Similarities Between Buddhism And Christianity

If a Christian follows Buddhist traditions, then one must assume that there is an overlapping of similarities in both teachings; a Christian’s worldview must be complementary to that of a Buddhist’s. Though I am arguing the similarities between Christianity and Buddhism, I do not completely shut down the obvious differences between the two traditions. Christians are devoted the Jesus Christ’s teachings, while Buddhists believe in the Buddha’s teachings. Jesus is God in human form while Buddha was a human being who reached supreme insight under the Bodhi tree. Roderick Ninian Smart, a Scottish writer and university educator of religious studies, argues in his book, Buddhism and Christianity: Rivals and Allies, “Jesus saved humanity through his deeds and death, while the heart of liberation for Buddhists is through the Eightfold Path” He then continues to defend

Abortion in many Buddhist positions appears to be justifiable when it conflicts with bodily autonomy or maintain the idea that a foetus is closer in status to a small or undeveloped animal. Although most views conflict with the first Buddhist precept of not bringing harm to sentient beings, living humans seem to be the most important when considering this and preference is given to the mother of a foetus as well as a foetus not being fully recognised as a human being by some Buddhist variants. Abortion in a Buddhists view however, is seen as a last resort by all variants.

In Buddhism there is no central authority on ethical matters but the Dalai Lama has spoken in favour of abortion under certain circumstances. His comment was that an act of killing is negative. If the unborn child will be retarded or if the birth will create serious problems for the parent, these are cases where there can be an exception.

4. Morality – This is the area where Christians and Buddhists mostly agree. The Christian “golden rule” is similar to that of the Buddhists. You are not to do anything to others that you wouldn’t want done to yourself. Christians hold a lot of the same morals as Buddhists such as the eightfold path and five precepts. The Christian and Buddhist Worldviews are shaped by their moral codes.

Like every single religion since the beginning of time, there is a list of rules. Christianity has the 10 Commandments, Islam has the Five Pillars of Islam, and Buddhism has the Religious Reformations of Buddha. Unlike most religions, Buddhism strays from the focus on an all mighty deity or deities. Buddhism preaches five different logics that deviate from the norm when it comes to religious ideals: first, Strive after enlightenment with due diligence. This means you must put a lot of effort into the job of enlightenment if you wish to achieve it. Second, there will be no metaphysical theorizing. This is the one that seems to throw a wrench into the ideals of every religion before it, there is no God and if you even think that there is a God, you are disgracing the Buddhist way of life. Buddhism is a way of life, it is not a religion with a holy God. Third, there is no tradition, no ritual. The teachings themselves are supposed to lead you, but if you do not know yourself, there is no way that you can know Buddhism and

It is quite clear from a variety of sources that abortion has been severely disapproved of in the Buddhist tradition. It is also equally clear that abortion has been tolerated in Buddhist Japan and accommodated under exceptional circumstances by some modern Buddhists in the U.S. The situation is similar to that of Roman Catholicism, where abortion, though disapproved of in the strongest terms by Church authorities, is still practiced by a large number of devoted Catholics and defended by at least a few.

Buddhism does not have a single view on abortion. Generally they believe that life should not be destroyed. Traditional Buddhism rejects abortion because it involves deliberately destroying a life. They believe in the cyclic view of reincarnation, indicating that life starts at conception. Abortions for the sake of the baby or mother may be permitted if there will be suffering. If the baby will have medical conditions or a mother’s life would be in danger, abortion is accepted. Abortion hinders the spiritual process in Buddhism.

At first glance the traditions of Christianity and Buddhism appear very different from each other. One centers around a God that was at one time physically manifest on earth in the human form of his "son" Jesus Christ, the other primarily worships a historical figure that gained divine status through enlightenment. This assessment is broad at best, especially in the case of Buddhism where the Theravada and Mahayana traditions differ significantly. Christianity also has division within itself, the most prominent being between the Roman Catholic and Protestant systems. There are however, despite obvious differences, some very interesting similarities between Buddhism and

The ethical guidelines of Buddhism are not to murder, lie, steal, drink, or participate in unlawful sexual behavior. Buddhists believe in the “Four Noble Truths: 1) human life is full of suffering; 2) suffering stems from cravings for pleasure and avoidance of pain; 3) suffering can be eradicated; 4) the path of freedom from suffering is the path of enlightenment.” (Julia Hardy) They also follow the Noble Eightfold Path in order to achieve the end of suffering. The Eightfold Path consists of: 1) Samma-Ditthi - Right view or understanding, 2) Samma-Sankappa - Right thought or attitude, 3) Samma-Vaca - Right speech, 4) Samma-Kammanta - Right Action, 5)

The Five precepts of buddhism are written with the words of “Abstain”, which is not a definitive answer to all situations of life. The bioethics of buddhism are complicated, it is reliant of an individual’s current place in their journey to enlightenment. Buddhism’s stance on abortion and euthanasia are situational, they both can be seen as harming a living thing, which is against the first precept, which could stray an individual from the eightfold path such as right mindfulness, right actions and right livelihood, however one who understands themselves well enough can make a decision on whether it will affect their journey to Nirvana. Buddhist teachings and worship can dramatically influence an individual through their understanding of themselves achieved through the eightfold path, someone who makes the right decision can continue their lives without being held down by their decisions as they believe wholeheartedly that it was the best outcome for

The logic behind each set of moral codes have been deployed to argue for as well as against the "permissibility of abortion" through the historical as well as textual corpus of Buddhist principles (Hughes 185). Buddhist principles are thus vital for Buddhist ethicists who argue against the practice of abortion according to Buddhist mores. Indeed, one of the top five guiding principles in Buddhists is not to kill another human being, and some ethnic Buddhists view abortion as the intention killing of a human life. They invoke the syncretic belief that the "transmigration of consciousness occurs at conception, and therefore all abortion incurs the karmic burden of killing" despite the fact that prior to modern medicine developing in the West and Buddhist countries Buddhists relied on scientifically inaccurate ideas about when life began (185). Buddhism thus lacks canonical currency and relevant precepts to the issue of abortion from an ethical as well as scientific point of

Religious people follow the rules, beliefs, and lifestyles that are considered correct according to what they believe in. For example, in Christianity one of the teachings is to not practice selfishness. The same concept inhabits Buddhism, whose belief is to attain peace and content, must first put aside of all life’s selfish desires. There even prevails a known saying that when you fully accept and devote your life to a religion, your soul becomes relieved and your heart cleansed of all evil. Everyone and everything is naturally born with innocence, until wrong desires take over them and burden their

Traditional Christian beliefs include the belief in the one and only true God, who is one being and exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the belief that Jesus is the divine and human Messiah sent to the save the world. Most Christian denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge everybody, living and dead, and to grant eternal life to his followers. He is considered the model of a virtuous life. The basic teachings of the Buddha are contained in the Four Noble Truths, which are concerned with the realisation that our objective in life is the pursuit of happiness through the elimination of the factors that create suffering.

Throughout conducting this report there were numerous primary and secondary sources used to explore of the speculation that "Marriage is a vital ritual performed in both Judaism and Catholicism, Both religions epitomize the standards which perceive the dedication and commitment the couple will make to be as one." These sources will provide a greater and more

Buddhism is a religion that is all about finding enlightenment and nirvana. People want to find nirvana, a state of mind in which one is released from fear and desire, so they no longer have to go through reincarnations (Monroe 110). Buddhism is a peaceful religion that doesn't believe in violence. They believe that all live are sacred and deserve to enjoy life whether it be a human or an animal. Buddhists live by a moral code of conduct with a proper control of emotions and thinking. There is a list of the Five Precepts for Right Living. The first one is do not kill, second do not steal, third do not lie, fourth do not consume alcohol, and fifth do not indulge in sexual excesses outside of marriage (Monroe 111). All buddhist search for enlightenment, however deny the existence of an afterlife. They do not believe there is a heaven nor a hell to punish their sins or reward their good deeds (Monroe 108). This means there is no salvation in an afterlife but