Buddhism offers different path than Christianity

Fox News commentator Brit Hume created quite a stir recently when he suggested that the only hope for Tiger Woods is to convert from his mother's Buddhism to Christianity. "He's said to be a Buddhist," Hume observed. "I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.' "

It's not clear to what extent Tiger Woods actually sees himself as a Buddhist. But assuming for the moment that Tiger is a fully committed Buddhist, how accurate is Hume in his comparative analysis?

This cultural clash resembles the old "apples and oranges" problem. Hume's recommendation to Tiger is analogous to Peyton Manning telling Kobe Bryant that he must switch sports because basketball doesn't offer the potential to score touchdowns. In short, Buddhism may not offer "redemption and forgiveness," at least in the way that Hume would define those terms, because these aren't relevant categories within the Buddhist religious system. This is not to say, however, that Buddhism doesn't offer its own analysis and solutions to the tragic circumstances Tiger faces.

Different religions express different worldviews -- they have their own symbol and language systems, their own analysis of the fundamental human problem, their own picture of the unseen sacred realm. And just as one cannot always translate terms from one language to another -- because often there are no equivalents -- one must be careful not to unilaterally impose the categories of one religion onto another.

The concepts of sin, redemption and forgiveness hold distinct meanings within the Christian tradition. We begin with belief in a single divine being who created the world and humans, exercises divine providence over the created realm and provided clear expectations for the human race. Unfortunately, humans haven't always followed those divinely revealed laws -- the violations of which constitute "sin" -- and thus suffer the punishment of alienation from God. Jesus Christ offers the hope and opportunity of redemption. Through Christ, the tradition promises, a person can overcome this alienation from God.

In contrast, Buddhism does not subscribe to a belief in a single creator deity who presides over the world, administers punishment or grants forgiveness. Thus, sin, forgiveness and redemption, in the Christian sense, become meaningless terms. The critical human problems are not sin and alienation, but ignorance and suffering. Consequently, the Buddhist goal of enlightenment is substantively different from atonement/salvation in Christianity.

Suffering (dukkha) includes the obvious pain related to old age, sickness and death. More profoundly, it extends to deeper psychological suffering that manifests in negative emotions such as self-doubt, discontent and anger. Much of this suffering stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of reality and self. We cling to things, ideas, people, passions, our own bodies and so forth, which we hope will give us some lasting sense of security and happiness. But since everything is impermanent and always changing -- a basic Buddhist assertion about the nature of reality -- we inevitably experience loss and, thus, suffer. Buddhism offers various ways to transform a person's consciousness and behavior to conform to the way reality is -- not as one might like it to be. The promise is less suffering and possibly even a state of enlightenment in which suffering is virtually absent altogether. In the process, Buddhism teaches, one invariably moves from self-centeredness to other-centeredness; from dominating emotions of anger, lust and fear to those of joy, peace and compassion.

A Buddhist counselor might suggest to Tiger that he re-examine his pursuit of ephemeral sexual pleasures. What kind of happiness did this pursuit really yield? What kind of suffering did it engender both for him and those he claims to love? She might also offer ways (e.g., meditation) for Tiger to gain deeper insight into his past choices, the ignorance and selfish desires that fed those choices and the necessary discipline to follow what he, deep in his heart, knows are the right choices going forward.

James Ford is an associate professor of East Asian Religions in the Department of Religion at Wake Forest University. He has published extensively on Buddhism and comparative religion. He is also a member of the United Methodist Church.

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