The Drum of Immortality is an important book for any reader interested in Christianity, Buddhism, social responsibility and peace.

Did you know that the teachings of Buddha and Christ are the same? Nowhere else can you find the ancient truths they gave their lives to proclaim so well documented-presented in all their original eloquent simplicity-from the most authentic sources. This study results in a similar view of Christ's teaching as that of Thomas Jefferson in his "wee book" published by Act of Congress. The joint message of the two greatest leaders of mankind-how to find the eternal through earthly compassion-is as true today as when they first expressed it. This message could change your life and inspire you with hope. Think about it . . . study it . . . and act in accordance with your reason. For Buddha and Christ respected reason as much as scientists, and saw more clearly than they, the reason that governs the universe.

Author's note: This account started with a fascinating personal discovery, followed by a study over many years, of the identical message of Buddha and Christ. Soon it led to an even more interesting idea: What is their message?

Many books have been written about the similarity of their teaching. Before making this study, however, I had never read one like this that cites chapter and verse of the Scriptures written about them.

A lifetime, though often errant, follower of Christ, I was a U.S.A. I.D. Foreign Service officer and lived for many years in India, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. I had close friends who were Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists. I visited their temples, read their Holy Scriptures and discussed their beliefs with them. Although all the eastern religions were fascinating, Buddhism interested me most, not only because in outward appearances it was so different, but also because the basic teaching of its founder was so familiar.

As a result, not only of personal experience but also of study of the Scriptures, it became apparent to me that the message of Buddha and Christ is so similar as to be called identical for all practical purposes. Christians consider as Holy Writ not only the four Gospels but also the entire New and Old Testaments of the Bible-a vast literature in which a person can find almost anything he wants to, most of which has nothing to do with the teaching of Chris.

Similarily, Buddhists consider as Holy Writ not only the Dhammapada but also the entire Tripitaka, of which it is only one of 31 books. Also, there is other Buddhist literature which, like that of the Bible, is so vast that it can conceal the down-to-earth simplicity of Buddha's teaching in the Dhammapada. So it must be emphasized that this is a study not of Buddhism and Christianity, but of the teaching of their Founders.

When placed in juxtaposition, the deeds and words of Buddha and Chris tend to emphasize each other and become more meaningful and inspiring. As millions upon millions of words have been written about the great religious leaders, for this comparison I have relied chiefly on their own words-upon what the majority of their followers consider the most reliable record of the teaching of each-the Dhammapada of Buddha and the four Gospels of the Bible's New Testament.

What is most interesting is the simplicity of their identical basic message. . . . For over two millenniums these ideas have inspired most of the human race. About the Author The author is retired from the Foreign Service and lives with his wife in Florida where he continues to write about finding the eternal through earthly compassion. He also writes articles concerning the American political environment and essays on topics such as Thomas Jefferson, the Vietnam War, and other political and religious subjects.

The following is excerpted from The Drum of Immortality by Fincher and Phelp. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2000. All rights reserved.

This study [as explained in The Drum of Immortality] leads to a conclusion far removed from the New Age viewpoint of the "human potential" movement in which Americans go to Asia to search for their spiritual dimension or seek wisdom under the guidance of Eastern gurus who come here and, in collaboration with American psychological "feel good" gurus, amass fortunes setting up hand-holding, chanting, breathing, and hot tub seminars, and publishing books and tape recordings which promise self-fulfillment salvation. That movement, by its emphasis on the lone individual, is basically selfish.

While both Buddha and Christ taught us to seek Enlightenment, or the Kingdom of Heaven, within ourselves, they emphasized that this could not be done without showing as much deep concern for others as we do for ourselves. Such practices, however, are little different from those of any member of any religious activity who seeks salvation for himself alone. It is far easier to say a prayer instead of physically caring for the sick, or to recite a mantra or a creed instead of feeding the hungry. Both Buddha and Christ specify that the focus of the mind must be on the eternal, not the temporal. At the same time, they command us not to withdraw from this world just to enjoy our meditation, but to do all we can to ease some of the pain being suffered by our fellow creatures around us. These are the two basic teachings of each, which Christ summarized, in his Great Commandments of love for God and our fellow man.

Buddha and Christ gave perhaps greater emphasis to compassion than they did to mysticism. It is certain that they did not teach one without the other. Some of their followers seem to follow one teaching to the exclusion of the other, almost as if they were of two separate religions. In this respect, there is an old Sufi Muslim thought that can be expressed like this: Each faith is but a separate means By which the truth is found; Some comprehend the means as the end, And thus the truth confound.

The Drum of Immortality (2nd ed.)
$8.95
Paperback: 88 pages
Copyright: 2005
ISBN-10: 097605762X    ISBN-13: 978-0976057628

About the author:
Hugh Fincher , the son of a minister, is a World War II veteran and former U.S.A. I.D. Foreign Service officer who lived for many years in India, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. He became close friends with Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, visited their temples, read their Holy Scriptures and discussed their beliefs with them. As a result, he compared the messages of Buddha and Christ and found them to be so similar as to be called identical for all practical purposes.

A note from the publisher: In 1997, I was just starting out in book publishing when an elderly gentleman came to my office with his photocopied, cut-and-pasted book, typed on a typewriter. Hugh Fincher was a gentle man, but he was also a passionate man. Passionate about peace, justice, compassion. He had a world view that came from the years prior to the Vietnam War and watching, first hand, the U.S. government's policies in action in Vietnam and Laos. In his last years he tried tirelessly to get the word out about US government expenditures for defense and war, in light of other priorities. He believe in the power of one individual to change things, to be a voice for others less fortunate, to motivate citizens to think before they vote and to hold their leaders accountable.

Hugh Fincher passed away in 2007, and I learned recently that the South Florida Peace Cooalition will recognize him this summer in a special memorial service. I feel honored to have known him for a brief time, to have worked with him on three of his books, and to continue to make The Drum of Immortality available to those interested in hearing what this dedicated, peace-loving man had to say. --Janice Phelps Williams, April 2008