I'm curious what distinguish Christianity from Buddhism? Things like sin, salvation, grace, etc. Apparently no Buddhist believes in such thing. They believe in karma and hope that their "good" works will get them saved and reincarnate in the next life. So why does that make them and Christians different? And what are the theological differences? You may discuss, thank you.
Grace, there is really no simple answer to this. What is to be compared to what?
There is in Christianity the Roman Catholic Church (with liberals, conservatives etc etc), then the Eastern Orthodox, then the various Protestant flavours. One can claim that they are all "united in Christ" yet when the understanding of "Christ" within each is heard, such "unity" appears more a theory than actual practice.
Buddhism is much the same. It is not one monolithic teaching that has remained constant for 2500 years. There is Theravada (which sees the Buddha more as a "teacher"........"Buddha's only point the way, each has to walk the path themselves"), then there is - broadly speaking - the Mahayana (the Great Path) which - very much like the Protestant movement - has broadened out into various flavours.
In my own seeking - in "fear and trembling"....
- I have found that there is much resemblance in
experience and understanding between a Christian who knows of and studies and seeks to love Christ via the insights of the Christian mystics such as Eckhart and St John of the Cross, and those of the Buddhist Ch'an (Zen) tradition, which is one of the Mahayana flavours of the Dharma.
There is also much to reflect upon between the Pure Land expression of the Dharma (which indeed speaks, for all intents and purposes, of grace and salvation by "other power") and certain Protestant expressions of the Christian Faith.
Others, obviously, see them as antagonistic towards each other. Such is life!
I would just say that Dark_Lite has hit the nail on the head, with the reference to the anatta (not-self) teaching of Buddhism. This is what gives the Dharma its distinctive flavour, which unites all Buddhists, as in theory faith in "Christ" unites all Christians. It has been said that any failure to understand this teaching means it is impossible to truly grasp just what Buddhism is all about.
Possibly the "emptying of Christ" (kenosis) and the anatta teaching of Buddhism have affinities; at the very least, for those like the Trappist monk Thomas Merton and the "zen man" D T Suzuki, the two "ideas" (if one should indeed refer to them as "ideas") do open up possibilites of genuine dialogue between the two faiths. Merton has spoken of Suzuki as a "brother", and that he gave, when meeting him in the flesh, evidence of a value
that is self-evident, this irrespective of certain doctrines that "cannot help but appear exotic" to western eyes and ears.
Perhaps that is enough for now.