Lecture: Christian Religion from a Buddhist Perspective

Ajaan Saeng, Payap University, January 2002

During my sabbatical research in Thailand, in January of 2002, I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Ajaan Saeng, an esteemed Buddhist philosopher who co- Directs the Institute of Religion and Culture at Payap University. He addressed a group of students from St. Thomas Univeristy, Augsburg College and an elder hostel group from Seattle University. I had the pleasure to attend. This is what I heard.

If you understand the life of a religious founder, you will understand the teachings of the religion. As a Buddhist I have no concept of a supreme God that is available to me. Jesus is a human being, a perfect human being. He may even be an enlightened person in Buddhist terms. We tend to put other religions in our frame of thought and look for points that are similar to Buddhism. This is only natural.

Jesus Christ as an enlightened one: Four states

1.  Stream enterer/winner.  30% of enlightenment is available to this 
     one…a layperson.  They can get rid of three fetters or defilements: 
    a.  That the body is ours
    b.  Doubt about the way to liberation
    c.  Superstitious beliefs and practices.  Yet they still have anger 
      greed, lust, and they marry and have children.
2.  Once-returner:  Also weakens the other two impurities:  sexual 
     desire and irritation/anger.  They will be reborn only once.
3.  Non-returner:  They will never be reborn after death.  Reborn in 
     one of 16 fine material beings.  A pure land where they devlop 
     vitue, practiace liberation, nirvana.  There is no sexual desire, 
     hatred, ill will, anger and they are rid of the 1st three fetters 
     as well.
4.  Fully-Enlightened one:  arahat is rid of all 10 fetters

Jesus Christ should be at the third state, based on observing his conduct. He was celibate, had no family and no women around him, and all his disciples are men. He did no miracles early in his life, only after the wilderness of a 40 day fast like the Buddha who went to live in the jungle, did he perform "miracles." While in the wilderness, he may have been practicing meditation. He's temped by the devil (similar to Mara in Buddhism). Mara only tempts people who are seriously liberating themselves from power of Satan. He is serious about this because he'd learned truth. Buddha after fast of 40 days was temped by Mara. Mara was in a very high level of heaven because angels, gods and goddess are not all good. Three of Mara's daughters tried to lead him back to worldly life. The three daughters were Raga (sexual desire or erotic love); Donha (desire) and Arati (despair and disappointment).

Mara is a personification of mental impurities. Satan, like Mara, tries to lure Jesus back to worldly life because he was going to do great things.

A miracle is only the psychic power that is a result of right meditation. If you can concentrate the light of the sun with a magnifying glass, it will be so bright you can't look at it.

In same way, if our mental energy could be concentrated in one spot, it would work miracles. So miracles are not unusual works, according to natural law. We don't understand the power of the mind yet. Parapsychology is teaching us things. Ed Mitchell, a former astronaut, sent messages from space to his colleagues. He took 4,000 pictures with him and told four of his friends who live in different spots to be ready to receive messages at appointed times. He would meditate on a picture and his colleagues would jot down the messages as they felt they received them. This is called psychokinesis. Eighty percent of the messages were correct. He resigned from NASA and started the Institute for the Study of Psychic Power.

The miracles performed by Jesus Christ are not new but result from the practice of meditation.

Christian practice today is not pure to Jesus Christ's teachings of the gospel. Every religion has done this…moved away.

Buddhism in Thailand has 5 layers:
1. Mental experience of buddha: enlightened mind, heart core
2. Philosophy of Life
3. Moral system: good/bad duties
4. Popular religion: folk religion, Hinduism, magic, more than 70% of the people practice this.
5. National Institution

Christianity became state religion of the Roman Empire. Imperialism depends on military power: conquest and domination This modified Christianity :

1. Imperialist
2. Significance given to Old Testament yield too much materialism…don't see any benefit from OT annexation because OT is so different and Jesus Christ revoked the eye for an eye, keeping Sabbath, etc. God of the OT is so anthropomorphic. It's a narrow mindset. Great anger of God who helps Jews only…floods, flood Egypt. God in Gospel is something else. Kingdom of God in gospel is purified mind/nirvana. Sermon on Mt is similar to Buddhism: only those who enter the Kingdom of God are those with pure heart. I am the light, the life, the way. It is not about faith in him only to be saved. He hasthe knowledge. Forgive them they are ignorant. They don't know. Knowing is unknowing is root of all evil. Last work on death is very important. If he would have lived as long as Buddha Christians would have a Bible of 45 volumes as well He had too short and too turbulent a life.

The Old Testament points to a materialist faith: they fight for land, sheep, cows, etc. There is only one metaphysical passage: "I am what I am." This parallels the "tathagate," the "thusness" in Buddhism. Materialism has made world progress but too much energy on it leads to trouble

3. Intersection of Christianity with Greek philosophy of Aristotle:

If we return to original teaching of Christ in the gospel maybe Christianity can become compatible with Buddhism. If God is explained in abstract terms, like Nirvana, something supramundane, transcendent, it is ok for Buddhist to accept. But if it's presented as a person like a Roman God, looking to punish and reward, this is not acceptable by Buddhists who are nontheistic. There are 60 billion people in the world. It is not possible for a personal God to take care of all. Interpret word repent as the realization of suffering to accept our defects and imperfection in contrast to kingdom of God.

(Click here for a Response by Dr. Bradley Holt to Ajaan Saeng's Lecture on Buddhism and Christianity)