Why the Dhammapada doesn't really cut it for Christians

The Dhammapada is a highly influential collection of 423 verses 26 sections within the Pali Canon of Indian Theravada Buddhism. 

Traditionally attributed to the Buddha, this anthology of sayings deals with avoiding worldly desire and cultivating wisdom and joy on the path to Enlightenment as Buddhists understand it.

The main ideas illustrated in the Dhammapada include:

• The Four Noble Truths: These are the core teachings of Buddhism, which state that suffering exists, that suffering arises from craving, that suffering ceases when craving ceases, and that there is a path to the cessation of suffering.
• The Noble Eightfold Path: This is the path to the cessation of suffering, and it consists of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
• The importance of mindfulness: Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgmental way. It is a key component of the Noble Eightfold Path.  
• The power of compassion: Compassion is the quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to relieve it. It is an essential virtue in Buddhism.
• The impermanence of all things: All things are impermanent, including the self. This understanding can lead to detachment from suffering.
• The importance of ethical living: Ethical living is essential for the cultivation of wisdom and compassion. The Dhammapada contains many verses on the importance of practicing morality.

Verse 78 gives us something akin to the contemporary understanding of steering clear of jerks, frauds and violent individuals:

Don't keep friends with ugly souls; avoid evil souls. Keep friends with beautiful souls; associate with those whose souls are good.

Within the New Testament (NT) story we find the rough parallel where Jesus loves but does not allow his enemies to destroy him before his allotted time to die (Luke 4:28-30, John 8:59). While some vulgar interpretations of the NT see this as cowardice or a shrinking away from the spiritually perverse, a more mature perspective sees it for what it is, namely, wisdom.

When sincere Christians follow God's will, we enter into the proverbial lion's den - or, to draw from another tradition, the snake pit - if God so wishes. However, if we discern we should avoid dangerous or contentious situations, we do. Modern Christianity is situation-dependent to some extent. And this involves wisdom, Christian but not Buddhist style.

Since Buddhism does not believe in God, it has no understanding of trying to follow the will of God. Instead, Buddhism lays down general rules that, for the most part, don't work if we are alive to the Holy Spirit and God's guidance.

That's partly why I take exception to superficial comparisons of Buddhism and Christianity. You don't have to dig too deep to understand their fundamental differences. True, there's nothing wrong with quiet contemplation, reflection, and getting to know ourselves better. But to say that neither we nor God exist at all, well, to me that's just wrong. And there's no sweet and sugary way to say it, despite what some New Age enthusiasts and others may claim.