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27 of 32 found the following review helpful:
 From What to Where? Jul 15, 2010
By James S. Taylor
This book may be of use if you want tips on communicating with people who are folk-Buddhists, particularly from a Thai background, with very little to no understanding, but it has next to nothing to do with real Buddhism. Like many books on Buddhism published by conservative Christian presses (with some exceptions), it is so riddled with errors of fact and interpretation that it cannot be recommended to anyone who does not already have an understanding of Buddhism adequate enough to see when the author is going off the rails.
Cioccolanti seems to sincerely think the Buddha is a great person and that his teachings have value, but this is also the author's downfall, as it forces him to read Christian meanings into Buddhist words and texts over and again, so that Buddha can be seen as teaching things closely parallel to the Bible. Sin is equated with karma and heaven with Nirvana, for example, when these words understood in their original historical and grammatical contexts are not synonymous. This "worldview confusion," as James Sire labeled it, is rampant and destroys Cioccolanti's presentation for anyone who knows what these words mean. It is like reading a mirror image of Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh's books on Christianity, which suffer from the same problem to the same insufferable degree, but in the opposite direction.
The other methodological problem is Cioccolanti's claim to be presenting what lay-Buddhists believe. If they believe what he says they do, then they are badly educated Buddhists. It would be the equivalent of writing a book called "From Jesus to Buddha" and doing so at the level of the most ignorant, Christian-in-name-only, people who could be found. Also, despite the claim about whom his target is, Cioccolanti repeatedly discusses things that he presents as being official Buddhism, the majority of which are not. The problem here seems to be that he has a lot of Thai folk customs and stories confused with what is actually found in the authoritative Pali texts. The fact that he almost never properly references his citations of Buddhist writings, despite their availability in modern critical editions, only adds to this impression.
Misinterpretations regarding Buddhist teachings abound. Karmic causality is equated with fatalism [page 36]. Siddhartha is confused with Maitreya [43]. The Buddha did not critiqued other religions [53]. Jesus is said to be the way to escape karma [54]. The Buddha taught that the cause of suffering is sin [55]. Karma is synonymous with sin and the good and neutral forms are irrelevant [56]. The Buddha would agree that when we sin against God we deserve to die [57]. Greed, anger and delusion are part of the sin nature (a Christian theological term) and is "locked inside human nature" (a denial of one of the most fundamental Buddhist teachings) [58]. A real Buddhist will realize that they cannot escape the cycle of rebirth on their own [59]. Buddhist practice is only about disciplining the body [61]. The only real options are to go to Heaven by becoming a monk or Hell if you don't [72]. Buddha taught strict vegetarianism [84]. If you are guilty of breaking one Buddhist rule, you are guilty of breaking them all [101]. You are hopeless in the face of the cycle of existence [117]. Animals cannot rise to higher states [120]. Past life recall only occurs in altered states [117]. It is doubtful that the Buddha taught rebirth [121]. Rebirth is inherently racist [121]. The Buddha never offered a solution to the problem he analyzed [137]. He never denied the existence of God [148]. Buddhists pray to the Supreme Being (in a Christian sense) [148]. The Tripitika does not address where we are going or what is our purpose [189]. I could go on. If you don't recognize these as erroneous interpretations, you need to learn more about Buddhism before you go around talking about it.
Some mistakes are just laugh out loud howlers. For example, the Buddha lived from 563-483 BC [52], but the first council was held in 543 BC, twenty years after his death [194]. They must have been rather surprised to find that he was not only still alive, but, at twenty years old, had yet to become awakened. One wonders how there were Buddhists to have a council about anything Buddhist? All kidding aside, this sort of lack of ability to keep the story straight is endemic of Cioccolanti's over-all shallow understanding of Buddhism and how it works. For example, the point of the story about the blind turtle [150-151] is not to show the impossibility of freeing yourself from your karmic debt, but to point out that you cannot hope to simply escape the consequences of your karma, so you had better get practicing right now while you have a human life to do so. Again, the claim that Buddha sinned by leaving his family [151] ignores both the customs of the time and the fact that once he found his answer [one that they needed just as desperately] he made his way back to them and they joined the Buddhist path.
A great many other problems could be raised, but where this book enters the realm of Epic Fail is where it rehashes the passage allegedly found in the Cambodian Tripitika where the Buddha prophecies the coming of Jesus [152-171, 251-254] and advocates it as an evangelism tool. This has been refuted [by both Buddhist and Christian writers] and is nothing but an Asian Christian urban legend making the Internet rounds. It has no more validity than any of the other conspiracy theories that show up in your email every other day. Cioccolanti is doing Christians no favor by resurrecting and spreading it around. It originally appeared and was refuted some time ago, but over the past few years has reappeared, magically with new information that attempts to defuse the first refutation. No one who understands Buddhism would accept it, as it contains Christian terminology, non-Buddhist practices, and statements that conflict with well-known Buddhist teachings. What has likely happened is that a Cambodian oral tradition about Maitreya, the next Buddha, has accidentally fallen into syncretism with Christian missionary teachings about the Second Coming of Christ. Christians have been in both Cambodia and Thailand since the 1550s, so there has been plenty of time for this to happen and be incorporated into "long remembered tradition." In 2004, Paul DeNeui conducted an interview with evangelist Khampan Sudcha regarding this issue, where it is obvious that the original subject of the passage is the Buddha Maitreya and that Sudcha is reading his preferred Christian interpretation into the text. Cioccolanti's handling of the text is just as obviously the same. For example, the "scars in his hands and scars on his feet in the shape of a gongjak," which he says are nail holes, making one of the most striking connections, for Christians, to Jesus, are nothing of the sort. There is a reason Cioccolanti mystifies things by leaving the work gongjak not translated and refering to it as a sharp cutting weapon in a footnote. It is because in reality it is nothing but a common, circular Buddhist symbol seen on the hands and feet of many Buddhist images all across Asia and has nothing to do with either nails or crucifixion.
If you are interested in gaining an understanding of Buddhism, the following is a good start. 1) Read books by recognized authorities on the subject, not preachers and evangelists. 2) Get your information from standard reference works, such as the encyclopedias by Buswell or Keown & Prebish, and your definitions from recognized dictionaries, such as the ones by Nyanatiloka or Keown. 3) Visit a Buddhist temple and pick up some free books by Buddhists. 4) Talk to real Buddhists (they are more than willing to explain their beliefs, why they believe them, and answer sincere questions). 5) Take a class on Buddhism at your local college, university or Buddhist temple. If you absolutely must get it from a conservative Christian source, "The Spirit of Buddhism: a Christian Perspective on Buddhist Thought," [9780825461453] by Burnett, and "Buddhism: A Christian Exploration and Appraisal," [9780830838554] by Yandell and Netland are the better choices. The first is by a professional anthropologist and the second is by a professor of philosophy and a professor of philosophy of religion. They at least have the proper background and education to approach the subject with both respect and far greater accuracy than people like Cioccolanti.
So nothing is being hidden, I have been an evangelical Christian for over 30 years, but I have also studied Buddhism for almost as long, part of which involved work at the Nalanda College of Buddhist Studies in Toronto, the Buddhist equivalent of a Christian seminary. Christians have a moral obligation to both tell the truth and not misrepresent others, which is why I am defending Buddhism against this author, though he is a fellow Christian. In the face of an equally wrong-headed book published by a Buddhist about Christianity, Christians would not remain silent, so fair is fair.
11 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Practical ways of talking with Buddhists about Jesus Jul 23, 2008
By Yothin
"Yoy"
I think that it has some very helpful insights into sharing the gospel of Jesus with Buddhist people, particularly Thai people.
I found this book more practical than other books on the subject such as Alex Smith's "Buddhism through Christian Eyes" and David Burnett's book "the Spirit of Buddhism". It actually goes much further into how we can approach Buddhists and talk about the gospel from their own worldview. He also gives some helpful stories that help to understand some Buddhist thinking. Having grown up in a Thai family, he obviously has a much deeper understanding of Buddhism than most of us "foreigners" do. I feel that his approach of talking to the Buddhist person about his ability to live up to the five Buddhist precepts is a good one and one that I would like to apply more.
A few criticisms that I have are that he talks about things that are not central to the topic, and by doing this he tends to "label" himself. He spends a couple of pages talking about the importance of speaking in tongues. He also does the same thing about his view on Creationism which is not really the point of the book. I found this a distraction from the main theme, and I think that talking about "tongues" and "creationism" will alienate some readers who do not share his particular views on these issue. I wish that he would have just left his views on these issues out of the book altogether.
Putting that aside, I think that it is a helpful book and there is much that the average reader can learn from it. I certainly learned quite a few things, and heard new stories from Buddhist history that I had never heard before.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent book. Must have! Jun 12, 2010
By Dew
The part of Buddha's last words reveals a startling revelation and truth. Glad Buddha found the solution he was looking for. I was not aware that origin of reincarnation racist and sexist. Shocking ..
The book opens up many mysteries. Smooth from beginning to end. It contains excellent insights with real solutions from a talented and anointed author. Don't waste, get this book. I am so glad I did.
9 of 12 found the following review helpful:
From Insanity to peace of mind Nov 07, 2008
By N. D. Aloysius
i was a buddhist all my life... i grew up in sri lanka a buddhist country. I was so caught up in trying to find my way to enlightenment that it drew me insane. i was admitted to a mental institution twice trying to follow what i thought buddha said. reading this book changed my life. buddha was trying to find the way out of the circle of sin... and if you read the book it becomes very clear that Jesus is that answer.
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Give it a try!!! Mar 08, 2009
By Elmer D. Batres
"batresboy"
Great reading!!! Wonderful insights into the Buddhist faith!!! I would recommended to anyone who wants to understand Buddhism better.
Give it a try!!!! You won't regret it!!!
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