Jesus, Buddha, and Christianity

When we hear the word christianity, we think of one man, Jesus. But, what most of us do not know is that along with Jesus, another man shared a lot of interests and beliefs similar to Jesus. His name is Siddhartha Gautama, better known as, Buddha. The religion of Christianity came about 500 years after the time of Confucius. It began as a three-year career of teaching and miracle working.



Jesus and Buddha both had different family backgrounds, but in the end they both became spiritual seekers and mystics. In this three-year brief teaching, Buddha and Jesus were 'wisdom teachers'. Both of these religious teachers taught their followers similiar ideas of living and believing. For instance, they both promoted personal transformation. The Buddha expressed his process as 'letting go' and Jesus taught 'losing one's life in order to save it'. They also shared common interests in sharing the importance of love or compassion as the basis of moral life. The Buddha said that one should exercise loving-kindness and bless them that curse you; speak all the good you can to and of them, who speak all evil to and of you.

Even though, Buddha and Jesus had many similiarities, they also had their differences. However, these two men created the religion of Christianity. The message of early Christianity attracted many people as the new faith as it continued to spread through the Roman Empire, even after the death of Jesus and the Buddha. The religion they created, have and continue to shape the lives and meanings of many people. They conform the social equalities and inequalities and states of civilizations. This religion has guided humans to move through and beyond the difficulties and decisions of the world.

"The Way of the World", by Robert Strayer. (pgs. 145-151)