Talk With A Buddhist

I had the opportunity to talk to a Buddhist the other day at work. I must say that it was a first. Luckily I had formerly studied some aspects of Buddhism a couple years ago. This guy was cool and was very informed on the subject and humbly enlightened me to parts I was ignorant to. We were drinking tea and discussing theology and religion. I was right in my comfort zone, but I didn't want to make our conversations pointless. I wanted to test his thinking just as he was a very intelligent guy was going to test what I knew. As I said all this was done at peace and was a very pleasant talk. So I asked him to give me a quick break down on what Buddhism is, and pretty much it's about being enlightened. Enlightened to and with others and knowledge in general. Overcoming angst and pain and learning that you have a choice. For some reason he wasn't very clear on what or who God was from his perspective. So I thought that was were I would gain the most ground in our conversation. I told him that I understood his view, that being enlightened to knowledge and even some aspects of God, however minimal and ambiguous that may be, is a very important part of life in general. I told him I thought more importantly though was being enlightened to God, his revelation, and then that would be the highest state of enlightenment that could exist. He agreed. From his perspective being enlightened was as if we were tapping into, for lack of a better word, "one with the universeness", and it was as if God is us, but not us and also the same thing in and throughout everything. I purposefully made that last sentence confusing. Read it again and that was what I understood the man to be telling me. Quite hard to talk to a man that isn't solid in his thinking and somewhat of a skeptic.

We got to talking about God and his existence, creation, the eternality of God etc... He told me that no one had ever been God and man at the same time. He said, Christianity doesn't teach that does it, and I said well yes that exactly what it teaches. Jesus was fully man and fully God. That was when I laid the teaching of John 1 on him. Everything was made through Jesus, and Jesus is the light that lights Every man. Jesus is God and God is Jesus and nothing exist without him (Jesus). And I heavily emphasized John 1:18, "Jesus has explained God to us", and that Scripture is Gods word. I told him that God has spoken and it's very important we gain enlightenment from his Word. We have nothing apart from him, Christian and non-Christian alike, our understanding, innate understand of God, which we naturally suppress in unrighteousness. And then I told him of our sin and depravity and need of salvation, which all was completed in Jesus on the cross. So I got to lay the gospel out to him.

All in all it was a good talk and I look forward to another one with him just thought I'd post some highlights of our conversation.

Yours in Christ,
Chris Fincher