“Then men would say: because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt; for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them.” Deuteronomy 29:25-26
As my feet touched the soil of Thailand, I could feel something different about this country. We have visited countries that profess Christianity, Catholicism, and Islam, but Thailand is radically different with 95% (57 million people) of the country professing to believe in the religion of Buddhism.
On this journey I have taken in life I love to see why people believe what they believe. I like to relate as much as I can so that I can see where they get their moral beliefs.
Before I state a general overview of Buddhism, I would like to say that seeking the Creator of this world is what we were truly designed for. I want to say that I love Buddhists just as much as I love Christians. I do disagree with their doctrine and believe that there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ.
The founder of Buddhism was a man named Siddhartha Gautama who lived around the years 566 to 480B.C. Siddhartha was bored of the indulgences of royal life and decided to wander into the world in search of understanding. After encountering an old man, an ill man, and a corpse, Siddhartha Gautama was convinced that suffering lay at the end of all existence. He renounced his princely title and became a monk, depriving himself of worldly possessions in the hope of comprehending the truth of the world around him. The culmination of his search came while meditating beneath a tree, where he finally understood how to be free from suffering, and ultimately, to achieve salvation.
Following this epiphany, Siddhartha Gautama was known as the Buddha, meaning the “Enlightened One.” The Buddha spent the remainder of his life journeying about India, teaching others what he had come to understand. Thus, Buddhism was created.
Buddhist’s believe in The Four Noble Truths. They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. They believe that life is suffering and that this world is a life of complete suffering. Like the movie The Matrix, this life is but an illusion and a deception and the only way to live this life is by denying the self and work towards doing good works or having good Karma.
Karma refers to good or bad actions a person takes during there lifetime. Good actions, which involve either the absence of bad actions, or actual positive acts, such as generosity, righteousness, and meditation, bring about happiness in the long run. Bad actions, such as lying, stealing or killing, bring about unhappiness in the long run.
Karma plays out in the Buddhism cycle of rebirth. There are six separate planes into which any living being can be reborn — three fortunate realms, and three unfortunate realms. Those with favorable, positive karma are reborn into one of the fortunate realms: the realm of demigods, the realm of gods, and the realm of men. While the demigods and gods enjoy gratification unknown to men, they also suffer unceasing jealousy and envy. The realm of man is considered the highest realm of rebirth. Humanity lacks some of the extravagances of the demigods and gods, but is also free from their relentless conflict. Similarly, while inhabitants of the three unfortunate realms — of animals, ghosts and hell — suffer untold suffering, the suffering of the realm of man is far less.
The ultimate goal for any Buddhist is to reach Nirvana which actually means “Extinction”. Nirvana is the ultimate state of peace that some sources say takes nearly 6,900,000 rebirths to achieve.
The reason that I share this insight into Buddhism is because I believe if one wants to share their faith with a Buddhist they need to know why they have chosen the path that they have chosen.
I believe the Bible to be the true Word of God and that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. I believe that Salvation is not achieved by works but by faith in the Son of God. Because of this belief I have given my life to the Lord and strive to profess the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The only way to do this is to live the life of Jesus Christ here on earth.
How is that done? I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has chosen His children to live His life out on earth and truly show the fruit of that life. The fruit that is shown through a true follower of Christ is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
I believe that the way to share the gospel is through a demonstration of the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. This power is shown through the love of Christ and is only attained through a deep intimate relationship with the King of all Kings.
My goal in life is to become more like Christ every day. I pray to overflow with the fruits of the Spirit so that words aren’t even necessary to win someone for the Lord, the presence of the Spirit can do it through His power.
I look forward to the time that we have in Thailand and I look forward to sharing the ultimate gift of God and that is the love of Jesus Christ.
God Bless.
(This information can be found at the following websites
http://www.friesian.com/buddhism.htm
,
http://dharma.ncf.ca/introduction/overview.html
)
