Ask the Pastor 51

Why is the teaching of Jesus better than Buddha?

Siddartha Gautama is the founder of this religion which was intended to reform Hinduism, therefore, there are a lot of similarities between the two. The word Buddha means enlightened one. The basic beliefs of Buddhism are summed up in the “Four Noble Truths”: (1) Life is suffering, (2) Suffering is caused by desires for pleasure and prosperity, (3) Suffering can be overcome by eliminating desires, (4) Desire can be eliminated by the Eightfold Path, including a list of moral precepts. There is no god in Buddhism and no heaven, there is only Nirvana which is the ultimate enlightenment and can be reached through multiple reincarnations. Our Lord taught that life is a gift from God and is to be enjoyed. To reach Nirvana one must work out their salvation with due diligence, but then the person will never know if they reach it, in the future life. Our Lord taught a better salvation as by grace through faith and not of ourselves but as a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9). A Buddhist may attempt good works but will always face failure, Believers in Christ have been born again and have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit to enable them to live a Spirit filled life and produce the fruits of the Spirit. Our Lord Jesus is God and has guaranteed those who trust in Him eternal life in a real heaven.

Have questions about the Bible? Send them to Dr. Greg Koehn at gak4850@gmail.com and read the answer here in this article.