There is much to be admired in the Buddha’s teaching.
I find the simplicity of the Buddha’s “Four Noble Truths” and the “Noble Eightfold Path”, both elegant and attractive.
The Four Noble Truths.
- The reality of suffering.
- The cause of suffering.
- The cessation of suffering.
- The way out of suffering; the “Noble Eightfold Path”.
The Noble Eightfold Path
Wisdom
1. Right view.
2. Right thought.
Conduct
3. Right speech.
4. Right action.
5. Right livelihood.
Discipline.
6. Right effort.
7. Right mindfulness.
8. Right concentration.
The efficacy of the Buddha’s core principles and practices have been well-demonstrated in the fields of positive psychology and neuroscience; the Buddha’s mindfulness and compassion practices have been shown to enhance subjective well-being, emotional regulation, and cognitive function.
I can also validate the practical wisdom and efficacy of the Buddha’s meditation practices in my own life.
Furthermore, the Buddha’s teaching on ‘compassion and loving-kindness toward all sentient beings’, speaks to our deepest desire to love and be loved; I am sure that all sentient beings long to love and to be loved.
Even as a mother protects with her life her child, her only child, so with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings. Radiating kindness over the entire world spreading upwards to the skies, and downwards to the depths; outwards and unbounded, freed from hatred and ill-will. (Metta Sutta)
What’s not to love about the Buddha’s teaching!
If practical guidance for this life was all one needed, the Buddha’s core principles and practices provide an excellent framework for personal flourishing, virtue and meaning.
However, I have deeper questions that the Buddha does not answer to my satisfaction.
While I am immensely grateful for the Buddha’s practical insights and wisdom, I am unable to validate his teaching on the three important subjects;
- The stories of his past lives (reincarnations).
- The endless cycles of birth and rebirth (Samsara).
- The eventual liberation from suffering (Nibbana/Nirvana).
As I see it, the Buddha was a good man in search of truth and, of all human beings, he has no equal in his quest to understand suffering, its causes and remedies.
“Buddha was a good man in search of truth”
And yet, I needed to part company with the Buddha when he could no longer provide satisfactory answers to my deepest questions;
Four BIG questions every thinking person should ask.
1. Who am I?
2. How did I get here?
3. Why am I here?
4. What is my purpose?
Five BIG questions every spiritual seeker should settle.
1. Does God exist?
2. If so, what is God like?
3. Why did God create us?
4. Why did God give us freewill?
5. What is God’s plan for humanity and creation?
From the Buddha to the Christ.
My quest for answers to these questions led me back to the Bible and the person of Jesus Christ, who I believe is the loving God, liberating humanity from suffering in this world and the next; restoring humanity to loving fellowship with himself and each other.
“Jesus Christ, loving God liberating humanity from suffering, in this world and the next.”
While the Buddha taught me how to cope with ‘life’, Jesus Christ answers my deepest questions in ways that I can personally validate on a daily basis; a living relationship with my Creator.
A disciple of Jesus Christ.
Finally, I consider myself to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, but not a Christian.
See my blog "Why I am not a Christian" where I explain why I am not a Christian and introduce you to the freedom one can enjoy after the chains of Christian dogma are shattered; dogma that has caused so much confusion and suffering in the world.
