The Five and Eight Precepts that Buddhists observe can be viewed as "the don't's" of their religion. These "don't's" are ideally coupled with the Five Ennoblers which we could term "the do's". These were listed in Burning Quest - Part 19. One of those five is the twosome, loving-kindness and charity.
What is the connotation of loving-kindness to the Buddhist; why does he or she observe/practice it (what benefit is gained) and to what extent would a Buddhist bequeath the loving-kindness and compassion? What is meant by "charity"?
Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda, author of What Buddhists Believe, explains on page 214 of his book that...
"...loving-kindness or compassionate love purifies the mind and the mind becomes a very energetic force to radiate for the well-being of others."
About charity he says,
"We perform real charity if we can give freely without expecting anything in return in order to reduce our selfish desires" (Page 218).
Sri Dhammananda states that there are several types of love such as that of a husband for a wife; a parent for a child; or friend for a friend. However the 'love' Buddha prescribes to is called "altruistic love" (Page 215). This is...
"...where a self that does the loving is not identified..."
...it is not...
"emotional or selfish; it radiates through a purified mind after eradication of hatred, jealousy, cruelty, enmity and grudges" (Page 215).
All this is put into practice "to maintain real peace" simultaneously "working for our own salvation"(Page 215).
On the one hand it was stated that this is "altruistic love". The motivation is unselfish. On the other hand it is "working for their own salvation". That puzzles me; it is not fully altruistic if one advances one's salvation via acts of loving-kindness and charity. Ultimately it is working to benefit self.
There are two types of charity according to Sri Dhammananda: "giving as a normal act of generosity and dana" (Page 219). The former is motivated out of a compulsion to "give out of compassion and kindness when we realize that someone else is in need of help and we are in the position to offer that help" (Page 219). The latter, that is, dana, is giving "as a means of cultivating charity as a virtue and a of reducing selfishness and craving..." This is motivated by being a means "to reduce and eradicate the idea of self which is the cause of greed, acquisitiveness and suffering" (Page 219) A person also performs dana in appreciation of the great qualities and virtues of the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma [Teachings] and the Sangha).
An example of such great dana piety was the world renown Mother Teresa of Calcutta, whom I admire. She embodied loving-kindness, charity and compassion in serving the multitudes of India's "poorest of the poor". She truly cared.
She had come from a well off family but, came to help the destitute, living among them and bringing them dignity even in their last hours and minutes of life. In fact, she began a whole order of Roman Catholic nuns called the Missionaries of Charity, who followed her example.
The Catholics Team blog entry re: A Clarification of Good Works says...
"Those who enter heaven are those who have helped Jesus through the good they have done for others."
Later on they say,
"God will judge them by their actions done their entire life".
But the Team also says there needs to be faith in Jesus Christ; the faith being evidenced in the good actions (works). Unfortunately they continue to say that...
"Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification at the beginning of conversion."
To reiterate two Bible verses that have popped up before from Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV...
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
You see, what I have learned from James G. McCarthy, a former Roman Catholic and the author of The Gospel According to Rome, which compares Catholic Tradition with the Word of God, is that there is a process to achieve salvation for the Roman Catholic. In much the same way the Buddhist must take many lifetimes of rebirth to train their minds and build up enough good thoughts and deeds to overcome the bad and their consequences in order to eradicate suffering. For the Catholic, it takes from birth to death, the process starting with baptism very early in the baby's life; quite possibly the same day or the next. This makes the person "safe". It is believed that baptism is when...
"...sanctifying grace is initially infused." (Page 112-113 of McCarthy's book).
McCarthy goes on to explain on pages 112-113 that ...
"This makes the soul holy and inherently pleasing to God. Other sacraments and good works further justify the soul and make it increasingly attractive to God."
Going through purgatory is included in the Roman Catholic process of salvation. It is believed that it also helps clear people of their sins.
This process of salvation includes what's known as the Seven Roman Catholic Sacraments, namely:
The three of initiation: baptism, Eucharist, confirmation;
The two of healing: penance & anointing of the sick (or for "last rites": penance, Eucharist and anointing of the sick); and
The two sacraments of service: Holy Orders (priests and nuns) and matrimony." (Pages 333-334).
If a person can get through all this process then they should be okay, but then they are never sure and become fearful of their final destination.
Purgatory puts the fear into people, coercing them to live a righteous life. However McCarthy goes on to say, and I agree with him,
"...Biblical salvation involves a new birth that results in a new creation (John 3:7; Ephesians 2:15). A born-again Christian wants to obey God. He is motivated by the love of Christ, not the fear of painful retribution (2 Corinthians 5:14; Romans 8:15)" (Pages 112-113).
I do not want to minimize all the good and self-sacrificing work of Mother Teresa's or of anyone else's philanthropy. However, I want to say that if she was doing all those wonderful good deeds to earn her salvation then very sadly, her belief was misplaced. She could not earn salvation by works, no matter how exceedingly good they have been.
Many other missionaries have gone out and done much to alleviate the suffering of the masses of mankind at great cost and personal sacrifice. In fact, many of the early missionaries, by just answering the call of God to full time service, lost their lives from shipwreck en route to their chosen ministry field, disease and even murder by those to whom they ministered. It was very much like writing themselves a death certificate in order to do good works, deeds or actions.
As in the McCarthy quote above, the call of the follower of Jesus Christ to service is "motivated by the love of Christ". So the bottom line is, what is the motivation of the good deeds done? To earn merit towards salvation? Out of love and gratitude for what Jesus has done in earning salvation personally for the individual (and all mankind for that matter)? The former reason is out of selfishness. The latter, self-giving out of thanksgiving to God and a concern for the spiritual and physical welfare of those to whom they minister.
Jesus Christ is our supreme example of self LESS giving. He gave His very life, not just for one or two people, but for all humankind! He gave so that He could take the punishment for the penalty of the sin for each and every single person, for all Time. Let's repeat that: Jesus Christ gave Himself for all humankind, for all sin for all time!
The penalty for sin is death and Hell for eternity.
"The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23).
That is a for sure thing.
Look at more of Jesus's loving-kindness and compassion and motivation.
While Jesus trod upon the earth, He went about doing many kind deeds and this out of selfless love for mankind: He healed; He restored to life; He forgave; He met, talked with and healed those despised by the rest of society; and He gave hope among His many other deeds and actions. (You can read about this in the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament of the Bible). Jesus did not gain for Himself but for the good and benefit of one and all whom He met.
The goodness and love of the Savior that reached out to touch human hearts to bring to repentance (Romans 2:4) was bestowed upon the human race. This love and goodness and grace was to draw mankind to Christ and to God through Jesus and to have a relationship with Him. Salvation through Jesus Christ bequeaths eventual end of suffering along with the forgiveness of sins and life with Christ in Heaven and that for all eternity.
To end the suffering of mankind...what could be any more 'kind' and 'charitable' than that? To bring relationship with God and man, Jesus was...
"...pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5 ESV).That's a whole lot of loving-kindness and compassion and charity straight from God to you.
Jesus encouraged...
"Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
This morning I read from Romans 11 and verses 34-35 caught my attention; reading from the ESV...
"For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?"
Indeed, can we really give God our good deeds in payment for salvation? After all He has gone and done for us? Would that not be an insult; a throwing of God's free-to-us offer of salvation back into His face? We could never repay God enough thus we just have to accept His offer free and clear.
It is faith in Jesus Christ that saves. Not of works, so no one can boast of what and how much they have done. And to any Buddhist person reading this, I know you do not even believe in the existence of God but I would like to say, wouldn't an everlasting life with Christ (Whom I believe does exist) in Heaven, where all bad/evil thoughts and actions and pain and suffering has been eradicated, be a viable "end" rather than a ceasing to exist in the Nirvana state? All selfish desires will have ceased and our, uninhibited sin and wrong deeds will be no more; to be with Christ in Heaven is very compelling.
To the Roman Catholic, I say, you can be assured of a definite destination: Heaven; this by faith alone in Jesus Christ. There is no need of the salvation process nor of purgatory because the...
"blood of Jesus Christ cleanses (or purifies) us from all sin" (1 John 1:7 ESV).
Good works are for afterwards, done out of gratitude to God for His salvation. Yes, they are evidence of the faith you have. The book of James was written to followers of Jesus Christ, not to unbelievers, and so the recipients of the letter understood the life of service was an expression of their faith and man's responsibility, not of earning salvation. Our salvation is based on faith and God's grace; both gifts from Him.
"So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would not longer be grace." (Romans 11:5-6 ESV).
"Instead of allowing the organ to rot away, and to go waste..."
let them..
"...be used or transplanted to restore life" (Page 222).
He further shares that he saw a bumper sticker which read...
"Leave your organs behind, God knows we won't need them here."
True enough. Jesus gave His whole body, blood and being by dying on the cross to take the penalty for our sins and to give us eternal life (John 3:16). Praise the Lord, He has risen again and is our Living God.
Why not help extend someone else's life? In time they may well have opportunity to come to Christ no matter how wicked a life the person who receives the blood or organ may have led. Give with a prayer for repentance and salvation and a turning to God's righteousness for the recipient. May God bless the giver as well as the receiver.
To one and all, know that followers of Jesus Christ were brought to Christ, have forgiveness of sins and eternal life and look forward to no more pain and suffering in eternity. Out of thanksgiving to God for His colossal intervention in our lives, and because of the "good deeds He ordained for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10), post salvation, let your life be one of continual offering of kindness and charity motivated, not for benefit to ourselves nor for the earning of salvation but to give glory and praise to God, for all the works HE has done for us.
Make your service a thank offering.
I share here a song of comfort and hope sung by the Gaither folks.
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