Buddha and Jesus Christ in Literature
Many pieces of literature and characters in literature are based off of religious figures or beliefs. In the literary pieces that we have read this semester, Buddha, Jesus Christ, and their religions have often been motifs. Buddha and Christ have many striking differences, but also quite a few similarities. They have both been very influential in many of the worldly religions of today, and in literature throughout the years.
The man commonly known as Buddha was born in 560 B.C. and died at the age of eighty in 450 B.C. He was born to Suddhodana, king of the Sakhyas, and Maya. He was born in Lumbini, near the city of Kapilauastu in the Himalayan mountain ranges. His real name is Siddhartha (meaning “one who has accomplished his aim”) Gautama (his family name). Unfortunately, Buddha’s mother died a week after he was born, so he was raised by his aunt, Mahaprajapati.
Buddha was born during a time of cruelty, degeneration, and unrighteousness. He had a very important purpose—to save the people and spread the message of equality, unity, and cosmic love everywhere. Some strange things happened on the day Siddhartha was born—flowers bloomed and it rained even though it wasn’t the right season, music was heard from the heavens, and delicious scents filled the air. His body was covered in strange marks which indicated his future greatness.
When his son was born, Suddhodana went to an astrologer to see what kind of person Siddhartha would grow up to be. This was a common practice of the time. The astrologer said that when Siddhartha became a grown man, he would become either a universal monarch or would leave home to become a monk, “a perfectly enlightened soul for the salvatio...
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Drummond, Richard Henry. A Broader Vision: Perspectives on the Buddha and the Christ. Virginia: A.R.E. Press, 1995.
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“Bhagavad Gita.” World Literature Website (2002). 29 Sept. 2002 <http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/gita/index.htm>
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Fredriksen, Paula. From Jesus to Christ. 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000.
Ikeda, Daisaku. Buddhism: The Living Philosophy. Tokyo: The East Publications, Inc., 1974.
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Walking into the Hall of the Buddhas, there was a sense of peace and guidance lingering inside me. The seated Bodhisattva, of the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534), CA.480, from the Yungang, Cave xv, Shani Province, made of sandstone, guarded the entrance. At first, I thought it was a time to be disciplined, but the transcending smile from the statue was a delicate fixed gesture that offered a feeling of welcome. It was not a place to confess your wrongdoings; neither was it a place for me to say, “Buddha I have sinned.” It was a room to purify the mind, the mind that we take for granted without giving it harmony. There was a large mural decorating the main wall called “The Paradise of Bhaishajyaguru”(916-1125). I sat down wandering if the artist of the portrait knew that his work would one day be shared on this side of the world, in my time. Much like Jesus Christ and his followers, the mural is a painting of healers and saviors. It was a large figure of the Buddha of medicine, (Bhaishajyaquru) surrounded by followers of Bodhisattvas, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahosthamaprapta with twelve guardian generals who have pledged to disseminate the Buddha’s teaching (Tradition of Liao 916-1125, Metropolitan Museum wall plaque).
Siddhartha has been searching for fulfillment all his life. Though he was the most scholarly and respected Brahmin, this did not satisfy him. He drank knowledge, yet still felt ignorant. He could not find peace. He could not find fulfillment. His journey is essentially one of trial and error, suffering, mistakes, and rebirth.
It is said that history is shaped by the lives of great men. Great men are leaders. They bring about change; they improve the lives of others; they introduce new ideas, models, and theories to society. Most of the world's religions were founded, developed, or discovered by great men. Two particular religions - Christianity and Buddhism - developed in different parts of the world, under different circumstances, and in different social atmospheres. But each religion is based upon the teachings of a great man. When one compares the life of Buddha with the life of Jesus, one finds that the two share many things in common. This essay aims to compare and contrast the lives of Buddha1 and Jesus in two key areas: conception and birth. In these two areas, one finds that the Buddha and Jesus share many similarities.
It is generally agreed that the Buddha was born in 563 BC in Kapilavastu to the ruler of a small kingdom. He grew up with luxuries and had a sheltered life. When he was 29 he came to realize that hi life up to this point had been so empty. He let go any earthly attachments and soon set out to find peace and enlightenment trying to steer away from the cycles of rebirths. He started practicing Yoga and "adopted a life of radical asceticism." He soon gave up this way of thinking and focused on "a middle path between the life of indulgence and that of self-denial." After a time of great inner struggle, he began to wander to different places and preach and organized a monastic community know as the sangha.
This paper is a comparison between two very different religions. Specifically Christianity and Buddhism. Coming from opposite sides of the globe these two religions could not be any farther apart in any aspect. I will discuss who Christ is for Christians and who Buddha is for Buddhists. I will also get into the aspects of charity, love, and compassion in both religions and I will be looking at the individual self and how christians see resurrection where the buddhists feel about the afterlife. One thing to keep in mind is that the two religions are very different but they seem to have a very similar underlying pattern. Both believe that there was a savior of their people, Buddha and Christ, and both believe that there is something good that happens to us when our time is done here on earth. This is a very generalized summarization but in order to go in to depth I need to explain the two religions more to fully convey this theory.
...tunities, the Harlem Renaissance spanned a cultural movement which flourished art, music, and literature within the African-American community. When World War I ended, many African-American soldiers struggled with respect from white Americans when they returned home from days of battling and hard work they served developing an identity of the “New Negro.” The “New Negro” attitude challenged the intrusiveness and racism African-Americans encountered from the stereotypes white people shamed upon them. By rejecting and refusing to imitate the styles of Europeans and white Americans, the Harlem Renaissance was a movement to celebrate creativity and nobility throughout African-Americans. Without the powerful influences and creativity of the Harlem Renaissance, we wouldn’t have the films, music, fashion, excitement, and entertainment we see throughout the world every day.
In his early life, he was born a Kshatriya. Until the age of twenty nine, Siddhartha lived a luxurious life as a prince. Siddhartha’s father, King Shuddodana consulted Asita, a well-known soothsayer, concerning the future of his son. Asita proclaimed that he would be one of two things: He could become a great king, even an emperor. Or he could become a great sage and savior of humanity. This made King Shuddodana wary of what his son may become, therefore he did anything in his power to surround his son Siddhartha with beauty and health to show Siddhartha that there is nothing to save humanity from since it is perfect. If Siddhartha was my son, I would let him see all the suffering in the world and allow him to take action instead of hiding it. It is selfish for the King to hide humanity’s flaws. One day, Siddhartha had seen two wandering, sick and old men. He also, for the first time, experienced death. Due to the sights he had seen, he escaped the palace and lived in a forest where he followed a spiritual life of meditation. After only six years, he achieved enlightenment under the famous Bodhi tree. Siddhartha claims that everyone is able to achieve enlightenment and we all possess
The Harlem Renaissance was the name given to the cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem between the end of World War I and the middle of the 1930s. During this period, Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars. Many had come from the South, fleeing its oppressive caste system in order to find a place where they could freely express their talents. The Harlem Renaissance was more than a literary movement, it involved racial pride, fueled in part by the militancy of the "New Negro" demanding civil and political rights (pbs.org). African Americans were moving from the south to the north and bringing their culture with them to. Without the Harlem Renaissance there would not have been such a drastic change in our literature and music. The Harlem Renaissance played a great role in the ending of racial discrimination later in history(harlemrenaissanceimpact). If the Harlem Renaissance didn’t exist there might have not been any change towards African Americans or change to white America. There were many people such as Louis Armstrong a trumpet player/singer, Langston Hughes a poet/playwright, Madam C.J. Walker a Civil Rights Activist, and Jessie Fauset a Author, Poet, and Educator who had major impacts on the people of the Harlem Renaissance. Moving to the north gave the African Americans somewhat a better life, there was still racism going on and it kind of got worse as more African Americans moved to the north. African Americans had to fight against racial oppression from the white people, They would have to follow a set of rules called the “ Jim Crow Laws” which segregated the black from the whites. Also Many African Americans would have to face the terror of the “KKK” which was a group of white men who thought people of color had to die,
Thích Nh’at Hanh is a world renowned Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, religious figure and accomplished writer. Living Buddha, Living Christ is only one of his many famous publications. Thích Nh’at Hanh, is famous for his insights into spiritual heritage and mindfulness in the present moment. Many Americans are seeking religious understanding and personal spirituality, even if they do not practice in the traditional manner. Throughout this book Nh’at Hang encourages readers to find meaning, understanding, mindfulness, and peace in the teachings of Buddha and Christ. His main focus is to open meaningful dialogue between different traditions, cultures, and religious groups around the world, for the betterment
Inferno is the first and most famous of a three part series by Dante Alighieri known as the Divine Comedy that describes his journey to God through the levels of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise written in the early fourteenth century. Scholars spanning over nearly seven centuries have praised its beauty and complexity, unmatched by any other medieval poem. Patrick Hunt’s review, “On the Inferno,” states, “Dante’s extensive use of symbolism and prolific use of allegory— even in incredible anatomical detail—have been often plumbed as scholars have explored the gamut of his work’s classical, biblical, historical, and contemporary political significance” (9). In the story, each of the three main characters, Dante, Virgil, and Beatrice, represent
Prince Siddhartha was born of King Suddhodana, who ruled over a warrior tribe named the Sakyas, and a princess from a neighboring tribe. Her name was Maha Maya, and she was from the Koliya tribe. Both tribes were located in the north of India. Maha Maya had a dream one night that left her puzzled the next morning. In detail, she was carried up into the Himalayas, to a lake by four angels or Devas. They bathed her in the lake and clothed her. Subsequently, a white elephant with a lotus flower circled her three times and disappeared, ending the dream. The dream was then interpreted by some wise men to be the anticipated birth of either a great ruler or a great religious leader. Shortly after Siddhartha was born in c.623 BBC, Queen Maya passed away.
Dante’s Inferno presents the reader with many questions and thought provoking dialogue to interpret. These crossroads provide points of contemplation and thought. Dante’s graphic depiction of hell and its eternal punishment is filled with imagery and allegorical meanings. Examining one of these cruxes of why there is a rift in the pits of hell, can lead the reader to interpret why Dante used the language he did to relate the Idea of a Just and perfect punishment by God.
During the reign of ‘Abisheka Pandyan’ the Lord with compassion and with the intention of providing the people of the Kingdom with both worldly and heavenly pleasures and blessings,appeared in the form of a Siddhar. He wore a tiger-skin as a robe and dressed Himself in saffron-colored loins worn by monks. His head was covered in knots of matted hair,holy-ash was smeared on the forehead,huge ear-rings,crystal-stone chains and the sacred-thread adorned him. A golden-colored staff in his hands made him look even more majestic and handsome to the bewitched people.
A comparative analysis of salvation in Christianity and Buddhism exposes stark contrasts between the grace of Jesus Christ and the self-saving action and enlightenment of Buddha. I attempt to compare the Christian and Buddhist concepts of salvation in this essay to emphasise on the significance of each founder's roles in salvation, and to extract similarities and differences between them both.
Another disposition that I feel I possess is authenticity. I feel I do not pretend to be something I am not. I am open with people. Along with this come the deposition of a positive view of myself and others. Since I am authentic I look for the best in everyone. Being authentic with my students will help to build trusting ...