Buddha once said that life was a ocean of suffering or 고해(苦海). Meaning that suffering comes in many ways but it is constant. Some times the water may be calm and slight tides might calmly hit the beach and other times the the waves come crashing in in forms of tsunami completely turning your world upside down. He also said that life is saṃsāra. meaning that in life, we continue with endless suffering, perpetual wandering, and transmigration till we die unless one attain nirvana. Which mean that one will be freed from greed, hatred, and delusion. Totally free and selfless....
I think even in Christian life, it most likely will seem as if our lives tilt toward trouble all the time and that living the Christian life we lean toward life of pain and suffering. But the difference is that though the trouble we Christians face may seem endless it is Christ who faced the greatest pain for us and faced the ultimate sacrifice for us. That we go through a life and when we are "suffering" we are being sanctified knowing that we should consider it pure joy because God is showing us how to rely on Him.
So these 2 philosophies are basically opposite in a sense that its either we have complete reliance on ourselves to get "enlightened" or we depend on God to get "sanctified".
Now most people like the idea of being self reliant. Because we like the idea of individualism. Its also attractive in a way that we rely on ourselves and no one else to be selfless. This is a great theme in life right? So why does this not work for me?
Well it does not work for me because even as a believer in Christ, my human nature always forget His grace and I rely on myself all the time. This is when the greatest failures of my life happens. I guess I can rely on myself to be free from the worldly ways. self determination. Will power!!!! But I always crack.
But the greatest reason why I cant go with saṃsāra is because though I face darkness in life, I also have great time of joy and happiness. Its not constant sorrow. I have great happiness even if it may be selfish. And my point is that we always need a helping hand in life.
Just look at these 2. How can anyone say that life is just a constant sorrow? The idea that we are always facing trouble seem true when we forget the moments of happiness or focus on our troubles without being thankful. I guess if one does not believe in a supreme being, they wont have anyone to be thankful to...
The idea that we can be "enlightened" through ourselves is the ultimate selfishness. It's a matter of motivation. Are you motivated to serve yourself or are you motivated to serve your maker? Ironically this is my greatest challenge as a Christian. I am always motivated to serve myself and forgetting the Lordship that God deserves from me. Because as one of my favorite quote says "Our hearts are restless unless they rest upon the Lord"
Relying on Him is the pinnacle of my faith and also my ultimate struggle.