Comparing the words of Buddha vs Christ:- Core Teachings

[sayak83]

I have long been interested in a systematic comparison of the ministry of Jesus and Buddha to see how similar or different they are. Universalists often claim great similarity while exclusivists claim stark differences.
In this thread let us focus on the words and sayings and deeds that illuminate the core teachings of the two men and what you think of them. I will focus on Buddha mainly while Christians can focus in the words and deeds of Jesus. I am hoping for a theme by theme comparison to keep the discussion interesting.

As a start, I will start with looking at the opening words of both Jesus and Buddha (according to the texts) that illuminate much of the focus of each man's message.

Jesus

The most distinctive thing that we hear from the Bible about Jesus was that he proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God as prophesized in the Old Testament.

This Mark writes in chapter 1

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news[i] of God,[j] 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;[k] repent, and believe in the good news.”

Luke elaborates this idea of the incoming Kingdom where Jesus recites from the OT and then asserts that those prophesies are now fulfilled through him.

He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”



20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

This Kingdom of God is supposed to usher in a new era where the poor will rejoice, captives and those in bondage would be released, blind will have sight again and all inequities will be eliminated. This change in the status of those who are suffering in the "old" world is also proclaimed by Jesus in Luke 6

Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you[d] on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

I think the picture is pretty clear. The Kingdom of God will bring about a radical transformation in the ways of the world, where the oppressed and disenfranchised will be glorified and the those who are privileged in and wedded to the world will have their come-uppance. This Kingdom is already appearing on earth through the ministry of Jesus, and hence one must be ready and renounce their old worldly ways. Most of the gospel deals with how the coming of the Kingdom has been definitively established by Jesus's words, deeds and finally death and resurrection.

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Buddha

The most distinctive thing that Buddha says in his teachings is that he has found a way to eliminate suffering in this life and instructs his followers how to gain that final state of non-suffering,Nibbana. Buddha's first discourse clearly identify the goals and the means to acheive them.

Monks, these two extremes should not be followed by one who has gone forth into homelessness. What two?
The pursuit of sensual happiness in sensual pleasures, which is low, vulgar, the way of the worldlings, ignoble, unbeneficial;
And the pursuit of self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble, unbeneficial.

Without veering towards either of these extremes, the Tathagata (Buddha) has awakened the Middle Way, which gives rise to vision and knowledge and leads to
peace, to direct realization, to enlightenment, to Nibbana.

This Middle Way with its benefits as depicted in the quote, is taught by Buddha as an antidote to both sensual pleasure seeking and mortifying self-denial.

This Middle way is described by Buddha in terms of Eight major points:-

And, monks, what is this Middle Way? It is this Noble Eightfold Path. Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.

Most of what Buddha teaches is centered around explaining what these eight points mean. Here I will briefly state the formulation of Right View as the realization of the Four Truths.

This monks is the Truth of suffering:- Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering, seperation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering. In brief the five aggregates (of existence) subject to clinging are suffering.

This monks is the Truth of the origin of suffering :- It is craving that leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination.

This monks is the Truth of cessation of suffering :- It is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, nonattachement.

This monks is the Truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering:- It is this Noble Eightfold Path.

At first glance the two goals seem like chalk and cheese. One proclaims a Kingdom of God where the world will be reset, another a way to eliminate suffering all together by following the Middle Way. Both start from a position of discontent, the world and human existence is full of frustrations of many kinds. But while Jesus proclaims the resolution as a final change in the way of the world from the Outside (whom he proclaims and represents), Buddha prescribes a path by which human beings can right it themselves, within and without.

Hope a few Christians will join in and compare the message of Jesus with that of Buddha further. Also comment on the the passages I have quoted and reflection on it.

Best,

 

[Rick O'Shez]

One proclaims a Kingdom of God where the world will be reset, another a way to eliminate suffering all together by following the Middle Way. Both start from a position of discontent, the world and human existence is full of frustrations of many kinds. But while Jesus proclaims the resolution as a final change in the way of the world from the Outside (whom he proclaims and represents), Buddha prescribes a path by which human beings can right it themselves, within and without.

So is the essential difference that between salvation and liberation?

 

[sayak83]

So is the essential difference that between salvation and liberation?

True enough. But I am trying to flesh out the meaning behind those oft-used terms and differences/similarities in the pathways of achieving either of the goals as outlined by the two men.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

True enough. But I am trying to flesh out the meaning behind those oft-used terms and differences/similarities in the pathways of achieving either of the goals as outlined by the two men.

OK. You can summarise the Buddhist 8-fold path as morality, meditation and wisdom. Is there a similar way of summarising the path taught by Christ?

 

[Lyndon]

Morality as taught by Jesus was very similar to morality as taught by the Buddha, the five precepts, the 5 commandments Jesus highlighted, almost identical

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Morality as taught by Jesus was very similar to morality as taught by the Buddha, the five precepts, the 5 commandments Jesus highlighted, almost identical

I guess so. I am trying to think what "practices" Christ taught, like loving your neighbour - sort of similar to metta ( loving kindness ) in Buddhism?

 

[Lyndon]

Jesus chose four commandments that are Buddhist, no lie, no steal, no kill, no adultery, and honour your mother and father, a basic tenet of Asian society so the Buddha hardly needed to make that a rule, and then added his own commandment love your neighbor as yourself, he didn't mention no drugs or alcohol though, which is interesting.

 

[sayak83]

OK. You can summarise the Buddhist 8-fold path as morality, meditation and wisdom. Is there a similar way of summarising the path taught by Christ?

Well, I have not. But I know that the 8 paths are classified in such a way. I was hoping to analyze each of these steps in some detail and seek analogues in Christianity.

 

[Lyndon]

I think christianity would replace meditation with prayer, although there is christian contemplation/meditation.

 

[sayak83]

Jesus chose four commandments that are Buddhist, no lie, no steal, no kill, no adultery, and honour your mother and father, a basic tenet of Asian society so the Buddha hardly needed to make that a rule, and then added his own commandment love your neighbor as yourself, he didn't mention no drugs or alcohol though, which is interesting.

Oh but he did..
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.2.14.irel.html

"Now I will tell you the layman's duty. Following it a lay-disciple would be virtuous; for it is not possible for one occupied with the household life to realize the complete bhikkhu practice (dhamma).

"He should not kill a living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should he incite another to kill. Do not injure any being, either strong or weak, in the world.

"A disciple should avoid taking anything from anywhere knowing it (to belong to another). He should not steal nor incite another to steal. He should completely avoid theft.

"A wise man should avoid unchastity as (he would avoid falling into) a pit of glowing charcoal. If unable to lead a celibate life, he should not go to another's wife.

"Having entered a royal court or a company of people he should not speak lies. He should not speak lies (himself) nor incite others to do so. He should completely avoid falsehood.

"A layman who has chosen to practice this Dhamma should not indulge in the drinking of intoxicants. He should not drink them nor encourage others to do so; realizing that it leads to madness. Through intoxication foolish people perform evil deeds and cause other heedless people to do likewise. He should avoid intoxication, this occasion for demerit, which stupefies the mind, and is the pleasure of foolish people.

 

[wizanda]

Buddha vs Christ:- Core Teachings

• There is no self - hate self.
• Live a life serving others.
• They both use the word heart contextually to mean soul.
• Both teach that enlightenment is within us.
• Both teach to meditate on the infinite consciousness.
• Both break down the previous religious misunderstandings, and ask people to question.
• They both taught the golden rule, 'do unto others as you wish done unto you'.
• Both taught not to strike back those who strike you.
• Not to judge.
• Love your enemies.
• Overcome hate with love.
• More blessed to give than to receive.
• Avoid being religious for show.
• etc...

http://www.diffen.com/difference/Buddha_vs_Christ
https://buddha-christ.info/similarities.html

 

[George-ananda]

I would use the mountain roads analogy to explain this. They are two paths climbing to the summit of the same mountain starting from different sides of the mountain (religious traditions; India vs. Israel). The roads look considerably different in the beginning but the higher up on the mountain climb you go, the more things start to resemble each other. At the top they can shake hands and the differences so big to some in the beginning no longer are of interest.

 

[David1967]

I have long been interested in a systematic comparison of the ministry of Jesus and Buddha to see how similar or different they are. Universalists often claim great similarity while exclusivists claim stark differences.
In this thread let us focus on the words and sayings and deeds that illuminate the core teachings of the two men and what you think of them. I will focus on Buddha mainly while Christians can focus in the words and deeds of Jesus. I am hoping for a theme by theme comparison to keep the discussion interesting.

As a start, I will start with looking at the opening words of both Jesus and Buddha (according to the texts) that illuminate much of the focus of each man's message.

Jesus

The most distinctive thing that we hear from the Bible about Jesus was that he proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God as prophesized in the Old Testament.

This Mark writes in chapter 1




Luke elaborates this idea of the incoming Kingdom where Jesus recites from the OT and then asserts that those prophesies are now fulfilled through him.




This Kingdom of God is supposed to usher in a new era where the poor will rejoice, captives and those in bondage would be released, blind will have sight again and all inequities will be eliminated. This change in the status of those who are suffering in the "old" world is also proclaimed by Jesus in Luke 6




I think the picture is pretty clear. The Kingdom of God will bring about a radical transformation in the ways of the world, where the oppressed and disenfranchised will be glorified and the those who are privileged in and wedded to the world will have their come-uppance. This Kingdom is already appearing on earth through the ministry of Jesus, and hence one must be ready and renounce their old worldly ways. Most of the gospel deals with how the coming of the Kingdom has been definitively established by Jesus's words, deeds and finally death and resurrection.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buddha

The most distinctive thing that Buddha says in his teachings is that he has found a way to eliminate suffering in this life and instructs his followers how to gain that final state of non-suffering,Nibbana. Buddha's first discourse clearly identify the goals and the means to acheive them.




This Middle Way with its benefits as depicted in the quote, is taught by Buddha as an antidote to both sensual pleasure seeking and mortifying self-denial.

This Middle way is described by Buddha in terms of Eight major points:-




Most of what Buddha teaches is centered around explaining what these eight points mean. Here I will briefly state the formulation of Right View as the realization of the Four Truths.




At first glance the two goals seem like chalk and cheese. One proclaims a Kingdom of God where the world will be reset, another a way to eliminate suffering all together by following the Middle Way. Both start from a position of discontent, the world and human existence is full of frustrations of many kinds. But while Jesus proclaims the resolution as a final change in the way of the world from the Outside (whom he proclaims and represents), Buddha prescribes a path by which human beings can right it themselves, within and without.

Hope a few Christians will join in and compare the message of Jesus with that of Buddha further. Also comment on the the passages I have quoted and reflection on it.

Best,

I have a book at home called, "The parallel teachings of Buddha and Christ". It explores this subject. I found it very interesting.

 

[von bek]

Oh but he did..
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.2.14.irel.html

I believe @Lyndon was saying that Jesus did not forbid alcohol or drug consumption. This is a good place to mention that Jesus was recorded as turning water into wine.

 

[sayak83]

I believe @Lyndon was saying that Jesus did not forbid alcohol or drug consumption. This is a good place to mention that Jesus was recorded as turning water into wine.

Oh. Ok.

 

[buddhist]

From a different perspective ...

• Jesus: "if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out ... if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off" - Mt 5:29,30
• Buddha: "the purification in the discipline of the noble ones is something else entirely ... how is one made pure ... There is the case where a certain person, abandoning the taking of life .. Abandoning the taking of what is not given .. Abandoning sensual misconduct .. abandoning false, divisive, abusive, idle speech .. He does not covet .. He bears no ill will .. He has right view .. " (AN 10.176)

• Jesus: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Lk 14:26
  
• Buddha: "Living with Brahma are those families where, in the home, mother & father are revered by the children. Living with the first devas are those families where, in the home, mother & father are revered by the children. Living with the first teachers are those families where, in the home, mother & father are revered by the children. Living with those worthy of gifts are those families where, in the home, mother & father are revered by the children." Iti 4.7

• Jesus: "The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder" Mt 24:50,51
• Buddha: "When the rulers are unrighteous, their ministers, brahmans, and householders are also unrighteous" AN 2.74

• Jesus: "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them." Mk 4:11,12
• Buddha: "I have set forth the Dhamma without making any distinction of esoteric and exoteric doctrine; there is nothing, Ananda, with regard to the teachings that the Tathagata holds to the last with the closed fist of a teacher who keeps some things back ... [Buddha addresses Ven. Ananda regarding a seeker:] Don't stand in his way. Let him see the Tathagata. Whatever he asks me will all be for the sake of knowledge, and not to be bothersome. And whatever I answer when asked, he will quickly understand." DN16

• Jesus: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Mt 4:4
• Buddha: "Recollect the Tathagata thus: 'Indeed, the Blessed One is ... the Teacher of gods and of humans ...'" AN 11.12

• Jesus: "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." Lk 19:27
• Arahant Ven. Angulimala: "Some creatures are subdued by force, Some by the hook, and some by whips, But I by such a One was tamed, Who needed neither staff nor sword." Ther P328

 

[Lyndon]

Oh but he did..
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.2.14.irel.html

I was referring to Jesus not mentioning drugs and alcohol, not Buddha

 

[sayak83]

The problem with human condition. Christian version

Both Jesus and Buddha considers the human condition to be unsatisfactory. What makes it so?

For Jesus the answer is simple. Sin. A willful turning away from the plan and commandments of God. In this he is continuous with the Jewish tradition. So it will suffice to quote Isaiah 1. Certain claims that have ramifications to the worldview are put in bold.

Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth;
for the Lord has spoken:
I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows its owner,
and the donkey its master’s crib;
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.

Ah, sinful nation,
people laden with iniquity,
offspring who do evil,
children who deal corruptly,
who have forsaken the Lord,
who have despised the Holy One of Israel,
who are utterly estranged!

Why do you seek further beatings?
Why do you continue to rebel?
The whole head is sick,
and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
there is no soundness in it,
but bruises and sores
and bleeding wounds;
they have not been drained, or bound up,
or softened with oil.

7 Your country lies desolate,
your cities are burned with fire;
in your very presence
aliens devour your land;
it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.
8 And daughter Zion is left
like a booth in a vineyard,
like a shelter in a cucumber field,
like a besieged city.
9 If the Lord of hosts
had not left us a few survivors,
we would have been like Sodom,
and become like Gomorrah.

Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.

12 When you come to appear before me,
who asked this from your hand?
Trample my courts no more;
13 bringing offerings is futile;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation—
I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you stretch out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.

Come now, let us argue it out,
says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.


How the faithful city
has become a whore!
She that was full of justice,
righteousness lodged in her—
but now murderers!
22 Your silver has become dross,
your wine is mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebels
and companions of thieves.
Everyone loves a bribe
and runs after gifts.
They do not defend the orphan,
and the widow’s cause does not come before them.

24 Therefore says the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel:
Ah, I will pour out my wrath on my enemies,
and avenge myself on my foes!
25 I will turn my hand against you;
I will smelt away your dross as with lye
and remove all your alloy.
26 And I will restore your judges as at the first,
and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness,
the faithful city.

27 Zion shall be redeemed by justice,
and those in her who repent, by righteousness.
But rebels and sinners shall be destroyed together,
and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

Here are the highlights
1) Humans have rebelled against God who is their Lord, King and Owner and have turned against Him. This is the primal problem.
2) They have done so by turning evil morally. They have become corrupt and iniquitous and have forsaken the justice of the Lord.
3) Thus though they still overtly worship Him with sacrifices etc. God has turned against them and is punishing the nation severely with suffering, invasions etc. That is the reason for human suffering.
4) But those who repent and and turn from evil ways, God will redeem. The rest He shall destroy as punishment utterly. This period is the Kingdom of God.

Both John the Baptists and Jesus was preaching the immediate onset of this period of Judgement by God where the penitent will be redeemed and the evildoers destroyed. In Christianity John is the one who forecasts the onset and Jesus is the means by which the Kingdom (as described in 4) is brought about by the redemption of those who repent and believe in Jesus and the condemnation of those who refuse.

 

[sayak83]

The problem with human condition. Christian version

Both Jesus and Buddha considers the human condition to be unsatisfactory. What makes it so?

For Jesus the answer is simple. Sin. A willful turning away from the plan and commandments of God. In this he is continuous with the Jewish tradition. So it will suffice to quote Isaiah 1. Certain claims that have ramifications to the worldview are put in bold.



Here are the highlights
1) Humans have rebelled against God who is their Lord, King and Owner and have turned against Him. This is the primal problem.
2) They have done so by turning evil morally. They have become corrupt and iniquitous and have forsaken the justice of the Lord.
3) Thus though they still overtly worship Him with sacrifices etc. God has turned against them and is punishing the nation severely with suffering, invasions etc. That is the reason for human suffering.
4) But those who repent and and turn from evil ways, God will redeem. The rest He shall destroy as punishment utterly. This period is the Kingdom of God.

Both John the Baptists and Jesus was preaching the immediate onset of this period of Judgement by God where the penitent will be redeemed and the evildoers destroyed. In Christianity John is the one who forecasts the onset and Jesus is the means by which the Kingdom (as described in 4) is brought about by the redemption of those who repent and believe in Jesus and the condemnation of those who refuse.

In Buddhism, by contrast, suffering is the central problem of human existence (and not sin). As Buddha says in the 1st Noble truth:-

"This monks is the Truth of suffering:- Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering, separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering. In brief the five aggregates (of existence) subject to clinging are suffering."


Buddha said much about suffering. But one of the most prominent is Maha-dukkha-khanda-sutta (the great section on Suffering) presented in Middle Length Discourses 13. It focus on the suffering entailed by being attached to sense-based gratifications and is more subtle than the obvious facts of illness, death and aging.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://suttacentral.net/en/mn13

Here are a few excerpts

" But, friends, what is the gratification, what is the danger, and what is the escape in the case of sensual pleasures?
What is the gratification, what is the danger, and what is the escape in the case of material form?
What is the gratification, what is the danger, and what is the escape in the case of feelings?’

“And what, bhikkhus, is the gratification in the case of sensual pleasures?
Bhikkhus, there are these five cords of sensual pleasure. What are the five?
Forms cognizable by the eye that are wished for, desired, agreeable and likeable, connected with sensual desire, and provocative of lust.
Sounds cognizable by the ear…
Odours cognizable by the nose…
Flavours cognizable by the tongue…
Tangibles cognizable by the body that are wished for, desired, agreeable and likeable, connected with sensual desire, and provocative of lust.
These are the five cords of sensual pleasure. Now the pleasure and joy that arise dependent on these five cords of sensual pleasure are the gratification in the case of sensual pleasures.


“And what, bhikkhus, is the danger in the case of sensual pleasures?

Here, bhikkhus, on account of the craft by which a clansman makes a living—whether checking or accounting or calculating or farming or trading or husbandry or archery or the royal service, or whatever craft it may be—he has to face cold, he has to face heat, he is injured by contact with gadflies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and creeping things; he risks death by hunger and thirst. Now this is a danger in the case of sensual pleasures, a mass of suffering visible here and now, having sensual pleasures as its cause, sensual pleasures as its source, sensual pleasures as its basis, the cause being simply sensual pleasures.

“If no property comes to the clansman while he works and strives and makes an effort thus, he sorrows, grieves, and laments, he weeps beating his breast and becomes distraught, crying: ‘My work is in vain, my effort is fruitless!’ Now this too is a danger in the case of sensual pleasures, a mass of suffering visible here and now…the cause being simply sensual pleasures.

“If property comes to the clansman while he works and strives and makes an effort thus, he experiences pain and grief in protecting it: ‘How shall neither kings nor thieves make off with my property, nor fire burn it, nor water sweep it away, nor hateful heirs make off with it?’ And as he guards and protects his property, kings or thieves make off with it, or fire burns it, or water sweeps it away, or hateful heirs make off with it. And he sorrows, grieves, and laments, he weeps beating his breast and becomes distraught, crying: ‘What I had I have no longer!’ Now this too is a danger in the case of sensual pleasures, a mass of suffering visible here and now…the cause being simply sensual pleasures.

“Again, with sensual pleasures as the cause, sensual pleasures as the source, sensual pleasures as the basis, the cause being simply sensual pleasures, kings quarrel with kings, nobles with nobles, brahmins with brahmins, householders with householders; mother quarrels with son, son with mother, father with son, son with father; brother quarrels with brother, brother with sister, sister with brother, friend with friend. And here in their quarrels, brawls, and disputes they attack each other with fists, clods, sticks, or knives, whereby they incur death or deadly suffering. Now this too is a danger in the case of sensual pleasures, a mass of suffering here and now…the cause being simply sensual pleasures.

“Again, with sensual pleasures as the cause…men take swords and shields and buckle on bows and quivers, and they charge into battle massed in double array with arrows and spears flying and swords flashing; and there they are wounded by arrows and spears, and their heads are cut off by swords, whereby they incur death or deadly suffering. Now this too is a danger in the case of sensual pleasures, a mass of suffering here and now…the cause being simply sensual pleasures.


“Again, with sensual pleasures as the cause…men break into houses, plunder wealth, commit burglary, ambush highways, seduce others’ wives, and when they are caught, kings have many kinds of torture inflicted on them. The kings have them flogged with whips, beaten with canes, beaten with clubs; they have their hands cut off, their feet cut off, their hands and feet cut off; their ears cut off, their noses cut off, their ears and noses cut off; they have them subjected to the ‘porridge pot,’ to the ‘polished-shell shave,’ to the ‘Rāhu’s mouth,’ to the ‘fiery wreath,’ to the ‘flaming hand,’ to the ‘blades of grass,’ to the ‘bark dress,’ to the ‘antelope,’ to the ‘meat hooks,’ to the ‘coins,’ to the ‘lye pickling,’ to the ‘pivoting pin,’ to the ‘rolled-up palliasse’; and they have them splashed with boiling oil, and they have them thrown to be devoured by dogs, and they have them impaled alive on stakes, and they have their heads cut off with swords—whereby they incur death or deadly suffering. Now this too is a danger in the case of sensual pleasures, a mass of suffering here and now…the cause being simply sensual pleasures.

“Again, with sensual pleasures as the cause, sensual pleasures as the source, sensual pleasures as the basis, the cause being simply sensual pleasures, people indulge in misconduct of body, speech, and mind. Having done so, on the dissolution of the body, after death, they reappear in states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell. Now this is a danger in the case of sensual pleasures, a mass of suffering in the life to come, having sensual pleasures as its cause, sensual pleasures as its source, sensual pleasures as its basis, the cause being simply sensual pleasures.
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Similar accounts are given for form and feeling. In each case, because of an attachment and an addiction to pleasures, form and feeling, people act in such ways that exponentially accumulate private, family and social suffering. And this is the problem with the human condition. Its a problem internal to us and we ourselves are the victims of it through cause-effect-consequence chain. Thus in a Buddhist worldview, human beings are victims of a psychological illness that cause our own continued suffering by our own fever-induced actions.

Victims needing cure from our afflictions and not wrongdoers needing forgiveness and repentance.

Its a major difference between Buddhist and Christian worldview regarding what is the problem with the human condition.

 

[buddhist]

The problem with human condition ... Both Jesus and Buddha considers the human condition to be unsatisfactory. What makes it so?

For Jesus the answer is simple. Sin. A willful turning away from the plan and commandments of God.
In Buddhism, by contrast, suffering is the central problem of human existence (and not sin).

Victims needing cure from our afflictions and not wrongdoers needing forgiveness and repentance.

Good summary.

I see it this way:

The Lord Buddha identified the root issue afflicting all of humanity: dukkha (suffering, discontent, displeasure, dissatisfaction), and promotes a cure which addresses that root cause in the here and now.

Christianity tries to explain that suffering in terms of an even more fundamental root cause - sin (sin being seen as the root cause of suffering), and promotes a potential cure which is said to address that suffering in the future.

IMO it is possible to personally verify the Buddha's perspective (e.g. I can observe dukkha in myself, and his cure), whereas the endless number of potential explanations which attempts to answer the "why" of that suffering cannot be verified (e.g. sin against God, rejection of Christ, rebellion against Allah, afflictions by the whims of the Greek gods, other philosophical answers, etc.).