Adventists and Buddhists

Editor’s Note: This article is the fourth in a series dealing with Seventh-day Adventists’ relationships with people from other world religions. The first article established the biblical basis for engagement with those of other faiths. The second and third articles explored how Adventists could engage redemptively with their Muslim and Hindu neighbors.

I (Paul) found her online. When I asked if we could meet, she suggested breakfast at a local restaurant. Both of us were a bit nervous. Her name was Ruby, and she wasn’t sure what to expect from me, a Seventh-day Adventist professor and pastor who wanted to interview her. I wasn’t sure what to expect from her, an ordained Buddhist minister who taught meditation.

We placed our food orders, but our conversation was still a bit awkward when our breakfast finally arrived. I noticed that she hesitated for a moment before starting her vegetarian meal. “Do you do or say something before you start to eat?” I asked.

“I do,” she answered. “I do a silent offering of gratitude to all the beings whose efforts in any way contributed to my meal. That can be the bacteria in the soil, the truck drivers who brought the food, and the farmers. And in this case [Rudy looked down at the omelet on her plate], to the chickens that won’t happen!”

“I do something before a meal too!” I said. “I pause to give a prayer of thanks.” We both smiled, and the awkwardness seemed to melt away as the two of us—a Buddhist and an Adventist—bowed our heads to each give thanks for our food.

When I think back to that breakfast interaction and the fruitful dialogue that followed, I’m reminded of how little I knew about Buddhism. It’s the fourth-largest religion in the world and is the dominant faith in Thailand, the country in which I was born, but my understanding of its beliefs and practices was minimal at best.

I suspect that my lack of knowledge is shared by many Adventists. There are approximately 500 million Buddhists worldwide today, but how much do we really know about our Buddhist neighbors? How do they see the world? What do they believe? How might we interact with them in sensitive and winsome ways?[1]

This article offers initial answers to these questions. Please note that it is a very basic introduction to Buddhism.[2] The goal is to begin learning about our Buddhist neighbors, recognizing that Buddhism is much deeper, broader, and more varied than this short article can adequately explain. We’ll begin by defining some key concepts and terminology.

The Buddha

The founder of Buddhism was Siddhartha Gautama, a man born around 560 B.C. in what is now Nepal. This means he was a contemporary of several Old Testament prophets during the post-exilic period. Buddhists believe that his early life was one of luxury and ease, but as he approached the age of 30, he left his family to begin a spiritual search for answers to the inevitable suffering of life. After several years of searching, he finally had a breakthrough one night as he meditated under a tree. Buddhists believe that he saw the true nature of suffering and the solution to that suffering. With this awakening he became the Buddha, which means the Enlightened or Awakened One. He spent the next five decades of his life as an itinerant teacher, gathering disciples and sharing his message.

The Four Noble Truths

The foundational truth the Buddha saw at his enlightenment is expressed in the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, which are as follows:

1. All of life is characterized by suffering. To the Buddhist, “suffering” does not mean that all of life is painful, but that all of life is temporary, uncertain, and unsatisfying. Humans sense that the world we live in is not as it ought to be.

2. Suffering is caused by desire. By “desire,” the Buddhist means clinging, grasping, coveting, or a selfish craving. Humans want what they cannot possess, and have expectations and cravings that lead to dissatisfaction when they are not met.

3. To be rid of suffering, one must rid oneself of desire. This third truth follows logically from the prior truths and shows that it is possible to escape this world’s suffering and enter Nirvana.

4. To rid oneself of desire, one must follow the Eightfold Path. This Eightfold Path is the practical guide for Buddhists and calls for them to be upright and morally pure in speech, action, and livelihood. Not surprisingly, these moral expectations closely mirror the ethical principles shared by other world religions, including Christianity. The remaining elements of the Eightfold Path deal with skillful meditation and the development of insight and wisdom in forming the Buddhist perspective of reality.

Karma

Buddhists see the world through the lens of karma, which refers to the inevitable cause-and-effect reality of life. If one thinks, says, and does what is good, then they will receive good. If one does what is evil, they will receive evil. So compassion and loving-kindness will come back to bless us, while evil thoughts, words, and actions will bring us suffering. Buddhists often use the metaphor of sowing and reaping to describe the reality of karma.

Praying for our Buddhist friends is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.

Because Buddhists believe in reincarnation, or rebirth, they also believe that the karmic consequences of our decisions may not all manifest in this life. The good or evil that one experiences now may be the result of behavior in a previous life, and one’s actions today will impact future lives. If it seems that a good person is suffering, a Buddhist may conclude that this is because of great evil done in a previous life, for the law of karma ensures that no one suffers unless it is somehow deserved.

Nirvana

Nirvana literally means to “blow out” or “extinguish” and refers to what happens when one faithfully walks the Eightfold Path: the flame of desire is extinguished, and one experiences spiritual liberation. Buddhists also refer to Parinirvana (sometimes used synonymously with Nirvana), the final and eternal state of Nirvana that a fully enlightened person enters at physical death. Because no desire, hatred, or delusion remains within such a person, they are released from the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. What will this final release be like? Buddhists don’t all agree. Many imagine entering a blissful, otherworldly paradise, somewhat like heaven. Other Buddhists describe it as nonexistence.

Dharma

Dharma generally refers to the teachings of Buddhism. For Buddhists, these teachings are simply a description of the way things are, so dharma might also be defined as “truth” for Buddhists.

The Sangha

The sangha is the community of Buddhists—monks, nuns, and lay Buddhists. After the Buddha’s death this community of disciples carried the message of Buddhism into new regions and cultures. As has been the case with every religion, the passage of time and the spread of the faith to various societies leads to differences of thought and practice. This diversity is certainly present in Buddhism.

Theravada and Mahayana

Today there are two major branches of Buddhism: Theravada (considered the more traditional branch) and Mahayana. Whereas Theravada Buddhism typically emphasizes human effort in achieving Nirvana, many Mahayana Buddhists believe in a host of higher beings that exist beyond the limits of earth. These beings (sometimes called celestial buddhas or bodhisattvas) have immense compassion and stores of merit that they can share with humans who need help. Buddhists who believe this will spend time in prayer to and worship of these beings, much like a Christian, Jew, or Muslim might appeal to God. This is the case even though Buddhism originally did not require belief in a deity and has even been called an atheistic religion.

Even within these two branches of Buddhism there is much diversity. Readers shouldn’t assume they understand all Buddhists’ beliefs from this brief outline. It generalizes and overlooks important issues. Instead, learn what you can, and respectfully ask Buddhists for more understanding.

Building Redemptive Relationships With Buddhists

This short introduction hopefully prompts us to ask ourselves an important question: “How can I engage in redemptive relationships with the Buddhists around me?” Here are some suggestions.

Be a Listening Friend

While it is wise to learn what we can about Buddhism before we engage with Buddhists, so-called book learning is no substitute for what we can gain through personal relationships. As a result of 16 years in Southeast Asia, I (Scott) have become convinced that the best approach we can take as we engage with Buddhists is simply this: We must personally get to know them, all the while asking God to help us know how to introduce our friends to Him. No two Buddhists believe exactly the same, so there isn’t just one way to minister to them. In order to know how to engage meaningfully and responsibly, we need to listen, and listen well.

Affirm What Is Similar

Bridges between people are built when similarities are established. And there are actually some beliefs and practices that are quite similar to Adventism. For example, Buddhists see a vegetarian diet as ideal, because it lessens the suffering of animals. They highly value compassion, peacemaking, and loving-kindness toward all. These are obviously virtues that Adventists also appreciate.

Other core ethical guidelines are contained in what Buddhists call the Ten Precepts. The first five are to be kept by all Buddhists, and the last five are for those (such as monks or nuns) who are journeying more deeply into their faith. The first five precepts call for Buddhists to:

1. Refrain from killing living creatures

2. Refrain from stealing

3. Refrain from sexual immorality

4. Refrain from lying

5. Refrain from intoxicants (such as alcohol)

The remaining five precepts deal with combating gluttony, abstaining from worldly entertainments, refraining from cosmetics and things that beautify the body, avoiding excessive physical comforts that lead to laziness, and rejecting corruption and the hoarding of wealth.

A Seventh-day Adventist should immediately notice obvious similarities between these Ten Precepts and the Ten Commandments, as well as astonishing similarities with traditional Adventist lifestyle values! These (and other commonalities) can provide helpful connections between us and our Buddhist friends and then open the door for further discussions about our differences.

In order to know how to engage meaningfully and responsibly, we need to listen, and listen well.

While serving as a student missionary, I (Paul) spent nearly a year renting a room in a Buddhist family’s home. I once overheard the family matriarch defending me when someone from the community questioned why I was there. They assumed I was there to drink, party, carouse, and do other such things. The matriarch jumped to my defense. “He doesn’t do any of those things! He doesn’t drink or chase women. He spends his evenings here with us!” she said with pride. If she had wanted to, she could have added that I ate a vegetarian diet, something that a devout Buddhist would do. I was living as a Seventh-day Adventist, but from her perspective, I was also living much like an observant Buddhist.

Trust the Holy Spirit

We should also remember that we can’t convict or convince hearts. Instead, we are dependent on the Holy Spirit to guide us and to speak to hearts in ways that we can’t necessarily predict or control. I (Scott) watched our Buddhist landlady, Yuuy, take steps toward belief in God as a result of many small, Holy Spirit-led experiences. She watched us pray before we ate and before we traveled. She saw that we were miraculously protected on many occasions. We also prayed for her and the challenges she faced in her life. Eventually she also began to pray, and God answered those prayers repeatedly.

The Holy Spirit touched her heart through these experiences, and it was only then that she began studying the Bible and eventually made the decision for baptism. For Yuuy, experiences orchestrated by the Holy Spirit came before belief. She experienced the goodness of God and His practical involvement in her life before she committed to doctrinal truth. In short, the Holy Spirit reached out to her while she was still an uncertain seeker. As followers of Jesus, we should pray and trust that the Holy Spirit will indeed work to win hearts.

Speak Wisely About Jesus and Salvation

Many Buddhists will think of Jesus as similar to an enlightened individual—perhaps a bodhisattva or even a buddha. Rather than arguing with this perspective, we might instead tell His story as recorded in the Bible. Buddhists appreciate Jesus’ simple life, His care for the poor, and His power to heal the sick and cast out demons. In recounting the story of Jesus, it may be wise to emphasize Jesus’ compassion and mercy rather than focusing on the word love. For many Buddhists love is connected to desire and thus is an unenlightened human emotion.

Because of the Buddhist assumptions about reincarnation, it can be helpful to emphasize that Jesus was born into our world, not to work out the bad karma from a previous existence, but rather to enter into our suffering and poverty to help us. Jesus deserves our highest loyalty and gratitude because He gave His life for all (Heb. 7:26, 27).

Understanding how God can forgive us because of Jesus’ death can be challenging for Christians to understand, but it can be especially difficult for Buddhists, who have a strong sense of karma—that we inevitably reap what we sow. It takes time and patience to explain Jesus’ unique ability to make our salvation possible. Yet there are many aspects of Jesus’ death on the cross that are extremely attractive to Buddhists. These include His prayer of forgiveness for those who crucified Him, His willing sacrifice to help others instead of grasping onto His life and reputation, His compassion for His mother, and His victory over evil powers. We can tell the story emphasizing these details and pray for God to supernaturally reveal Jesus as the one able to receive the consequences of our sins.

A Final Appeal

This article provides a very brief and incomplete description of Buddhism, along with a few ideas for relating meaningfully with our Buddhist neighbors.[3] We conclude with our most urgent appeal: We need to pray. Only the Spirit of truth can lead people into all truth. It is only by the Spirit of God that anyone can discern spiritual things and declare that Jesus is the Christ (1 Cor. 2:13-16; 12:3).

Praying for our Buddhist friends is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. There is a spiritual battle going on over every person’s life. We must come alongside people and be true friends who can help them stand against the temptations and distractions in the world. God’s power is a welcome help to those who have been used to battling alone.

We have much in common and many differences. Let us respect our Buddhist friends, appreciate what we share, and be open to how God might bless us through them. May we love them enough to share the good news of a compassionate and merciful God who wants a relationship with them and has made a way to experience true freedom and salvation through Jesus.

Because of what God will do, we can be confident that one day we will gather, not for an interview over breakfast at a local restaurant, but for a banquet in the kingdom of God. There won’t be any awkwardness there, for we will be one family, made up of all the redeemed from every kindred, tribe, and nation. Before we start that heavenly banquet, we will pause—together—and express our thanks to the One who made it all possible. And then we will eat. May this day come soon.

[1] For those who are uncertain about the call to understand others, it might be helpful to review the first article in this series, which establishes a biblical and practical rationale for learning about those of other faiths (see https://adventistreview.org/commentary/new-neighbors). If we want to be understood, we must first seek to understand, and God’s call for us to love others requires us to invest in the people we seek to reach.

[2] For a more complete exploration of these questions, see Paul Dybdahl and Scott Griswold’s Buddhism: Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones (Lincoln, Nebr.: AdventSource, 2019). This article is an abridged version of this longer book.

[3] For those seeking Bible study resources specifically for Buddhists, The Noble Path of Jesus is a series available from ASAP Ministries (email: office@asapministries.org).