suffering in general.  Some say his Dad also kept him from religious teachings of the times, I suppose to allow him to make up his own mind about spiritual issues.

Gautama was cooped up until about the age of 16, then that sheltered bubble burst (page 4 of What Buddhists Believe) as Gautama took forays into the outside world.  About the age of 29, he, after having been married at a younger age to his cousin Yasodhara who gave birth to their son Rahula, renounced all his luxurious living, and family, and struck out to find the answer to his burning question.  That question was, why did all the suffering and misery happen to mankind and how can one eradicate it.

Coming from great affluence in the home in which Gautama's family lived, he swung the pendulum way over to asceticism for his personal way of life but eventually swung back to a more moderate approach which, as you read above, got dubbed, "The Middle Path" (page 4).

It is said that at one point Gautama went and sat under a tree and declared he wouldn't get up until he got enlightened with the truth; that is, the answer to the question as to why suffering, and, to how to eradicate it.  He sat there until he got enlightened with his answer.  That is the point in time he became Buddha (the Sanskrit word meaning "enlightened" or know").

Up he got and is said to have had a 45 year ministry of teaching to any who would listen to his words of enlightenment.  From that time which was roughly 500-600 years before Jesus was born, until this present day in the year 2018, these teachings have persisted and give the adherents, of which there are about 500 million, their way of life (pages 2-11).

On this point of the number of adherents, I need to note that from a small pamphlet titled, One Billion Wait, put out by OMF International, they make that number even higher.  They say that...

"Today one billion people live in the shadow of Buddha..."

The following many blog entries of this Burning Quest will deal with his teachings as they compare to what God has to say in His.  This has been a quest of my own for many, many months, perhaps even for more than a year.  I'm not trying to earn a Ph.D or any such thing.  Just a seeking and a trying to understand another's beliefs and how they line up to what I believe, based on the Bible's teaching.

No offense is meant against any of the adherents of Buddhism or of any other religion.  The intention and prayer is that as an individual seeks truth and enlightenment, there will be an honest evaluation and comparison of the teachings of Jesus Christ.  I pray that one and all will know the truth and the truth will set you free (John 8:32).

                                               ~ERC  January 2018~