What Did Buddha Say About Jesus

What Did Buddha Say About Jesus

Exactly What Did Buddha Have to Say About Jesus? Because of the essence of their religion, true Buddhists place a great value on the person of Christ. In his teachings, the Lord Buddha stated that all faiths were excellent and that we should learn as much as we could from them. After that, one should strive to be the herald of our own salvation by personal sacrifice.

What did Buddha say about god?

The Buddhist theory of Samsara (cycle rebirth) asserts that there are deities or divine creatures, according to the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhism does not regard any of these gods to be either creators or everlasting beings in the traditional sense. They may, on the other hand, survive for extremely extended periods of time.

Was Jesus A Buddhist Monk?

Was Jesus a Buddhist monk, or was he something else? Before returning to Israel, Jesus spent a significant amount of time in the Buddhist monasteries of Tibet and the Himalayas. He went there to learn about Gautam Buddha’s way to Nirvana. Before embarking on his journey to the west, the Buddhist bhikkhus of India had issued unambiguous instructions to Jesus, telling him that he would have to die on the way. Because of this, the Himalayan medicine was given to him in India by Buddhist bhikkhus who wished him well.

  • If it looks that your death is imminent, you should contact a trustworthy disciple and urge him to pour this material over your body.
  • After removing Jesus’ body from the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene administered the same fluid to his body for three consecutive days, after which he was cured and embarked on his journey to India.
  • While both Saint Matthew and Saint John were Christian preachers and eyewitnesses to Jesus’ death, they did not include his ascension to heaven in their writings since they were well aware that Jesus did not go to heaven but rather traveled to India.
  • It has been proven by Saint Irenaeus of Leon, who lived in the 2nd century, that Jesus did not depart his body at the age of 33, nor did he go into heaven at that time.
  • It is also brought to light that Jesus traveled to India with his mother and wife, ‘Mary Magdalene,’ and that one of his children, ‘Sarah,’ subsequently traveled to India with her mother and wife.
  • Tibetan Buddhist literature has served as the fundamental foundation for all of the authors who have written works on this subject.
  • Inspired by this book and the archaeological remains, several authors have written their own works, and I am currently working on a novel based on these books!

Helena was the world’s most beautiful woman at the time, and she was also the owner of beauty.

In this view, the impact of Buddha’s teachings on the descendants of Seleucus is not something to be concerned about.

Ther bhikkhus were dispatched to every part of the globe by Emperor Ashoka.

Others went to Greece and performed medical services while preaching the Dhamma.

This term is pronounced ‘Theraputta’ in the Prakrit Pali language.

It is not in doubt that Jesus was a Buddhist bhikkhu and that he made significant contributions to the Fourth Buddhist Council, and the reality of this discussion should be acknowledged as fact.

The name of Jesus’ hometown was changed to Nazareth, and the name of Jesus’ hometown derived from this Nazareth word was identified as Jesus-Nazareth, which is related to Ther-‘Therputta’ and Ther-‘Therputta’ (Nazareth) literature, which is considered to be the epitome of Christian and Greek literature, was adopted.

It is deposited at the root of the plant. Our goal is simply to pick up the literature of the first century AD and place emphasis on its current relevance by conducting a comparative study with the literature of the second century BC.

What Does The Bible Say About Buddhism?

The Buddha is not mentioned at all in the Bible. Sometime during Jesus’ first year of existence, a faint allusion is made to the presence of wise men from the East who came to his assistance. It is generally accepted that these guys are Magi, Persian Astrologers, and adherents of the Zoroastrian religion. However, because to the absence of specifics, it is plausible that the company of eastern wise men was an international/interfaith organization. It was hard to rule out the idea that some of these great men were Buddhists in their beliefs.

  1. After then, legends about Buddha appear in Jewish and Christian literature of the Middle Ages, in which Buddha is depicted as a teacher or sage of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
  2. They are not, however, all perceived in the same manner by everyone.
  3. The papers of the Kaifeng Jewish Community, on the other hand, draw parallels between Confucianism and Judaism.
  4. They may also have their own interpretations of scripture that aim to blend Buddha’s teachings within the text of Scripture.
  5. Some are extremely similar to one another, while others are merely superficially similar.

Jesus was a Buddhist Monk Named Issa

According to the book, Jesus was not crucified, but rather died as a Buddhist monk living in Kashmir at the time of his death. Rather, Kersten asserts that Christ did not die on the cross, but rather that he lived and returned to his native India. Kersten claims that Jesus, then known as “Issa” in the Himalayan area of Kashmir, lived to be an elderly man as a Buddhist monk in the Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Does Buddhism Conflict With Christianity

Buddhism and Christianity are essentially different religions, despite superficial and non-scholarly comparisons to each other. At their most fundamental levels, they are diametrically opposed to one another. These include the prominence of monotheistic in Christianity, Buddhism’s orientation toward non-theism, and its rejection of the notion of a creator deity, among other aspects of the religion. This is in direct conflict with the beliefs of Christianity regarding God.

Buddhism And Christianity Similarities

Similarities Between Buddhism and Christianity There are many parallels between ancient Christianity and Buddhism; Buddhism, of course, is older, but that doesn’t matter because the two religions are so similar. Buddhism is also a very old religious tradition. It features a plethora of various schools that have emerged over the years. It has old literary traditions, some people say, and I don’t necessarily believe this to be genuine, that Jesus spent his “dark years,” as they refer to them, in the wilderness.

  • Although their publications, such as Buddha and Christ are Brothers by the renowned modern Vietnamese Zen master took on that work worth reading, we haven’t met them in person yet.
  • Marcus Borg is a physician.
  • Also, there are many parallels between the teachings of love and compassion, as well as the practice of treating everyone with the same respect.
  • It is even possible to submit when Jesus speaks of not my will, but I believe this is exactly what Buddha means when he speaks of letting go via non-attachment.

We shall report lies when we let go and I throw about death yet so many people go to death without letting go of our egotism and so on and being more in the flow and the nowness in the divine holy everlasting now are among the fundamental tenets of Buddhism.

Did Jesus Study Buddhism?

He lived at Puri and Rajgirh, near Nalanda, for a total of six years. Hinduism’s oldest seat of learning is located here. He then traveled to the Himalayas, where he spent time in Tibetan monasteries learning about Buddhism and other religions. His journey back to Jerusalem took him to Persia when he was 29 years old.

Can You Believe In God And Be A Buddhist?

Buddhists aim to reach a state of nirvana, which is the ultimate goal. They follow in the footsteps of Siddhartha Gautama the Buddha, who sought enlightenment in the sixth century BC and achieved it. There is no faith in a personal God. Buddhists believe that there is no such thing as a fixed or permanent reality, and that all things are subject to transformation.

Do Buddhists Believe In God?

Do Buddhists Believe in the Existence of God? Buddhism adherents do not hold to the concept of a supreme God or Deity. Instead, they are concerned with achieving enlightenment, which is a condition of inner serenity or knowledge, as opposed to acquiring material wealth. According to legend, it is at the spiritual echelon that believers will achieve nirvana. Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, is regarded as a remarkable man, but not as a deity in the traditional sense.

FAQ About What Did Buddha Say About Jesus

1.Can you tell me what Buddha had to say about God? a notion of samsara (cycle rebirth), according to which there are deities or divine entities, is taught by the Buddhist tradition Buddhism does not regard any of these gods to be either creators or everlasting beings in the traditional sense. They may, on the other hand, survive for extremely extended periods of time. 2.Did Jesus and Buddha have a chance encounter? History demonstrates that Jesus was conversant with the Buddhist religion of Mahayana.

  • Other evidence, while mythical at best, shows that Jesus spent the most of his so-called “lost years” away from his home town of Jerusalem.
  • 3.When did Jesus and Buddha first meet?
  • In no manner, shape, or form could Jesus and Buddha have met.
  • According to historical narratives that are not based on the Bible, Jesus was not born in Judea.

New book looks at parallel sayings of Jesus, Buddha

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The city of Corvallis is home to the Oregon State University. “It is easier to notice the mistakes of others than it is to see one’s own,” stated the Buddhist scholar Siddhartha Gautama, better known as Buddha, at one point. The following remarks were stated by Jesus some 500 years later: “Why do you see a splinter in someone else’s eye but fail to perceive the log in your own?” Coincidence? Perhaps. According to the editors of a new book produced by an Oregon State University professor, there are a surprisingly large number of parallels in the sayings ascribed to two of the world’s most famous religious figures.

This collection of essays and sayings was not intended to make a scholarly case for Jesus having been familiar with Buddhist teachings or for cultural borrowing from Buddhism into Christianity, according to Marcus Borg, the Hundere Professor of Religion and Culture at Oregon State University and the book’s editor.

  • These quotations serve to highlight one another.” It is an intriguing point raised by the book: how could Jesus, who lived 500 years after Buddha and 3,000 miles apart, embody teachings that were so similar in essence to those of his predecessor?
  • Yet some speculate that Jesus may have traveled to India during his “lost years,” a period between his adolescence and early twenties during which there was little evidence about his life.
  • In the Bo tree, following a six-year religious search, the Buddha experienced enlightenment; in the desert, Jesus encountered his spiritual tutor, John the Baptist; and in the wilderness, Jesus encountered his spiritual mentor, John the Baptist.
  • And by the communities that formed up around them, they were elevated to a divine, if not divine, position as well.

Similarly, Borg speculated that “the commonalities of their wisdom teaching may come out of the commonality of their religious experience.” Some of their sayings are very similar to one another. Among these are:

  • Buddha’s teachings are as follows: “The avaricious will not enter the kingdom of heaven, and the stupid will not praise the virtues of charity. The intelligent person, on the other hand, rejoices in generosity and is consequently joyful in the hereafter.” (Dhammapada 13.11
  • Dhammapada 13.12)
  • ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your things, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven,’ says Jesus. (Matthew 19.21
  • Luke 19.21
  • “Consider others in the same way that you consider yourself.” (Dhammapada 10.1
  • Dhammapada 10.1)
  • “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” Jesus said. (Luke 6.31
  • Cf.
  • Like Buddha said, “Let us live most blissfully with nothing in our possessions
  • Let us eat on pleasure, as brilliant gods.” According to the Buddha’s teachings (Dhammapada 15.4), Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are impoverished, because yours is the kingdom of God.” (See also Luke 6.20).
  • Buddha: “If anybody should give you a blow with his hand, with a stick, or with a knife, you should relinquish all aspirations and say no bad words.” (Majjhima Nikaya 21.6)
  • sJesus: “If somebody hits you on the cheek, offer the other likewise.” (Luke 6.29)
  • Buddha’s teachings are as follows: “For six years, the Bodhisattva did austerities, and during that time, the demon trailed after him, looking for an opportunity to attack him. However, he was unable to find any opportunities and returned home dejected and dissatisfied.” According to Jesus, “When the devil had performed every test, he withdrew from him until an appropriate moment.” (Lalitavistara Sutra 18) (Luke 4.13
  • Cf.
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Over 100 examples of similarities between the teachings of Jesus and Buddha are provided in “The Parallel Sayings,” which includes quotes on topics as diverse as compassion, wisdom (including materialism), inner life (including temptation), salvation (including the future), miracles (including healing), disciples (including healing), attributes (including compassion), and life stories (including life stories of the Buddha).

According to Borg, there were significant contrasts between Jesus and Buddha, and not only in terms of their respective origins, languages, or images.

“Many Jesus scholars believe that, in addition to being a wisdom teacher and a healer, Jesus was also a social prophet who influenced his day.

‘Jesus’ work as a social prophet – as a religious voice of social protest – is the most plausible explanation for the fact that his public engagement was so brief when compared to that of the Buddha,’ Borg continued.

Jesus’ early death was most likely brought on by his social and political activism.” If he had merely been a knowledge teacher and healer, I doubt that he would have been put to death in such a manner.” Author Jack Kornfield, who has written numerous best-selling books on Buddhism, contributed an introduction to “The Parallel Sayings” in which he described his perspective on Jesus and Buddha.

When we reached the far end of the island, the monks led us to the top of a hill, where there stood an immense 50-foot tall statue of a standing Buddha, according to Kornfield’s account.

They were holding hands and smiled as they wrapped their arms over one other’s shoulders.

BBC – Religions – Buddhism: Jesus through Buddhist eyes

Ajahn Candasiri is a senior nun at the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire, where she has been practicing for almost a decade. In order to see this content, you must have Javascript enabled as well as Flash installed on your computer. For complete instructions, go to BBC Webwise. “All creatures want to be happy; they want to avoid pain and suffering,” said His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, in 1984, addressing to a standing-room-only crowd at the Albert Hall. “All beings want to be happy; they want to avoid pain and suffering,” he said.

He acknowledged our shared humanity while also acknowledging and appreciating our distinct diversity in every manner.

I was wrong.

I’d like to meet Jesus again with fresh eyes after re-reading some of the gospel stories, and I’d like to examine the extent to which he and the Buddha were, in fact, offering the same guidance, despite the fact that the traditions of Christianity and Buddhism appear to be quite different on the surface.

A little about how I came to be a Buddhist nun

I had reached a point of severe exhaustion and despair after making a sincere effort to approach my Christian journey in a way that was meaningful within the framework of everyday life. I had become tired of dealing with the seeming complexity of it all; despair had set in because I had been unable to come up with a strategy for dealing with the less beneficial moods that would creep into my thoughts without my permission: concern, jealously, grumpiness, and so on. Even favorable emotions may flip around and manifest themselves as pride or conceit, which were, of course, both unwelcome emotions.

  • It was Ajahn Chah, a Thai monk of the Forest Tradition who, although having had little formal education, captivated the hearts of thousands of people, including a substantial number of Westerners, during his time as his student.
  • I sat in misery on a mat on the cold, draughty floor of the meditation hall with around 40 other retreatants of all shapes and sizes, all of whom were different shapes and sizes.
  • This was a watershed moment in my life.
  • The teachings were delivered in a beautifully approachable manner, and they appeared to be nothing more than ordinary common sense.
  • We also had experts in front of us who had made a commitment to putting things into practice 24 hours a day to demonstrate their practicality as if we didn’t already know it.
  • I also noticed that they appeared to be at ease and content – this was arguably the most striking, and at times perplexing, aspect of their demeanour.
  • Also, although the concept was somewhat frightening to me at the time, I saw an emergence of desire in being a member of a monastic community.

And I have to say that he comes out as far more human than I remembered him to be.

He also possesses a remarkable ability to communicate spiritual truth via imagery, often employing the most commonplace objects to exemplify the points he intends to make: bread, fields, grain, salt, children, and trees.

Besides that, he has a goal, which is to re-open the Way to eternal life, and he is completely unwavering in his dedication to “carrying out his Father’s plan,” as he puts it.

Because of the constant demands on Mark’s time and energy while reading his narrative, I’m becoming a little exhausted just reading it.

One anecdote that I really enjoy is about how, after a long day of instructing a large number of people, he falls asleep in the boat that is transporting them across the sea after the event.

I’m completely engrossed in the drama of it all; it seems like everything is happening one after another.

They can’t seem to get enough of what he has to offer them as gifts.

Recognizing this, he utilizes his abilities to generate bread and fish for everyone to enjoy together.

It appears that his ministry begins when he is thirty years old (although I would be interesting in learning more about the spiritual training he probably had prior to that), and it ends suddenly when he is thirty-three years old.

I get the idea that he is not very concerned in persuading others to adopt his point of view.

Jesus is crystal clear in his understanding that purity is a condition of the heart, not something that can be achieved via unthinking conformity to a system of rules and regulations.

It is from within the heart that defilements emerge, rather than beyond.” Unfortunately, he does not go on to describe what should be done in this situation at this moment.

When I think about it, it reminds me of a simile given by the Buddha to explain the characteristic of metta, or kindness, that he demanded of his disciples: “Even if thieves attacked you and cut off your limbs one by one, should you succumb to wrath, you would not be following my advise.” This is a difficult command, but one that Jesus plainly fulfills to perfection: “Father, forgive them, for they are unaware of what they are doing.”

Confidence

So why did I feel the need to seek advice from someone else? Were the problems simply due to the fact that Jesus himself was insufficient as a spiritual model? Maybe they were dissatisfied with the church and its institutional structures, and what Christianity had done to Jesus? Or was it just that another option presented itself that more appropriately met my requirements at the moment in question? Statue of Buddha Well, Buddhism provided me with what I had been lacking in my Christian experience.

  1. When the resources and encouragement became available, I don’t believe I realized how hopeless it all felt until they became available.
  2. When you have personally comprehended the Dhamma, or the Truth, you will have achieved liberation.” What a sense of accomplishment!
  3. Buddhism has provided me with the ability to view things differently, even though this may be perceived as encouraging a child-like reliance on the instructor.
  4. His teachings indicate us in the direction of that Path: it is there in front of us, right now, right beneath our feet – yet our brains may get so cluttered with beliefs about life that we are unable to really experience it!
  5. Following her distressing request that he heal the kid, the Buddha instructs her to bring him a mustard seed – which she must do from the house where no one has ever died – as a token of her gratitude.
  6. This is a style of instruction that Jesus uses from time to time.
  7. They turn away one by one, as if they had peered into their own hearts and found themselves to be ashamed by this simple remark.

I believe that the imagery that Jesus employs to describe the Kingdom of Heaven are particularly effective in explaining this.

Whether we want to encourage well-being and understanding growth or injure ourselves and others, we are the ones who create the conditions that will either benefit us or harm us.

In a same vein, when we fill our lives with kindness, we experience happiness – a condition that is heavenly.

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After a long period of meditation, I discovered that I could just bear witness to them, and allow them to pass on according to their nature – I didn’t have to identify with them in any way.

There’s no doubt that it would need considerably more trust than I had at the time.

These states may cause all kinds of problems.

They can point us in the right direction, but we cannot rely on them to make us happy or to relieve us of our misery. That is entirely up to us.

Buddha vs Christ

Buddha (Siddhrtha Gautama) argued that he was a mere mortal and that there is no all-powerful, all-benevolent deity. According to his teachings, desire was the primary cause of all human misery, and that individuals should strive to eradicate their desire. He was born around 500 years before the birth of Jesus Christ in what is now Nepal (Jesus of Nazareth). Christ was born in the city of Bethlehem, which is now part of modern-day Palestine. He was a Galilean Jewish Rabbi who was well recognized as a teacher and healer in Judaea, where he lived during the time of Jesus.

In truth, the Christian notion of God is based on a holy trinity: God (the Father), Christ (the Son), and the Holy Spirit (the Holy Spirit).

Comparison chart

Buddha Christ
Died c. 483 BCE (aged 80) or 411 and 400 BCE, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, today in India 33 AD, Jerusalem
Born c. 563 BCE, Lumbini, Sakya, Nepal Approx. 07-04 B.C.
Islam Islam does not mention the Buddha. In Islam as opposed Christianity, Jesus was just a prophet but also revered as the messiah who will return to save the world from the tyranny of the anti-christ.
Marriage Before he renounced his family, he was married to Yasodhara and had a son Rahula. Christ Is Married to His Church
Incarnation Buddhism believes in in reincarnation until one achieves enlightenment and “nibbana” (or “nirvana”) after which one escapes the cycle of birth and death. The Buddha is believed to have attained nibbana. Affirmed in Christianity
Judaism Judaism predates Buddhism and does not discuss the Buddha. Not accepted as a prophet, the Jewish people are still waiting for a Messiah to come.
Christianity Christianity does not mention the Buddha. Christianity teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, and Saviour the world. Jesus was the founder of Christianity.
Parents King Suddhodana and Queen Maya. Father: God, Mother: Mary
Ethnicity Indian (Shakya) Palestinian Jew
Raised in India Nazareth in ancient Israel
Born in Lumbini, Nepal Bethlehem in Judea
Birth mother Queen Maya The Virgin Mary
Cause of death Believed to be either unintentional food poisoning or natural causes. Crucifixion
Father King Śuddhodana God the Father according to Christianity
Hinduism Many Hindus believe that the Buddha was a reincarnation of Vishnu, just like Krishna. N/A
Buddhism Buddhismteaches Gautama was the Enlightened One. He attained enlightenment through meditation, without the benefit of a teacher or teachings. His teachings are meant to enlighten his followers. N/A
Resurrection No claimed Affirmed in Christianity
Language Pali, Sanskrit Aramaic
Monotheism The Buddha encouraged people to follow his teachings: the noble eightfold path. He did not teach about deities, an omnipotent God or prayer. Rather, he encouraged finding the truth yourself through meditation. God Is Father, Son(Jesus) and Holy Spirit
Religious Symbol The wheel The Cross, because of His Passion and Death
Religion Hinduism Judaism
Religion Founded Buddhism Christianity

Videos comparing Buddha and Christ

These two religious traditions are compared and contrasted in this movie. The film also draws similarities and differences between the two religions.

Similarities in teachings

Marcus Borg, a Christian scholar, discovered significant parallels between the teachings of Buddha and those of Jesus.

Philosophical differences

In this video, a Buddhist compares and contrasts Christian and Buddhist views via the telling of two parables about dying.

Books and Novelties

On Amazon.com, you may find various excellent books on Buddhism, including:

References

Please spread the word about this comparison: If you’ve made it this far, we recommend that you read “Buddha versus Christ.” Diffen.com. Diffen LLC, n.d., accessed February 15, 2022.

Buddha Prophesized Jesus?

When a website from Thailand debuted on the internet some time in 2003, it contained an article making an astounding claim – that the Buddha prophesied the arrival of Jesus Christ in the 5th century BC, and that this prophecy can be found in the Buddhist scriptures, the Tipitaka. This piece was rapidly taken up by other websites and blogs, and it has since featured in a slew of other publications as well as several more websites and blogs. Now, in 2009, there are at least four separate versions of the alleged prophecy, with even more claims being made regarding the prophecy.

‘ When Buddha was traveling and living in this world, there was an old Brahman priest who wore white robes who asked the Buddha, “How will all men and all Brahmins continue in their merit-making so that they may avoid the consequences of sin?” The Buddha replied, “How will all men and all Brahmins continue in their merit-making so that they may escape the consequences of sin?” “Even if all of you give alms in accordance with the 5 precepts, the 8 precepts, the 10 precepts, or the 227 precepts for 9 trillion years, and you raise your hands and offer yourselves as a burnt offering, or you pray 5 times a day, you will still not be exempt from the consequences of your sins,” the Buddha replied.

If you do this every day, the amount of merit you will accrue will be equivalent to the tiniest strand of hair from an unborn child, which is an extraordinarily small amount.

“The results of sin and karma are extremely great, heavier than the sky, thicker than the earth, and so great that it would be like an angel dusting the corner-posts of the temple compound with a cloth post that is 18 inches high – dusting them once per year – until the posts were worn down to the ground,” the Buddha replied to the old Brahman priest.

  1. I reasoned that, despite the fact that I am excellent, I would only receive a very tiny quantity of merit at the end of the year.
  2. “So, what should we all do?” the elderly Brahman priest inquired further.
  3. The world in the future will look like this: on the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet will be the design of a disc, on the side will be a stab wound, and on his forehead will be many marks that seem like scars from previous experiences.
  4. Don’t waste your time looking for redemption the old-fashioned manner; it won’t be found there.
  5. And there will be a new spirit in all of your hearts, like the light of a lightning bug, and you will triumph over all of your adversaries.
  6. In the event of death, you will not be reincarnated in this world to give birth to another child.
  7. Was the Buddha indeed speak these words, and were they recorded as such in the Buddhist scriptures?
  8. Upon reading this text, the first thing that stands out is how drastically different it is in terms of its organization, vocabulary, and similes employed, among other things, from those found in the Buddhist scriptures.
  9. It will be immediately noticeable to anybody who is familiar with the strained and repetitive language that is distinctive of the Buddhist texts that it is conspicuously lacking from this chapter.
  10. Providing burned offerings is, of course, something that is referenced in the Bible.
  11. Prayer five times a day was neither a Brahmin or a Buddhist rite, and it was also not a Christian practice.

Nonetheless, perhaps the most bizarre aspect of this passage is that it has the Buddha implying, once again more in the Christian tradition than in Buddhist tradition, that one is saved (in Buddhist tradition, one is usually referred to as ‘liberated’) by making and accumulating merit and that it is impossible to ever accumulate enough merit to be’saved’.

  • For example, in the Sutta Nipata (Chapter 3, Discourse 2), Mara, the Evil One, visits the Buddha and tempts him to cease meditation in order to ‘accumulate merit’ rather than continue meditating.
  • During yet another speech, the Buddha declares that earning merit for the next life is “not even worth a sixteenth part of having a heart of love.” (1st Discourse, The Eights, Numerical Sayings, The Eights, Discourse 1).
  • In conclusion, the argument that this text is derived from the Tipitaka does not appear to be based on any evidence.
  • Books, chapters, and verses of the Bible are split into sections; similarly, the Buddhist texts are divided into sections of books, chapters, discourses, and, on occasion, verses.
  • If anything, this should raise even more doubts regarding the legitimacy of this paragraph.
  • Despite my extensive understanding of the Tipitaka, I am aware of no instance in which this passage or anything like to it appears.
  • None of the institutions were able to identify it as coming from the Buddhist scriptures or from any post-canonical writings.

All of them agreed that the text is a fabrication.

A fraudulent and erroneous claim has been made, asserting that the Buddha foretold the arrival of Jesus Christ and that this prophecy is preserved in Buddhist texts.

Who would intentionally and knowingly lie, and for what reason would they do so?

Its content asserts that the Buddha was pleading with humanity to wait for the arrival of someone better than himself, i.e., the coming of Jesus Christ.

Taking everything into consideration, it appears that the conclusion is unavoidable.

How could followers of Christ, a teacher who emphasized on the greatest ethical principles, be involved in falsehoods, deception, chicanery, and fraud, one would wonder.

However, as a Buddhist, I find it unusual that some individuals are so driven to propagate what they think to be the truth that they are even willing to fabricate lies in order to achieve their goal of spreading truth.

Since the publishing of these refutations, further information concerning the alleged prophecy has come into light.

The prophesy was found by a Thai monk just before the Sixth Buddhist Council in 1956, when he gained permission to type out the whole Tipitaka, which he did while researching the prophecy.

Following that, when the Sixth Council Edition of the Tipitaka was produced, the monk realized that the Buddha’s prophesy had been erased, and as a result, he decided to become a Christian.

The inability to verify a fabrication makes it extremely difficult to debunk it as well.

A monk would not require “permission” to copy out the Tipitaka any more than you or I would require “permission” to copy out the Bible or any other sacred text.

If the monk was knowledgeable – as he would have to be to copy down the entire Tipitaka – how could he have missed it?

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If this prophesy actually did exist in the Tipitaka, someone must have brought it to the monk’s attention at some time during his instruction.

Additionally, the Tipitaka is a massive book, consisting of 45 hefty volumes in the Royal Thai Edition.

After that, it would only take a few minutes for the village headman to examine and compare the two copies, word for word, with each other.

Why would a monk in the 1950s desire or need to make a duplicate of the Tipitaka, or why would anybody want to do so?

Obviously, the purpose of this addition to the hoax is to deceive people.

Fortunately, it is fairly simple to debunk this absurd notion.

As an additional point of clarification, there are various old manuscripts of the Tipitaka that date back hundreds of years before the Sixth Council Edition, and none of them include the alleged prophesy.

Finally, one final point.

Even if this prophecy had been in the Tipitaka prior to the 1956 Council, Hardy would almost certainly had come across the passage and highlighted it in his numerous written works and sermons.

This is proof from a Christian source that this prophesy does not appear in, and has never appeared in, the Buddhist canonical texts.

Consequently, like the prophesy itself, the allegation that it was taken from the Tipitaka is a defiant falsehood and should not be believed. This information was obtained from the Internet.

Project MUSE – Was Jesus a Buddhist?

Is it possible that Jesus was a Buddhist? He was certainly many things—a Jew, a prophet, a healer, a moralist, a revolutionary, and, by his own admission, the Messiah, as well as the Son of God and the redeemer of their sins for the majority of Christians. Furthermore, there is compelling evidence that he was a Buddhist as well. The evidence is organized along two distinct lines: the first is historical in nature, and the second is textual in nature. It seems from historical evidence that Jesus was well-versed in the Buddhist religion.

Instead of asking if he studied Buddhism, historians should focus on where he learned Buddhism and how much he studied it, particularly during his so-called “lost years.” Aside from historical sources, various textual examinations have revealed startling parallels between what Jesus said and what Buddha taught, as well as between the prophetic narrative of Jesus and ancient Buddhist scriptures.

Given the obvious parallels between Buddhism and Christianity, even if no historical evidence existed, we may infer that Jesus was familiar with Buddhist teachings and that the prophesy and legend of Jesus were taken from Buddhist myths and legends.

Historical Evidence of Buddhism in Judea

Due to the fact that both he and Buddhism were present in Judea at the same time, historical evidence suggests that Jesus was familiar with Buddhism. Other evidence, while potentially apocryphal, suggests that he spent the most of his so-called lost years outside of Judea, presumably in Kashmir, where he was devoted solely to the study of Buddhism. Thank you to my buddy Dale Bengtson for his scathing but ultimately beneficial remarks. In terms of Buddhism in Judea, Jesus did not live in a pastoral, ethnically secluded setting or at a particularly opportune moment.

  1. For hundreds of years, Jerusalem served as a crossroads for both land and maritime trade.
  2. Most of the trade came up the Gulf of Aquaba and overland to Jerusalem (which was actually close to Jappa) as the shipping point to the Mediterranean.
  3. During Jesus’ day, Judea was a Roman province, and the majority of the trade was conducted in Roman currency.
  4. This trade was mostly carried out through Judea and the Mediterranean, transforming Jerusalem into a bustling port of call for the world.
  5. In this case, news from foreign countries was of particular importance.
  6. Easterners in Judea were just as eager to hear news as Jews in Persia or western India were to hear it.
  7. If the narrative of Jesus’ birth attracting the three Magi priests is genuine, it demonstrates tight relations between Zoroastrians and the early Christian church.
  8. In this group were Jews who praised Alexander for deposing Egyptian tyranny and who enlisted in the army of the conqueror.
  9. Approximately 360 years later, Jesus send Thomas, who is considered to be his closest and most faithful apostle, to India to practice Christianity.

The descendants of these Jews are still alive and well today, and live in Kashmir or Punjab. Were Buddhists in Judea, as Jews were in India, or were they just pretending to be there? Buddhism was already in existence during Jesus’ day.

ENLIGHTENMENT— Should I follow Buddha or Jesus Christ?

Monks of the Buddhist faith

A seeker

I came to the Buddhist path as a seeker, and I’ve been here ever since. I was dubious of religious ideas, yet there was a great gap in my life that I couldn’t fill. In a world that was unpredictable and sometimes hostile, I sought for purpose and truth. It seems to me that I had discovered what I was looking for in Buddhism. Buddhists have never initiated a conflict. There was never a Buddhist Inquisition, as far as we know. They placed a strong emphasis on knowledge, compassion, lovingkindness, and personal growth, among other things.

  • However, this was not meant to be.
  • It was what has been referred to as a “God-shaped vacuum”—a void that could only be filled by God.
  • He desires for us to be in a connection with Him, and when we are not in a relationship with Him, we feel empty and abandoned.
  • Because in Buddhism, there is no all-powerful, all-loving Creator.

Karma

In fact, some Buddhists assert that they believe in a deity or that they believe in a world of higher creatures known as devas. Others offer prayers to Buddha statues (Siddhartha Gautama). Buddhism, on the other hand, is not a theistic religion in its entirety. It has a law—the law of karma—but no one to enforce it. According to the Buddhist worldview, all creatures accrue karma as a result of their deeds, and karma determines their subsequent life conditions and outcomes. When a person passes away, the karma acquired in that lifetime (as well as all prior lifetimes) influences his or her fate in the following life.

Buddhists believe that one’s past actions keep one stuck in an everlasting cycle of death and rebirth (samsara), and that the only way out is via enlightenment (enlightenment).

Desire, according to Buddhist teaching, is the source of all suffering; it leads to attachment, which leads to suffering, which causes other creatures to suffer as a result.

If one removes desire and ceases to cause suffering, one can achieve enlightenment, as he had done previously.

  • Who or what was responsible for bringing up this law of Karmain? I’m not sure who made the decision on these beings’ deeds and sentenced them to another life of suffering
  • The reason why creatures were punished for deeds that they would be unable to recall
  • Was it always the case that desire was a terrible thing? Isn’t the yearning for knowledge still a burning desire today? If this is the case, how could one possibly achieve enlightenment?

As a result, I wandered from the Buddhist path, and the emptiness that was inside me became much bigger than before. The claims of Jesus of Nazareth were examined in a new light, and I set aside the preconceptions and prejudices that had led me to dismiss Him as a “great human teacher” and instead began to analyze them as a “great human teacher.” It was only through searching that I came to believe in an all-powerful God who loved me and that Jesus was who He claimed to be—theSon of Man, totally human and entirely divine.

True enlightenment

Christin was embraced into my heart. I now believe that I have achieved real enlightenment—through a personal relationship with my Creator—as a result of my actions. In addition, I realized that the qualities I had sought through the Buddhist path—wisdom, compassion, and lovingkindness—were contained in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, which I had previously overlooked. When Jesus died on the cross, He performed the ultimate act of compassion by dying for us while we were still sinners in the eyes of the world.

No amount of meditation or reading can compare to God’s divinemercyand lovingkindness, no matter how long we meditate or how many books we read.

TheapostleJohnwrote.

It is difficult for me to imagine what type of personal development could be considered enlightenment.

Also, if we only ask for it, it is ours!

The AIIA Institute provided the text for this article.

More information

What causes the world to be the way it is? What would God have done in this world if He is the almighty Creator who knows everything and is all-powerful and loving? (which is characterized by oppression, misery, death, and cruelty) Answer Do you know what God’s Story is all about? Trip with us on a multimedia journey across the Bible, from creation to the end of time. Hear and read an exhilarating overview of the most important records in the Bible, presented in chronological sequence. Learn about the wonderful news that Jesus Christ has to offer.

  • If I had the opportunity to interview Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) today, I would ask him the following ten questions: RENEWAL: Does the Bible allow for the concept of reincarnation? How can I know which faiths are real and which are fake when there are so many different denominations and religions to choose from? Answer: TRUTH—How can I tell if the Bible is TRUE or not? Is it possible that all humanity will be spared in the end? The solution is to learn about the HOPE that Jesus Christ brings. Discover God’s Story: From the Beginning to the End
  • Is it possible that Jesus Christ is the solution? Learn more about the life, ministry, and message of Jesus Christ
  • And HYPOCRISY —Given all of the hypocrisy that exists in the church, I can’t see why anyone would want to be a Christian. Answers to Questions about the Religions of the World
  • Answers to Questions about the Religions of the World
  • Learn about God’s promise to all people, which is told sweetly and plainly from the opening of the book. Discover the power of HOPE! Take a look at the full-length motion film on Christian Answers

Unless otherwise specified on the linked “Usage and Copyright”page, which provides ChristianAnswer.Net readers substantial rights for putting this page to work in their homes, personal witnessing, churches, and schools, all rights are reserved by the AIIA Institute. Visit our page aboutBuddhism on ourEffectiveEvangelism.comsite if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ who is interested in sharing your religion with those who adhere to the Buddhist way of life. It contains further articles, information about the history of the Buddhist religion, anecdotes from persons who have come out of Buddhism or who deal with Buddhists, recommended resources, and other useful information about the Buddhist faith.

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