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Title: The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha by Ravi Zacharias ISBN: 157673854X Publisher: Multnomah Publishers Inc. Pub. Date: 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $9.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.81
Rating: 5
Summary: Fascinating and thought provoking
Comment: In this fascinating book, the author brings Jesus Christ and Gautama Buddha together for a short boat-ride, accompanying a prostitute who is dying of AIDS. Along the way, the three (four, if you include the boat driver) hold a conversation about religion and reality.
I very much enjoyed this book, which reminded me a great deal of the Socratic dialogues, written by Plato. As with those books, this one was written to prove the superiority of the philosophy of one of the characters. Also, Dr. Zacharias is not an expert on Buddhism, and reports that the research for this book was conducted by speaking to several Buddhist monks, rather than widely recognized Buddhist thinkers.
That said, though, I thought that this was a very interesting and well-written book, one which gave me a great deal of food for thought. If you are looking for an erudite comparison of Buddhist and Christian theology, then you *will* be disappointed by this book. But, if you are interested in a fascinating, thought provoking book, then I highly recommend this book to you!
Rating: 3
Summary: Barely scratches the surface
Comment: This is a very small volume, about the size of "The Prayer of Jabez", and is a fairly quick read. The author, who is a well-known Christian apologist, imagines a conversation involving Jesus, Buddha, and a prostitute. The intent is to highlight some of the basic differences between Christianity as taught by Jesus and Buddhism and, yes, is does have a definite Christian slant to it. Nobody should be surprised or upset by this when they take into account the author's point of view. I'm sure if he was a Buddhist and felt like Buddhism had the answers, it would be slanted the other way.
Of course, a book this small can barely scratch the surface of either religion and the differences between them, but it is a good starting point. It may be an oversimplification of the subject, but it can whet one's appetite for deeper research. Would a conversation including Jesus and Buddha go exactly this way? Probably not, because who could presume to put words in the mouth of either Christ or Buddha? It is a vehicle, however, for the Socratic approach used here, and it is effective, if not comprehensive.
Rating: 2
Summary: To clear up some misconceptions ...
Comment: I am a Kadampa Buddhist monk and teacher. A Christian woman lent me this book, and I tried to read it with an open mind. However, I found it very difficult to continue after the author's horrible mis-portrayal of both the character of Buddha Shakyamuni (the "Gautama" of the book) and his teachings on Karma. I would like to clear up some misconceptions passed on in the review by undragoned1.
1) "Buddha doesn't believe in an intellegent higher power interacting in the affairs of man, but that belief is central to Christianity."
This may be true of the Therevada Buddhists interviewed by the author, but in Mahayana Buddhism we believe that there are countless Buddhas constantly working to free us from suffering. While the concept of "Buddha" is different from the Christian concept of "God", they do interact with us every day.
2) "the Buddhist must reach his ultimate goal entirely on his own strength, whereas the Christian meets his ultimate goal (salvation) by God's Grace and God's power. It's a guanteed ticket that you didn't do for yourself in otherwords."
The idea that we can achieve enlightenment on our own is foreign to Buddhism. It requires a great deal of help: blessings from enlightened beings (very similar to Christian "grace"), guidance from teachers, and help from spiritual friends. Yes, there is also work to be done from our own side, but this is only possible with help from holy beings.
3) Buddhism *can* make the claim that Buddha Shakyamuni "is still able to be active in our lives". See above.
4) The back cover of the book claims that Buddha denies that the self even exists. This is a gross oversimplification of Buddha's teachings on emptiness, and in particular the selflessness of persons. This topic is very subtle and very deep; I cannot do it justice here. Suffice it to say that the critical question is not *whether* the self exists, but *how* it exists. The self exists, but not in the way that we think it does.
I gave this book two stars rather than one merely to give it the benefit of the doubt; I have not finished it and probably won't. I cannot recommend it to anyone. Christians reading this book will be deceived about the real nature of Buddhism, and Buddhists reading this book will see an insulting distortion of their religion.
If you want to read an authentic explanation of Buddhism, I can recommend "Introduction to Buddhism" by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Other customer reviews have referenced some good, authentic books as well.
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Title: Jesus Among Other Gods The Absolute Claims Of The Christian Message by Ravi Zacharias ISBN: 084991437X Publisher: Word Publishing Pub. Date: 08 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title: Sense and Sensuality: Jesus Talks to Oscar Wilde on the Pursuit of Pleasure (Great Conversations Series) by Ravi Zacharias ISBN: 1590520149 Publisher: Multnomah Publishers Inc. Pub. Date: 01 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $9.99 |
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Title: Light in the Shadow of Jihad : The Struggle for Truth by Ravi Zacharias ISBN: 1576739899 Publisher: Multnomah Publishers Inc. Pub. Date: 28 February, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: Can Man Live Without God by Ravi Zacharias ISBN: 0849939437 Publisher: Word Publishing Pub. Date: 23 July, 1996 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: Deliver Us From Evil by Ravi Zacharias ISBN: 084993950X Publisher: Word Publishing Pub. Date: 03 February, 1998 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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