This is a very controversial topic I would say, but I have to write this. Simply because I support both religions and both of their philosophical background views. On the deepest level they promote and believe in the same outcome, they just use different acronyms and languages.
Why I think Dharma in the West is loosing it's power to Christianity in some sense at the present moment. Many things happened since 2016, COVID -19 ERA, and I felt that Dharma in the West began declining. I began questioning why this could have had happened and realized it is the way Westerners established Dharma in the the West on the first place. They build this as a Corporation. Structures all centers and most retreats on the base of corporate established structure. They helped their internal members, as long as remain the members, but not the outside communities or people who left the church. They build Dharma Centers in a Christian country with Christina lifestyle, but with much of Christian approach. They did not actually established it as Dharma, with some exceptions. On top of it, their community evolvement did
not go beyond their own Dharma Communities.
Why? I think because Dharma is the West was originally established by the Celebrities. And when these, mostly bipolar and schizophrenic people, changed their interests and switched back to "God", it influenced the progress of the Dharma ... Most, if not all American politicians are devoted Catholics or Baptist / 7th Day Adventist Christians.
But, Dharma Centers rarely do 5K runs, Cancer Walks, volunteering for the Catholic hospices or homeless shelters, do drug addict donations drives for Holidays, etc. They live on donations, but they don't donate themselves. On the deepest level, they stick with their own internal structure, uninvolved with outside World in some sense. It felt like they had their own internal government within everyone else's. Like Amish communities. However, Amish Communities do a lot of farming and crafts sales to the outside world and way more restricted. I guess it is ok, but I felt like if they want to make it Universal and useful, they need to get involved in more social causes, at least for the communities they had established.
Why I think Dharma Teachings are more advanced and go beyond Christian?
Christianity forces the idea of "God as your Punisher". For every bad or good action you commit.
And idea of either Heaven or Hell, as your final option. While Dharma teaches, that you are responsible for your own actions, and, your punishment can come in a various forms, depending on the level of your actions. If you kill ~ you may get killed or imprisoned, if you cheating ~ you will be cheated on, if you steal ~ you will become a bankrupt, if you lie ~ no one will believe you, when you them the truth, etc. What is the answer to fix all of these past actions? Recognition or acceptance of the fault , completely changes the outcome of your actions. But only, if person is genuine in their realizations. Same as a Christian confessions idea. So, Dharma goes a little beyond idea of confession. It forces person to recognize the effect of their actions, before they commit them. And make a conscious choice.
Dharma was mostly and better established on the West cost, due to these areas being culturally dominated by the Asian descendants. With all these said I felt in the recent years Dharma in the West has deteriorated. People began losing interest in both philosophy and spirituality. Many of the old Lamas had passed away, new younger Lamas are not as inspiring, at this time. They don't have much to share in terms of life experiences, most of them grew up under Western influence from the beginning. And many people returned to base Christianity, because they still fight more for local social causes ...
I wish people would merge the two together. Buddhism teaches more in terms of self-care, self-control, mind and body progress, birth and re-birth, while Christianity teaches and preaches more community evolvement. Both teach people how to become selfless, kind and possibly successful, both teach idea of resurrection, which is basically the same things, we are being reincarnated. Both believe in good and bad spirits and energies, both believe in bad and good "magicians", etc. But, on practice and in my personal experience on the personal level, most Christians are fascists. And I am very sorry to say this, but it is a fact. They DO NOT ACCEPT foreigners, they always try to convert them. Especially when it comes to other religions.
I had a conversation with 2 women, one muslim from Egypt, another California Catholic. Both got angry at me for saying people get re-born, death is not the end. But what did the Jesus do? How is resurrection different from the idea of incarnation? God created you as his own image and you continue this journey until you yourself realize you are God's child, but you did not get it. They call it "the Divine Pride Realization"Â in Highest Yoga Tantra. God creates, God gives birth to myriad of the things and ideas, God learns, God teaches, God exist and influences reality he exist in. We all do the same things. Parents teach their children: how to talk, how to walk, how to think. There isn't much difference when it comes to the deepest levels of underlining philosophies of both religions. I feel, if people study both philosophies together it would bring twice the benefit for everyone.
For people interested in visiting good energetic sites I have a list of Monasteries here, Christian Retreats here and Dharma Retreats here.
The 10 vows of Samantabhadra are:
The vow to pay homage to all of the buddhas
To praise the virtues of the buddhas
To serve and make offerings to the buddhas
To confess past misdeeds and uphold the precepts
To rejoice in the merit and virtues of buddhas, bodhisattvas and all sentient beings
To ask the buddhas to preach the Dharma
To ask the buddhas to refrain from entering nirvana
To always follow the buddhas' teachings
To serve/benefit all sentient beings
To transfer the merit from all practices to the liberation of all beings
10 Commandments list are:
Finally, 10 Rules of the Emerald Tablet of Hermes:
What is below is like that which is above, and what is above is similar to that which is below to accomplish the wonders of the one thing.
As all things were produced by the mediation of one being, so all things were produced from this one by adaption.
Its father is the sun, its mother the moon.
It is the cause of all perfection throughout the whole earth.
Its power is perfect if it is changed into earth.
Separate the earth from the fire, the subtile from the gross, acting prudently and with judgement.
Ascend with the greatest sagacity from earth to heaven, and unite together the power of things inferior and superior.
Thus you will possess the light of the whole world, and all obscurity will fly away from you.
This thing has more fortitude than fortitude itself, because it will overcome every subtile thing and penetrate every solid thing.
By it the world was formed.
