A Major Difference Between Christianity and Buddhism

   

     A Major Difference Between Christianity and Buddhism

                   
              Christianity and Buddhism are radically different in multiple ways. One way is clearly displayed in this quotation:

"If you see something horrible, don't cling to it; and if 
you see something beautiful, don't cling to it."

                                Dudjom Rinpoche


               Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe Dorje is the supreme leader of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was appointed to his position by the 14th Dalai Lama. The quotation represents the Buddhist concept that clinging to the passing and ephemeral phenomena of life produces suffering.

Suffering is eliminated when the clinging is eliminated. This has been described in numerous ways. Here are two of them: that which is left after a flower has been crushed and the hand removed; that which is left after a candle has been extinguished.

               Christianity totally disagrees. Christianity calls for a deliberate choice to focus on positive things, because that pleases and glorifies God. God is involved in every aspect of the life of the believer. He knows how may hairs are on your head.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, 
whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and
if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
                                                     
                                   Philippians 4:8


"Whether then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, 
                        do all to the glory of God."

                              1 Corinthians 10:31

Scriptural quotations are from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.

Amish Bishop Convicted of Hate Crime

In Bergholz, Ohio, sixty-six year old Amish Bishop Samuel Mullet Sr., four of his children, and eleven of his followers have been convicted of hate crimes against an Amish man and his wife whom Mullet accused of rebelliousness and straying from his religious teachings.  The man and his wife were awakened to several persons holding them down and cutting off their hair and the man’s beard.

Old Order Amish men all grow beards and the women do not cut their hair.  The hair-cutting attacks were taken to shame the couple.  Those convicted of the hate crimes face up to ten years or more in prison.  The hair cuttings were considered to be hate crimes because they were motivated strictly on the basis of differences in religious beliefs.

Mullet, the founder of the twenty-five family group about twenty years ago,  has been described as an authoritarian leader who has abused his authority to coerce sexual favors from female members and who has enforced many practices at variance with traditional Amish culture.  The attacked couple were among those resistant to Mullet’s leadership.

Some of the other members of the group shielded their faces as they left after the reading of the verdict.  Because of their tradition which favors separation from the outside culture and because of biblical instructions to settle church issues within the church, many were quite ashamed of the church leader being dragged into court.

The Amish are a subsect of the Mennonite faith.  Most are of German or Swiss-German ancestry.  They are Anabaptists (they practice adult believer’s baptism rather than infant baptism) and, while they aware of modern technology, they do not use it.  Most Amish live as farmers and they are known for their sturdy and beautiful furniture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish

http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/pennsylvania/a/amish.htm

http://www.religioustolerance.org/amish.htm

Hair

Hair is considered to be beautiful when it is well maintained and clean. Beautiful hair is considered to be so important that some people will pay large sums of money to replace their failing hair with someone else's hair attached to their head. Some men spend large sums trying to grow their own. Many women's self-image is tied up in their beautiful hair.

All this makes what Mary of Bethany did at the house of Simon the Leper even more meaningful. As reported in John 12:3, Mary (the sister of Lazarus and Martha) took very expensive ointment and, using her hair as a towel, washed Jesus's feet. When his disciples complained that this was expensive and wasteful, Jesus instead told them that it was a wonderful act of love which would be remembered forever.

Men who had been traveling would have very dusty, dirty feet. For a woman to take her hair and use it to wipe clean the feet of a man involved several powerful emotions and taboos. Jesus was not her husband but Mary touched him and Jesus allowed it, he even praised it. To wash Jesus' feet, Mary had to dirty her hair, which could be viewed as a debasement, a lowering of herself. Doing this in front of other men who were watching could have been viewed as even more disturbing. Jesus declared it to be holy.

Remember who Jesus is: God. He is totally deserving of our worship. Apart from God, nothing else matters.