Source: OMF International, July 2019
Recently OMF International has been highlighting stories showing that Buddhists aren’t all the same. They don’t necessarily believe or behave the way you might expect from a textbook!
Jane, a devout Buddhist in Taiwan, shared what Buddhist means to her without ever mentioning the “noble truths” or the “eightfold way.” Instead she talked about loving her family, the importance of listening to others, respect and treating all people equally.
Japanese Buddhism is hard to define, acknowledges an OMF worker in Japan, though it focuses largely on keeping the traditions of one’s ancestors. Confucianism and Shintoism are also part of the Japanese worldview. “Teasing out the differences between the three is nearly impossible.”
“We were surprised to hear the branch of Buddhism they belonged to also teaches salvation by grace,” say other missionaries, also in Japan, with friends who follow Pure Land Buddhism. They grapple with the implications of having similar but different understandings of grace and faith.
» See also OMF’s new infographic about Buddhism. Well done.