Bailey The Buddhist

Buddhism is an Eastern religion which revolves primarily around suffering. Its founder is named Siddhartha Gautama (later called the ‘Buddha’ – where we get Buddhism from). He was born nearly 600 years before Christ. At some point in his young life he decided to travel the country, and when he did he became troubled by all the suffering of the common people. He desperately wanted to do something about all the pain he saw, so he studied the Hindu scriptures under their priests, but decided that was not the way to help. Eventually, he stopped praying to the Hindu ‘gods’ and decided to become a homeless person and survive essentially by begging. During the years that followed, he dove completely into self-denial and meditation and decided that this practice would lead to peace and help with suffering. He also believed that through self-denial and meditation, a person could eventually achieve a god-like state of ‘Nirvana’. He then decided that his mission in life was to spread his message wherever he went, at which point he became known as the ‘enlightened one’ or the ‘Buddha’. There are an estimated 613 million Buddhists worldwide; and 1 million in the United States.

Questions You Can Ask

1. What’s your spiritual background?

2. Buddhism is exploding in America as a belief system. Why do you think that is?

3. What are the parts of Buddhism that you are most excited about?

4. Explain to me what it’s like to be a Buddhist when it comes to your specific spiritual disciplines and practices?

5. Why do you think there is evil and suffering in the world?

6. What do you believe about what happens after death?

7. Who or what set the law of karma in motion?

8. Have you ever felt the need to be forgiven?

9. How would you feel if you discovered that someone suffered in your place so that you wouldn’t have to?

10. Have you ever heard of the path to inner peace apart from ridding yourself of all your desires and attachments?

Areas You Can Admire

  • Bailey’s desire for peace.
  • Bailey’s desire to be in tune with her inner self.
  • Bailey’s belief in life after death.
  • Bailey’s concerns about evil, suffering, and conflict in the world.

What Bailey Believes

What Bailey believes about Buddhism can be summed up in what are called the ‘Four Noble Truths’

  • There is pain and suffering in the world.
  • Attachment to people and things causes suffering.
  • The suffering will stop when a person can rid him/her self of all desires.
  • There is a path to the extinguishing of all desires.

Note: It is important to remember that the Buddha never considered himself to be a god, or a divine being of any type. He basically viewed himself as a person showing others ‘the way’ to enlightenment. Bailey doesn’t consider Buddha to be a god either.

Bailey does not believe in the Trinity.

Bailey does not believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God, because she doesn’t believe in a personal God in the first place. Bailey also rejects the notion of rigid commands.

Bailey believes salvation is by self-effort only through the Four Noble Truths. Remember that ‘salvation’ to Bailey is ultimately complete extinction at death, in other words freedom from the cycle of Karma.

What The Bible Teaches

Bailey does not believe in the personal, Sovereign God of the universe revealed in the Bible.

Bailey believes that Jesus Christ was a good teacher, though less important than Buddha.

Bailey believes in reincarnation through the cycles of Karma, which is an afterlife driven by the law of cause and effect. This means what Bailey does in this lifetime, either good or bad, determines what will happen to her in another lifetime, on and on through time, until she has gone through enough suffering and purification to reach Nirvana, which is a state characterized by freedom from pain, worry and the external world.

 

Things to Remember

Remember that Bailey is coming from an extremely different worldview, so totally avoid ‘Christianese’ terms such as ‘new birth’, or even ‘born again’. Some good alternatives that they could better relate to would be terms like ‘endless freedom from suffering, guilt, and sin’, and ‘gift of eternal good life without suffering’. Also, focus on the uniqueness and unique claims of Jesus – especially His resurrection and teaching that He was the only way to God (John 14:6). Ultimately, you want to get the conversation to the point of sharing the gospel, so don’t get too side-tracked with confusing Buddhist beliefs. Try to work your own gospel journey story, especially as it relates to your freedom from guilt and assurance of heaven amid suffering. As always, remember that you are in a spiritual battle, so put on your spiritual Armor (Ephesians 6) and pray without stopping!