When Buddha Met Jesus

Since God is One, it is God who is behind all things.

What He hasn't purposed He has allowed.

Since God is Source, I find it best to resolve all things back to Him.

It is God who will conclude all things and bring all matters before Him.

Eventually, and most likely when we are not in the flesh anymore, will we 'see' how and why God did as He did throughout man's existence on earth.

It will likely only be there we will realize how God established similarities in other people (and their religions) to bring about the fruition of the ages: God in man through Christ.

Mankind has a role.

We have a role in continuing with what God has established.

Sometimes that continuance is altered on by mistake by man.

Other times it is purposely twisted by man... to serve themselves.

It can be understood that God has allowed such twisting or mistakes or dissonance to occur.

Can we stretch our hearts and minds and faith to better understand?

Despite man's effort and attempt to obstruct God's will, notice how God always triumphs and always has the final word.

He is God, and we are reflections of Him and subject to Him no matter our opinions.

I find it more edifying to God and mankind to speak positively of things seemingly divisive on their surface.

I am not perfect in this endeavor, yet this is my aim.

It takes no effort to simply repeat or forward what another man has stated or concluded.

It takes great effort to think, to ponder, to question, and to look beyond what may seem obvious to others.

When experts state their ideas, they are usually expert at sharing their opinion... while Truth is likely something much more profound or even simple.

My job is to help in breaking down the walls currently existing in the hearts and minds of men.

These walls were not built by God, but by faulty and godless ideas of men perpetuated historically.

I once wrote a paper in a college philosophy class highlighting the similarities and differences between Gautama Buddha and Jesus Christ.

Since there is so much written about those two characters, and many religious ideas about them and the movements they inspired, I focused on the basics.

It is possible to accept and appreciate some ideas and concepts from a man, or a religious movement, while being able to disagree or not accept other ideas from that same man or religious movement.

It is possible to learn despite ideas averse to your own.

The all or nothing fallacy needs to be dealt with in our hearts and minds if we are to become all things to all men, and love our 'enemy', or reach those far away while also serving those near us.

In that philosophy class I explored what is called the Eightfold Path as attributed to Buddha and the Beatitudes as attributed to Yeshua.

The similarities are very interesting.

Although the religious outcomes can be shown as 'different', what of the cultural impacts of both?

Do both religions inspire strife and conflict with others, or an aim at peace despite opposition or differences?

It is the former, not the latter.

There is much to be said about how religion is systematically used by governments or organizations to justify war.

But this article speaks to the sources, the examples of the characters who inspired the sources, and their cultural impact.

This article does not go into politicians / hired hands or false priests / monks who pursue their own ideas or ends.

I summarized that Buddha's teaching aims at safeguarding and preserving the self.

Through self-help, others can then be helped.

Sounds logical and reasonable.

Emergency instructions regarding oxygen masks on an airline flight teaches the same thing: put your mask on first, then assist children / others with their mask.

Jesus' teaching also aims at safeguarding self (kingdom of God, salvation), but I see this effort made through safeguarding and serving others.

In other words: through serving others first, the self is helped.

There can be derived a contrast in priority between both schools of thought, and interpretation can speak to both the effort and the by-product as being the same.

I'm not trying to competitively argue, but rather stretch understanding to encompass and include humanity.

We are all called to love one another and treat others as we would like to be treated.

This includes our ideas and persons being treated kindly and graciously despite differences.

Another similarity is how Buddhism sprouted from Hinduism, and how Christianity sprouted from Judaism.

It can be argued that from Buddha's perspective, Hinduism had become more focused on rituals and rules and by doing so, had lost its human application.

Similarity, the Gospel (quoting Jesus) mentions how some religious teachers had made up rules for themselves and were ignoring God's Law regarding helping others.

In both cases, religious adherents were more focused on rules and self rather than actually applying the religion in serving others.

One eventual difference between what became Buddhism and what became Christianity is the acknowledgment of God and furthering God concept.

Hinduism acknowledges the existence of divinity (either in a singular form - a God, or in a variety of forms - hierarchy of gods).

Buddhism seems to have abandoned the notion of God (or gods) in terms of 'worship' and 'acknowledgment' of them.

Besides this abandonment being labeled 'atheist' in the sense of that word's meaning, what did transpire?

Buddhism interestingly describes elements and a type of understanding that points to God concept existing within the human being.

How far is this from what Christ taught?

Christ further developed God concept and taught man to be perfect as God is Perfect.

Through the example of Jesus is God defined, explained, and understood.

Christianity further pursued God concept and God in self by echoing Jesus' quotes.

It can be argued that Buddha made the concept of 'God' (or divinity) more personal and more effective when it came to self and others.

This is the very conclusion that Jesus taught: a relationship with God as very personal and occurring within.

The battle and struggle being within, not without and against other human beings.

Both Buddha and Christ exemplify this in themselves and their words.

A concept that stands in sharp contrast is about what happens after death.

Buddhism continues the reincarnation concept found in Hinduism and several other eastern religions.

It could be explained that this idea refers to what Jesus taught about being born again.

Instead of the typical physical death most people consider, this death and rebirth is experienced while still living in the body in the current life (or the now as we understand it - see billboard image above).

Both speak of a spiritual reality beyond the physical.

Perhaps the understanding is what deviates.

A single deviation may, as time passes and more ideas build upon an original deviation, go further apart.

Yet such deviation can be resolved in a single sentence or with a single word!

Buddha seems to have had a conscience strike when he left his parent's wealthy estate for the first time.

Buddha realized the world within the compound walls was not a ubiquitous reality, but was instead built upon the labor and people found outside his compound walls.

Buddha realized his birth into a wealthy family with servants in attendance was not a typical human experience, but an exception.

He decided to forsake that lap of luxury, high position, and leaving his wife and children behind for a life sojourning the countryside, became a meditating beggar.

To highlight a point, the reincarnation concept includes the notion of righteousness in a previous life with being born into a wealthy or high class family.

I mention this in pointing to a possible logical dissonance... and perhaps was another motivation that Buddha wanted to deal with, but I wonder if he was also troubled with this dissonance.

Jesus continued the teaching that mankind is made in the image and likeness of God.

Jesus taught that the reality within (the kingdom) the body is a ubiquitous reality for all who believe.

Therein is the kingdom of God and therein is where the battle between light and darkness is fought (and won or lost)... and therein is what Buddha was aiming to talk about, discover, and teach.

Jesus was born into a lower working-class family and stayed at that subsistence, teaching that it is better to give than receive.

When Buddha died at an old age (around 80), his body was reportedly cremated.

Many ideas came about regarding Buddha: he was human, he was a god, he was 'god', etc..

When Jesus died by execution on a wooden stake, His body was interred and somehow enlivened days later according to many witnesses (up to 500 at one time).

Many ideas came about regarding Jesus: He was a human, the Son of God, God with us, etc..

Imagine if it was God's will to prepare eastern peoples for Christ through the concepts found and developed in Hinduism and Buddhism?

Is this not what actually happened and continues to happen?

The similarities being not simply a chance, but rather purposed?

Was Christ an attempt to copy or continue previous ideas, or rather complete them?

There are many other resolving conclusions that can be written.

May the few mentioned here help tear down the dividing walls... and may love be built in their place.