Buddhism and Christianity
So for this post, I am going to divide it into two major sections: the first section will be the section on self-sacrifice and the more Christian oriented moral methodology for approaching life. The second section will be upon mindfulness meditation and one-pointed-awareness of the present moment, a more Buddhist oriented perspective. Then I want to compare and contrast the logical spectrum's of both Christian and Buddhist modes of abstract principles pertaining to the self, and roughly observe the dimensions of both spectrum's in relation to one another. This is something I have been privately been conducting on my own. I have been very hesitant to attempt to try to share any of my thoughts pertaining to this, because of how delicate of a issue I believe it is to be. I also want to add to this preface that whenever I mention the terms Buddhist or Christian, I understand that there are very many different branches and schools of thought that apply to these terms, I am just very loosely referring to the general religious divisions. Considering the tremendous weight and seriousness of moral disciplines in relation to peoples psychological and mental well-being, it is a very delicate topic indeed. I think before I start typing my thoughts into this digital framework known as thoughtvoke, I hope this preface can potentially serve as an adequate respectful preface.
The fundamental connection between the two in regards to their evil moral basis: in Christianity it is: selfishness, while in Buddhism, it fundamentally starts at a state of suffering, which then lead to: craving, grasping, clinging, or yearning (essentially different cravings for states of permanence). It seems that selfishness in Christianity and craving for permanent states to obtain/control/possess are conceptionally very tightly interrelated concepts. They both relate to the concept of selfishness, just that within Christianity it is selfishness of ones soul while with Buddhism it is selfishness of ones ego to obtain a state of permanence of something.
So now to this first section: self-sacrifice. The primary and essential core component that is the primary instrument of Satan's tool-arsenal is the imperfection ingrained into mankind's very fiber of being: selfishness. Considering this, the primary trait of selfishness is that which separates all beings from the perfect union with 'God' which offers their soul eternal salvation. I think these two words are nearly synonymous, but I do want to mention the other term: selflessness. If you think about the act of selflessness it is very much a sacrificial act in that it is neglecting ones will to act in a manner that is its opposite: selfish.
The idea of selflessness is a pillar of Christian thought and moral practice. It is also the primary discipline to counteract the internal selfishness prescribed by Satan unto humanity. I don't claim to know for certain that this is the biblical case, but I believe that the secret that Satan the snake whispered to Eve after eating the forbidden apple from the tree was that she could obtain permanent control and possession over any 'thing', then become the 'master' or 'God' of whatever 'thing' that was then chosen. This type of knowledge began to dispel the perfect natural clam climate of the garden of Eden that Adam and Eve were blessed into by their creator God.
The second section: mindfulness meditation and one-pointed-awareness. This is a type of psychological meditation that hones ones mental focus upon an intense focal region that resides steadily upon present-moment awareness. This style of practice can be Hinduist, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, ect. Mindfulness meditation is a practice that is incorporated into a plethora of religions. I have personally been learning about using and refining this practice of meditation in tandem with the religion of Buddhism. While recovering from my traumatic brain injury, I found Buddhas insight and wisdom tremendously insightful in relation to handling my emotions and their logical structure.
While practicing mindfulness meditation from a Buddhist standpoint, one is purely focusing on the mental act of honing ones attention into a state of one-pointed-awareness. There is a pali term: sati which translates to: nonforgetfulness. This is the practice of training ones mind to recall a static mantram or passage, repetitively, that then focuses ones awareness upon the very recollection of said mantram or passage such that their conscious attention becomes fixed upon the present-moment. It is not to achieving some arbitrary explicit goal or striving to obtain possession of something other than the very mental act of remembering. Training of the mind that is nonobjective other than just the objective of remembering. I suppose it is just very non-materialistic or not objective in the sense of building complex intellectual mental structures. This is a very unique and different process for everyone considering all of us have very different access to our memory.
This leads me to how they differ in respect to their metaphysical religious cores. In this, I think Buddhism is of a larger domain than Christianity in how they relate to the symbol 'self'. In Buddhism, the self is not something that is attempted to be defined religiously, rather, it is just the acknowledgment of a persons personal conscious state that they mentally observe while they are 'thinking.' While in Christianity, the act of 'thought' is thought to be the result of ones spiritual soul. Which then leads to the question: where does a spiritual soul come from in the Christian sense? The soul was brought forth from God, who created everything. In Buddhism, the entire beginning of a 'self' is neglected to be answered by Buddha himself. In Pali I think the Buddha did make the claim of 'anatta' (nonself), but ultimately his answer when someone asked him about this, his response was: “atta (self) or anatta (nonself) it is something only you must go and see for yourself.” While in Christianity, the answer is given within the dogma of the religion itself. To have your soul permitting to enter heaven, it is essential that you give your heart(soul) to Christ.
Ultimately it seems that they are both moving toward the destination of objective altruism. The only reason I have this mental Venn-diagram in mind, is that in Christianity the idea of subservience to God the father of Christ, is an essential belief one must have within ones heart, while in Buddhism, I think the practice of striving for Nirvana is one that is primarily done by practicing meditation, practicing the noble eight-fold path that Buddha provided, not anything that demands the explicit self-sacrifice of ones will to an abstract spiritual figure or (a)God.
On last thought that I feel I must share in this post is that technology is rapidly progressing. Will we ever get to the point with technology that we are able to make our human lives approach a point in which we will be able to live eternally with the aid of technology? If we ever do reach that point in time will becoming a cyborg or a biological organism coupled with technology be something that we ought to consider in respect to living? I think his has already been reached with mechanisms like pacemakers that assist ones heartbeat remain at a rhythm deemed healthy according to science. I know that based upon my car accident I was nursed back to health relative to medical scientific knowledge. I do remember that based upon my upbringing within the United Methodist Church, I was told that this world was the “devils world” according to the interpretation by the leaders at the time. Considering that from a Christian Methodist standpoint, the world was allowed to be greatly tested by Lucifer under Gods watchful eye. Is the technological elongation of our existence away from death a holy choice? Or is would it be the result of our selfish power to maintain our own selfish separate existence from God? In the Buddhist sense, would this be a longer or necessary attachment to our human lives necessary to lead toward Nirvana? Would mindful meditation be aided or hampered by such a choice? Would such a choice be in accordance with Buddha or Christ? Such questions seem to be those that may be right around the corner in this progressive modern world. I personally think that from a evolutionary standpoint, it seems that scientifically, such medical progress is a sensible choice in a rational manner. In respect for the animal kingdom, making such a change would essentially remove us from the animal kingdom and the natural process that has always been that which has governed our existence. Would it be a step by our power-hungry ego or one that is also in accordance with nature in ways we can not grasp? I have attempting to comprehend Buddhism and meditation from the text provided by Eknath Easwaran, while I was raised a Christian from the United Methodist Church. I also delved rather heavily into agnosticism and philosophy throughout my teens and early twenties after much critical doubt and emotional despair. Ultimately love was the saving force that has got me through a major extent of my life. Love is the fundamental pillar taught by Christ. Buddhism has taught me a great amount about meditation and emotional control. The Bhagavad-gita and the Upanishads has also provided much wisdom about how to manage my psychology. The Tao Te Ching, and Taoism has also helped guide my spiritual thought process.
Duality from Rene Descartes and a lot of my best friends thoughts on the human experience is also something I must refer to before I post this! I am clumsy, selfish, stubborn, incredibly arrogant and very far from anything remotely close to a respectable teacher. I do feel that I have been very fortunate at discovering many of these insights in respect to time. I also want to mention that my emotions are operating quite a bit differently in respect to how they have functioned in much of my life, I don't know if anyone even reads this blog but I am quite certain that I am being very formal in my way of writing just in case anyone is reading. Writing in this way is incredibly meaningful and can potentially influence a person in making very meaningful life-altering choices. Every choice we make contains weight that effects the currents of our lives. On a humorous note, a soap opera I used to watch with my mother growing up was called: “The Days Of Our Lives.” I don't remember the show at all, but that thought just popped into my head and made me smile.
Acutally if I may, I believe this person has dedicated his life to the selfless service of being a Buddhist monk and guide into Buddhism. I want to reference him in this post. Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu:
Cheers!
周培森