Though this experiment is limited by its small number of participants, some reasonably consistent and interesting common themes a can be seen in the essays that follow. First, without exception, the Buddhists had difficulties with Christian claims about Jesus, though all expressed admiration for the human being that they saw in the records about him, particularly the gospels. The most often expressed difficulty stems from the frequent Christian claims concerning Jesus' uniqueness or his universal relevance to all humans. Jos˜ Cabez…n suggests that Buddhists do not have problems with the claim that Jesus is a manifestation of a deity, but with the claim that he is the only such manifestation. Rita Gross devotes much of her chapter to critiquing Christian claims about Jesus' unique and exclusive relevance for all humans and providing an alternative to such exclusive truth claims. Bokin Kim repeatedly suggests that she can respect Jesus as a way, but not as the way. And she repeatedly suggests that Christ and the Buddha are religious equivalent in the religious lives of Christians and Buddhists. Among the Buddhists, only Soho Machida focuses much more on other issues, though he also states that "there is no one truth and there is no one superior religion. This simple fact must be humbly accepted by Christians who think otherwise."

Both Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan suggest that the language of Jesus as the savior or the decisive manifestation of the divine means that Jesus is indeed decisive, for Christians alone.

Because of the Buddhists' emphasis on Christian claims about Jesus' uniqueness and exclusive relevance to humanity, the two Christian respondents also focus on this issue. Both eschew traditional Christian exclusive truth claims and Marcus Borg suggests, based on his experiences of meeting many Christians through his lectures, that many mainline Christians are giving up traditional exclusive truth claims. Both Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan suggest that the language of Jesus as the savior or the decisive manifestation of the divine means that Jesus is indeed decisive, for Christians alone. Dominic Crossan posits that there is an inevitable human slippage from a to the. This, he suggests, is only a problem if "it is taken literally and the other equally relative absolutes of others are negated."

Interestingly, for the Christians who wrote essays regarding their impressions of the Buddha, the issue of Jesus' uniqueness and universal relevance for all humans does not arise. Their reasons for ultimately preferring Jesus to the Buddha, despite their genuine admiration of and respect for the Buddha, stem not from an abstract claim that Jesus is necessary for everyone, but from the personal experience that Jesus is necessary for them, that Buddhist claims about the impossibility of external salvation or vicarious atonement simply do not work for them spiritually.

The Buddha directs me away from himself. The Christ invites me to himself. ... The Buddha teaches, 'rely on the teaching not the teacher.' In Christianity the teaching is the teacher.

If anything, the Christians' admiration of the Buddha exceeds the Buddhists' admiration for Jesus as human being. All the Christian commentators express profound personal experiences with the Buddha and report that some encounter with the Buddha and Buddhism not only changed them personally but deepened their understanding of and appreciation for Christianity. Yet, except for Donald Swearer, all the Christians explicitly state that at some point, Jesus as Savior is necessary in their spiritual lives. Bonnie Thurston is most forceful in her declaration: "The Buddha directs me away from himself. The Christ invites me to himself. In the Four Reliances the Buddha teaches, 'rely on the teaching not the teacher.' In Christianity the teaching is the teacher." A few sentences later, regarding the famous Buddhist command "be ye lamps unto yourselves," she writes, "I know from bitter experience my own inability to be my own lamp." The Christians adopt the Buddhist language of "self power" and "other power" and declare that self power does not work and is not sufficient in their own experience; instead other power is necessary and Jesus, as incarnation of god and savior of humanity, provides that other power.

Just as the Christian respondents commented primarily on the Buddhists' main issue with Jesus and claims about him, so also the Buddhist respondents to the Christians comment on the main point made by Christians. Both Grace Burford and Taitetsu Unno discuss the Christian's declaration of their need for "other power," but their insights are quite different. Grace Burford does not reject help and the grace of interdependence as part of the spiritual journey, but she declares, "...give me a map, lend me your car (or raft?), show me a shortcut, even protect me along the way if you can, but do not make the trip for me!" By this she means that experiencing a need for vicarious atonement or a need to have an innate deficiency fixed by someone else are not religious outlooks that she can adopt for herself. Taitetsu Unno, on the other hand, suggests that the Buddha is not only "human through and through," but also a "numinous" presence. The enlightenment experience goes well beyond the ordinary human experiences of rationality and discursiveness and cannot be comprehended by these faculties. As an enlightened being, the Buddha, or any other enlightened being, is an embodiment of the dharma, the truth. Taitetesu Unno suggests that the Buddhist recommendation "Be ye lamps unto yourselves," which Bonnie Thurston and other Christians claim they simply cannot do, must be understood properly. "The self here is not the unenlightened ego-self, but the enlightened non-ego self imbued with dhamma." Relying on our unlighted ego-selves will get us nowhere. The self that is to be our lamp is the enlightened numinous non-ego self which transcends rationality, discursiveness, and ego-based striving.

Interestingly, claims for Jesus' divinity are not as troubling to some of the Buddhists, especially those of Mahayana orientation. Jos˜ Cabez…n appreciates Jesus as a magician who has unusual powers; such figures are not unknown in Asian religions, including Buddhism. He also explains Mahayana Buddhist beliefs that "the universe is populated by a wide range of deities" and goes on to suggest that "...at least Mahayana Buddhists find little that is objectionable in the notion that Jesus is the manifestation of a deity, or the embodiment of a particular quality or attribute..." Taitetsu Unno's declaration that an enlightened Buddha is more than "human through and through," if by "human" we mean the ordinary ego-self, has already been mentioned.

The problems Buddhists would have with Christian claims about deity are stated succinctly by Jos˜ Cabez…n. "What Buddhists find objectionable is (a) the Christian characterization of the deity whose manifestation Jesus is said to be, and (b) the claim that Jesus is unique in being such a manifestation." With these two objections, we return, at least tangentially, to issues already discussed -- Christian claims about Jesus' unique and universal relevance, and the Christian experience of the need for "other power." The issue of Jesus' unique and universal significance has already been discussed quite extensively, but Jose Cabezon's summary of what Buddhists might find objectionable about the deity of whom Jesus is said to be an embodiment is instructive. "There is no god who is the creator of the universe, who is originally pure and primordially perfected, who is omnipotent and who can will the salvation of beings. Jesus, therefore, cannot be the incarnation of such a God." Of this list of objections from a Buddhist point of view, the claim that the Christian authors focus upon concerns the existence of a deity who could "will the salvation of beings," though Christians would be unlikely to use that phrasing in describing the salvation and liberation they find in and through Jesus.

Several striking contrasts between the Buddhist and the Christian authors are apparent in these essays. First, the Christians' testimonial concerning how much they have learned from Buddhism for their Christian spiritual lives is far greater than any reverse testimonial. In fact, though all the Buddhists express appreciation for Jesus, none of them mentions personal spiritual growth that is the result of an encounter with Jesus or with Christianity. This asymmetry may result from the difference between typical Christian and Buddhist practices regarding missionary activity and proselytization. Because Buddhists usually don't proselytize, Christians may feel safer in their experiments with Buddhism; it is unlikely that they will experience pressure from Buddhists to become Buddhist if they like and admire the Buddha. But Buddhists may not feel the same safety and freedom regarding experiments with Christianity and a relationship with Jesus. And, because of their own history, responsible Christians may emphasize their appreciation for non-Christian religions, Buddhism in this case. But this asymmetry could also stem from the fact that because Buddhists don't claim that the Buddha is a deity who creates and saves humanity, Christians can take on aspects of Buddhism and admire the Buddha as a human teacher without in any way compromising their loyalty to the deity of Christianity incarnate in Jesus. The reverse is not true for Buddhists. Christians do claim that Jesus is the incarnation of a deity who creates and redeems the world and such claims run counter to essential Buddhist ideas about how the world works.

Soho Machida suggests that Jesus' cry of despair, 'My God, my God, why have you deserted me?' not be glossed over or explained away S for Jesus to share humanity with us, he must share the original sin that is the lot of every human being.

We invited authors to be quite direct in their evaluations of the other tradition, and we expected authors to make comments about the other tradition, even to suggest revisions in the other tradition, that would probably not be made by an insider. A second contrast between Buddhist and Christian essayists is that the Buddhists were much bolder in their comments about Jesus and their assessments of Christianity than were the Christians in their comments about the Buddha and Buddhism. Soho Machida's intriguing title "Jesus, Man of Sin" amply demonstrates Buddhist willingness to suggest revisions to basics of Christian theology. Soho Machida suggests that Jesus' cry of despair, "My God, my God, why have you deserted me?" not be glossed over or explained away and he suggests that for Jesus to share humanity with us, he must share the original sin that is the lot of every human being, according to classical Christian theology. And revision to another classic tenet of Christian theology is suggested by Soho Machida. "S why did Jesus have experience the suffering of crucifixion? S Jesus was crucified to atone for his own sin. He courageously showed us the way each of us must take responsibility for our own lives.

We should also note, even emphasize, that Buddhists and Christians share an important evaluation of the other tradition in common. Without exception, Buddhist authors express respect for Jesus' selfless work on behalf of others and his social teachings. Christians evaluate the Buddha in the same way, noting his refusal to adhere to the Indian caste system, his wisdom in organizing his religious institution, the Buddhist sangha, and even his relative openness to women, considering the culture and times in which he worked. In these troubled times of great suffering and danger, this common concern with human well-being may be more important than any other claims, issues, or considerations.

The real value of this book is not only that its thesis is correct, a rarity in itself. More, it offers the thesis and its critics. You get to decide which makes most sense. A bold commitment to experiments and new ways of thinking about how we might save this earth is long overdue. If you care about the environment, you need to be in on this debate.

Related Links

Jesus Under the Bodhi Tree
Marcus Borg discusses the parallels and similarities of Jesus and Buddha, and Christianity and Buddhism. What can the two traditions learn from each other? Interview.

What's the Big Deal About Buddhism?
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How Things Are
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The Dharma in Judaism
Sylvia Boorstein, who says that she is a devout Jew because she is a Buddhist, reveals the resonance between two superficially different religions. Buddhism informs her Judaism, and her dedication to Buddhist meditation has deepened her appreciation of life. Interview.