By James A. Beverley

RECOGNITION of the remarkable personality of the Dalai Lama is a separate issue from Christian assessment of Buddhism.  There are strong reasons why Christians should be sceptical of Buddhism, whether Theravada (Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka),  Mahayana (China, Japan, Korea), or Vajrayana (Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal).  

History

There is the issue of the historical integrity of the earliest documents about Buddha. These texts, in Pali and Sanskrit, were written between four and five centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The historical records are so dubious that experts cannot even agree on the general dates of Gautama’s life.  

In A Short History of Buddhism , Edward Conze, the devout Buddhist scholar, dismisses any “confident assertions” about what the Buddha really said as “mere guesswork.”

Conze wrote in Buddhist Scriptures : “Buddhists possess nothing that corresponds to the New Testament.”  

Science

Though Buddhism claims to be scientific and rational, many theories in Buddhist scriptures have turned out to be completely erroneous, including medical teachings, astrological views and theories of cosmology.  

Regarding the latter, Buddhists of all schools taught for centuries – based on the alleged words of Gautama – that the earth is flat, and has at its centre a great mountain called Meru. The four faces of Meru are composed of precious stones, and the colour of the stone determines the colour of the sky in the four main continents.  

If you cannot trust the Buddha to get geographical facts right, why trust him on issues related to the supernatural?

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Atheism

Christians must also resist Buddhism in its denial of God. While the Buddhist scriptures teach the reality of gods and goddesses, these are lesser beings that inhabit various spirit realms.

Buddhism denies God as the Creator, positing instead endless cycles of birth and rebirth – not only of humans and animals, but universes as well. Buddhism is contradicted by the very first verse of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Jesus

In his book, The Good Heart , the Dalai Lama argues that Jesus is “a fully enlightened being.” He affirmed this again when I interviewed him (see accompanying article). I tried to get him to see the implication of this high view of Jesus. As a truly enlightened teacher, Jesus would teach the truth about his own identity and mission.  

This should lead any Buddhist, including the Dalai Lama, to submit to Jesus as Saviour, Son of God and risen Lord.  The failure of Buddhists to recognize the truth about Jesus represents an error of monumental size.

James Beverley is professor of Christian thought and ethics at Tyndale Seminary. His latest book is Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions . Website: jimbeverley.com.

September 2009