Expert: Alex Wilding - 2/1/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have been reading several of the Dalai Lama's books and see quite a similarity within the concepts with Kabalah. My faith is Judaism, but I gladly accept wisdom from where ever it may be found. Two questions:

1) Can you briefly summarize the differences between Hinduism and Buddhism?

2) What happens when one reaches enlightenment? I mean, what is the end of the process? Are they again reborn to share their enlightenment with others or is there a kind of Buddhist 'heaven'?

Thank you very much, in advance.

ANSWER: Hi Ovadiah,
1) They are subtle, but crucial. Hinduism gives, as a rule, more credence to the idea of a creator god, and takes often a more "substantial" view of the "self".
2) One is no longer in bondage. No, there is no Buddhist "heaven", at least not in that sense. We think that beings can be born in heaven as a result of good deeds, but in due course that too grows old and dies away.
Buddhas may be reborn to help others; the thing is, they don't have to as they are no longer driven by craving, aversion and stupidity.

Does that help at all?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It does and thank you very much! But I'm still curious, what happens to the average person reaching nirvana...where do they "go" or is Buddhahood a rarity such that the question is essentially academic? Thanks again!

Answer
Hi Ovidiah,
You will find all sorts of ideas that claim to answer your question - there is no doubt that it is fascinating.
The fascination is perhaps one of the reasons why the Buddha included this amongst his questions that it is not fruitful to speculate about. He refused to answer, but it is not that he said that there simply is no answer; nor did he say that it would be impossible to find the answer. But he was very emphatic that because we are not ourselves in a position to check the correctness of any answer, it is better not to waste time on it.
People have, of course, thought, written and taught about it a lot, but the fact that this state is beyond concepts generally does put a brake on the wilder flights of speculation.
Sorry that's not much of an answer!
All the best
AW