Zen Buddhism and Steve Jobsby: Dr Jim Eckman
James P. Eckman (Jim) is President and Professor in Bible and History at Grace University in Omaha, Nebraska. He has been at Grace since 1983.
http://graceuniversity.edu/iip/2011/11/11-11-26-2/Dia (Prof. Eckman) beragumentasi:
Third, how could one possibly reach someone like Steve Jobs, who was so influenced by Zen Buddhism? The ultimate reason for seeking an intelligent understanding of Zen Buddhism is to find bridges we can build to reach the Zen Buddhist with the gospel. did this constantly, as He regularly adapted His message to His hearers.
Bridge #1: First and foremost, consistency in what we believe is crucial. Our doctrinal convictions must be matched by the reality of the Christ-like life. Because Zen Buddhism is fundamentally an ethical faith with no real emphasis on the supernatural, the authentic life of Christ speaks volumes to the Zen Buddhist. Authenticity will get the Zen Buddhist’s attention. This is what Steve Jobs was seeking and what he failed to attain.
Bridge #2 is the issue of suffering. For the Zen Buddhist, suffering encompasses all of life from birth to death. Clinging to the pleasures of life is considered foolishness and vain to the Zen Buddhist. The Christian worldview harmonizes with Zen Buddhism on this point. Christianity recognizes the reality of suffering and ties it to the consequence of human sin (Genesis 3). For that reason the book of Ecclesiastes may be the best starting point, for it declares the futility of life “under the sun” (1:1-11). This book points out that life is unfair, futile, confusing, and transitory. It is only belief in a Sovereign, personal God that brings sense to all of this, declares the author. For that reason, life is seen, for the Christian, as a good gift from a good God, who ultimately makes sense even out of suffering. Perhaps books like Phillip Yancey’s Where is God When It Hurts? or C.S. Lewis’s The Problem of Pain, both of which deal with suffering, can be of help to the Buddhist.
Bridge #3: When the Zen Buddhist asks the question, “what is life all about?”, he turns inward and answers that it can be found within. When the Christian asks the same question, he turns outward and upward towards God for the answer. For that reason, the Zen Buddhist will focus so much on inward issues. The Zen Buddhist seeks to dwell on and master self in an effort to eradicate self. The haunting question for the Zen Buddhist is how does one achieve satori through occupation with self? It is a paradox. gave the solution to the paradox of Zen Buddhism: “He who has found his life shall lose it and he who has lost his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39; Mark 8:35 and Luke 9:24). We find our true identity by losing ourselves in the One who created us, namely Christ.
Bridge #4: Zen Buddhism claims that all humans should be treated well. But why? There is no absolute standard in Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhists practice respect and dignity for all life to gain personal peace, to live in harmony with the world. But perhaps a person could easily do evil to get ahead and attain personal peace. Why is that wrong? We must press the Zen Buddhist: “What is goodness? How do we know what is good?” Moral law points to a moral Lawgiver, namely the true God.
Bridge #5: For the Zen Buddhist, ultimate reality is within the human self. Self is the ultimate. But for the Christian, ultimate reality is in the absolute truth of a God who is outside of man and man knows that truth through revelation. For the Zen Buddhist, reality is thoroughly subjective and inner; for the Christian it is objective and God-centered. Ultimate reality is knowable only through Christ, Who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). This is ultimately the choice the Zen Buddhist must make–is it self or is it Christ?
Reaching a Zen Buddhist, such as Steve Jobs, with the gospel of Christ is difficult and problematic.
These suggested bridges can be used by the Holy Spirit to pierce the heart of the Zen Buddhist. Fundamentally, both the Zen Buddhist and the Christian focus on the metaphor of light as being the path to truth. As the Zen Buddhist journeys into himself and as he learns to
negate himself more and more, he is thereby enlightened. The Christian journeys into Christ, who is the light of the world. To find is to find true enlightenment. That is the message we must take to the Zen Buddhist.
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Bagaimana tanggapan temen2? Kalau menurutku, sekalipun dia Profesor Theologian Kristiani-pun, pemahamannya akan Buddhisme masih saja minim. =_="
The Siddha Wanderer