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By James A. Beverley
RECOGNITION of the remarkable personality of the Dalai Lama is a separate issue
from Christian assessment of Buddhism. There are strong reasons why Christians should be sceptical of Buddhism, whether
Theravada (Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka), Mahayana (China, Japan, Korea), or Vajrayana (Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal).
History
There is the issue of the historical integrity of the earliest documents about
Buddha. These texts, in Pali and Sanskrit, were written between four and five
centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The historical records are so
dubious that experts cannot even agree on the general dates of Gautama’s life.
In A Short History of Buddhism , Edward Conze, the devout Buddhist scholar, dismisses any “confident assertions” about what the Buddha really said as “mere guesswork.”
Conze wrote in Buddhist Scriptures : “Buddhists possess nothing that corresponds to the New Testament.”
Science
Though Buddhism claims to be scientific and rational, many theories in Buddhist
scriptures have turned out to be completely erroneous, including medical
teachings, astrological views and theories of cosmology.
Regarding the latter, Buddhists of all schools taught for centuries – based on the alleged words of Gautama – that the earth is flat, and has at its centre a great mountain called Meru. The
four faces of Meru are composed of precious stones, and the colour of the stone
determines the colour of the sky in the four main continents.
If you cannot trust the Buddha to get geographical facts right, why trust him on
issues related to the supernatural?
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Atheism
Christians must also resist Buddhism in its denial of God. While the Buddhist
scriptures teach the reality of gods and goddesses, these are lesser beings
that inhabit various spirit realms.
Buddhism denies God as the Creator, positing instead endless cycles of birth and
rebirth – not only of humans and animals, but universes as well. Buddhism is contradicted
by the very first verse of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Jesus
In his book, The Good Heart , the Dalai Lama argues that Jesus is “a fully enlightened being.” He affirmed this again when I interviewed him (see accompanying article). I
tried to get him to see the implication of this high view of Jesus. As a truly
enlightened teacher, Jesus would teach the truth about his own identity and
mission.
This should lead any Buddhist, including the Dalai Lama, to submit to Jesus as
Saviour, Son of God and risen Lord. The failure of Buddhists to recognize the truth about Jesus represents an error
of monumental size.
James Beverley is professor of Christian thought and ethics at Tyndale Seminary.
His latest book is Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions . Website: jimbeverley.com.
September 2009
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