Read Buddha and Jesus: Could Solomon Be the Missing Link? Online
Authors: R. E. Sherman
An Absence of References to God
There are only two references to a god or to gods in the Dhammapada:
Through vigilance, did Maghavan (Indra) attain to the sovereignty of the gods.
By earnestness did Maghavan (Indra) rise to the lordship of the gods. People praise earnestness; thoughtlessness is always blamed.
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Who shall overcome this earth, and the world of Yama (the lord of the departed), and the world of the gods? Who shall find out the plainly shown path of virtue, as a clever man finds out the (right) flower?
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It is clear from these proverbs that Buddha is making reference to many gods.
In contrast, in Solomon’s Book of Proverbs (excluding Chapters 30 and 31, which are attributed to other authors), God is mentioned 5 times and the Lord is mentioned 90 times, and in Solomon’s Ecclesiastes, God is mentioned 37 times. We see in the next quote that Solomon sees God as the one who administers the workings of karma:
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?
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Replacing God with Mind
The first two proverbs of Buddha at the beginning of the Dhammapada are:
All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.
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All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
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These proverbs greatly conflict with biblical views. Buddha’s “thought” is not interchangeable with the God of the Jews. The latter was the only true creator, whereas, in Buddha’s view, each person’s mind creates their own unique reality.
Acknowledging the Existence of Evil (e.g., Mara, the Devil)
While Solomon made very frequent mention of wicked people, he never directly referred to any spiritual being who was distinctly evil. In sharp contrast, Buddha made fifteen references to Mara (the Evil One) in his proverbs. Three of these provide characterizations of indulgent pleasure-seekers that Mara will overcome:
He who lives looking for pleasures only, his senses uncontrolled, immoderate in his food, idle, and weak, Mara (the tempter) will certainly overthrow him, as the wind throws down a weak tree.
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Death carries off a man who is gathering flowers and whose mind is distracted, as a flood carries off a sleeping village.
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Death subdues a man who is gathering flowers, and whose mind is distracted, before he is satiated in his pleasures.
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Next are three proverbs providing descriptions of the types of people against whom Mara will not prevail:
He who lives without looking for pleasures, his senses well controlled, moderate in his food, faithful and strong, him Mara will certainly not overthrow, any more than the wind throws down a rocky mountain.
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Those who bridle their mind which travels far, moves about alone, is without a body, and hides in the chamber (of the heart), will be free from the bonds of Mara (the tempter).
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Of the people who possess these virtues, who live without thoughtlessness, and who are emancipated through true knowledge, Mara, the tempter, never finds the way.
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There are also seven proverbs of Buddha that describe how one is to fight Mara.
Knowing that this body is (fragile) like a jar, and making this thought firm like a fortress, one should attack Mara (the tempter) with the weapon of knowledge, one should watch him when conquered, and should never rest.
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One’s own self conquered is better than all other people; not even a god, a Gandharva, not Mara with Brahman could change into defeat the victory of a man who has vanquished himself, and always lives under restraint.
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This is the way, there is no other that leads to the purifying of intelligence. Go on this way! Everything else is the deceit of Mara (the tempter).
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You yourself must make an effort. The Tathagatas (Buddhas) are only preachers. The thoughtful who enter the way are freed from the bondage of Mara.
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This salutary word I tell you, `Do ye, as many as are here assembled, dig up the root of thirst, as he who wants the sweet-scented Usira root must dig up the Birana grass, that Mara (the tempter) may not crush you again and again, as the stream crushes the reeds.
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If a man delights in quieting doubts, and, always reflecting, dwells on what is not delightful (the impurity of the body, &c. [etc.]), he certainly will remove, nay, he will cut the fetter of Mara.
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Two proverbs of Buddha describe the kind of view of reality that is needed in defeating Mara:
He who knows that this body is like froth, and has learnt that it is as unsubstantial as a mirage, will break the flower-pointed arrow of Mara, and never see the king of death.
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Look upon the world as a bubble, look upon it as a mirage: the king of death does not see him who thus looks down upon the world.
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Finally, one proverb provides an illustration of what the struggle against Mara is like:
As a fish taken from his watery home and thrown on dry ground, our thought trembles all over in order to escape the dominion of Mara (the tempter).
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The above proverbs may come as a surprise to many people interested or involved in Buddhism, since it generally teaches today that in reality All is One, and any appearance of evil is only temporary or illusory. Nevertheless, the distinct flavor of the above proverbs of Buddha is that Mara is quite real—so much so that Buddha devoted twelve of his proverbs to espousing ways of defeating him. These proverbs also make it clear that some (if not all) people have the ability, without the help of God, to resist and turn away the Evil One.
Curiously, Buddha depicts Mara as a god (or spirit being) who is dedicated to ensnaring and enslaving
every
person who pursues pleasure or other worldly desires, or who is undisciplined in controlling his or her mind. So Mara is everywhere and quite powerful, and yet any person, by following Buddha’s path, can escape Mara’s entanglements entirely by themselves, without the help of any “good” deity.
Self Instead of God at the Center
Buddha’s approach to purifying himself was to rely on himself:
Self is the lord of self, who else could be the lord? With self well subdued, a man finds a lord such as few can find.
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This is in complete contrast with the following words of Solomon:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes.
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Solomon’s verses talk of a personal God who directs those who trust and revere him. They also speak of a need for the self to admit that it doesn’t have “the answers.” Solomon continues by painting a picture of extensive interaction between a Jew and the personal God that he worships:
Fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. My son, do not despise the LORD’S discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
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In this passage Solomon portrays God as being quite personal. He loves and delights in his followers. He gives health and nourishment to the bodies of his followers, and lavishly fills their barns and vats.
Another proverb openly states that this personal God loves people who follow his commandments:
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him who follows righteousness.
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This personal God who loves his followers: (1) gives them secret counsel, (2) blesses their homes, (3) gives grace to those who are humble, and (4) gives them an inheritance of glory:
Do not envy the oppressor, and choose none of his ways; for the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, but His secret counsel is with the upright. The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the habitation of the just. Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.
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Surely, if such a loving god exists and really cares personally for people, then a religion focused on following that god would be superior to the lone-ranger approach of Buddha in dealing with the suffering of life. Buddhists, however, do not believe such a god exists.
Truth Lies Deep Within
For Buddha, the search for wisdom began by looking deep within, and nowhere else. Solomon advocated a totally opposite approach, saying one must begin by acknowledging God:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
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To Solomon, great danger lay in relying on the self to improve the self:
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.
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Further, Solomon said, self-reliance can easily lead to much pride, which is also a dangerous place to be spiritually:
Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.
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Buddha, in contrast to Solomon, became thoroughly self-justified in his own eyes, taking on an intense form of pride:
I have conquered all, I know all, in all conditions of life I am free from taint; I have left all, and through the destruction of thirst I am free; having learnt myself, whom shall I teach?
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From this lofty perspective, Buddha looked down on the bulk of mankind:
When the learned man drives away vanity by earnestness, he, the wise, climbing the terraced heights of wisdom, looks down upon the fools, serene he looks upon the toiling crowd, as one that stands on a mountain looks down upon them that stand upon the plain.
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Earnest among the thoughtless, awake among the sleepers, the wise man advances like a racer, leaving behind the hack.
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Solomon’s belief in God led him to advise us to recognize our own very humble position in the order of things. God is the one who is above everyone, who knows all things, and made all things. He is a sovereign judge ruling the affairs of men, and his understanding of events is far beyond ours. In acknowledging him we see our own shortcomings:
Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
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He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
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I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
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As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
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For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths.
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I also thought, “As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.”
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Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.
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When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.
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This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.
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To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.
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Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.
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Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
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Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
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For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
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