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A Comparison of Buddhist Compassion to Christian Love: an Apologetic Study

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A Comparison of Buddhist Compassion to Christian Love: an Apologetic Study A comparison of Buddhist compassion to Christian love: an apologetic study D.J. McCoy Student Number: 25110969 Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree PhD in Theology at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Supervisor: Prof. Henk Stoker Submitted April 2015 Preface I would like to thank the following people for their role in making this thesis possible: My wife and daughters for their patience and love Win Corduan and Henk Stoker for their guidance My teaching and ministry colleagues for their support Jesus Christ for creating me, saving me, and giving my life purpose ii Abstract The purpose of this thesis will be a contrast of the Buddhist and the Christian responses to this-worldly suffering. Many scholars have proposed that the best way to create a better world with less suffering is to make Christianity more like Buddhism, so that an interfaith synthesis between the two religions results. These scholars’ proposals are described in Chapter 2. However, what these scholars desire (i.e. less this-worldly suffering) will not logically result from the solution they suggest (i.e. Buddhicizing Christianity). For to make Christianity more like Buddhism in its essentials would render Christianity less potent to oppose this-worldly suffering. The thesis will thus contrast Buddhism with Christianity in five crucial areas, namely, their viewpoints on ultimate reality, ultimate attachments, ultimate aversions, ultimate example, and ultimate purpose. These five areas provide the content to accurately define Buddhist compassion and Christian love. Chapter 3 describes Buddhism’s struggle to ground love of neighbor ontologically, whether by the ontological givens of dependent co-arising or nirvana. Buddhism struggles to ground not only whether we should love our neighbors, but also whether we can do so. Christianity, on the other hand, proves entirely capable of grounding love of neighbor—whether should or can—given its theistic ontology. Chapter 4 describes the Buddhist and Christian responses to suffering when it comes to attachments. Buddhism asks us to let go of rigid attachments to persons, truth and goodness. Meanwhile, Christians are to cling to God, and as a result of loving God, they are to love people, iii hunger and thirst for the good, and rejoice in the truth. These ultimate attachments to persons, truth, and goodness help overcome this-worldly suffering. According to Chapter 5, Buddhism and Christianity differ sharply when it comes to aversion to and grief over sin. Buddhists cultivate equanimity toward the sin, reasoning that the problem is not actually the person’s fault and, furthermore, that the problem is not really a problem. Christians, however, are to love people enough that they hate the sin which destroys them. In hating evil and restoring people, Christianity undermines immense worldly suffering. Chapter 6 contrasts Gautama and Jesus as examples of combatting suffering. At each juncture, Jesus offered more to actually fight against suffering than did Gautama. Incredibly, the interfaith scholar who would Buddhicize Christianity’s ultimate example would mar the portrait of the paradigm who exemplifies the very qualities the interfaith scholar wants to emulate. Chapter 7 examines the Buddhist emphasis on “thusness” and the Christian emphasis on purposefulness. Insofar as the interfaith scholar would Buddhicize Christianity’s ultimate purpose, the robust purposefulness that gives one’s life meaning and motivation would erode into a purposelessness which, however emancipating, leaves one comparatively impotent in the face of this-worldly suffering. In light of these five contrasts, Christian love and Buddhist compassion are able to be defined and contrasted. The logical conclusion drawn is that to Buddhicize Christianity’s ultimacy would be to truncate Christianity’s efficacy, a result which should motivate these interfaith scholars to reconsider their proposals. Key Words Buddhism iv Christianity Buddhist Compassion Christian Love Evangelical tradition This-worldly suffering Interfaith scholarship Apologetics Attachment Purposefulness v Table of Contents Preface…………………………………………………………………………………………....ii Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………….…iii List of tables……………………………………………………………………………………..10 List of figures……………………………………………………………………………………10 Chapter 1 (Introduction)…11 1.1 Background and problem statement…11 1.2 Aim and objectives…14 1.3 Central theoretical argument…14 1.4 Research design/methodology…15 1.5 Concept clarification…18 Chapter 2 (Christianity meets Buddhism)…19 2.1 Introduction…19 2.2 A proposed marriage…20 2.2.1 Tip #1 – “Let her pick the movie” (accommodating the antithetic)…21 2.2.2 Tip #2 – “Try to learn her language” (localizing the linguistic)…27 2.2.3 Tip #3 – “Share common experiences” (merging the mystic)…32 2.2.4 Tip #4 – “Don’t talk too much” (applying the apophatic)…38 2.2.5 Tip #5 – “Disconnect from old romances” (hurdling the Hellenistic)…42 2.2.6 Tip #6 – “Don’t talk too directly” (stigmatizing the specific)…47 2.2.7 Tip #7 – “Discover points of agreement” (harmonizing the hermeneutic)…53 2.2.8 Tip #8 – “Discern the meaning behind the words” (salvaging the symbolic)…63 2.2.9 Tip #9 – “Let Cupid do his thing” (crediting the charismatic)…70 2.2.10 Tip #10 – “Don’t just talk about yourself” (eclipsing the egoistic)…76 2.2.11 Tip #11 – “Get the door for her” (accomplishing the altruistic)…80 2.2.12 Tip #12 – “Detach from relatives that don’t want you together” (indicting the imperialistic)…87 2.2.13 Tip #13 – “Avoid being right all the time” (excluding the exclusivistic)…95 vi 2.2.14 Tip # 14 – “Avoiding trying to change each other” (extinguishing the evangelistic)…112 2.2.15 Tip #15 – “Make room for the other” (embodying the eclectic)…117 2.3 The point…124 2.3.1 Reason #1 – The less fighting (i.e. converting) each other, the less suffering…125 2.3.2 Reason #2 – The more working (i.e. merging) with each other, the better the world…128 2.3.3 Reason #3 – The less suffering + the better world = the point…131 2.3.4 The perfect synthesis for the perfect world…134 2.4 Why I won’t be joining in…140 Chapter 3 (Your Deity is too defined: how ultimate reality relates to suffering)…145 3.1 Introduction…145 3.2 Why should I love my neighbor: Buddhism’s ontological groundings…146 3.2.1 Ontological grounding #1 – dependent co-arising…148 3.2.2 Ontological grounding #2 – nirvana…149 3.3 Why should I love my neighbor: Buddhism’s reasons given…151 3.3.1 Reason #1 – because destiny is discerning…151 3.3.2 Reason #2 – because Buddhas are benevolent…159 3.3.3 Reason #3 – because egos are empty…161 3.3.4 Reason #4 – because individuals are interrelated…167 3.3.5 Reason #5 – because integrity is instrumental (or intrinsic?)…170 3.3.6 Reason # 6 – because capability is constitutional…175 3.3.7 Reason #7 – because samsara is savage…179 3.4 Why should I love my neighbor: Christianity’s ontological groundings and reasons given…184 3.5 How can I love my neighbor…186 3.6 Conclusion…193 Chapter 4 (Your attachments are too ardent: how ultimate attachments relate to suffering)…194 4.1 Introduction…194 4.2 Buddhism’s general attitude toward attachment…194 vii 4.3 Buddhism’s less rigid attachment to the true…196 4.4 Buddhism’s less rigid attachment to the good…201 4.5 Christianity’s general view on attachment as compared with the Buddhist view…206 4.6 With overriding soteriology: the highest ethic of Buddhism…210 4.7 With no overriding soteriology: the highest ethic of Christianity…217 4.8 Buddhism’s case against love-attachment…225 4.9 Which makes for a better world with less suffering?...231 4.10 Conclusion…235 Chapter 5 (Your demands are too dualistic: how ultimate aversions relate to suffering)…237 5.1 Introduction…237 5.2 Buddhism’s aversion to aversion…238 5.2.1 Strategy #1 – It’s just an appendage…240 5.2.2 Strategy #2 – It’s just a moment…241 5.2.3 Strategy #3 – It’s just ignorance…244 5.2.4 Strategy #4 – It’s just a lack…245 5.2.5 Strategy # 5 – It’s just your karma…247 5.2.6 Strategy #6 – It’s just your mom…248 5.2.7 Strategy #7 – It’s just your opportunity…250 5.2.8 Strategy #8 – It’s just its opposite…251 5.2.9 Strategy #9 – It’s just the surface…253 5.2.10 Strategy #10 – It’s just your response…255 5.3 Christianity’s indignation with indifference…257 5.4 Evil: the problem that does not go away…265 5.5 Which approach to aversion most effectively responds to suffering?...271 5.6 Conclusion…277 Chapter 6 (Your Messiah is too matchless: how ultimate example relates to suffering)…279 6.1 Introduction…279 6.2 The Buddha and the Christ: Ten Points of Contrast…279 6.2.1 Attitude toward history…280 viii 6.2.2 Reaction to suffering…285 6.2.3 Sphere of ministry…291 6.2.4 Depth of diagnosis…297 6.2.5 Fervor of path…301 6.2.6 Level of authority…308 6.2.7 Result of interaction…312 6.2.8 Agenda of choice…316 6.2.9 Intensity of death…318 6.2.10 Role of destination…321 6.3 Conclusion…324 Chapter 7 (Your purpose is too predetermined: how ultimate purpose relates to suffering)…327 7.1 Introduction…327 7.2 Pain of purposelessness…327 7.3 Devastation of disappointment…332 7.4 Emancipation of emptiness…334 7.5 Risk of restoration…339 7.5.1 Too good to be true…343 7.5.2 Too true to be good…344 7.6 The combatting of suffering…348 7.6.1 The inward effects of Buddhicizing Christian purpose…349 7.6.2 The physical effects of Buddhicizing Christian purpose…351 7.7 Conclusion…353 Chapter 8…354 8.1 Introduction…354 8.2 Review…354 8.3 Definitions…358 8.4 Buddhicizing and tranquilizing…359 8.5 Advice for apologetics to Buddhism…363 Bibliography…366 ix List of tables Table 5-1: Christian view of evil as distinguished from Buddhist view of evil…258 Table 7-1: Purposes of suffering according to Christianity…349 List of figures Figure 1-1: Four views of how religions relate to truth…96 10 Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Background and problem statement Like so many who hope to further the cause of Christian apologetics, I have focused my primary academic pursuits in response to atheism.
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