ABSTRACT
Recognizing the all religions admit that “they don’t know what they’re talking about,” the author reviews how Buddhism has helped him to understand more deeply his talk about Jesus the Christ. He first explores how the Tibetan Buddhist practice of “Guru Yoga” has enabled him to grasp Paul’s frequent talk about “being in Christ.” He then compares how Buddha and Jesus responded differently to the common problem of suffering. While as a Christian he feels the need to remind Buddhists that the causes of suffering are not just personal but social, he has also found himself profoundly challenged by the Buddhist emphasis on the primacy of contemplation (personal transformation) over action (social transformation), as well as the primacy of compassion over justice. If compassion for others is incomplete with action for justice, the achievement of justice is impossible without compassion.
