A View on Buddhism

POETRY

PAGE CONTENTS

Introduction Love - by Bhante Wimala If - by Rudyart Kipling Peace is Every Step - by Thich Nhat-Hanh Autobography in Five Chapters - by Portia Nelson Quietness - by Rumi Today - Indian Poem Love - by Gurulugomi Desensitization - by Tykal Let's not blow it - by Homer Groening Within You, Without You - Lyrics by George Harisson Spiritual Life is a Life of Search - by Swami Ramakrishnananda Mind - by Niguma

Better - by the Buddha from the Dhammapada Take Heart - by Jennifer Edwards Preconceptions - by Milarepa Speaking Truth - by Jesa Macbeth The Strength of a Man - by Jacqueline Marie Griffiths Poem - by Lama Gendun Rinpoche Song of the Diamond Heart by G. Bluestone Life - by Daisaku Ikeda A New House - by Jennifer Edwards Stop killing! - by Chan Master Cloud of Vows Do not stand at my grave and weep - Mary Elizabeth Frye

INTRODUCTION

Although I am not a particular poetry-lover, below texts do carry special meaning to me.
Be they Buddhist or not, they convey some essential wisdom for me.

Most of below stunning photos are from Geoff Wise and are visual poetry to me, enjoy!

LOVE
By Bhante Wimala

When your mind becomes motionless
and the brilliant eyes of the peaceful mind
take a straight look down into the depth of your heart
you will see the life-force pulsating and thriving
in the warmth of pure love.
As you experience this pure love
what we all call "heart"
beams of light will begin to radiate from the center of it
for heaven is there in eternity.
If you can release this radiance of love
and allow it to flow through you,
your heart will become light.
The spirit will get liberated into the air
and then, from a place of inner stillness
you will know what it would be like
to be an eagle and soar in the evening skies.
And most of all,
you would understand
what it would be like
to be perfectly sane.

PEACE IS EVERY STEP by Thich Nhat-Hanh Peace is every step. The shining red sun is my heart. Each flower smiles with me. How green, how fresh all that grows. How cool the wind blows. Peace is every step. It turns the endless path to joy.

IF Rudyard Kipling If you can keep your head, When all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat these two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: `Hold on!' If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

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AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE CHAPTERS Portia Nelson

1) I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I fall in. I am lost... I am hopeless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. 2) I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I'm in the same place. But it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out. 3) I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in...it's a habit My eyes are open; I know where I am; It is my fault. I get out immediately. 4) I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it. 5) I walk down another street.

QUIETNESS Rumi; Translated by Coleman Barks

Inside this new love, die. Your way begins on the other side. Become the sky. Take an axe to the prison wall. Escape. Walk out like someone suddenly born into color. Do it now. You're covered with thick clouds. Slide out the side. Die, and be quiet. Quietness is the surest sign that you've died. Your old life was a frantic running from silence. The speechless full moon comes out now.

TODAY

Vijaya Samarawickama, A Buddhist Reflects on Happy Living, 2004

This day is a special day, it is yours.
Yesterday slipped away, it cannot be filled anymore with meaning.
About tomorrow nothing is known.
But this day, today, is yours, make use of it.
Today you can make someone happy.
Today you can help another.
This day is a special day, it is yours.

LOVE
Gurulugomi (Buddhist Sage~12th Century AD)

If you develop love truly great,
rid of the desire to hold and possess.
That strong, clean love untarnished by lust,
that love which does not expect to be repayed,
that love which is firm but not grasping,
enduring but not tied down,
gentle and settled,
diamond-hard but unhurting,
helpful but not interfering,
cool and refreshing,
giving more than taking,
dignified but not proud,
soft but not weak,
that love which leads to Enlightenment,
then you will be washed of all ill-will.

DESENSITIZATION By 'Tykal'

the child after realizing its mother had led it astray since the first lessons in thought: "why did you lie to me?" "because I did not know a lie could look and feel to the senses like an absolute truth"

LET'S NOT BLOW IT
Public Service Annoucement By Homer Groening (1967)

There are millions of years in the past
There are millions of years ahead of us
And here we are
Right in the middle

Then there's space
There are miles and miles of space in all directions
And here we are
Right in the middle

This is a big deal
Being in the middle of time and space
It sort of makes your eyes water

We'd never find this moment again
In a million years
This is our world
Let's not blow it

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WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU
Lyrics; George Harrison, 1967

We were talking - about the space between us all
And the people - who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth - then it's far too late - when they pass away.
We were talking - about the love we all could share - when we find it
To try our best to hold it there - with our love
With our love - we could save the world - if they only knew.
Try to realise it's all within yourself no-one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small,
And life flows on within you and without you.
We were talking - about the love that's gone so cold and the people,
Who gain the world and lose their soul - they don't know - they can't see - are you one of them?
When you've seen beyond yourself - then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there -
And the time will come when you see we're all one, and life flows on within you and without you.

BETTER
From the Dhammapada

Better than a thousand
Hollow words
Is one word that brings peace.
Better than a thousand
Hollow verses
Is one verse that brings peace.
Better than a hundred
Hollow lines
Is one line of the law, Bringing peace.
It is better to conquer yourself
Than to win a thousand battles;
Then the victory is yours.

MIND
Niguma

You don't have to do anything with your mind,
just let it naturally rest in it's essential nature.
Your own mind, unagitated, is reality.
Meditate on this without distraction.

Know the Truth beyond all opposites.
Thoughts are like bubbles that form and dissolve in clear water.
Thoughts are not distinct from the absolute Reality,
so relax, there is no need to be critical.

Whatever arises, whatever occurs,
simply don't cling to it, but immediately let it go.
What you see, hear, and touch are your own mind.
There is nothing but mind.

Mind transcends birth and death.
The essence of mind is pure Consciousness that never leaves reality,
even though it experiences the things of the senses.
In the equanimity of the Absolute, there is nothing to renounce or attain.

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SPIRITUAL LIFE IS A LIFE OF SEARCH
By Swami Ramakrishnananda

Spiritual life is a life of search...but a true search.
Not to investigate and to seek what you hope to discover,
Not the object of your aspiration,
But what you are.
Meditation is just a search for the meditator.
Enlightenment is to discover...
To discover that there is no discoverer, and there is nothing to discover...
Enlightenment is to be.
To be the most wonderful discovery of what can not be found.
It is to arrive to no where...
To meet no one.
You fail, because of your habit to search only for that which satisfies your needs.
Get rid of all this need.
And you will see...
Get rid of all that you have.
And you will see...
Throw away all that can be thrown.
And you will see...
Give up these words, and what they make you feel
And you will see...
Give up your attempt to give up.
And you will see...
Give up your attempt to see.
Because then you will really see...
The farther the object you search for, the better eyesight you need.
That which is closest to you, you have to be.

PRECONCEPTIONS by Milarepa Just as fog is dispelled by the strength of the sun and is dispelled no other way, preconception is cleared by the strength of realization. There's no other way of clearing preconceptions. Experience them as baseless dreams. Experience them as ephemeral bubbles. Experience them as insubstantial rainbows. Experience them as indivisible space.

..........

TAKE HEART by Jennifer Edwards But also take comfort, healing, rest and love Leave sorrow amongst the rocks and woods who most of the time are far stronger better able to handle such loads Take courage But also, take honesty, courtesy, empathy and patience Leave doubt amidst the deep ocean waters watch it sink there until you cannot cling to it any longer Take faith but leave with an open mind, an open hand, open arms Take whatever you need to make it through leave what keeps you from going on Tears only go so far Fear only holds so long Though your feet may bleed and your hands, tremble Take deep compassion for the suffering of another and journey on

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SPEAKING TRUTH By Jesa MacBeth It is possible to speak truth in anger. When so done, people tend to hear the anger and not the truth. It is possible to speak truth in arrogance. When so done, people tend to hear the arrogance and not the truth. It is possible to speak truth in deceitful ways. When so done, people tend to sense the deceit and take the truth for more deceit. It is possible to speak truth in loving kindness. When so done, people tend to hear the love and the truth. Or so it seems in my experience.

The Strength Of A Man
by Jacqueline Marie Griffiths

The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders.
It's in the width of his arms that encircle you.
The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice.
It's in the gentle words he whispers.
The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has.
It's how good of buddies he is with his children.
The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work.
It's in how respected he is at home.
The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits.
It's in how tender he touches.
The strength in a man isn't in the hair on his chest.
It's in his Heart...that lies within his chest.
The strength of a man isn't how many women he's loved.
It's in can he be true to one woman.
The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift.
It's in the burdens he can carry.

© July 15, 1999 Jacqueline Marie Griffiths (written for Hunt D. Rochon)

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Poem
by Lama Gendun Rimpoche

Happiness is not to be found with many efforts or will, but is here, nearby, in your relaxing and surrendering.
Don't worry, there is nothing to be done.
Everything that comes up to your mind has no importance because it has no reality.
Don't conceive any attachment for it.
Don't judge yourself.
Let it be.
Let it come up and down without changing a thing.
It all vanishes and begins again, endlessly.
Nothing but the quest for happiness prevents us from seeing it.
It is like a rainbow that one is always chasing without ever reaching it.
It is because it has no existence.
It has always been here and goes with you all the time.
Don't believe in the reality of experiences, good or bad.
They are like rainbows.
Because we want to grasp what is not to be grasped,
We exhaust our strength in vain.
As soon as we relinquish our hold, space is here, open, welcoming & comfortable.
So, do enjoy it.
Everything is yours already.
Stop searching.
Don't go into the jungle to look for the elephant that is quietly waiting for you at home.
There is nothing to do.
There is nothing to force.
There is nothing to desire.
And all comes by itself.

SONG OF THE DIAMOND HEART By G. Bluestone The pine tree's voice is always whispering Yet how many pause to listen? For when the churning mind is still, The Diamond Heart within Reflects even the falling dusk that Shrouds every eye and branch And hears, but listens not. Walking then, with Courage and Kindness, Never ceasing to walk in Wonder, We follow our ancient path. For the Way of the sword is folded two; Like the rose we have thorns, And like the rose, we unfold

 

LIFE by Daisaku Ikeda I will cast out All the vagueness and indecision within me Because my wish is to construct The castle of my whole life On the fulfillment of each promise that I make. I want to live my life As a surpassingly broadminded man Known for being happy and honest A person in whom people can have absolute trust. I've put behind me The age of dreaming about a rosy future And with roots extended into life's reality I realise that the power to create happiness Derives from what we actually do today.

A New House by Jenifer Edwards If I search your face only looking for my reflection How can I see you as you really are If I fill the hours with empty chatter How can I hear you when you finally decide to talk It is love, indeed This that brings me to you And this is why a new house needs to be built With doors big enough for understanding and compassion to fit through

The Crystal Winter
Depressing Yet So Blissful
As Frozen Tears Crash
CP

Stop killing! Chan Master Cloud of Vows (Song Dynasty) For countless years the bitter stew of hate goes boiling on. Its vengeful broth is ocean deep, impossible to calm. To learn the cause of all this conflict, Terror, bombs and war, Listen to the cries at midnight by the butcher's door.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
Mary Elizabeth Frye

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,

I am the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,

I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,

I am in the graceful rush

Of beautiful birds in circling flight,

I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,

I am in a quiet room.

I am in the birds that sing,

I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there. I do not die.



တင္ဒုင္၀န္။     ။ကဗ်၀ြံေကတ္နင္ႏူကု္ http://viewonbuddhism.org/resources/poetry.html မဒ္ွရ

Do Buddhists Believe in God? -- 
by Kusala Bhikshu
(A talk given at a high school in Los Angeles.)


Photo - Bob Heide


Why is it... The Buddha never talked about the One God of the desert, the Judeo-Christian God? Does this mean that all Buddhists are atheists and don’t believe in God? Did the Buddha believe in God?

These are some of the questions I would like to try and answer today.

The Buddha was born 500 years before Christ, in what is now Nepal. His dad was a king, his mom was a queen, and his dad wanted him to take over the family business (the kingdom) when he got older.

The kind of world the Buddha was born into was magical. Everything seemed to be alive. The trees, mountains, lakes, and sky were living and breathing with a variety of gods in charge. If you needed rain you asked one god, if you needed it to stop raining you asked another. The priests of India did all the religious work, and got paid for it.

In India at the time of the Buddha you became a priest if you were born into the right family, and not because of the school you went to, or the grades you got.

There were other kinds of religious people as well.
Mendicants were men who left their family, friends, and jobs to find the answers to life. They did not live in homes or apartments, but lived under trees and in caves, and would practice meditation all day long. They wanted to really be uncomfortable, so they could understand what suffering was all about.

Many kinds of meditation were practiced by these mendicants. In Tranquility Meditation for instance, you think about just one thing, like looking at a candle or saying a word over and over. When the mind becomes focused in oneness, you experience a great peacefulness.
Even if the mendicants were sitting in the rain on a cold day, they were still content. They found in their meditation practice the essence of happiness.

Renunciation is when you give up all the things that make your life pleasant. Sometimes the people with money and power in India would buy a lot of stuff to make themselves happy and their lives more comfortable, thinking that happiness and comfort depended on what they owned.
When the mendicants could see their own suffering clearly, after many years of renunciation, they understood that happiness was not dependent on the things they owned, but the kind of life they lived.

Even all the gods in India could not end the suffering of one human being.
At the age of 29, the Buddha stopped praying to the gods to end his suffering and the suffering of others. He left his family and friends, went to the edge of the forest, took off all his clothes and jewelry, covered his naked body with rags of cloth, cut off his hair and started to meditate.
He became a mendicant, and It took him six years of hard work and much suffering, but in the end he was able to stop his suffering forever (Nirvana) and help others stop their suffering as well.

Did the Buddha believe in God, the One God of the desert, the God of the Christians, Jews and Muslims?
Well... No... He didn't... Monotheism (only one God) was a foreign concept to the Buddha, his world was filled with many gods. The creator god Brahma being the most important one.

At the time of the Buddha, the only people practicing the religion of the One God of the desert, were the Jews. Remember, it was still 500 years before Christ came into the world.
The Buddha never left India. The Buddha walked from village to village... In his entire lifetime he never went any further than 200 miles from his birthplace.
The Buddha never met a Jew... And because of this, he never said anything about the One God of the desert.

There is also nothing in the teachings of the Buddha that suggest how to find God or worship the god's of India, although the Buddha himself was a theist (believed in gods), his teachings are non-theistic.
The Buddha was more concerned with the human condition: Birth, Sickness, Old age, and Death. The Buddhist path is about coming to a place of acceptance with these painful aspects of life, and not suffering through them.
Please be clear on this point... The Buddha is not thought of as a god in Buddhism and is not prayed to. He is looked up to and respected as a great teacher, in the same way we respect Abraham Lincoln as a great president.
He was a human being who found his perfection in Nirvana. Because of his Nirvana, the Buddha was perfectly moral, perfectly ethical, and ended his suffering forever.

Does that mean that every Buddhist in the world is an atheist?
No!!! I have met a lot of Buddhists who believe in God. I have met a lot of Buddhists who don’t believe in God... And a lot of Buddhists just don’t know.
All three points of view are OK if you’re Buddhist because suffering is more important than God in Buddhism.

Sometimes a student will ask me how everything in this world got started... "If you don’t have God in Buddhism then who or what caused the universe?"

When the Buddha was asked how the world started, he kept silent. In the religion of Buddhism we don’t have a first cause, instead we have a never ending circle of birth and death. In this world and in all worlds, there are many beginnings and ends. The model of life used in Buddhism has no starting place... It just keeps going and going.

Now having said that... If you’re a Buddhist it’s OK to believe God was the first cause... It really doesn't go against the teachings of the Buddha, his focus was on suffering... It's also OK to believe science has the answer… Like the big bang theory, etc... Some Buddhist’s don’t even care how it all started, and that’s fine too. Knowing how the world started is not going to end your suffering, it’s just going to give you more stuff to think about.

I hope you can see that God is not what Buddhism is about... Suffering is... And if you want to believe in God, as some Buddhists do, I suppose it's OK. But, Buddhist's don't believe God can end suffering. Only the teaching's of the Buddha can help us end suffering through wisdom and the activity of compassion.
In his whole life and in all his teachings the Buddha never said anything about the One God of the desert.

Also by Kusala

How I Became a Buddhist

Do Buddhists Go to Heaven

The Problem with Sex in Buddhism

Buddhist Enlightenment vs Nirvana

A Buddhist Approach to Health Care

Basics of Buddhism

Generally Buddhism does not believe in a personal God or a divine being, it does not have worship, praying to, or praising of a divine being (although some sects do.) It offers no form of redemption, forgiveness, no heavenly hope, or a final judgment to those practicing its system. Buddhism is a moral philosophy, an ethical way to live for the here and now of this world to gain the ultimate state. It has more in common with humanism and atheism than its original religion Hinduism it separated from. But Buddhism is not atheism just because they don’t believe in a personal God. It is more like pantheism, there is a impersonal force the void which is the ultimate.
There are 327 million Buddhists worldwide (313,114,000 in Asia) here in Hawaii the major Japanese, Korean population are Some type of Buddhist. There are numerous offshoots but their are two major branches. For us to understand and use the gospel to penetrate this religion we need to know what they teach about the Buddha and use the stories as possibly bridges to reach them. In my opinion of all religions this is one of the hardest to reach and understand, since Buddhism can be cultural, it is a lifestyle of many generations as well as a spiritual practice.
For centuries, Buddhism has been the dominant religion of the Eastern world and still remains the predominant religion in China, Japan, Korea, as well as southeast Asia. In Japan alone there are approximately 200 sects. This makes it difficult to address this religion as a whole since it can be so diversified.
Buddhism has made a tremendous impact in the United States with a growing Asian population in the U.S, thousands of Americans have been attracted to Buddhism making it their religion. There are now over one thousand Buddhist temples, monasteries, and centers in the United States.
Sangha which means the order or brotherhood (community)  who are monks.  Each member of the Sangha must wear a yellow robe, shave their head and  practice meditation. They are to affirm the three refuges (triple gems):  take refuge in Buddha who became enlightened when he discovered the true reality.  The Dharma which are the laws the adhere to on the path to eliminate their suffering. These consist of the laws of the world and the teachings of Buddha. From a Christian point of view the laws of this world would be subject to the present condition of things which is fallen. And Sangha which is the community as a whole striving for the qualities of the Buddha. There are to adhere to over 225 regulations which forbid them to do many things.
There are many noble and humanitarian teachings found in Buddhism that elicit compassion and understanding for their fellow man. But these cannot be seen as a means to the end itself. The concern many have is that some Christians seem to think there is little difference in Buddhism to Christianity.  There is a harmonizing of its practices incorporating its teachings into the Church. Some even have them speak inside their churches.

Comparing Buddha with Jesus

It is said Siddhartha became the Awakened one, so Jesus became the Anointed one is a common misconception. Christ was the anointed one from eternity while the Siddhartha became the Buddha by searching and self discovery became illuminated. Anointing and enlightenment are two very different concepts.
Buddha came at a time when the people were tired of Hindu sects, castes and teachings. Buddha discovers a new way and he discards some teachings and upholds others. Christ came when the people were oppressed by religious leaders also but they did not know the truth nor were they asking for deliverance spiritually. Jesus only explained what they already had in the Scriptures giving the correct interpretations and fulfilling the prophecies.
Buddha died at the old age of  80 years old by eating rotten food,  his life was lived without exaggerations of either luxury or asceticism. Jesus ate fish, meat and did not have people give up their possessions unless it interfered with their relationship with God. He died at 33 years old, sentenced to death like a criminal, tortured and executed for something he did not do. Not much similarity here.
Claims are there are similarities to relics (statues, icons ) in both Buddhism and Christianity. But this is only found in the Catholic Church side. The Bible specifically addresses this as wrong and calls the usage of these as idolatrous. Throughout the Scripture this is specifically addressed as an affront to God.
Isa. 45:20-22:  "Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, who carry the wood of their carved image, and pray to a god that cannot save. Tell and bring forth your case; yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me.   "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."
Buddha was passive in his outlook of humanity.  He was engaged in self discovery to change himself. Which can be good if one comes to the conclusion that the answers are not found within us, and looks toward the creator of all mankind.
Christ did not have to search for wisdom since he was the wisdom and power of God before and during his coming to earth. He came from heaven as a servant to mankind. He grew in understanding in his humanity only, but even at an early age he was aware of his purpose and who he actually was.
Buddha needed to make sense of the world and its suffering for himself. He was in turmoil in his soul seeing the condition of life being unfavorable for so many. So he searched for enlightenment to have answers for the dilemma he saw in the world.
Christ exhibited love which is active, it participates in others lives. He did not tolerate falsehood or have the same reaction for one being sad or happy. He taught objective truth, the true reality of life is that it is real and there are consequences here and now as well as afterward.
Thereavada says Buddha did not claim to have a special relationship with God. The fact that Buddha did not consider the existence of God to be important shows that he is not in any way related to biblical prophets or Jesus. Buddha said it doesn’t matter whether you believe in him or not. Buddha claimed to point to the right way to escape suffering and attain enlightenment. Contrary to this, Jesus claimed to be the way. Christianity teaches there was only one incarnation of God and he came to relieve the source of all suffering sin.
Although the Buddha did not deny the existence of gods, he taught that the worship of gods obstructed one's quest for nirvana. To him the gods inhabit the cosmos and are impermanent like all other living beings. There is no God as an eternal deity. Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, did not claim to be divine. He claimed to be the one to point the way to Nirvana. an ultimate state in the afterlife, but it was up to each individual to find his own way there. Each has their own path to walk on to discovery.
Dr. John Noss states, "... there is only the ultimate impersonal unity of being itself, whose peace enfolds the individual self when it ceases to call itself  " I " and dissolves in the featureless purity of Nirvana, as a drop of spray is merged in its mother sea."( Noss, p.183.)
They look to this ultimate elimination of self  as their identity merges into the great unity. But the goal on earth is to eliminate whatever is possible now." Regard the world as void" (Suttanipata, 119).   "So one who is convinced of the emptiness of everything has no likes or dislikes.  For he knows that that which he might like is just empty, and sees it  just empty" (Sik-shasamuccaya, 264).                          
The concept of a personal God does not fit into the Buddhist system of religion. Today there are many sects of Buddhism. Many differ in their concept of the divine and of Buddha. In general, if a Buddhist believes in God he holds to a pantheistic view. Many view God as an impersonal force which is made up of all living things and holds the universe together. This is the same as the Hindu concept of Pantheism that the force is united with all living and non living thing in creation.
The late Dr. Suzuki is considered one of the greatest teachers of Zen Buddhism, said about his concept of God: "If God after making the world puts Himself outside it, He is no longer God. If He separates Himself from the world or wants to separate Himself, He is not God. The world is not the world when it is separated from God. God must be in the world and the world in God." ( D. T. Suzuki, The Field of Zen  p. 16.)
Dr. John Noss explains, "there is no sovereign Person in the heavens holding all together in unity."( Noss,  p. 183.)
Since Buddhism generally does not believe in a personal God or a divine being, it does not have worship, praying, or praising of a divine being. Although these are practiced without any reference to God. It offers no form of redemption, forgiveness, heavenly hope, or final judgment. Buddhism is, more of a moral philosophy, an ethical way of life that can have improvement on ones state.
Professor Kraemer describes the Buddhist system as "a non-theistic ethical discipline, a system of self training, anthropocentric, stressing ethics and mind-culture to the exclusion of theology."( Taylor & Offner, p. 177.)
Christianity teaches                    Buddhism teaches

Heaven is a reality	Nirvana is the ultimate state =  nothingness
personal eternal life	Extinction of the self
Savior is the person of Christ	Savior is ones self and ones works
There is a literal hell of suffering	There is no hell in the biblical sense of permanency
the one God is tri-une     Father Son   (Jesus) and Holy Spirit	the triple gem   1)the Buddha = teacher    2) the dharma = truth        3) the sangaya = light
God is a personal being	Impersonal force, no God
Moral absolutes	No moral absolutes
World is real for us	World is an illusion
Sin is the problem	ignorance is the problem
Desires needs redirection	Desire needs to be eliminated
Jesus = God is salvation       Emmanuel = God with us         Christ = the anointed one	Siddhartha means" he who has accomplished his objectives."   Buddha =  the Enlightened One

Buddha did not claim to have a special relationship with God in fact Buddha did not consider the existence of God to be important. Buddha claimed to point to the right way to escape suffering and attain enlightenment. Contrary Jesus claimed to be the way. Christianity teaches there was only one incarnation of God. While anyone can make a belief system, it is another thing to prove it. In this Buddha and those who followed after failed and Jesus succeeded.
Christ is not a spiritual master as they claim Buddha is, Christ is his creator. If one only looks at Jesus as a human being he exemplifies the highest ideal in man, he has all the qualities Buddha taught about and sought after, but Christ is more than just a man he is our and the Buddhists creator.
Most Buddhists believe their are many ways to God. The emphasis is based on the path that we must work on by our own effort. That's not good news. The difference between Buddhism and Christianity is that its been done, while in Buddhism they are still trying to accomplish it. One is by our own efforts the other was obtained by the perfect man.
Christ clearly offers salvation to His followers. Buddhism does not. It is said that Gautama's last words before his death were: "Buddha's do but point the way, work out your salvation with diligence."
Theravada teaches that each man is responsible for their own this is reached by ones self-effort; "Be lamps unto yourselves.  Be a refuge unto yourselves.  Do not turn to any external refuge.... Work out your own salvation with diligence" (Mahaparinibbana-sutta 2.33; 6:10; from the Pali Canon)   The exclusiveness of Christ's claims through the concept of reconciliation. Restoring a relationship that is broken. Lets say you broke your relationship someone you care about, how many ways are there to restore it, only one. By confessing our fault  and asking forgiveness.

The WAY

It is best to live a moral life. Self discipline has value. Many religions offer this for the seeker. Meditation and prayer are important, compassion, virtue are all common qualities we should develop. It is how we achieve it that needs to be understood.
The goal of each Buddhist is the attainment of the state of nirvana.   This word means to extinguish or to blow out of existence. Like a candle in the wind, just like the song. This is the ultimate state where one enters nirvana with the extinguishing of the ego. Their life merges in the sea like a drop of water. Nirvana is very different from the Christian concept of heaven. Christianity teaches that ones personality continues but is perfected by Gods grace, not by anything we can accomplish. Gautama's original teaching was that nirvana is not union with God or heaven, his system has no place for deity or ones personal self, but rather is a state of being. What exactly this is, Buddha never really articulated. Today it is known as nothingness this is not annihilation but means a release from suffering, desire, and the finite state of self. The Absolute is completely impersonal, and salvation is attained solely by self-effort.
The Buddha taught, "I had no notion of a self, or of a being, or of a soul, or of a person, nor had I any notion or non-notion." (Vairacchedika, 14).
Personal peace will be found when we abide in that which is permanent. As christians we believe to abide in God is the only permanence to be found as he offers eternal life with him in a place as real as earth, heaven.
Reincarnation is offered as the process to give one enough time to develop the qualities and practices to enter nirvana. Buddhists hope to enter into the state of Nirvana, but there is no clear, objective proof or teaching on what occurs beyond the grave. Even Buddha himself was not certain what lay beyond death. He left no absolute teaching on the afterlife only philosophical speculations which can still be debated today.  The body of Buddha lies in a grave in at the bottom of the Himalayan Mountains. The facts of life after death still are an unsolved mystery in Buddhism. Buddhism offers neither assurance of forgiveness or eternal life. In contrast Christ spoke emphatically and absolutely about an afterlife, something every religion had sought to have answers for. It would be best to listen to the one who conquered death and lives eternally than continue to speculate on it. That is what we hope Buddhists will do.

 
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