What do Buddhists think of Jesus Christ?

[nathan]

- great sense of humor, gets the same review from me every time.

[Individual]

In the future, Christianity could become Buddhism and Buddhism could become Christianity.

Because Christians become mindful and ashamed of what they have done to their religion, while Buddhists get hooked (tanha) on words.

It is mindfulness that makes religions great and being hooked on words and concepts that makes them bad.

[Riglin]

Do you deny that the Buddha spoke this?

"But, Ānanda, if women had not obtained the Going-forth from the home life into homelessness in the doctrine and discipline made known by the Tathāgata, the holy life would have lasted long, the true Dhamma would have lasted 1,000 years. But now that they have gotten to go forth... this holy life will not last long, the true Dhamma will last only 500 years. Just as a clan in which there are many women and few men is easily plundered by robbers and thieves, in the same way, in whatever doctrine and discipline women get to go forth, the holy life does not last long... Just as a man might make an embankment in advance around a great reservoir to keep the waters from overflowing, in the same way I have set forth in advance the eight rules of respect for bhikkhunīs that they are not to transgress as long as they live." — Cv.X.1

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... .ch23.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It seems to match as to why Jesus had to come to earth after 500 years, doesn't it?

You have completely misunderstood Buddha's words. I'm obliged to show you the right understanding. Looks like you are misled by your pastor, or whoever, who fed you with all these evangelistic garbage.

First thing, you need to understand the the words 'Going-forth' and 'holy life' which means 'the Sangha' (monkhood). With many women in the Sangha, Buddha foreseen a problem arising in celibacy which is an important precept in 'holy life'. Without any remedy, the holy life a.k.a. the true Dhamma, will last only 500 years.

Therefore Buddha set forth in advance the eight rules of respect for bhikkhunīs that they are not to transgress as long as they live. With these new rules in place, the holy life, the true Dhamma is able to last more than 500 years, 1000 years, 2500 years and longer into the future.

So, please go and tell this to your pastors and church members so that they can stop spewing garbage around to win converts.

[kirk5a]

only one of us will be correct about who the False Messiah is.

The False Messiah is the externalized image.

[Individual]

Kim, I like this:

Even trolls deserve compassion.
Even trolls can learn.

I do not like this:

...and Tilt eats trolls as well as meece. There is no love, no compassion in that, no empathy in that.

It seems to be a contradiction.

[Jechbi]

While there's some good discussion in this thread, I think it's unfortunate that some have chosen to make fun of Jesus Christ, the central figure in Christianity. Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with Christian viewpoints, from a Dhamma perspective, it's not helpful to make fun of other religions.

When the Buddha criticized other faith systems, he did so from the perspective of a perfectly enlightened being, understanding the faculties of his intended audience, and out of compassion. But many of us are more likely to criticize other faiths from the perspective of our own ignorance, or our own feelings of aversion toward those faiths, or our greed for our own belief systems.

We don't know the state of consciousness of people who identify as Christian or other faiths, so we don't know their capacity to hear the Dhamma in the context of where they are at this moment. But we do know that we can prompt states of consciousness that are not supportive of hearing the Dhamma, and that's what we do when we make fun of other faiths.

[Modus.Ponens]

This thread is becoming exactly what JesusLovesYou wants. Please close it so we don't have unnecessary disharmony among our members.

moderator note: good idea.

[Individual]

This thread is becoming exactly what JesusLovesYou wants. Please close it so we don't have unnecessary disharmony among our members.

[Reductor]

To those that would defend JLY: "why?"

For many of us here on DW, DW is our temple. We don't have other places to go to discuss the Dhamma, to be around other Buddhists. So, for lack of a building in real space, we settle for a forum in the inter space.

As such it seems inappropriate, to me anyway, for a person of another religious system to walk through the door and start nudging us and preaching to us. It is very much akin to a Buddhist, Muslim, Seek, Hindu or what have you walking into another persons place of worship only to pester and cajole them into endorsing their own faith.

Even if conversion isn't JLY intent, he is still trying to bend our religion around in an attempt to justify his own. And by his own admission it is his intent to preach the gospel here among us.

So, to JLY: if I am one of those that mocked you, or insulted you, then I appologize. What was I thinking! I'm no more perfect than the many Christians I've know and have known. Heaven forbid.

But don't forget that a great many of us here on DW, the majority perhaps, are westerners, i.e, we have had a lifetime of exposure to the Loving Grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ of Nazareth. In fact, my sister spent nearly two hours witnessing to me the last time that we met. My mother witnesses to me at least once a week. My brother, wife and most everyone that I know is Christian.

But I'm not a lost lamb of the Lord who is apt to convert, oh, if only the right story comes my way; I am, in fact, a man who sees no redeeming power in the Lord Christ or his Church.

[Mawkish1983]

[tiltbillings]

To those that would defend JLY: "why?"

By his own admission, he was here to troll, to stir up negativity. There is no defense for that. The insensitivity of that behavior is matched by the insensitivity of not recognizing how damaging Christianity can be and has been to some and that feelings coming out of that pain are sometimes going to be expressed, maybe not in the most skillful of ways, and we might be a bit forgiving of that.

This not to say that Christians and Buddhist cannot talk in a civil, collegial manner, but the OP of this thread did not really invite that nor did JLY's follow up msgs. He/she got honest answers to his OP, but the above criticism of this thread lacks any real insight into and sensitivity of the difficulty posed by the very question of the OP for some Westerners. Sometimes things are not going to be all nice warm and fuzzy and with good reason. It is all a growing/learning process.

[VeganLiz]

First of all, no one is scorning you because you asked for their honest opinion on Jesus Christ…them giving it, as shocking as it may be, is not an attempt to scorn you. Wondering what your motives are….also not an insult against you.

As for what I think about Jesus…Jesus was, as far as what I can tell from the bible, he was a good and decent person but his disciples (primarily Paul) were not so ideal.

[alan]

Not entirely correct. I, for one example, scorn him.

[Bodhisurfer]

Not entirely correct. I, for one example, scorn him.

from the Kakcupama Sutta (MN21)
...but we shall remain full of concern and pity, with a mind of love, and we shall not give in to hatred. On the contrary, we shall live projecting thoughts of universal love to that very person, making him as well as the whole world the object of our thoughts of universal love — thoughts that have grown great, exalted and measureless. We shall dwell radiating these thoughts which are void of hostility and ill will.' It is in this way, monks, that you should train yourselves.

[Orlando]

I admire some sayings attributed to Jesus, but don't believe he was God incarnate or died for humanity's sins. I also find some of his teachings objectionable or very improbable, like the existence of eternal hell or the idea that at some point humans who have died will be miraculously given back new, immortal bodies - I thought that studying the beliefs of the early Christians might help me find core truths that would satisfy me, but I found the belief in the Second Coming and the resurrection of the dead were very important, both of which seem to me unlikely.