A Christian-Buddhist Dialogue on the Four Noble Truths
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53555/nnssh.v7i4.983Keywords:
Interreligious Dialogue, Four Noble Truths, Soteriology, Sin, Fall, Buddhism, BuddhaAbstract
For the first time, in the Vatican Council II (1962–65), the Catholic Church recognized non-Christian religions as entities that the Church should respect and with which Christians should enter into dialogue. Being on the same page, the World Council of Churches (WCC) affirms that from her initiation, the Church has been confessing that God is reconciling the world to Himself via His Son and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Again, the WCC holds that, throughout history, the Church has been seeking to apply the basics of her faith to concrete situations in which she has been finding herself in her endless missiological journeys. Nowadays, the Church is called upon to empower her members to relate to people of other religions and to live as witnesses with others. These points justify the necessity of this article, which is entitled “A Christian-Buddhist Dialogue on the Four Noble Truths.” In the context of interreligious dialogue, this article seeks to explain the four Noble Truths of Buddhism in the light of Christian Soteriology. To that end, this article begins with a simplified explanation of the four Noble Truths of Buddhism after which it seeks to re-explain and re-express the same noble truths in the light of Christian Soteriology. Ultimately, this article reveals that Christians and Buddhists can borrow from each other towards enriching their respective soteriologies. Regarding its methodology, this article employs the review of the relevant literature, the principles of Nostra Eatate No. 2, the comparative method, and rational reflection.
References
John 14:6
Corinthians 5:18–19
Paul VI, Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate, 1965, in AAS 58 (1966), No. 2
Nostra Aetate, No. 2
“K. Main,” An Introduction to Buddhism, The Four Noble Truths, and The Eightfold Path, accessed October 25, 2020, https://www.yogiapproved.com/om/buddhism-four-noble-truths-eightfold-path/
The Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) opposed numerous teachings of Hinduism and developed different ways of life for his followers. This action marked the beginning of Buddhism. 7 Norlen Gunner, Living Religions of the World (Tanzania: Research Institute of Makumira University College, (2000), 1–30
Simply put, in Buddhism, a Buddha is an individual who has attained Bodhi. The term Bodhi means wisdom, that is, an ideal state of intellectual and ethical perfection that, according to Buddhism, can be achieved by man through purely human means
Nárada Maháthera, The Buddha and his Teachings, 3nd Ed. (Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society, 1988), 23
R. Panikkar, The Intrareligious Dialogue (New York: Paulist Press, 1978), 80–81
In Buddhism, the ultimate goal is moksha, that is, the much-needed release from samsara with its suffering. To achieve this goal is to attain nirvana, an enlightened state in which desire, the cause of suffering, has been quenched. By the way, nirvana should not to be confused with total annihilation; nirvana is a state of supreme spiritual insight and consciousness beyond definition. In Theravada Buddhism, an individual who has achieved enlightenment (nirvana) by following the Eightfold Path is known as an arahat, or worthy one. Following an attainment of nirvana, the enlightened person continues to live, burning off any remaining karma (actions and
their consequences) until a state of final nirvana (parinirvana) is attained at the time of death. Herein, at death, one attains the said second and final phase of nirvana, which is the nirvana without the body and the mind, the nirvana of no return (S. G. Kibicho, “A Comparative Study of Religions,” in The Philosophical Foundation of Buddhist Teaching, ed. Jesse N. K. Mugambi (Nairobi: Nairobi University Press, 1990), 101–6
Gunner, Living Religions of the World, 1–30
In his explication of the four Noble Truths, the Buddha acts like a medical doctor. Herein, in the first two Noble Truths, the Buddha diagnosed the problem (suffering) and identified its sole cause. Then, in the third Noble Truth, he shows that there is a cure for the revealed problem (suffering). Ultimately, in the fourth Noble Truth, the Buddha outlines the Eightfold Path, as the prescription, namely, the way to achieve liberation (release) from the said problem (suffering). All in all, these four Noble Truths are the chief principles of Buddhism that were formulated by the Buddha in about sixth century BCE
Gunner, Living Religions of the World, 1–30
Kibicho, “A Comparative Study of Religions,” 101–6
Kibicho, “A Comparative Study of Religions,” 101–6
David Noss, Man’s Religions (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1984), 119
Kibicho, “A Comparative Study of Religions,” 101–6
Genesis 2:26–27
Ibid., 2:17
Ibid., 3
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Revised Ed., (Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 2001), Nos. 369–79, 396–403, 415–17
Romans 3:23
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 400–401, 404–05
Genesis 3
Terence E. Fretheim, Creation, Fall, and Flood (USA: Augsburg Publishing House, 1969), 61–111; The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 396–98
Genesis 4
Ibid., 6–9
Ibid., 11
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 401; Nick Page, The Bible Book (London: Harper Collins Publishers, (2002), 35–60
Fretheim, Creation, Fall, and Flood, 80–111; The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 402, 405–9, 418
Romans 5:12, 18, 19
This is the reason why original sin is termed as sin only in an analogical sense; in reality, it is a sin contracted,
but not a sin committed. This sin is an inherited state of being, but not a commission of an act or an act of omission.
Thus, the transmission of original sin to the descendants of Adam remains a mystery that man cannot fully fathom.
In a word, the bottom-line is that all people sinned in Adam
John Mcintyre, The Shape of Soteriology (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1992), 34–45
However, in Christian Soteriology, the salvation of the fallen humanity seems to be problematic because God’s mercy cannot interfere with His justice; otherwise, there would be disharmony among God’s attributes. In response to this dilemma, it is worth mentioning that Christ’s atoning Work expresses God’s mercy and justice alike without dismantling the firm harmony of the divine nature (Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology, An Introduction, 2nd Ed. (Oxford University: Blackwell publishers, 1997), 386–422
Like Buddhism, in response to the deep moral laxity of society in Rome, Pelagianism that was a fifth century Christian “heresy,” held that man could, by the natural power of free will and without the necessary help of God’s grace, lead a morally good life. Pelagianism taught that humanity had free will and it was able to choose good as well as evil. However, Christianity holds that original sin has radically perverted humanity and destroyed its freedom; because of original sin, humanity has a natural tendency to sin (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 405, 418). Thus, for its salvation, humanity desperately requires God’s grace, which is heavily manifested
in the Paschal Mystery
Romans 6:23; Roger Bowen, A Guide to Romans (London: SPCK, 1992), 81–91
Timothy 2:5
Psalm 51:5. This point is supported by Hebrews 7:26, which holds that Jesus was separate from sinners. This reality is clearly seen in Hebrews 4:15, which claims that Jesus was tempted as we are, yet was without sin
Francis Selman, St. Thomas Aquinas: Teacher of Truth (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1994), 57
Matthew 26:53–54
Romans 5:15
Corinthians 15:45
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nos. 388, 422
Nostra Eatate, No. 2
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