The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha [Hardcover]

Ravi Zacharias (Author)

Book Description

Series: Great Conversations | Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Have you ever wondered what Jesus would say to Mohammed? Or Buddha? Or Oscar Wilde? Maybe you have a friend who practices another religion or admires a more contemporary figure. Drop in on a conversation between Jesus and some well-known individuals whose search for the meaning of life took them in many directions -- and influenced millions. Popular scholar Ravi Zacharias sets a captivating scene in this first in the intriguing Conversations with Jesus books. Through dialogue between Christ and Gautama Buddha that reveals Jesus' warm, impassioned concern for all people, God's true nature is explored. It's a well-priced, hard cover volume readers will want to own, and also share with others.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Ravi takes a scholarly yet imaginative approach to apologetics. The dialogue he sets forth in this unique drama will educate, enthrall, and enlighten you—and everyone you share it with—for years to come.”
BRUCE WILKINSON, AUTHOR OF THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THE PRAYER OF JABEZ
 
“The works of Ravi Zacharias are a vital resource around our house, and this latest addition to our intellectual arsenal is delightfully different: a vivid, dramatized meeting of the minds through which the truth of the gospel—and Dr. Zacharias’s impeccable logic—shines forth with enjoyable clarity.”
FRANK PERETTI
 
“Ravi Zacharias is a first-rate thinker and a preeminent Christian apologist. With The Lotus and the Cross, Zacharias now demonstrates that he is also a gifted and imaginative writer. This captivating dialogue not only clears up confusion about the claims of Christ and Buddha, but also provides us with a highly entertaining read.”
CHUCK COLSON
 
“With signs of spiritual warfare all around us, this book challenges all Christians—male and female—to arm up and engage the enemy. Its pages are chock-full of fascinating insights and solid, practical, biblical advice. It’s a must-read for everyone who takes seriously Christ’s command to ‘Fight the good fight.’”
MARY KASSIAN, PRESIDENT OF ALABASTER FLASK MINISTRIES


From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author

Ravi Zacharias was born in India, immigrating to Canada at age twenty. After earning a Masters of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, he began a speaking ministry that has taken him worldwide (including the campuses of Harvard, Princeton, and Oxford University) as a recognized authority on comparative religions, cults, and philosophy. Zacharias' holds three doctorate degrees, and his books include the Gold Medallion winner Can Man Live without God, Deliver Us from Evil, Cries of the Heart, Jesus Among Other Gods, and two children's titles. He teaches a weekly, international radio program entitled Let My People Think. Ravi lives with his wife, Margaret, in Atlanta. They have three grown children.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157673854X
• ISBN-13: 978-1576738542
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 6.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #339,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For over thirty-five years, Ravi Zacharias has spoken all over the world in great halls and universities, notably Harvard, Princeton, and numerous universities internationally. He is listed as a Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford university. He has appeared on CNN and other international broadcasts. The author of several books for adults and children, he powerfully mixes biblical teaching and Christian apologetics. His most recent works include Walking from East to West, a memoir; The Grand Weaver, an exploration of God's intention in both the ordinary and the startling elements of life; and The End of Reason, a rebuttal of the claims of the so-called New Atheists. His weekly radio program, Let My People Think, is broadcast on 1,692 stations worldwide, and his weekday program, Just Thinking, is on 412. He is founder and chairman of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with additional offices in Canada, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Zacharias and his wife, Margie, have three grown children and reside in Atlanta.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking; communicating his view quite fairly, August 27, 2006

By 

Gnostic Path "http://gnosticpath.blogspot.com/" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha (Hardcover)

The author attempts to be fair AND to communicate his own view, his own conclusions. This means the book is a short vehicle to present some of his own understanding of the differences between Jesus and Buddha, and to show you his view, his side on the question of how to evaluate Jesus or Buddha.

Some would attempt to be fair and withold their own conclusion if it should be on one side or another, but his point is to respectfully present his side, to SHOW what's going on in his understanding when he looks at Buddhism and Christianity, the claims, the culture, the founders, the sorrows of human life.

It succeeds where other attempts might fail, in that it is not heavy handed and given the short space he does attempt to fairly express views other than his own.

The dialog does not sound stylistically like either the Jesus in various Gospels nor Buddha in various Sutras. It is interesting when Jesus says something that sounds like it is very much along the lines of what might be said in Buddhist lingo, and vice versa when the Buddha says something that relates to things often said in Christian lingo.

It is thought-provoking whatever one's view, and it is clear enough that the author is primarily trying to show his own understanding of Jesus Christianity in contrast to his understanding of Buddhism through his travels in Buddhist cultures and remembering his childhood in India.

It cannot go into too much depth on some things, that isn't unfair it's just a hazard of such a subject, particularly in a short book. But the complexities or critiques that could be made, can open up an interesting discussion, so this book does serve as a discussion-starter, and it does raise some challenges very well, whatever one's view on Buddhism vis-a-vis Christianity.

Is it Christian Apologetic? Yes and no, depending on what you mean or expect by 'Christian Apologetics' -- it is not a heavy-handed comparison or disection of Buddhism like you would find in a truly theological journal, despite raising deeply theological issues, nor is it vague or superficial as Lee Stoebel's work is, despite the popular format and casual style. If it is said to be Apologetics, then it is Apologetic simply in that it presents a Christian Author's reflections and does not attempt to hide his specifically Christian conclusions, from his own understanding of Christianity.

While it raises challenges to Buddhism and endorses Christianity, it does not demonize Buddhism nor does it ignore or minimize challenges to the actions and attitudes of Christian followers. It presents enough about Buddhism (the 4 noble truths, ideas of no-self, some things about Buddhsit culture, etc) to serve as a starting point for further discussion, and if people informed by Buddhism engage in that discussion, with Christians, then the result will in fact lead to greater understanding and depth of thought, for many people, and these are good things.

Does it succeed? This is why it isn't like the sort of Apologetics one finds elsewhere... it isn't pretending to defeat Buddhism, I don't think it is trying to, I think it is exploring differences in a way that highlights and affirms what the author sees as strengths in Christianity and the importance of Jesus. It is more like the inobtrusive evangelism that demonstrates by example: not demonizing others, not lecturing others, but living and speaking in accord with one's spirituality.

As a Gnostic with interest in Christianity, Buddhism, and various Christian 'heresies', I found the book to be very good.

45 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The beginning of the end..., January 1, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha (Hardcover)

I was born and raised to two lefty quasi-Buddhist parents that indoctrinated me with the philosophical pap that passes for Buddhism in the West.

A woman I met on an airplane handed me this book to look at and, at first glance, I scoffed at it but the woman was very gracious and I assured her that I would peruse it later...

Now, I am a born-again Christian and this book was the first step I took in that direction.

Some of the criticisms I have read on this site are valid, as Zacharias does not provide an all-encompassing refutation in this small work--but I don't think he was meaning to (its only like 100 pages), simply giving someone (perhaps like myself) their first critical glance at the Buddhist faith/philosophy and exploring some of the difficult implications that most Buddhists either ignore or suppress.

No, this book does not bring down the hammer and utterly refute Buddhism--but it can be used as an introduction to the ways of Buddhism and how they pale before the Ways of The Master.

36 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unfair, Biased, and Disappointing, August 5, 2002

By 

Chris Stager (Rochester NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha (Hardcover)

Prior to this I was a huge Ravi Zacharias fan. I found in him a voice that was not afraid to tackle some of the biggest problems in theology. I was extremely disapointed with this book. Its a very quick read, which is its first major flaw. However, I was shocked at some of the glaring liberties Zacharias takes to generalize Buddhism for the sake of defending Christianity. In fact, the entire premise of his book is faulty as any Buddhist will tell you Guatama Buddha has little to do with the religion of Buddhism. Refer to any beginners text on the subject of Buddhism and you will find that "Buddha" is never used in a specific sense to signify a single person in time (Guatama for example) as Christians use the word "Jesus Christ". "Buddha", literally means "enlightened one" and is rarely, if ever, deduced to mean Guatama, the Buddha (notice it is "the" Buddha--Guatama was one of many--not even the first for that matter!). Beyond this, Zacharias fails to recognize that there are thousands of sects of Buddhism, many of which are vastly different theologically from the teachings he uses to frame Buddhism.
Please do not misunderstand. I do respect Dr Zacharias. However, he commits many gross errors and provides the reader with no real understanding of the nature of Buddhism. I worked in a Christian Bookstore for close to two years and know first hadn that much Christian literature on other religions is "filtered" and simplified to the point where the religion being denounced loses all verility. If you are a Christian and you are reading this try to see it from the other side: imagine a Buddhist writing a book about why Christianity is wrong using a conversation between A (note, "a") Buddha, and the pope--where only the rules of Catholicism are debated....or if you are a catholic imagine a book which defends Christianity from a Pentecostal, or Baptist, or Lutheran perspective. Its unfair and oversimplified.