"Alone among all the great world religions, Buddhism made its way without persecution, censorship or inquisition. In all these respects its record is enormously superior to other religions, which made its way among people addicted to militarism."What the Buddha Said--Aldous Huxley
"Buddha never taught that his teachings were the superior way. Buddhism is not 'the' way, it is one way."
"The Buddha *did* tell us that his teachings are superior. The Dhamma is described as 'unmatched' and 'perfectly expounded.' Also, fully-enlightened Buddhas of the past, present and future are--by definition--superior. These facts are stated again and again in the Pali Canon."
The Way to Salvation
"Buddhism and Christianity are not equal. For one thing, in Buddhism we have to work out our own salvation. We don't expect a savior to do it for us..."
"Some would say that Christianity is 'better' than Buddhism precisely because it relies on the power of God and Jesus Christ for salvation instead of your own power."
To Criticize or Not To Criticize?
"There are very moral, dedicated individuals in all religions, and all of the 5 major religions teach love, tolerance, and understanding.
I'm not a Christian (I am a jubu), but to attack someone else's religion is NOT the Buddhist way."
"I frankly don't know where this idea that Buddhists shouldn't criticize other religions comes from. Have we forgotten that Wrong View leads to suffering?"
"Most religions, Christianity included, are, without equivication, intolerant of other religions. What good is a belief system if you might be wrong?"
"To say that one religion is better than another is like saying that vanilla is better than chocolate..."
"The product Christianity sells is forgiveness from sin, and you can't sell any unless you convince people that they are really, really sinful."
"The product Buddhism sells is freedom from suffering, and you can't sell that unless you convince people that they are really suffering..."
"Suffering only exists in you head and is relative only to your own manner of thought.
There is no suffering, really; there's just your head."
"Convince people that they're suffering? Who isn't suffering, or hasn't suffered? I guess if a person hasn't suffered, neither the baby Jesus or Buddha probably wouldn't hold much attraction for them."
The Bad and the Ugly
"If Buddhism is superior (and I have my suspicions toward the affirmative), it is not because of Mr. Huxley's reasons. Buddhism has its own checkered past and checkered present. It's a human endeavor."
"I suppose you could say that the basic tenants of Buddhism are less likely to be misinterpreted by zealous adherents as justification for 'Holy War.'"
"Buddhism realizes that war is not some holy purpose. It's just another karmic mud-puddle to be avoided along the path."
Questioning the Question
"Is Buddhism Superior??
Who knows and who cares. It is not a question of superiority...it is a question of individual belief. If your belief serves you and you live a life of peace, morailty and ethics who cares. All paths will eventually lead in the same direction and to the same destination. It just takes some poor souls a little longer than others to find the path and the right direction."
"Superior, inferior are all constructions of the mind. What purpose does it serve to proclaim superiority? It is this constant divisiveness that makes all religion abhorrent. Instead we should practice and not play these games."
"The question I have is, does it really matter if one is 'better' (in our limited samsaric understanding) than the other? Does this fact change the nature of suffering in some fundamental way that I need to know about?"
"Anyone who is a sincere Buddhist practitioner wouldn't touch this question with a thousand-foot pole. The implications for ego-posturing by Buddhists and harsh criticism by other religious practitioners are enormous."
