The Parallel Lives of Jesus and Buddha

Scholars see strong parallels in both the myth and life of the Buddha and Jesus. Buddha and his disciples traveled extensively going into homes and "preaching the gospels to those who would hear," is one obvious parallel of a literary motif not found in other traditions. Jesus also pursues this form of preaching and teaching.

Ernest De Bunsen states, "With the remarkable exception of the death of Jesus on the cross, and of the doctrine of atonement by vicarious suffering, which is absolutely excluded by Buddhism, the most ancient of the Buddhistic records known to us contain statements about the life and the doctrines of Gautama Buddha which correspond in a remarkable manner, and impossibly by mere chance, with the traditions recorded in the Gospels about the life and doctrines of Jesus Christ...."

The Parallel Lives of Jesus and Buddha

Buddha the new born prince is adored and predicted by seer Asita and gods celebrate his birth.(SN 3.11 Nalaka Sutta)
Jesus the new born prince is adored and predicted by seers "from the east" who celebrate the newborn king. (Matthew 2)

Buddhist Trinity (Tiratna) and Baptism: "I take refuge, Lord, in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha." (DN 31) "Enough, I say, with this external bath. I am satisfied with this internal bath: confidence in the Blessed One." (SN 55.30 Licchavi Sutta)
Jesus Trinity and Baptism: "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).

Buddha is Sinless: "Stainless, you illuminate all the worlds." Sn 2.14 Dhammika Sutta
Jesus is Sinless: "And in him is no sin." (1 John 3:5)

Buddha: Nirvana is Deathless" (Dhammapada 2:21-23)
Jesus: God gave us everlasting life. (1 John 5:11)

Buddha holds nothing back: There is nothing, Ananda, with regard to the teachings that the Tathagata holds to the last with the closed fist of a teacher who keeps some things back. (Digha Nikaya, Mahaparinibbana Sutta,32)
Jesus holds nothing back: Because a slave doesn't know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. (John 15:15)

Chosen ones of Buddha The Blessed One saw beings with little dust in their eyes (Samyutta Nikaya 6.1 Ayacana Sutta) He has long had little dust in his eyes. What if I were to teach him the Dhamma first? (MN 26 Ariyapariyesana Sutta)
Chosen ones of Jesus You did not choose Me, but I chose you. (John 15:16) (Matthew 9: 35 - 10: 8, Mark 3: 13 - 19, Luke 6: 12 - 18)

Buddha and the Evil One Then Mara, the Evil One, knowing with his awareness the train of thought in the Blessed One's awareness, went to him and on arrival said to him: "Exercise rulership, Blessed One! Exercise rulership, O One Well-gone!
Mara leaves Then Mara the Evil One — sad & dejected at realizing, "The Blessed One knows me; the One Well-gone knows me" — vanished right there. (Samyutta Nikaya 4.20 Rajja Sutta)

Jesus and Satan: And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."
Satan leaves And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:1)

Buddha is the Truth and the Law: "He who sees the Dhamma, he sees me; he who sees me, sees the Dhamma. "Kindred Sayings (III, Khandhaa-vagga, Middle Fifty, Ch 4, 87, Vakkali Sutta)
Jesus is the Truth and the Law: Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)


Buddha tells us to "come and see" the Dhamma or truth, which is the Buddha...In the Six Characteristics of the Dharma or the "law," the fourth one is "Ehipashyaka" or, "Come and See".
Jesus tells us "come and see" his true dwelling, Jesus is the truth: "They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. "John 1:35-39, John 1:43-46.

Buddha lectures priest on bloodless sacrifice: "But, Reverend Gotama, is there any sacrifice that is more profitable than these four?" "There is, Brahmin." "What is it, Reverend Gotama?" "Brahmin, if anyone with a pure heart undertakes the precepts - to refrain from taking life, from taking what is not given, from sexual immorality, from lying speech and from taking strong drink and sloth-producing drugs - that constitutes a sacrifice more profitable than any of these four." (Kutadanta Sutta)
Jesus lectures priest (Sadducees) on bloodless sacrifice: And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." (Mark 12:33)

Buddha calls priests blind O Vasettha, those brahmins who know the three Vedas are just like a line of blind men tied together where the first sees nothing, the middle man nothing, and the last sees nothing (Tevijja-Sutta, Dighanikaya, 13:15).
Jesus calls priests (Pharisees) blind Can the blind lead the blind? Won't they both fall into a pit? (Matthew 15:14).

Buddha sends missionaries "Go forth, o bhikkhus (disciples), for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world, for the benefit, for the good, for the happiness of gods and men. Let not two go by one way. Preach the doctrine that is beautiful in its beginning, beautiful in its middle, and beautiful in its ending. Declare the holy life in its purity, completely both in the spirit and the letter.[Mahavagga Ch 5, Vinaya Pitaka]"
Jesus sends missionaries Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19).

Buddha helps outcasts (Thag 12.2), lepers (Ud 5.3) and the courtesan like Ambapali (Digha Nikaya 16: Maha-parinibbana Sutta)
Jesus helps outcasts the poor and lepers (Luke 17:11-19) tax gatherers and prostitutes (Luke 7:36-50)

God appoints Buddha: God the creator: "Throw open the door to the Deathless! Let them hear the Dhamma realized by the Stainless One! [Ariyapariyesana Sutta]
God appoints Jesus: He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, And He began to say unto them, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." (Luke 4:21)

Buddha declares: Open are the doors to the Deathless to those with ears. Let them show their conviction.[Ariyapariyesana Sutta]
Christ declares after defeating Satan: Repent! for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. —Matthew 4:17 Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear." (Mark 4:23)

Buddha can walk on water and walk through walls: He goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, and mountains as if through space. He walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land. (Digha Nikaya 11:Kevatta Sutta)
Jesus can walk on water and walk through walls: And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. Mat 14:25 "Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them." (John 20:26)

Buddha and the Cross: "This, monks, is called a monk whose cross-bar is thrown off, whose moat is filled in, whose pillar is pulled out, whose bolt is withdrawn, a noble one with banner lowered, burden placed down, unfettered. (Majjhima Nikaya 22:Alagaddupama Sutta I 139-140)
Jesus and the Cross: And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27)

Buddha and the Sacrifice: This Purusa is all that yet hath been and all that is to be; (Rig Veda Purusha Sukta) Buddha is known as the MAHA PURUSHA. This Purusha is a human sacrifice or Purushamedha, from which all creation comes forth. "Maha -Purusha" in the Pali canon, the Digha Nikaya, in the discourse titled "Sutra of the Marks" (Pali: Lakkhana Sutta).Griffith (1899)

"man, the noblest victim, being actually or symbolically sacrificed ... and men and women of various tribes, figures, complexions, characters, and professions being attached to the sacrificial stakes in place of the tame and wild animals enumerated in Book XXIV [VS 24]. These nominal victims were afterwards released uninjured, and, so far as the text of the White Yajurveda goes, the whole ceremony was merely emblematical."

The ceremony evokes the mythical sacrifice of Purusha, the "Cosmic Man," and the officiating Brahman recites the Purusha sukta to the assembled human victims (RV 10.90 = AVS 5.19.6 = VS 31.1–16). From the body of the Purusha all things come forth.

Jesus and the Sacrifice: All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1) "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1)

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. (1cor 12:12)

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_Christianity

YUP!!!

parallel lines never meet.


YUP!!!

Jesus and Buddha:
The Parallel Sayings

Are there universal truths? If we compare the sayings of Jesus and Buddha the answer is a heartfelt yes.

Buddhism and Christianity would appear to have little in common. One is non-theistic for instance, the other, theistic. But the sayings of Jesus and the Buddha, whose teachings gave rise to the two religions are another matter. They have much in common in the realms of ethical behavior, discipleship, compassion, materialism and the inner life. The following are some examples.
Reprinted from "Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings" edited by Marcus Borg, published by Ulysses Press



Jesus: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31

Buddha: "Consider others as yourself." Dhammapada 10:1



Jesus: "If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also." Luke 6:29

Buddha: "If anyone should give you a blow with his hand, with a stick, or with a knife, you should abandon any desires and utter no evil words." Majjhima Nikaya 21:6



Jesus: "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." Matthew 25:45

Buddha: "If you do not tend to one another, then who is there to tend you? Whoever would tend me, he should tend the sick." Vinaya, Mahavagga 8:26.3



Jesus: "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword." Matthew 26:52

Buddha: "Abandoning the taking of life, the ascetic Gautama dwells refraining from taking life, without stick or sword." Digha Nikaya 1:1.8



Jesus: "Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it." Mark 8:35

Buddha: "With the relinquishing of all thought and egotism, the enlightened one is liberated through not clinging." Majjhima Nikaya 72:15



Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20

Buddha: "Teach the dharma which is lovely at the beginning, lovely in the middle, lovely at the end. Explain with the spirit and the letter in the fashion of Brahma. In this way you will be completely fulfilled and wholly pure." Vinaya Mahavagga 1:11.1

from "Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings" by Marcus Borg

okay .. enough with the happy deleting button noone attacked or insulted anyone..

good.

fair is fair

It belongs in the catacombs anyway.

this is where the fun is!!!





oops, saw it from the catacombs. still on front page.

Please do not delete.

The one thing you fail to mention is the forgiveness of sins, which only Christ Jesus could ever offer.
Your entire argument is therefore meaningless, I'm afraid.
And besides. Throwing out a list of verses and sayings without any sort of explanation behind them - simply that they are 'Parallel', is by no means a way to start a discussion. You could take any passage out of the bible and misinterpret it without looking at the context of the remainder of the book, and I'm sure the same could be said for the Upanishads, Vedas, and any other religious text in the known world.

Good thing you have that book right in front of you, I read that book a few years back, the differences between all religions are subtle.

i agree with you completely!!

she is not makin arguments.. she is simply posting things she has found and read..

That's as far as I read when I decided that I didn't really need to read any further. I'm not here to "argue" or even to "debate" (which to me is just another word that basically means to argue). I'm here sharing things that I find interesting. I'm simply sharing information. Just because I share them doesn't mean I necessarily believe them as truthes or even as falsehoods. It simply means I find them interesting. Have fun arguing with no one because I refuse to join in.

I'm simply clarifying the fact that you seem to be suggesting Jesus Christ and Siddhartha Gutama on the same level. Christ Jesus was the Son of God himself, while Siddhartha Gutama was a man. A very wise man, I do not doubt that, but a man nontheless. To say that he was sinless is falsehood - as the book of Romans states, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God." That means everyone. You. Me. Everyone in the world. Christ was not of this world, as he's stated several times in the Word. He was born of a virgin - the very son of God, who was the only to offer Forgiveness of sins. There may be parallels, but there are many parallels in this world with important leaders. I am not trying to argue, I am trying to clarify, as I've stated already. Christ was put to death on the Cross to forgive the sins of the world, as long as people would simply put their faith in him. To my knowledge, that is one thing that Siddhartha Gutama is not on par with Jesus Christ.

I'm not suggesting anything. I have presented information I believe to be interesting. I have not once stated anything that you are suggesting. Please stop trying to argue with me. I don't wish to argue. You can believe in whatever you wish to believe in. But please stop coming in here trying to get a rise out of me. It won't work.

give me physical proof that god exists.

I don't care what you feel in your heart.

I see all the stars the moon and all of nature . that doesn't prove gods existence.

science has proven creation to be false.

and as to the existence of Jesus I'm still not sold on that totally, if the man existed I believe him to have been a great man for his time but not the son of god.

so again I ask for physical proof that god exists.

seeing isnt believing.. i dont believe everything i see.. if that was the case.. i'd believe freddy kruger and jason vorhees were real..

sometimes you have to have faith and believe in something before you can see it

thats what I call a cop out. show me god exists.

i dont need to.. you have what you do or do not believe in and i have what i believe in.. it happens.. i dont need to prove he exists for me to believe in him.. if you need to prove it.. then you prove it.. dont ask someone else to

ok he's fake.

NO ONE EVER GETS TO HAVE THAT, BORDINAZ,

no one. It's never been allowed.

But one has to ask oneself, Is the physical world all there is to the story?

If the answer is yes, then I'm wasting my time caring about things that do not have any significance, worth or value.Simple.

And I would not be offended if you judged me a fool for believing otherwise.

If the answer is no, then I'm not wasting my time caring about things that do have significance, worth or value. Simple.

And I would not be offended if you insisted that I am a fool.

But, my concern is whether or not you feel adequately compelled
to entertain the possibility that information gleaned while yet physically alive may have some significant effect on the disposition of your immortal soul, should that in fact be the case,once you depart from the physical world and find yourself naked and smack dab in the middle of the spiritual world.
In my opinion.......

This is not a poker game.

It is not a game at all.

It is a very real and possible scenario for all to consider.

This....

That....

or this and that!!!!

Thank you for sharing the link LadyValkyrie, I enjoyed it very much.

These parallels come as no surprise to me. I have recognized the parallels between the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of the Eastern Mystics many years ago.

One thing that I can never understand even to this day, is the fact that so many people claim that the Bible is unique in what it teaches. There simply isn’t anything in the lessons that Jesus taught that can’t be found in various forms in the Eastern religions that were clearly taught before Jesus was born.

I only wish that these truths had been taught to me when I was much younger. It’s the most profound irony of all human behavior that religious organizations actually shun the idea of searching for genuine truth in favor of supporting a unique belief system at all cost.

Alright, I just need to get this out before I get to bed.

I see evidence of him in the testimonies that I hear of people's hearts broken before God, coming out of a life of cutting, depression, and pain. I see evidence of him in the clouds, in the rain, and in the sunlight. I see evidence of him in the emotions that well up in my heart when I sing praises to him, and the pain that I feel when I fail him - and myself. I see evidence of him in the life I've lived, in the life I had before I came to Christ. I see evidence of him in a newborns first breath, and an elders last breath. I see evidence of him in the divorce, abuse, and pain my life has held. I see evidence of him in the Cross, and the blood shed for my soul.

..That's the only proof I need - and if you need a miracle? Then you're kidding yourself when you say you'd believe him if you saw it.