129 W L A S … HAT EADERS RE AYING “In his well-written and researched book ‘From Buddha to Jesus’ Steve has placed a valuable witnessing tool in the hands of the local church. I strongly recommend his book and suggest that anyone who comes in contact with Eastern religions should read it and have the information readily available.” C S OL TRINGER Best-Selling Author & President of ICFM Australia “This book has many great insights in it… I would use it for our Bible College students.” D . W C R AYNE ORDEIRO Pastor of 10,000+ member church in Hawaii “Upon reading ‘From Buddha to Jesus,’ we were challenged, felt better equipped with the right information, and in many ways….corrected. We didn’t realize that we had so many misconceptions concerning Buddhism. Nor did we know that there are so many teachings of Buddhism that could actually assist us in presenting to Buddhists their need of Jesus as Savior.” T & P C ONY ATSY AMENETI Directors of RHEMA Australia, missionaries to Singapore & Italy “Buddhism is a mystery to most Australians, yet increasing numbers of Australians are investigating it as an option for faith. Steve Cioccolanti has done us all a service by making the essence of Buddhism accessible to all of us. This book will be an increasingly important resource for those desiring to lift up Jesus, The Light, in the understanding of those who find themselves impressed by Buddha, the ‘enlightened one’.” A M LLAN EYER Senior Minister of Careforce Church, Mt. Evelyn “‘From Buddha to Jesus’ is definitely a book worth reading and passing on to other Christians. It has been written with the view of helping Christians to more effectively reach Buddhists with the Gospel by understanding our common ground with them. It gives invaluable insights into why Buddhists believe and practice the way they do. Thus equipped, the Christian is better positioned to share the Gospel with Buddhists wisely and strategically, even as Paul did with the Athenians in Acts 17. The book has also helped clear misconceptions of Buddhism that are prevalent in the Western society including my own misperceptions of reincarnation. It has given me invaluable insight into Buddhism in ways I had not hitherto attained from other books on world religions. The book is written in a very easy-to-read style with interesting anecdotes to illustrate teaching points. I highly recommend to every Christian both the book and its author.” PEGGY ONG Church Elder of Full Gospel Assembly Melbourne “A truly enlightening and informative book on Buddhism with many references and comparisons to Christianity. This book is a useful tool to reach not only Buddhists with the truth but many others confused in the plethora of religions.” T I OM NGLIS Founder of Psalmody, former Music Director of RHEMA South Africa “The author not only reveals the true teachings of Buddha, but superbly teaches many Biblical truths which are so vital for victorious Christian living.” D P AVID EARCE Missionary to Tibet “As well as learning so much, I believe Steve has a beautiful gift of expressing language... his writing is so clear and easy to comprehend it may well become a teaching, training, educational manual in libraries, schools and colleges throughout the world. I am praying for God’s favor on this important piece of literature.” D B AVID OX Property & Project Manager of Destiny Church, Melbourne F B ROM UDDHA T O J ESUS A I ’ V N NSIDER S IEW OF B & C S C F UDDHISM HRISTIANITY TEVE IOCCOLANTI OREWORD D . W C BY R AYNE ORDEIRO F B J : A I ’ V ROM UDDHA TO ESUS N NSIDER S IEW OF BUDDHISM & CHRISTIANITY by Steve Cioccolanti Published by Sweet Life International Pty. Ltd. Cover design by Kiko Arakawa [email protected] This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the publisher. Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc., publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quotation marked RSV is from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1952 by The Division of Christian Education, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © 2007 by Steve Cioccolanti All rights reserved International Standard Book Number: 9780980483901 Printed in the U.S.A. CONTENTS FOREWORDS THANKS PREFACE ABOUT LANGUAGE Introduction UNDERSTANDING BUDDHISM 1 A S B B C 2 TORY FROM EHIND THE AMBOO URTAIN T S E 3 E M W 4 HE TORY OF THE EL AST EETS EST T T B , F B & L B HE HIN UDDHA AT UDDHA AUGHING UDDHA 5 W W B ? HO AS UDDHA 6 T L P 7 T T B HE OTUS ARABLE HE EACHINGS OF UDDHA 8 T F N T 9 T P HE OUR OBLE RUTHS HE OLIO V 10 H J U L L ICTIM OW ESUS SED THE AW AWFULLY 11 T F C B 12 HE IVE OMMANDMENTS OF UDDHA W W J S B ? HAT OULD ESUS AY TO UDDHISTS 13 T K B 14 T T K HE OREAN UDDHIST HE EN ARMAS 15 I T H ? S HERE A ELL 16 R 17 W B 18 EINCARNATION OMEN IN UDDHISM K A & P 19 J ING SOKA THE YTHON ESUS ON R 20 T K & U EINCARNATION HE ING THE NGRATEFUL D 21 T B T 22 T L EBTOR HE LIND URTLE HE AST W B 23 W D ? ORDS OF UDDHA HICH ENOMINATION 24 T T B (T ) 25 T S HE HREE ASKETS RIPITAKA HE IX B C 26 K N 27 UDDHIST OUNCILS ING ARESUAN S 28 E T P B & UMMARY ND IME REDICTIONS OF UDDHA J CHRISTIAN QUESTIONS ESUS 29 T A B 30 T V HE UTHORITY OF THE IBLE HE ALIDITY OF B S 31 T R S 32 UDDHIST TORIES HE ISK OF YNCRETISM I B H ? S UDDHA IN EAVEN 33 T L W J 34 W W HE AST ORDS OF ESUS HAT OULD B S ? UDDHA AY A PPENDIX F OREWORDS You have in your hands a groundbreaking book, one that will challenge you to rethink our faith and how it can reach those whom others have overlooked. I was raised in Hawaii, a blending of the East and West. My mother was for many years of her life a Buddhist. My father was Catholic, so I grew up confused! I was in caught between the two cultures and the two beliefs of those I loved. As I came to know Christ in my late teenage years, I developed a heart to reach those of other faiths. I quickly learned that the first step to that goal was not necessarily sharing the Four Spiritual Laws or by giving them a copy of the New Testament. Rather, it was to understand their perspective and loving each one as a person for whom Christ died. Having read Steve Cioccolanti’s courageous work, I was challenged afresh and stirred in my heart to now confidently take the next step in reaching Buddhists with the Gospel. It teaches the reader how with understanding and context, we can build Goodwill, which one day will open a doorway for the Good News! Steve Cioccolanti is a sincere follower of Christ with an unusual insight into the Buddhist mind. His background and context lends to a broad understanding that no causal college can bring to any avid student of life. You will hear his compassion as well as his comprehension for those who have been raised within generations of Buddhist traditions and beliefs. He will even challenge you to see the good in it rather than just the bad. You will view the elements that have drawn millions in Asia and beyond to a philosophy of life that has withstood millennia of criticism and wars. I have recommended this book to our Bible College students as they attempt to reach the Pacific Rim. I recommend it to you as you go forward to reach your world for Christ. D . W C R AYNE ORDEIRO President of Pacific Rim Bible College “In Australia, the 2006 Census tells us that the number of Buddhists has grown by 107% since 1996. However it seems there has been little growth in understanding Buddhism within the Church or by Christians generally. Some parts of the Church have adopted Buddhist meditation practices. Some see it as a religion of peace, promoting tolerance and self-understanding, not much different from Christianity. The Buddhist concepts of karma and reincarnation are accepted by a surprising number of young people, including many in the Church. In his excellent book, Steve Cioccolanti provides a very welcome window into Buddhism as someone who has been on the inside. Through Buddhist stories and legends, he opens up the teachings of Buddha that are often more about a search for life than pathways to hope and fulfillment. He includes a description of the different variations of Buddhism from different countries, and issues such as women in Buddhism and "Is Buddha in Heaven?" The surprising features of this book are not only the candid information about Buddhism, but also the way Steve intertwines this with the Christian message of hope - comparing Buddhist teachings with the Bible, presenting some of the key Buddhist symbols as doorways to eternal life in Christ, and asking personal questions of the reader about their own beliefs, with prayers they can pray for enlightenment. This is a book that would be of great value to any Christian seeking information about Eastern religions, especially if wanting to share their faith with a Buddhist. It would also be valuable and readable for a Buddhist person to understand their own faith, and to gain an understanding of Jesus.” R . R I EV OB SAACHSEN Founder of Transforming Melbourne