/christian/ - christian

I donno. 
All I know about Buddhism is that it's pagan, Siddhartha  ditched his family responsibilities to run off and pursue being nothing, and like Hindus they believe in reincarnation.

>>21803 (OP) 
it involves saving yourself after accepting that life is futile

>>21805
>Siddhartha  ditched his family responsibilities to run off
He also basically partied for all of his youth at the encouragement of his father who thought it would prevent him from becoming a religious mystic

>>21803 (OP) 
My understanding of it after spending a day reading as many wiki articles as I could on the doctrines (in summary): Present life is impermanent and full of suffering, and one is doomed to repeat it eternally through reincarnation. Through Buddhism, you can reincarnate after each lifetime into a higher state of being until you can finally be annihilated and won't have to reincarnate anymore. Yes, it's that depressing.

>>21813 
>Through Buddhism, you can reincarnate after each lifetime into a higher state of being 
That's derived from its Hindu pagan origins. The difference being in Hinduism the goal is to reincarnate into being a divinity by accruing good karma in each lifetime while Buddhism's doctrine sees even divinities as subject to suffering so being annihilated is superior. Then they have sects which hold that Buddhist monks can pray people into redemption which are popular because the original formulation of it demanded an extreme asceticism from its followers that few could achieve.

If Buddism wasn't a scam by a rich boy, then why didn't Siddartha kill himself once he achieved nothingness so he wouldn't be reincarnated anymore?

A question for the pagans, but this is a Christian board.

>Like infographs and images
Buddhists maintain a pretty good social image so those would be hard to scrounge up. I'd point out that Buddhism promotes miserliness and that traditionally it's a religion more violent and more oppressive than Islam historically. The buddhists played a key role in driving Christians out of Asia. Especially South-East Asia and Japan (but then those were mostly Portuguese converts so it's hard to say who was screwing who 100% of the time).

>>21816
>Asceticism
Maybe the original Buddhism and the Japanese sects that made it into America and Western Europe, but the temples full of gold and fat cats would suggest otherwise.

FizgZUVVUAEb0J-.jpg
[Hide] (223.8KB, 978x1200)

>>21825
>but the temples full of gold and fat cats would suggest otherwise
Those are the ones ran by the monks that promote the idea that they can pray laypeople out of Buddhist hell, which are popular in China and Southeast Asia. Any good intentions which might be present in their doctrine are overshadowed by its general practice as a form of oriental grifting.

>>21846
>inb4 " I need muh weed br0" and crys wolf about being "racist"

Buddhism isn't satanic in the slightest, op is a faggot.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/vin/sv/bhikkhu-pati-intro.html
Linked here is the monastic code of conduct as prescribed by Gotama Buddha. Any monastic not adhering to these rules is in essence a fraud, and as usual with religion there are a lot more fraudulent practitioners than authentic.

>>21872
>Buddhism isn't satanic in the slightest, op is a faggot.
There are only two kingdoms, God's and Satan's, if buddhism isn't for God then it's for Satan.

>>21872
Reincarnation is pretty satanic.

They deny God. Simple.

>>21879
Where exactly do they deny God?

buddhism_non-theistic.jpg
[Hide] (106.7KB, 720x540)

>>21910

>>21803 (OP) 
It might be to late to ask this, but what's a «bread pill?»

>>21940

It's just a play on the whole "red pill" meme, just from a Christian rather than secular perspective.  Bread rhymes with red, plus there are a lot of references to bread in Christianity (i.e. Christ being the Bread of Life, bread as Christ's Body in communion, etc.)

>>21846
That's fair, but Buddhism's primary practitioners come from China and Southeast Asia. It's like talking about Muslims in the context of the Middle East while ignoring that the majority of the world's Islamic populations live in Indonesia/Pakistan/India/Bangladesh.

>>21953
I was covering the bases for the arguments that X isn't "true" Buddhism, because even "true" Buddhism is deficient in any substantially Christian context.

I would want to know, honestly, what reason there really is to believe in Buddhism at all. It is an entirely man-centered religion, and it is not concerned with answering any of the great questions about who or what we are, or the nature of the universe. In the Buddhist texts, the Buddha is famously evasive of such questions, saying they are irrelevant. Sure, there is a basic recognition that there is an unsatisfactory dimension to this changing world, and that latching onto unchanging things is harmful and does not lead to satisfaction, but that doesn't affirm Buddhism's truth, it merely means that the Buddha makes a true insight (and this same insight has been repeated in numerous religious traditions). Christianity is utterly superior to Buddhism, because of the historical evidence we have for the Bible, its prophecies fulfilled in Christ, and the fact that the Scriptures continue to come true today. The Fall of Man explains everything we see, and it is clear that God is in control of human history, and that the world we live in is a product of intelligent, purposeful design. God created us to come to know him, and to have faith in him, and love him. This is the 'suffering' we feel, when we do not know Jesus Christ. Buddhism is ultimately about saving yourself, and making yourself your own Christ.

buddhism isn't a religion
>>21816
>the original formulation of it demanded an extreme asceticism from its followers that few could achieve.
The buddha literally, explicitly, personally banned ascetism. Buddhists are not ascetic.
>>21822
He committed suicide by dying, I dunno what you mean. The whole point of avoiding asceticism is to avoid the long lifetimes and leisurely lifestyles of the hindu celestial realms. Likewise, the point of maintaining a neutral/slightly positive karma is to avoid the (very, for the deep ones) long lifespans and relative inability to think or meditate or choose your own fate of the hells (or the later for animals).

>>22030
Because it's another stupid meme like veganism that makes you feel different from everyone else

Buddhism is Corrupt
Cahlen
2 months ago
https://odysee.com/@Cahlen:0/CahlenLee_20220914_BuddhismisCorrupt:a
Buddhism is a curiosity that I hardly understand; as is this video.

Buddha_of_Bamiyan_(reconstitution).jpg
[Hide] (572.4KB, 571x997)

Buddhists are idolaters who think a statue can save them from hellfire
Talibans are based for turning their manmade gods to rubble

>>21803 (OP) 
OG Buddhism isn't satanic, quite the opposite, it was a Hindu heresy driven by corruption of the priestly class, not too dissimilar to Reformation that would come a few millenia later.

The Western Buddhism (JewBu, as Joyce calls it) is, however, a perversion.

>>22340
Do Buddhists even consider him (presumably Gautama Buddha) a god in the first place?

>>22438
If (you) honor any god besides God you are an idolater

>>22340
Same can be said about catholics and the giant T-posing Jesus statues.
Figures should be used as a visual reminder, not as idols i do agree

>>22438
They don't classify him as one, but they do pray to him. That may not be enough for you, in which case consider that they view him above the gods. Of course, they believe they too can reach that level through enlightenment. 
At least that's my understanding of it.
Seems like Buddhism isn't criticized that much by Christians or anyone else for that matter.

>>21922
>Brahma
Is that the hindu creator deity?

>>22473
No Catholic doctrine states statues will save you, they are there to elevate people's minds to God and the lofty realities.
As to buddism i dont know much about it but i never heard about them attributing saving powers to statues, could be wrong.

>>21803 (OP) 
Schopenhauer is basically Western Buddhist.

Yes, it is not a very cheerful religion. They do crusade against Muslims though, so can't be all that bad.

>>22438
No, Buddha is only a teacher ("rabbi", if you wish). A true Buddhist would tell you that Jesus, of course, was a Buddha, too, as it is a state of being above mere humanity, but below true divinity. Pagan gods they (Buddhists) usually deemed inferior and not worthy of worship.>>22438

>>24592
>No Catholic doctrine states statues will save you
Idols are carried around and relics heavily guarded, you are wrong.
The buddhism i know preaches of life being pretty bad so the best move is not to play, in that non-playing they retire from life aka go to a monastery, try to do the least bad things they can and help people when they have to go out for some reason, that being crops, needs or getting money for those things.
In the meantime doing nothing at all the entire day and trying not to do anything bad they managed to invent tons of stuff or develop things other mystics left them in their visits, like paradoxically martial arts used by the military later on. Some monks often got into this and tried to pretend killing bullies was better than letting them go around bothering people so their morality heavily varied over time. At the end of the day they pretended to do nothing so they couldn't sin and thus get a chance at going up or reincarnating as something better next time, all the while practicing their spirituality.


One thing they did better despite being trained killers at times was not going around converting by force entire tribes like some misguided christians did. He who has ears to hear let him hear, no need to shove it in their face by force or repeat all day the same verses.

main-qimg-cd4c3e05c590b717eabfc6d178b660a7-lq.jpeg.jpg
[Hide] (64.8KB, 602x602)

>>24630
>one thing they did better despite being trained killers at times was not going around converting by force entire tribes like some misguided christians did. 
>he doesn't know
Meanwhile Christianity converted the whole of the Roman Empire and beyond while under official persecution for three centuries and without bearing the sword. Somehow that utter historical miracle is overlooked as something unremarkable.

>>21803 (OP) 
Not exactly bread pills on Buddhism but I think it's related enough

Some resources for sharing the gospel with Buddhists

 - Basic Info on the differences between Buddhism and Christianity -
>https://www.dare2share.org/worldviews/buddhists/
>https://biblereasons.com/christianity-vs-buddhism/
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbq-tMUu5dw - Gavin Ortlund, a baptist scholar on Buddhism

 - Some basic resources on evangelizing to Buddhists -
>https://radical.net/article/share-the-gospel-buddhist/
>https://abwe.org/blog/4-keys-sharing-gospel-buddhists/ - compares the story of the Buddha to King Solomon for an easy way to bridge the Bible to Buddhist ideas
>https://bmamissions.org/sharing-the-gospel-with-buddhists/ - Missionary in Thailand who says to start with showing God and using love
>https://megst.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Lamp02_04TheinNyunt.pdf - Article called From the Pagodas to The Savior: Contextual Communication Of The Gospel In The Burmese Buddhist Context In Yangon City by Peter Thein Nyunt on connecting with Buddhists in Myanmar

 - Correcting Buddhist Misconceptions About Christ by J. Isamu Yamamoto -
>https://www.equip.org/PDF/DB174.pdf
>https://www.equip.org/articles/buddhist-and-christian-beliefs/ - A web version of the article as well

 - Sharing Jesus in the Buddhist World by David Lim and Steve Spaulding -
> Book available on Amazon and Annas Archive, among others

 - Testimonies -
>https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/07/buddhist-nun-uk-christian-missionary-testimony/ - A  Buddhist nun who turned to Christ
>Leaving Buddha: A Tibetan Monk's Encounter with the Living God by Tenzin Lahkpa - Available on Amazon, don't think it's on Annas Archive, might be on other platforms

Obviously some other basic evangelization things like apologetics and the basic gospel message are important too

This is by no means a comprehensive list and maybe I'll add more later (anyone else can obviously free free to help too) but it's a start for helping reach the lost Buddhists out there.

God Bless you all! 

Also I guess this is sort of a thread revival I guess

>>27484
I've also wondered if there's any resources from Koreans or maybe places in Southeast Asia for converting Buddhists that have been translated if anyone in here knows anything about that - I feel like those areas would have a lot more good tips, resources, and other things but I'm not sure where to find them

Also found these other things I forgot to put:
>https://www.academia.edu/7771923/Communicating_the_Gospel_to_Buddhists_through_selected_Bible_texts_connecting_to_key_Buddhist_concepts
>https://missionarytraining.org/images/booklets/Evangelizing%20Hindus%20and%20Buddhists.pdf

I checked Catholic Answers to see if they had much to say on Buddhism but they don't seem to have much unless I'm mistaken

>>27484

Another testimony I forgot to include
>https://www.bibleleague.org/stories/seek-first-the-kingdom/ - From a Buddhist nun

The_Human_Icon.jpg
[Hide] (75.5KB, 665x1000)

Christ_the_Eternal_Tao.jpg
[Hide] (154.3KB, 700x700)

>>27484
>>27485
>>27486
These are great, thank you! I might add, as an adjunct, the following books for those interested in related Eastern philosophies, as they overlap to some extent with Buddhism. While the authors are from an Orthodox Christian perspective, their work may still be helpful for Christians from other denominations who wish to explore some of these Eastern views in an apologetic context.  This links gives summaries for the various sections of Frost's book. 
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvz0hc5f

The_True_Meaning_of_the_Lord_of_Heaven_by_Matteo_Ricci.png
[Hide] (1002.2KB, 874x1280)

>>27490
Thank you for these recommendations! I had not heard of these and they seem like very in-depth resources which I think is great and definitely more of what I was looking for but couldn't find.

I'm gonna put a recommendation for Matteo Ricci's work on Confucian ideas and Christianity (more specifically Catholic) in here - It did accidentally help cause the "Chinese Rites" controversy at the time due to a debate as to whether all of the Confucian rites Ricci thought were permitted in Catholic thought were really secular rites (as Ricci believed) or actually religious in nature (and thus not allowed) but that controversy's ended now and other than that the book is considered very solid and very historically significant in terms of Christianity and Eastern thought, and helped to convert Confucian people in China, Korea, Vietnam, etc. I'm not sure of it's use among the Orthodox, but Catholics and later Protestant missionaries used it's ideas too great success. The old now-ended controversy aside, it's considered an incredibly important work and very highly regarded so I think it's worth putting here.

Honestly, I think Eastern philosophy tends to be kind of ignored in terms of evangelism and Christian study here in the West so resources like what you put are really good for growing knowledge on these thigs.

A short free resource for evangelizing to Shinto practitioners - not Buddhism obviously but I don't think Shinto is commonly discussed

Shinto, The "Way of the Gods", or Jesus Christ, God's "Way"? by Richard S. Lofgren
https://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/lofgrenshinto.pdf

It doesn't really go into the cultural views of leaving Shinto in Japan since from what I've heard it's considered a practice that helps "make" you Japanese and so people can sometimes have trouble leaving it but I might be wrong on that information

>>21879
>>21922
The Western versions of Buddhism tent to be more ((( secular ))) than the ones in Asia. But that's not a problem for Buddhists because they choose to not worship God or any gods. But there are also Buddhist temples with images of gods (like Brahma, etc.) and there are some sects/schools where there are practises where they pray to a certain pagan deity/deities.

>>24584
>Brahma
>Is that the hindu creator deity?
Yes.

>>24626
> A true Buddhist would tell you that Jesus, of course, was a Buddha, too, as it is a state of being above mere humanity, but below true divinity. 
That actually happened historically, if you read about Manichaeanism. It's a syncretic religion that combined gnostic teachings with elements from Christianity. Later it also got blended with Buddhism. Eventually it died out.