Buddhist Temple

08Dec08

I went to a Buddhist temple to explore and learn.  It was such a great experience.  I’ve read about Buddhism, but I’ve never gotten to talk to a devout Buddhist about their beliefs and traditions and history.  The most informative book I’ve read was (of course by Ravi Zacharias) called “The Lotus and the Cross.”  This book is a dialogue between Jesus, the Buddha, and a young girl searching for fulfillment.  

I was a little uneasy about going, but I left with a new perspective on Buddhism.  This experience provoked enough thought for a few hours of conversation, but I will only cover the highlights.  

The temple was enormous, and I was told that it is an exact replica of a famous Cambodian temple.  There are a few different types of Buddhists – American Buddhists and traditional Buddhists (or imported Buddhists as the caretaker explained).  This temple was home to a great number of imported Buddhists.  As I entered, I was asked to remove my shoes as a sign of respect to the monks and to the Buddha.  Many of their customs and traditions were centered around respect.  The statue of Buddha was the highest object in the room, but there were multiple statues – some made of stone and others of copper.  They were very carefully crafted, and it was apparent the caretaker was very proud of their shrine.  The next highest were the teachers, or monks, who taught from a small stage.  Visitors and ordinary followers of Buddha were on the ground level.

Initially, I was guided through a brief history of the life of Siddhartha Guatama and the basic teachings of Buddhism using a series of beautiful paintings.  Each painting was about thirty feet wide and fifteen feet high, and they were each carefully painted with great detail and brilliant colors.  It was apparent that the caretaker had run through this presentation countless times, but he was as passionate as he was comfortable.  

The caretaker was very knowledgeable about what he thought was the essence of Christianity.  He challenged me to recite each of the ten commandments, which I definitely can’t do in order.  He told me that the Christians stole the last five commandments from the Buddhists.  Technically, the ten commandments originated from Moses who was born around 1593 BC – one millennium before the supposed birth of Siddhartha Guatama. I didn’t correct him though.  He continued to compare and contrast Christianity with Buddhism, and this is the conversation that provoked the most thought.  

He explained the five commandments of Buddhism which were do not kill, do not steal, do not commit unlawful sexual acts, do not bear false witness, and do not take intoxicants.  He explained that Christians replaced “do not take intoxicants” with “honor your father and mother” because we like to drink.  He also said that honoring parents was already part of their lifestyle and would not require a commandment.  I believe he was trying to simplify the five precepts of Buddhism in the way a Westerner would be able to relate to.  The purpose of this moral code, as he explained, was simply to live a happy life.  He went on to say that breaking this code would be bad Karma and will cause your next life to be quite disagreeable, but it could be corrected by committing good Karma.  

The caretaker was confident in his understanding of Christianity.  He explained that becoming a Buddhist would help one to be a better Christian as well – that it is possible to be a Christian and a Buddhist.  I gave this some thought, and quickly realized his error although I didn’t point it out.  He understood Christianity to have the same purpose as Buddhism – to live a moral life, and I totally understand his misconception.  We, Christians, put our legalism on display, yet we hide our grace.  We want others to see how moral we are, and it’s difficult to admit that we need to be cleansed – that we need a savior.  So others see Christianity as just another moral code with another moral teacher.  They completely miss, as many Christians do, the role that Christ plays as a savior, a healer, a sacrificial lamb that takes our sins that are like scarlet and makes them white as snow.  Instead he’s just a moral teacher and we are his students; it’s our duty to live by the moral code that he has established.  How can I explain to the caretaker that we don’t have to be perfect when we don’t believe that ourselves?  How will he understand that our good can’t possibly outweigh our bad and that we desperately need a redeemer?  

I was terribly open-minded when I decided to visit the temple, but the caretaker’s presentation raised a few questions that could not be answered.  First, what about creation?  He said that Buddhism agrees with science but rejects evolution.  His broken English and thick accent made it difficult to understand this portion of his message, but I believe he referred to the elements earth, wind, and fire but didn’t give an explanation for creation.  I asked him if Buddhists believe that the earth is infinite and has always existed, and he said yes.  The question I couldn’t reconcile was their explanation of the supernatural.  He mentioned no god other than the Buddha, but he admitted that the Buddha was dead and does not exist as we think of God the creator.  So what guides Karma?  Who defined good and evil?  Who set the cycle of reincarnation in motion, and who stops it for those who have reached enlightenment?  I require an answer for these questions, but the Buddhists do not.  The caretaker was fine with having an incomplete philosophy because the purpose is simply to live a moral life.  Whatever causes you to live a moral life is the answer.  

I was inspired by their devotion and discipline and their endless pursuit of holiness.  During my time with the caretaker, I began to see ways to share with them what I believe to be the truth.  God loves them, and I believe that through their Buddhist teaching He can prepare them to receive the truth of Christ.  They desire perfection and holiness, yet they cannot earn it.  Most people don’t even desire it, but they are determined to maintain it.  I believe that some of them will be thrilled to find out that Jesus Christ not only taught the Five Precepts and the Eightfold Path (or a similar moral code), but died to reconcile our inability to keep them.  Not only did he die, but he resurrected and is alive again today dwelling with his people.  And his people are the temple, and having the living, moving, creator-God dwell within his people allow them to better live according to this moral code and with freedom to live without fear of failure.  

There is truth in Buddhism, truth we can learn from, but Buddhism isn’t The Truth.  Jesus Christ is The Truth.  If we can identify the truths within Buddhism and show that Christ completes that truth, they may be willing to see.

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