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Welcome to This New and Different Site About
Christianity and Buddhism!

This site takes into account the variety of schools of Buddhism. Please try out the handy navigation wheel at the bottom of this page. For basic information on Buddhism or Christianity, click on Basics. Do you need information about Buddhism in Thailand or Sri Lanka? Click here or on the spoke called Theravada. If you're intrigued by Tibetan Buddhism, select Tibetan. Want to see a short video on Zen? Go to Zen. If you're so inclined, ask questions or make comments on our Bravenet Discussion Board.

no misrepresentations allowed

Please! If you find factual errors concerning Buddhist beliefs or practices, keeping in mind the various divisions within Buddhism, please let us know so that we can make corrections. We should also talk to each other about matters of interpretation and opinion--in a polite and respectful tone, without contrived anger. 

Some Introductory Thoughts. On the whole, Buddhism seems to be a religion with a straightforward message: You can overcome the suffering that is an inevitable part of life by attaining a state called Nirvana, in which you are no longer attached to your life. But what does such a statement mean?
  • What is life?
  • What is suffering?
  • What causes suffering?
  • What is attachment?
  • What is Nirvana?
  • How does one attain Nirvana?
With a little thought, one can come up with a lot more questions.

Christians oftentimes have a hard time understanding Buddhism because it is so radically different from what they are used to believing. And the confusion only gets worse, not better, when Christians (like many adherents of different religions) only have a very rudimentary understanding of their own religion. But speaking of such matters, many Buddhists do not necessarily understand their religion all that well either.

To the outsider Buddhism appears particularly complex because there are so many different schools of this religion. To individual Buddhists, on the other hand, their particular school most likely is "Buddhism" pure and simple, and they may not even be aware of how much their school may differ from others. Although knowledgeable Buddhists are able to find common themes running through all of the schools, most people are confronted by a bewildering array of different kinds of Buddhism that at first blush seem to have very little in common with each other.

This website is maintained by Christians with the following goals:

  1. To present an informed and intelligible summary of important phases of Buddhism, which will be helpful to to both Buddhists and Christians.
  2. To contribute to a better understanding of the similarities and differences between Christianity and Buddhism.
  3. To give Buddhists the opportunity to see their religion as it is seen by Christians.
  4. To give visitors to this website the opportunity to ask questions so as to clarify (or correct) matters concerning Buddhism and Christianity.

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