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Fr
Leopold Ratnasekera, O.M.I.
It is said that religion is for man and not vice-versa. In that case both Buddhism and Christianity are very much religions true to their name for they strive to be a positive response for some deep-seated questions which from time immemorial stir the human heart. Eventually the texture of religious expression takes on a social pattern and each will grow into its particular religious history and cultural traditions embracing its doctrines, rituals and rites, celebrations and philosophies. It is the purpose of this article to identify some common ground for a unified vision of the two religious insights coming from Buddhism and Christianity, so that they are seen to converge on these as points of departure for dialogue, giving however divergent responses to the same problems that vex the human consciousness and in the human struggle to live a contented life. Four such foundational themes can be detected: 1. The Human Condition Both religions respond to two acute problems of human nature as experienced universally by mankind. Human nature is seen to be vitiated and engulfed in a web of contradictions. Buddhism identifies this radical experience as "suffering" (Dukkha) understood beyond physical, emotional or psychological suffering but in a deeper metaphysical sense. Christianity points to it as "sin" understood throughout the article in its profoundest biblical sense. However, both suffering and sin which is to be identified as alienation from God with its integral repercussions both on personal and social levels, deal with the instability of human nature, or simply the human condition as human beings experience and have to grapple with, if they desire a state of true liberation or salvation – a state of integrity. The state of suffering is comparable with the impact of the "Power of Sin" (Mystery of iniquity) advocated by Paul in Romans 5 that stains every person and indeed the whole of humankind. We are all under the power of sin and need the grace of God without exception. So we define both sin and dukkha as conditioning existence. But how is liberation from suffering (dukkha) obtained in Buddhism? It is by sheer self will and determination in a committed and sustained effort to root out the cause of suffering which is greed or devastating desire (Tanhā) that cripples everything in man including his freedom. For this spirituality a very severe ethical and mental discipline is prescribed that leads to a gradual taming of bodily passions, cleaning up of the states of mind and guards the sense of awareness. The interaction of these spiritual exercises would gradually bring a state of wisdom, understanding and enlightenment that helps a person to be sensitive to the passing fads of desire while never falling a victim to it. This is the triple-way namely of the mind, consciousness and ethics (Paññā, Samādhi and Sīla) that sharpens the awareness (vińńnāna) to detect reality as it is, namely that existence is suffering, that there is nothing permanent in our experience (all corporeal/mental phenomena) and that there is no such thing as what the Christians call a “soul”. These basic philosophical categories are named dukkha (suffering) anicca (impermanence) and anattā (soul-lessness) respectively. Until this awareness is reached a person only wallows in a most unreal thing called "I" ("Me", "Self"), which is nothing but an expanded bundle of illusions. As long as a person is enmeshed in such illusions and desires, suffering and restlessness are inevitable of which the most pathetic one is rebirth. Once all illusions are shed and desire is cut off, liberation is attained. It is compared to a wig that ceases to burn, once the oil is run out. However, in the level of discipline and mental health the top quality exercises are in the plain of the mind. This requires a high power of concentration and meditation (samādhi) that leads to spiritual insights (vipassanā) and illumination making people realize how illusory reality is, especially the empirical, bodily and the mental the layers of our phenomenological existence. This is the journey to holiness (visuddhi). In this self-discipline there is no external assistance from some divine source (grace) or no intercession from a saint or even from another enlightened person (not even Buddha). One is his own Saviour. He has to put his hand to the plough and not look back. It is self-struggle Grace is from within; to be activated from liberative potentialities hidden within a person. It is self-redemption through one’s own efforts. There is no revelation from above but all is illumination and enlightenment from within one’s awareness. This is quite in contrast with the radical need of grace or of a savior and redemption from without as Christianity envisages and the Bible attests. In Christian understanding, it is God who takes the initiative to bring healing to a wounded nature, restoring it back to the grace of a wholesome existence in which a person feels in control and peace within oneself and enjoys intimacy with God or the Divine reality (the Indwelling). However, this intervention requires that a sinner responds with the right dispositions of repentance and Metanoia which reveals the active participation of the sinner in his salvation — the human component. What is called suffering in Buddhism is really the sense of alienation that disorientates a person from himself and from God as understood in Christianity. Conversely, what is sin in Buddhism is the permanent enslavement to desire (Greed-Tanha) that is the root of all suffering, including re-birth, for one reaps as one sows. Hence we see that the anthropological analysis though much in contrast, yet is rooted in the raw human experience of an unsatisfactory and disoriented state of a person’s being- be it a state of sin or state of suffering. The Buddhist spiritual discipline could be seen as natural mysticism and as a means to self-discipline which is also emphasized in Christianity as the human component disposing a person to grace. 2. Detachment and the Spirit of Renunciation A demanding practice of detachment from pleasures of both body, mind and consciousness is required for a person to reach some spiritual experience. Faithful to the common teaching of all religions, Buddhism teaches that reveling in a world of lust be it pride in the mind, or pleasures of the body or a host of desires of all kinds is no way for a person to achieve some spiritual emancipation and liberation of the spirit. Such peace and contentment comes only when the mind is clean and the will is strong to ensure a stable state of tranquility without being disturbed by any anxiety. And so, there is the discipline called “Sīla”. Every devout Buddhist lay person is expected to practice the “Pańcha-Sīla”(the five-fold discipline) namely, no killing which includes violence of any kind, no stealing which includes all desires for things belonging to others, no using intoxicants, no un-chastity which includes impurity of all kinds both of body and mind (impurity, deranged sexuality, sexual misconduct and adultery) and finally, no lying which includes all forms of dishonesty, bearing false witness and character assassination. We see this resonating well with the major ethical component of the decalogue. It is clear therefore that it is by practicing these precepts that a Buddhist hopes to purify himself from the spirit of greed that leads to much suffering not only to oneself but also for others. The Buddhist ethic can be viewed as the beginnings of the Christian way of life when appropriated and lived in daily discipline. It is impossible to live a life of faith without such basic discipline. In fact, in our traditional books of spirituality is called the "purgative way"— the first stage. Purged of these inordinate habits, a Christian’s life is ready for higher spiritual experiences of faith, prayer and a vivid experience of God. The above 5-fold discipline is basic in Buddhist spirituality and all laity are expected to put that into practice and constantly become aware of the need of these qualities by pronouncing them verbally. For those who desire higher spiritual states, there are five others which for example a full-fledged Buddhist, like a monk (Bhikku/Bhikkuni) would practice full time while living in the monastery. As long as a person finds unable to be detached from these inordinate states of lust, greed and violence and incapable of renouncing them, there is hardly any way out of his present deranged human predicament and its future consequences of more suffering to come, including the cycle of re-births. 3. The Monastic Tradition The pre-eminent feature of Buddhism lies in its unique insistence on Monasticism. In fact, it is unanimously accepted that Buddhism is a monastic religion and that to pursue the Buddhist ideal of Enlightenment that leads to full liberation or Nirvana as it is called, a person has to enter the state of monkhood. The very earliest form of Buddhism at the time of the Buddha was clearly monastic. The earliest followers of the Buddha lived homeless, celibate lives and begged for their food. They were expected to be entirely dependent on the devout laity for their material sustenance and did nothing to earn their living as understood in the secular sense of today. They never married and lived in common abodes called "vihara" or monasteries. Their robe was very simple and made of yellow cloth used to wrap the bodies of the dead. The demands of chastity were so high that any serious violation of this virtue, like homosexuality or adultery resulted in being immediately expelled from the order of monks. This Order of monks is called the Sangha, the community of those who enter desirous of the Buddha’s discipline and live in community in daily meditation and in solitude. The Sangha community was also open to women, but they had to as always live in separate monasteries. This women-Sangha or Bikkhuni-community too follow the same discipline as the male-sangha. We know that the monastic tradition of spirituality dawned in the history of Christianity from very early times. Beginning with Anthony of the desert and later on many others who entered the cenobitic life, we see how this tradition gets entrenched in the great Benedictine Monasticism as we know it. Monastic life-style and spirituality is very much at the core of Christianity today and is a proud witness to the Gospel call to holiness which gives primacy to God and the spiritual, thereby witnessing to transcendence as part of human life and pointing to realities beyond the empirical and the phenomenal that are temporal in nature and are subject to change (anicca, as in Buddhism). It must be appreciated however that both Christianity and Buddhism even in their radical forms of life-style in search of spiritual liberation advocate the middle-way, the way of virtue. Only the extremes of our attitudes and values are evil, sinful and leads to suffering. Hence, both religions propound a Middle-Path, the “Majjhimā Patipadā”as Buddhism advocates and the path of Virtue (virtus est in medio) as understood by Christianity. To explain it further, Buddhism denounces on the one had extremes of asceticism (self-torment) that serves no purpose and condemns very clearly the way of relentless pleasure seeking (sensual lust) while proposing the way of moderation that helps the mind to remain restful and contented. Such a person can reach great spiritual and mystical heights. Today, as we advocate inter-religious dialogue, an area that can help significantly in such conversations and common undertaking is the inter-monastic dialogue between the Buddhist Sangha and the Christian monks, for they at best highlight the radical commitment to their religious ideals with detachment, solitude, meditation, celibacy and community as basic ingredients of their life-styles.
4. Religions and Secularity a) It is well known that both Buddhism and Christianity in its initial stages had the blessings of civil patronage. When the Buddha and his first sixty monks (sangha) launched this new way of life, the kings of their time received the message with devotion. But the biggest breakthrough for Buddhism came with its third council (236years after the Buddha) with King Asoka zealously supporting a missionary drive that spread far and wide into all part of Asia. King Asoka can be identified as the Constantine of 4th century-Christianity. Both H.G.Wells and Jawaharlal Nehru have written memorable words about him. As such, Buddhism therefore became a powerfully cultural and political factor that integrated religious belief into civil life. Countries of South East Asia like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Vietnam and even Korea and China have experienced the inroads made by Buddhism into the fabric of their national life and eventual history. In the same way as Constantine unified his empire, so in Asia entire kingdoms were won over for Buddhism away from their ancestral religions staring from Asika. We can here think of the parallel of Christian influence in early and medieval Europe and later on in the last 500 years that mark the period of western colonization and the period of the discovery of the new world. However there is much more to the impact of these two religions as a matter of principle than just the political patronage they would have received. One should probe into their main teachings that can even today in a highly globalized world seeped in a secular culture could be regenerated and kept rational and human with some of their religious values that are perennially valid and in fact transcends cultures and ideologies. Religions have always stabilized civilization and ensured a path for peace, prosperity and solidarity. Some of the traits of the modern civilization are plain to see a) First, there is everywhere threats to life, through medical experimentation, war, violence, abortion etc... There is also manipulation of life and violation of human rights. Midst such dangers that threaten to ruin life and its noble concept, Buddhism vows for safety, respect and non-violence to life in all its manifestations, even that of plants and animals. This is the first of the basic five precepts that all genuine Buddhists are expected to practice: "I shall do no violence to a living being". Buddhist greetings always end with the words: "Let all beings be happy". Similary, the Christian pro-life stand remains non-negotiable even in the face of highly complicated issues such as medical ethics are raising today. Both religions therefore champion a culture of life and a civilization of love. In Buddhism it is called Mettā (loving-kindness) and Karunā (compassion) showed to all. These two virtues are even referred to as “Brahma Vihāra”, which means they are akin to divine qualities: what we in Christian theology and spirituality would refer to as a person practicing the three theological virtues. b) Secondly, we find today in the competitive and consumer oriented society that is almost a world-wide culture, an incredible sense of greed and spirit of acquisitiveness dehumanizing mankind in many ways. This desire, greed and relentless race to competition are fast becoming structural and institutional. There is hardly any area of commerce that is devoid of this sense of Greed as a result of which the personal and social ego is expanded in all forms of selfishness and idolatry, where commodities are raised to the level of the divine and worshiped as the where-with-all of life. People live more for things than for their humanity. The cultural slogan seems more in favor of having more than of being more human. The worth of man is seen in what he possesses including money, wealth and power. These have become the idols of today’s secularity and gives rise to a globalized culture with the electronic media diffusing it to the full. Hence, some counter-offensive to eradicate the sense of personal and collective greed in today’s global culture is long overdue. Both Buddhism and Christianity point to greed (Tanhā, in Buddhism) as the root cause of much misery in our world: persons who act out of greed, world structures which operate out of collective greed and institutions that are infested with greed). This has to be challenged by the core teachings of religions in order to put the direction of life in the right path, so that exploitation of people in the interest of things can be averted. Buddhism and Christianity are well equipped for this task. c) Thirdly, society of today is much preoccupied with questions of justice and peace. Religions have always expressed concern for these two issues of modern day civilization. Religions can never be the cause of injustice or division in civilization. They have by their very nature to stand for peace and educate people in forming their consciences to act justly and peacefully. The social teachings of Buddhism (Sigalovāda-Sŭtta) given as a special discourse to a layman, the Buddha speaks about the real worship that involves six-levels of social relationships and in another teaching he has referred to ten virtues that is mandatory for a righteous ruler (dasa-rāja dhamma.). In this respect both Buddhism and Christianity stand for justice and peace. The God of Christian faith always requires justice in all its rich biblical connotations. Peace is based on this justice where relationships are wholesome and salutary. Buddhism promises peace of mind to those who submit to its ethical and mental disciplines and such personal peace of mind contribute to the diffusion of social peace. Compassion for all beings and loving kindness leads to such a peaceful world. Where all people are in control of them selves and are in contentment, peace dawns naturally. Both Christianity and Buddhism condemns the spirit of violence that leads to violent deeds and calls upon people in conflict to reason out and avoid the irrationality of letting blood. Gestures of peace are always fostered by religions. In the name of Buddhist and Christian core teachings one can appeal to world peace. The enlightened Buddha and the Risen Christ always carried on their lips the gracious word of peace ("nidhukkha"- Shalôm). In parenthesis, we begin to see how religious fundamentalism is a travesty of religion and its main mission is to foster a spirit of tolerance, conviviality and solidarity for peace. The three roots of evil as presented by Buddhism, namely greed, ignorance and hatred, call them capital sins in Christian terminology; explain to the fullest extent the evil that fills the world today. In this triple light all that is sinful, oppressive and evil in present day society could be explained either in individual experience or in their collective forms. These three however work interconnected and in a spiral, with one leading to another. We can think about war as a result of hatred and expressed in systematic violence with frightening weaponry. We can think about the drug trade that is born out of ignorance of its devastating effects on life. We can think about the hedonistic spirit and of sexual perversions that can result from lack of healthy gender-awarenes and the sublimity of human sexuality reducing it only to libido; and finally greed that is at the bottom perhaps of even the entire world economic system that relentlessly goes the way of unbridled pursuit of profit where money becomes power (global capitalism), and not just a means of stabilizing a financial system: in fact it has to be named as "mammon" in the fullest sense of the term, which therefore is anti-kingdom. The Christian understanding of the seven capital sins too, goes well with the above triple unwholesome roots. Hence, Christianity commends a good character formation, an effective process of conscientization aimed at the developing of mental attitudes and insight into reality and illusions. Both religions advocate a sound character formation based on personal discipline on the one hand and social structures based on just relationships, without which conflicts arise between persons and nations, which if not solved through dialogue would lead to violent situations. Conclusion In the light of the above considerations, both Buddhism and Christianity can be effective partners in dialogue in appreciating each other’s finer insights and operating out of these common considerations be engaged in deepening man’s self-understanding as one capable of overcoming his unsatisfactory condition by seriously committing himself to self-discipline. Both religions can mutually challenge a violent world to serious efforts toward peace based on a sense of justice and point to the modern evil of greed as the root cause of many an evil that besets contemporary society. They can positively diffuse the spirit of temperance that is an anti-dote to greed even as restraint and compassion would prove a way out to the spirit of violence. They can be school for a wiser insight into the realities of the world and the inner spirit of man as a way out of ignorance and irresponsibility that it breeds. Thus, Buddhism and Christianity through inter-religious dialogue could raise the hope of a better world, a more human, just and peaceful one, based on a disciplined and contented existence as they together help one another release the liberative potential hidden in their core-teachings.
Ref.: Text from the Author. S.T.L. (Rome: Gregorian University), Th.D. (Institut Catholique, Paris)
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