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~
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