How Does One Respond To A Buddhist?

[CatherineM]

[quote name='Veridicus' date='16 January 2010 - 09:23 PM' timestamp='1263698591' post='2038883']
Didn't some of Thomas Merton's followers end up going down that road? or is that just a rumor I heard somewhere?
[/quote]
I've never heard that, but it wouldn't surprise me. Hardly anything surprises me anymore.

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='Veridicus' date='17 January 2010 - 02:23 PM' timestamp='1263698591' post='2038883']
Didn't some of Thomas Merton's followers end up going down that road? or is that just a rumor I heard somewhere?
[/quote]

I don't know too much about his followers, but he was heading that way when he had his accident. I had this idea that God called him home before he could get too far down the wrong path!

[MC IMaGiNaZUN]

personally
i don't think telling him he is wrong, or Buddhism is wrong is going to help.
He was probably attracted to something in buddhism that he could not find in the Church, likely the disciplined contemplative spiritual tradition which most Catholics I meet are really ignorant of.

As for Thomas Merton, his dialogue and respect for devoutly religious people of the east inspired me to come back into the Church in the first place.

[Guest Andrew_the_convert]

I think people have already mentioned personal relationships which are of primary importance when trying to convert or discuss the faith with anyone.

Chesterton argues in Orthodoxy that it's impossible to mix Christianity and Buddhism in their purest forms, and I tend to agree. Some parts are compatible, but Buddhism's denial of self, denial of ultimate meaning / a purposeful human nature, and other doctrines are very problematic.

I would ask the Buddhist questions about their fundamental assumptions: re-incarnation, karma, etc. Many of them are baseless. For instance, if there is no God or gods, who or what tabulates the morality to give people good or bad karma. Furthermore does not such a system of Karma imply a universal moral standard of truth? These type of questions might help.

[jeffpugh]

I was always told Buddhism is a philosophy, not a religion. It tries to be syncretic, but in a sense, Buddhism is the opposite of Christianity. I can't remember if it was Lewis, Chesterton, or Bishop Sheen who said this. Buddhist iconography has images of men with eyes closed or looking down and inward, while Christian Iconography is directed away from the self towards God. I think Buddha may have said "be a light unto yourself". In other words, find your own path. There is no absolute way to eternal peace. And for them, God does not matter. From the Buddhists I've run into, they dismiss a lot of questions we deem essential, like the question of God. They are not part of their perceived economy of salvation. Like what those other folks said, take it slow and charitably with this guy and find out what he believes. Christ fulfils all. I used to have a slight interest in Eastern philosophy, but after reading and active self-conviction, I came to realise the Church has everything. I'll never know everything, that's why it's good to keep studying . I guess that's what helped me convince myself: the bottomlessness of Christianity. Woot woot.

[jeffpugh]

Oh, as a followup to my statement on images in both faiths:

[img]http://www.catholic.com/images/0505_150x200.jpg[/img]

Case in point

[Rising_Suns]

[quote name='Tridenteen' date='16 January 2010 - 08:57 PM' timestamp='1263689826' post='2038822']
JMJ
Well, then, as my third official topic, I have a question. The lady I babysit for is married to a guy that used to be Bristian, but now is Buddhist. What is the best way to engage in religious discussion with a Buddhist. This is mainly for Tridenteenmama, who was talking to him. He's a very nice FORMER CATHOLIC (and has observant Catholic parents, not cafeteria Catholics), and therefore probably knows most of the "in's and out's" so to speak. He's very big on that there are no religious wars in Buddhism. So, we know that Buddhism is a very inward religion, focusing on the one's self, instead of society (vs Christianity, which focuses one society, when you think of it, ie helping the poor, sick, and lame, and so on). Tridenteenmama pointed out that all wars including "religious" wars are really about money, land, and so on....so even buddhists have been in wars.


Tridenteen
[/quote]

Dear Tridenteen,
May the peace of Christ be with you.

I do not know if I will be very helpful, but I was told once that one of the fundamental differences between Buddhism and Christianity, is that in Buddhism, it is the person himself that is his/her own god, that is; by my efforts alone, I can reach a perfect state of being; as a drop of water in an ocean, I will become as nothing. In this sense, buddhism is a distinctly self-actualized belief system. This may be why Americans are so attracted to it, because it fits our own self-willed mentality that I can be my own god. Whereas in Christianity, in a certain sense, is an antithesis to this; it is to submit our wills to the will of the God who created us, not by our efforts alone, but in co-operation with grace. We die to ourselves not as a drop of water in an ocean, but still retain our identities, yet mysteriously becoming one with our Creator at the same time. I am sure there is more that could be said on this topic.

If I may bring up a small note, which may or may not be worth mentioning:

In our American mindsets, we tend to think that what is older, must be more authentic. Therefore, since Buddhism is older than Christianity, it must be more true. One small thing to note regarding this--which took me a long time to realize--is that Christianity is in fact older than 2,000 years. Christianity dates back to the beginning of creation (remember, Catholicism is the fulfillment of Judaism. Our Bibles not only contain a New Testament, but an Old Testament as well).

In regards to religious wars, it may be helpful to point out that any war that has involved Catholicism has always been as a defensive measure against unjust aggressors (most notably; Islamic forces, the Turks). Throughout all of Christian history, whether it was the early Christians being slaughtered in the arenas and catacombs by the pagans, or during the middle ages when churchs were being sacked and burned down by Moslems, or even in more recent times when thousands of monasteries throughout Europe were plundered and monks were either killed or forced to give up their way of life during the French Revolution, the only instances of the Catholic Church entering into a war was out dire necessity to protect souls (The most common example would be the Crusades). Similarly, in the Old Testament, God led Israel into war also as a protective measure if you will, against pagan lands spreading immorality and corruption throughout the known world. The pagans had already chosen their fate, and they were only leading more and more souls to perdition. We can not imagine the state of the world as it was back then, but it must have been terrible. Even the mindset of people were fundamentally different from our own today. This is why God had to lead us by baby steps. First, as a child, our Father tells us "no you can't do this, or that" (we see this most distinctly in the Ten Commandments). And as he cultivated us and watched Israel grow and spread throughout the world, He begins to slowly reveal more and more of the truth behind the laws, which is His profound love. As Our Lord stated, the Old Testament laws were a concession of sorts; "Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but in the beginning, it was not so.". Throughout history, God has continually made efforts to shows us His love, protect us from evil, and bring a fallen world back to its original state of perfection. And what do we do, but turn from Him and follow our own will, time and time again.

Well it appears I have gotten very far off topic, and I apologize for this. Perhaps some of these thoughts may be helpful to tridenteenmother in her conversations with the young soul.

.

Edited January 28, 2010 by Rising_Suns