World Religion Engagement Paper
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Apr 3, 2024
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World Religion Engagement Paper: Interview Assignment
Submitted to Dr. David Campbell
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the completion of
APOL 525
Pluralism and World Religions
By
Tyler Rutherford
February 18, 2024
Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………2
Buddhism…………………………………………………………………………………….2
Interview……………………………………………………………………………………..3
Witnessing to a Buddhist……………………………………………………………………4
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………5
Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………….7
Introduction
In the assignment which asked us to observe a religious service, I was able to observe a service at a mosque. In this paper I will not be discussing Islam but will be discussing Buddhism.
I recently had the opportunity to have a discussion with a professing Buddhist and this assignment provided me the opportunity to interact in a non-confrontational way while gleaning insight into Buddhism. This interview was done in person with this individual who is a follower of Buddhism.
Buddhism
The origin of Buddhism goes back nearly 2000 years. It is viewed as one of the world’s major religions, however, the person I interviewed proposed that Buddhism was not a religion but a way of life. Regardless, Buddhism takes its roots in India with Siddhartha Gautama. From its birth, the next thousand years saw it spread across Asia and beyond. Adherents of Buddhism believe that the life of humans is a cycle of suffering and rebirth, but if one achieves a state of enlightenment, it is possible to escape this cycle forever. 1 Siddhartha is the first person reported to have reached enlightenment or nirvana. He is known as Buddha. Buddhists do not believe in the Christian God. They do understand that there are deities in the world that one might encounter on their path to nirvana. Siddhartha was a prince in India in the 5
th
Century. He determined that life was nothing more than suffering. This was based on his views of dying and poverty. Because of this, he reportedly gave up his royalty and riches and spent his days meditating and traveling. He ultimately seemed to find satisfaction in what Buddhists refer to as “The Middle Way.”
1 Brown, T. (May 20, 2022). Buddhism
. National Geographic Society.
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Buddhism teaches 4 truths. The first is Dukka (suffering). This teaching proposes that everyone in life is suffering in some way. Second is Samudaya (the origin of suffering). The premise of this is that suffering is ultimately caused by desire. The third is Nirodha (ceasing of suffering). The primary teaching here is that there is a way that suffering can be stopped, and enlightenment can be achieved. The final is Magga (path to enlightenment). This is the “Middle Way.” Those who follow Buddhism believe in the idea of reincarnation. They also believe in the
idea of karma. The idea of reincarnation is that life is cyclical. You live and die, then you live again. The idea is that how one lives makes a difference. Karma provides a system of checks and
balances in the life of the Buddhist. Good conduct brings happy results and creates a tendency toward similarly good acts. Conversely, bad conduct brings an evil result and brings a tendency toward similar acts.
2 Interview
Question: Where you raised Buddhist? What drew you to Buddhism?
Answer: I was not raised Buddhist. I was drawn to Buddhism because I like the teachings of Buddha. I like the idea of living a good life that is free of strife.
Question: What are your thoughts about Christianity?
Answer:
I like a lot of the teachings of Jesus. I think he was a good teacher and shared some great principles with his followers.
2 Nakamura, H. (August 23, 2022) The Life of Buddha
. Encyclopedia Brittanica
Question: Do Buddhists say prayers?
Answer: Sort of. We don’t call them prayers though. We call them mantras. They are kind of like prayer but not necessarily directed at God.
Question: Do you believe in reincarnation?
Answer: I don’t really know what I think about that. Different groups think different things about reincarnation. My group doesn’t really talk about it that much. We just focus on living a good life. To summarize this interview, it was a cordial conversation. I was able to ask these questions without any pushback and the person I interviewed appeared to answer them honestly. I am not certain that this individual really understood Buddhism as well as they thought they did.
It seemed that their understanding was shallow in many areas. Witnessing to Buddhists
There are varying groups of Buddhists with varying levels of dedication to the religion. There seems to be quite a bit of diversity within the bounds of Buddhism. I would liken it to different lines of thinking within the various denominations of Christianity. Unlike the lines that are somewhat clearly drawn by denominational identifiers in Christianity (i.e. I am Wesleyan, Baptist, Pentecostal, etc.), there doesn’t seem to be anything of the sort within Buddhism. Winfried Corduran shares that learning someone is a Buddhist may not really prove to be all that helpful. Knowing their geographical locale is not likely to help either.
3 There are varying degrees
3 Winfried Corduran, Neighboring Faiths
, Second ed. (InterVarsity Press Academic, 2013), 352.
of commitment within Buddhism just as there are in Christianity. The individual I spoke to seemed content with the prospect of living a good life with no apparent concern for the afterlife while other Buddhists may be more concerned with topics like reincarnation and nirvana. Regardless, at its core, Buddhism is a works-based religion. The teaching of an eternal, supreme, personal and loving God as presented in the Bible is woefully absent.
4 If the person you are witnessing to is not one who regularly attends a religious service, it is much more likely that they will be open to alternative points of view. The less devout Buddhist
is more likely to be receptive to a view that differs from that of Buddhism. One possible launching point for a conversation might center on the idea of right and wrong. Buddhism places a significant emphasis on right and wrong as does Christianity. You could present this and point out that Christianity has two potential paths. The right one and the wrong one. There are checks and balances just as there are within Buddhism. You would then need to work to establish that the moral basis of the universe is the God of Christianity.
Conclusion
I have learned a great deal about Buddhism though my discussions and research. It is admirable that the Buddhist seeks to live a good life that is free from strife. Unfortunately, that life is devoid of the hope that Christians have in Jesus. Many of the values held by Christians are held by Buddhists as well. The difference comes in the reason and grounding to those values. For the Christian, those values are rooted in Christ. For the Buddhist, they are rooted in the teachings of Buddha. It may not be easy to lead a Buddhist to Christ. Like many world religions, there can be 4 Griswold, Scott, “Sharing Jesus with Buddhists,” Ministry Magazine.
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repercussions socials as well as in the family unit for following Jesus.
5 We never know when someone will be receptive to the Gospel message. That is why we should always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that we have in Jesus. 5 Lewis, Stephen, “How Do I Share the Gospel With a Buddhist?” Radical.
Bibliography
Brown, T., Buddhism. National Geographic Society. Retrieved February 18, 2024, from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/buddhism
Corduran, Winfried, Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions. Second
ed. (InterVarsity Press Academic, 2013)
Griswold, Scott, “Sharing Jesus with Buddhists,” Ministry Magazine, Retrieved February 18,
2024, https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2012/06/sharing-jesus-with-buddhists
Lewis, Stephen, “How Do I Share the Gospel with a Buddhist?” Radical, Retrieved February 18, 2024, https://radical.net/article//share-the-gospel-buddhist/
Nakamura, H. The Life of Buddha. Encyclopedia Britannica, Retrieved February 18, 2024, from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/buddhism/the-life-of-buddha