IS BUDDHISM'S NIRVANA THE ANSWER TO LIFE'S SUFFERING?
IS BUDDHISM'S NIRVANA THE ANSWER TO LIFE'S SUFFERING?
One of the oldest religions in the world, Buddhism, spread from India, where it originated, throughout Asia and around the world. While Buddhism is built around the Four Noble Truths that begin with, “there is suffering, there is a cause of suffering, and there is an end of suffering,” the fourth truth declares that the way out of the suffering of this world is through the “eightfold path.” Buddhism is one of the largest religions with over 520 million followers seeking to find peace and ultimately nirvana, the “separation from bondage,” through the “eightfold path” of Buddhism. Nirvana is the idea that one finally reaches a consciousness or transcendent state where there is no longer any suffering or pain, no longer the cycle of death and rebirth (karma), and no longer a sense of self, finally entering what Buddhists consider reality or a type of heaven.
The eightfold path which includes living, with the determination to not harm through our words and actions, and being mindful about all that we do, this truly sounds like a noble way to live. If humans could live up to it perfectly, it could make a difference to what the world looks like. Unfortunately, it cannot actually bring true freedom from the suffering of this world, because we all fall short. Only Jesus can do that.
Jesus came to bring true freedom. The Bible acknowledges that in this world there is suffering, and it is not an illusion, but the sinful desires of the flesh cause suffering We are both affected and afflicted by the sin of the world, and our own. Good and evil, and the material world are not an illusion. The Lord created all things in heaven and on earth and called them good, but when sin entered through the wilful rebellion of man it became fallen.
The Bible also tells us that Christ is with us in suffering and that because of Christ, we can, “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).” Because of Christ’s work on the cross, we have forgiveness for our sins and reconciliation with God, so we can face the reality of suffering. Knowing that we have the presence of the Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen us.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives doesn’t just enable us to face the reality of suffering, but it also enables us to live lives that honor God. The “eightfold path” of Buddhism describes a way to live that is noble and even resembles the way that the Bible describes as “walking worthy of the Lord.” But the Bible also tells us that walking worthy of the Lord is fruit of the Holy Spirit in us, not something we can conjure up on our own. The “eightfold path” of Buddhism is something that we could strive for, but impossible to truly do as humans with a fallen sinful nature, outside of the work of God in us. Buddhism teaches that we can overcome sin through right action, known as Karma, and reach a perfected state of being, or Nirvana. The Bible teaches that we only have one life, and our sins can only be forgiven by our faith and trust in the redemptive work Jesus did on the cross for the world. Because even on our best day we all fall short of perfection and sin. This is God’s grace.
The goal of Christianity is not to escape the bondage of this world in an alternative consciousness. Instead, we are created with a purpose in our lives here on earth and called to glorify God. The presence of God walking with us and the hope of eternity with Him in heaven, enables us to face the reality of life and suffering. God doesn’t want us to just settle for an escape, an altered state of universal consciousness, He wants us to join Him in His work here on earth, to be the ministers of God’s love to the suffering world around us, and to spend eternity with Him in heaven. That’s why He sent His Son to die on the cross, to pay the penalty for our sin, to enable us to have a relationship with Him, to cross the great divide that sin put between us. This is reality, and in this reality is hope.
One of the oldest religions in the world, Buddhism, spread from India, where it originated, throughout Asia and around the world. While Buddhism is built around the Four Noble Truths that begin with, “there is suffering, there is a cause of suffering, and there is an end of suffering,” the fourth truth declares that the way out of the suffering of this world is through the “eightfold path.” Buddhism is one of the largest religions with over 520 million followers seeking to find peace and ultimately nirvana, the “separation from bondage,” through the “eightfold path” of Buddhism. Nirvana is the idea that one finally reaches a consciousness or transcendent state where there is no longer any suffering or pain, no longer the cycle of death and rebirth (karma), and no longer a sense of self, finally entering what Buddhists consider reality or a type of heaven.
The eightfold path which includes living, with the determination to not harm through our words and actions, and being mindful about all that we do, this truly sounds like a noble way to live. If humans could live up to it perfectly, it could make a difference to what the world looks like. Unfortunately, it cannot actually bring true freedom from the suffering of this world, because we all fall short. Only Jesus can do that.
Jesus came to bring true freedom. The Bible acknowledges that in this world there is suffering, and it is not an illusion, but the sinful desires of the flesh cause suffering We are both affected and afflicted by the sin of the world, and our own. Good and evil, and the material world are not an illusion. The Lord created all things in heaven and on earth and called them good, but when sin entered through the wilful rebellion of man it became fallen.
The Bible also tells us that Christ is with us in suffering and that because of Christ, we can, “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).” Because of Christ’s work on the cross, we have forgiveness for our sins and reconciliation with God, so we can face the reality of suffering. Knowing that we have the presence of the Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen us.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives doesn’t just enable us to face the reality of suffering, but it also enables us to live lives that honor God. The “eightfold path” of Buddhism describes a way to live that is noble and even resembles the way that the Bible describes as “walking worthy of the Lord.” But the Bible also tells us that walking worthy of the Lord is fruit of the Holy Spirit in us, not something we can conjure up on our own. The “eightfold path” of Buddhism is something that we could strive for, but impossible to truly do as humans with a fallen sinful nature, outside of the work of God in us. Buddhism teaches that we can overcome sin through right action, known as Karma, and reach a perfected state of being, or Nirvana. The Bible teaches that we only have one life, and our sins can only be forgiven by our faith and trust in the redemptive work Jesus did on the cross for the world. Because even on our best day we all fall short of perfection and sin. This is God’s grace.
The goal of Christianity is not to escape the bondage of this world in an alternative consciousness. Instead, we are created with a purpose in our lives here on earth and called to glorify God. The presence of God walking with us and the hope of eternity with Him in heaven, enables us to face the reality of life and suffering. God doesn’t want us to just settle for an escape, an altered state of universal consciousness, He wants us to join Him in His work here on earth, to be the ministers of God’s love to the suffering world around us, and to spend eternity with Him in heaven. That’s why He sent His Son to die on the cross, to pay the penalty for our sin, to enable us to have a relationship with Him, to cross the great divide that sin put between us. This is reality, and in this reality is hope.
