Why did I become a Christian from a Buddhist?
Although I am a Christian now, I was a Buddhist in the early days until I was twenty. So today I’m going to talk about why I went from a Buddhist to a Christian.
There are many westerners who are interested in Eastern culture. There are many people who are interested in Eastern religions. Especially many of them are interested in Buddhism. There are many people who graduated from world-famous universities and became monks.
Why are Westerners interested in Buddhism. Once a Buddhist, I thought about why they were interested in Buddhism.
The reason why Westerners are interested in Buddhism
The reason why Westerners are interested in Buddhism is that Buddhism seems mysterious to Westerners. Have you been to a Buddhist temple in Thailand? There is a huge gold-plated Buddha statue in a beautiful temple. For Westerners, Buddhism is both mysterious and wonderful.
According to the Wikipedia dictionary, Buddhism is an Indian religion founded by Siddhartha Gautama in India around the 6th century B.C. Buddhism is a religion that teaches what he will do when he realizes the truth.
Specifically, the purpose of the teaching is to get out of pain or reach a state without pain, which is different from the teaching that it is not the truth that can be expressed in detail.
Buddhism is a religion that follows the teachings of doctrinal leader Siddhartha Gautama and aims to achieve enlightenment and ultimately become a Buddha.
Siddhartha did not answer because he thought that the metaphysical problems that were widely discussed in India at the time were not conducive to nirvana. Siddhartha acknowledged dharma, but did not acknowledge the total existence of self in it, and said that there was anguish because he was obsessed with me forever.
Siddhartha argued that if you learn the truth and abandon obsession by asceticism, you can escape from any bondage and reach the state of Nirvana. Buddhism has several heavens, all of which are the result of his own Dharma. People who build good Dharmas can be reborn.
They are less interested in the world or the public, putting importance on personal things such as filial piety and relationships. Buddhism was also welcomed by the aristocrats because they argued in their doctrine that the people’s low and painful lives were not because of the aristocrats but because of their karma.
In addition, aristocrats used Buddhism to build Buddhist pagodas that claimed the will and legitimacy of world domination along with the idea that the king was a Buddha.
Buddhism seems to have something to Westerners in that sense. Compared to the Christian doctrine, the doctrine of Buddhism is in keeping with the human mind.
People like to achieve their goals with their efforts and achievements. Buddhism meets the needs of those people.
Originally, Buddhism was not a religion, but an enlightened Siddhartha idea. Only later did Siddhartha’s teaching become a religion and spread to many countries in Asia.
By comparison, the doctrine of Christianity is too simple. The doctrine of faith and salvation seems too easy for people. They have doubts. Do I really get salvation if I believe it? Shouldn’t I do something like Buddhism. Isn’t it natural for me to be saved only if I do asceticism. People think like this.
But the Bible places no value on any human effort and achievement. Both the ascetic Buddhists and monks say they are sinners in the Bible.
From a Buddhist to a Christian
I went from a Buddhist to a Christian in my twenties. Why did I convert. The reason why I became a Christian from a Buddhist is that I felt the limit in Buddhism.
As I said earlier, Buddhism teaches you to escape all your tenacity and hardship to nirvana. So I followed various ceremonies and followed the asceticism, but I didn’t seem to be enough to reach nirvana.
I started to think about it. How can I get out of my pain. I went to church as an alternative. At first, Christian teaching seemed to me to be lacking. The Bible’s teaching that faith brings salvation sounded like a lie.
But with the help of a seminary student who came across with patience, I began to learn the Bible. Reading books about the Bible and doctrines, the seminary student taught me a lot.
Thanks to you, I started to have confidence in the Bible. I came to think that Christianity is a true and true religion. On the other hand, I thought Buddhism was a colorful but unsubstantial religion.
Let’s say you fell into the water. Will you be able to get you out of the water. Buddhism’s teaching in my eyes is to swim out of the water by yourself.
But the Bible saves Jesus Christ, the son of God, by walking directly on the water and holding your hand. This is the difference between Christianity and Buddhism. This is why I went from a Buddhist to a Christian.
People don’t know these two precious things because air and water are always by their side. Westerners live in a society based on Christian spirit, so they do not know the value of Christianity.
So they are interested in Buddhism, a religion in a completely different world. But there is something they don’t know. Eastern scriptures teach you that the more you find something outside, the more empty your inside becomes.
If you are interested in Buddhism, it’s because you don’t know Christianity well yet. If you start studying the Bible seriously, you will change your mind.
So if you are interested in Buddhism, start studying the Bible seriously first. And find true truth and life in it. This is what I want to say to you today.
