Buddhism

by J. Isamu Yamamoto, Alan W. Gomes (Series Editor)

In the second half of the twentieth century, the failure of Enlightenment rationalism and the spiritual bankruptcy of Western materialism have opened the door for Eastern religions, especially the nontheistic religions that promise enlightenment and peace of mind. Any major bookstore today has copies of the I Ching, the Tao Te Ching, and books on Taoism, Zen, and other forms of Buddhism. This volume and the volume on Hinduism in this series together present a comprehensive overview of Eastern religions, their views, and their impact on contemporary North America. This book includes - A concise introduction to Eastern religions - An overview of the movement's theology -- in their own words - A biblical response - Tips for witnessing effectively - A bibliography with sources for further study - A chart comparing the groups' beliefs with biblical Christianity - A glossary

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Christian

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Joseph Yue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent summary and fair criticism of major Eastern religions, including a comparison chart with Christianity. It's not comprehensive but concise and easy to understand, different denominations (especially Buddhism) are explicitly explained, sources are generally well selected but it'll be even better to cite more of the original scriptures and primary classics. It would be an ideal starting point for Western Christians who want to explore some of the Eastern religions and philosophies.

[Chris Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent overview of Buddhism, which is most effective at conveying that Buddhism is not a single monolithic religion but a variety of practices that have developed back and forth and syncretized over several generations throughout India, China, Japan, and now the Western world. The book's very short and easily readable, but the downside is that entire historical movements in Buddhism each get one or two sentences dedicated to them and the author references terms without properly defining them.

The author is a Japanese Christian and the book's clearly published with a Christian agenda. However, the author doesn't seem to let his Christianity influence negatively affect his presentation of Buddhism, and, if anything, shows a fondness for Buddhism. Since most of the book is so brief and informative, there's not much space for opinion, anyway. That said, since the descriptions are so brief, I wouldn't be surprised if they were oversimplified or misrepresented in ways influenced by the author's religion.

Near the very beginning and very end of the book, the author spends a bit of time comparing Buddhism and Christianity and explaining his Christianity and his grandfather's Buddhism. These parts felt undeveloped; despite appreciating the author's objectivity in the rest of the book, I was actually hoping that the author would get more opinionated in these parts.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Beyond Buddhism" is a book that introduces readers to the history of Buddhism and the basic beliefs of the many forms of Buddhism found over time and over the world. He then contrasts those beliefs to some foundational teachings of Christianity. The author views Buddhism with respect because he saw that his Buddhist grandfather was a kind and gentle person. However, he pointed out several critical differences between the teachings of Buddhism and Christianity and explained why he choose Christianity.

The focus of this book is not really "how to argue a Buddhist into converting," but the author does educate the reader on what various Buddhists believe and the main differences between that and Christianity. It's an easy, quick read while still being very informative. I'd recommend it to any Christian how knows a Buddhist and who would like to better understand them.


TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1 Portrait of Grandfather

2 The Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama
The Historical Buddha
The Dharma, The Teachings of the Buddha
The Sangha, The Buddhist Monastic Order

3 Philosophies of Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism
Vajrayana Buddhism

4 The History of Buddhism
India
China
Tibet
Japan

5 Contemporary Buddhism Movements
Theravada Buddhism
Chinese Buddhism
Jodo Shinshu
Nichiren Shoshu
Tantric Buddhism
Zen Buddhism

6 Jesus Christ
A Question of Suffering
Different Paths to Different Summits
Beyond the Grave

7 Reflections in Japan

[Kat Montemayor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars

This was a great informational read and compare and contrast between Eastern religions. It was presented in a way that makes readers who are not familiar with the Far East beliefs can understand. I will definitely read other books in this series.

[Rand Maiadmeh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to learn more about Buddhism, but the book didn’t meet this purpose. His criticism isn’t objective at all, and there is no need to compare Buddhism to Christianity!