By Victor M Fontane
Christian traditions are based solely on the punishment and reward of human behavior by granting a supposed heaven or hell if rules established by a superior being are obeyed or violated. There is no room for evolution and the human being has to beg for forgiveness to avoid punishment or win heaven or the so-called grace.
The rules set by the superior being and called commandments where exclusivity is requested are:
You shall have no other God's before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. ...
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. ...
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy. ...
Honor your father and mother. ...
Thou shalt not kill. ...
Thou shalt not commit adultery. ...
Thou shalt not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You should not covet.
As you see there is not education but indoctrination and no spiritual evolution whatsoever. Thus, after more than 2,000 years humanity, in general, haven’t be able to comply not even with a single one.
However and compare with this, in the Buddhist traditions, the Buddha explained the root of human suffering, the overcoming of that suffering through different practices and a set of behaviors or paths named The Noble Eightfold Path.
1. RIGHT VIEW
A true understanding of how reality and suffering are intertwined.
2. RIGHT RESOLVE
The aspiration to act with correct intention, doing no harm.
3. RIGHT SPEECH
Abstaining from lying, and divisive or abusive speech.
4. RIGHT ACTION
Acting in ways that do not cause harm, such as not taking life, not stealing, and not engaging in sexual misconduct.
5. RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
Making an ethically sound living, being honest in business dealings.
6. RIGHT EFFORT
Endeavoring to give rise to skillful thoughts, words, and deeds and renouncing unskillful ones.
7. RIGHT MINDFULNESS
Being mindful of one’s body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities.
8. RIGHT CONCENTRATION
Practicing skillful meditation informed by all of the preceding seven aspects.
These eight steps are considered to be of three types: right view and right resolve are related to our development of wisdom; right speech, right action, and right livelihood to ethical conduct; and right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration to meditation.
However, even these paths has become very difficult to follow, specially in the western societies due to the primitive human mind, lack of education and will.
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