The Origin of Life
The Buddhist beliefs about the origin of life are different compared to other religious sectors, which believed that their gods created the universe and everything that comprises it. Origin is not the main concern of the Buddhist beliefs; it is a scientific issue and scientists should deal with the origin instead. For them, knowing the origin of the world will not help in achieving the right way of living. Beginning and end does not matter; instead world, including life, is only but Samsara, or a cycle of life and death (Dhammananda, n.d).
In Biblical worldview, the version of the origin of the world is even debated against the scientific explanation of the origin. The Bible insisted that the world and life is created by God according to his will. Mankind was created in God’s image and made them rule all over His creations (Gen. 1:26). In contrast with the Bible, Buddhism relies more on scientific explanations than the religious beliefs. Aside from that, Buddhists do not indulge on the belief of origin because for them, life is only a cycle of life and death.
Identity of Mankind
For the Buddhists, the identity of mankind is not represented by names or races. In Buddhism, the term ‘human’ is nothing more than a representation of the physical aspects of individual. Human pertains to body parts, and there is nothing more to it. Reality, for them, cannot be conceived by any words, and is on a different realm (Sarma, 2013). Humanity is just another form of existence. It is a different realm from animals, but it does not mean that humans are above animals. In Buddhism, what is more important is the enlightenment, and getting out of the Samsara.
This belief is way different than in biblical context. In the bible, humans are appointed by God as ruler of all His creations. This only implies that humans are above animals and all other life forms. Human is created on God’s image, so for Christianity, to be a human is to live according to the word of God. Responsibility is being entailed into the every identity of humans. This also means that to be a human is not a total freedom because the teachings obliges people to follow the word of God.
Meaning and Purpose
Mankind exists because he is a part of Samsara. As long as man or a woman cannot end his or her cycle, he/she will remain a part of it and experiences continuous reincarnation. Humans are born ignorant, and through this ignorance, consciousness will rise (Hardy, 2008). From there, it will be the senses which will lead the humans to discover the world in front of them. Based from these beliefs, the purpose of being a human is to find their true purpose in the world the so-called enlightenment will be bestowed upon them.
In contrast, the bible has defined the purpose of humanity, and it is to follow the words of God. In fact, standards are already set in order to determine what is good and what is bad to be a human. Mankind exists in order to serve God, and the ultimate purpose of humans is to have a good relationship with God, and consequently, enter His kingdom which is the heaven. This implies that humans are being shaped by this purpose, unlike in Buddhism where it is the humans who will shape their purpose.
Morality
The moral guidelines of Buddhism can be found within the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold path is further divided into three divisions, and one of them is labeled as ethical conduct. Within the ethical conduct division lays the three related factors: right speech, action, and livelihood (Harvey, 2000). These three factors served as the main guidelines for the Buddhist in order to attain enlightenment. By following these three codes of ethics, Buddhists are able to live life the right way in accordance to the teachings of Buddha.
Similarly, the bible has also set of moral guidelines which the followers must sincerely obey. The Ten Commandments serve as the principal ethics of both Christianity and Judaism. The content is generally similar to the ones in Buddhism except that the bible has stated the specific actions that must not be done. Nevertheless, the concept of righteousness is generally the same for both beliefs and that the people are being guided in a benevolent way because these guidelines are not strictly imposed to the believers.
Destiny
Buddhism is known for the belief known as reincarnation. This means that as long as a person does not live in the most rightful way, he will not be able to escape the cycle of life and death (Hardy, 2008). Moreover, the next life will depend on how the person became in his life, If he followed most of the teachings of Buddhism, then he will be likely possible to be a human again. Otherwise, he will be sent to another realm and become an animal. This cycle shows that it is the morality which determines the status of a person in his next life.
As for biblical worldviews, the belief is slightly the same as in Buddhist beliefs: They both believe in life after death. However, the difference is that the person has a definite destination after death. He will not be reborn again in the world. Instead, he will be sent to heaven or hell depending on his actions while living. Similar with Buddhism, the judgment of people’s destiny depends on the degree of morality of that person while he is living.
References
Dhammananda, K. (n.d). The Origin of the World. What Buddhist Believe.
Genesis. New American Standard Bible. (1995). The Lockman Foundation.
Hardy, J. (2008). Human Nature and the Purpose of Existence. Buddhism. Patheos Library.
Harvey, P. (2000). An introduction to Buddhist ethics : foundations, values and issues. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 123 – 124.
Sarma, R. (2003). A Buddhist Analysis of Our ‘Human Identity.’ Global Buddhist Door.
