Christianity endlessly repeats a rather humdrum story of a gutsy carpenter crucified thousands of years ago. The hyperbole and embellishments of this simple tale belie the fact of its utter humility. We omit that Christ was not greatly learned or terribly accomplished, nor even especially saintly. Yet in all the pomp, pronouncements and processions, we achieve that which is most central to culture throughout the West: the masking and overcompensation for great and profound insecurities and inadequacies. The fundamental meaning of Christiandom is overcompensation.
The culture arising out of Buddhism contrasts markedly to that of the West, as the Buddha was a great prince born into immense security and luxury, with no need to overcompensate. So then what we find in Buddhism is a sterility and emptiness born of utter satisfaction. Not wanting for anything, Buddhism becomes a practice without abiding relationships or goals to accomplish, other than being.
One must be drawn to Christianity for its endless hope and striving to achieve a need for love--personal and universal--that can never be fulfilled, just as one must be drawn to Buddhism for its perfect contentment with what is now. Both carry the legacies of men and their stories molded by all means out of their material circumstances. What we call "spiritual" are the sensations that arise, and give rise, to such conditions.
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