Comparing And Contrasting Christianity And Buddhism
Christianity and Buddhism are different religions, yet
compare and contrast greatly. Though founded at different
periods of time, Christianity and Buddhism have shaped
cultures and have had a great influence on people all
around the world with origins, customs and beliefs.
Siddhartha Gautama was born about 563 B.C. He left his
wealthy lifestyle when he was about 29 to seek wisdom.
For years, he found not wisdom but only pain. After
meditating for several days under a tree, enlightenment
finally came to him. He would now be known as the
Buddha or "enlightened one." Buddha and Jesus, the
founder of Christianity, are alike and different in many
ways. Jesus of Nazareth was born about A. D 6. He
claimed to be the son of God, but was disliked by those
who practiced other religions. When he was about 33
years old, Jesus was tried and prosecuted for heresy. He
was then sentenced to be crucified. After his death, Paul
continued to spread Christianity throughout the world.
More than a thousand years later, it became one of the
most widely known practices in the world, just as
Buddhism has. Christians and Buddhists have their own
customs and beliefs. Followers of Christianity are to love
thy Lord first and love thy neighbor as thyself. Jesus gained
large crowds and followers by performing miracles. Since
Christians are only to worship the Lord, they are
monotheist. Buddhism, however is quite different. Buddha
taught his followers the Four Noble Truths, the main ideas
of seeking enlightenment. In addition to seeking
enlightenment, people could reach nirvana, or a "release
from pain and suffering". Buddha taught all his followers to
treat all other living things with love and respect.
Throughout both their lives, Jesus and Buddha spread the
teachings they taught, Christianity and Buddhism. After the
resurrection of Jesus after his death in A. D 33, the
disciples began to spread the word about Jesus. Paul, one
of the disciples of Jesus, spent the rest of his life preaching
and spreading Christianity to Jews and non-Jews alike. Just
like Jesus, Buddha spread his teachings throughout his life.
He continued to teach Buddhism and enlightenment. These teaching principles can be found in the book Dhamma (Document 6). This was the start of a similar practice of Buddhism. It was not the original since it incorporated some orthodox beliefs.
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.
Buddhism and Christianity were each founded by one person, and then eventually grew into two of the largest religions in the world. Each religion had different reasons
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.
The Buddha did not want to teach at first, but as stated in old stories the king of the gods, Brahma, convinced the Buddha to share his ways (Editors of Biography.com). The Buddha found his five former followers and said his first sermon to them (“Buddha” Reynolds) in present day Varanasi, India (“Buddha” Compton’s). He taught them the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths, which are both central teachings in Buddhism and they became his first followers (Editors of Biography.com). He also taught Dharma, which means “saving truth”, throughout India (“Buddha” Reynolds). The Buddha founded an order of monks after reaching enlightenment. They did not pray to any gods and the Buddha did not claim to be a god. (“Buddha” Compton’s). The Buddha taught for 80 years and died in India (Editors of
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.
Buddhism is one of the oldest religions in the world, which began in India. The origin of Buddhism is traced back to the experience of single man, Siddhartha Gautama, later known as the Buddha. Born around 563 B.C.E., legend follows that Siddhartha was the son of a prince in a kingdom near the border of what is now India and Nepal. As such, he was sheltered from the world and lived a life of luxury and comfort. (Molloy 124) However, at age 29 Siddhartha left the royal grounds and witnessed the suffering of ordinary life for the first time. What he saw deeply affected him and caused him to question everything in his materialistic life. Siddhartha made the decision to give up his possessions and embark on a search for enlightenment, an event known as the Great Going Forth. (Molloy 125)
Each religion has many different ways that worship, some may be public and some may be private. I have chosen to investigate the different forms of worship from Christianity and although both religions have similarities both of them are unique in their own way.
Buddhism originated from India, and was founded by Prince Siddharta Gautama, who later came to be known as Buddha, or the enlightened one. Born of a princely caste, he later renounced his comfortable life in search for nirvana. In order to do that, he joined a band of ascetic, who was a group of Hindu priests. In his teaching, the Buddha taught his followers to follow "the middle way", that is, not the way of extreme asceticism. He attained full understanding of the nature of being by meditation and after his success, decided to impart his knowledge to those who follow him .
Although Buddhism and Christianity show several parallels, their three key differences are that Buddhists do not believe in one divine being, and have different views about both the purpose of life and the concept of afterlife. Buddhists do not believe in a Supreme Being, God or Creator, though many Buddhists today worship the Buddha - the central figure of Buddhism - and his teachings. They view him as someone with a universal spirit, an essence that can be attained by everyone rather than only a higher deity that rules over the world (Brown). Especially in Mahayana Buddhism, the concept of the Buddha nature is fundamental (“Pure Land”).... ...
Hinduism and Buddhism There are many religions that are practiced around the world, especially in Asia where there are eight different religions being practiced. In the country of India, Buddhism and Hinduism are the main religions that are practiced today. Buddhism and Hinduism were both founded in Asia, but they were founded by two different people and practiced in two different ways and languages. Buddhism is a living tradition that is passed down from teacher to student as a set of instruction and techniques for sanity and brilliance in the inner self and the world. Hinduism is more based on the thoughts and attitude about one’s everyday life, and reflects in his actions.
The founder of Buddhism was a man called Siddhartha Gautama, born to a wealthy family and destined for greatness; Siddhartha, however, left his family and the palace in search for religious truth and an end to suffering. Siddhartha tried many ways of reaching an enlightened stage; wandering the forest, joining the beggars, fasting, debating with religious leaders, but when none of these methods brought him a greater understanding of the world, Siddhartha sat himself down under a fig tree, and meditated. After forty-nine days of meditation Siddhartha was said to have achieved an understanding of the cause of suffering, he then became known as the Buddha, enlightened one.
Siddhartha Gautama is famously known as Gautama Buddha and was the founder of the idea of Buddhism. The Buddha was known to possess supernatural powers and abilities. He was born in the holy land of Nepal and his journey began in India when he decided to travel and teach himself about life. In the midst of his journey, he discovered Buddhism after he experienced a profound realization of the nature of life, death and existence. Buddhism became a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and since then Buddhism has been popular throughout many civilizations. Buddhism is now one of the most ancient religions in the world, where people follow Buddha, which stand for “awakened one,” and Buddhism which has gained popularity because of the teachings of the Buddha.
Hinduism is the 3rd most popular religion in the world followed by Buddhism, together they are followed by 22 percent of the world’s population. These two religions are alike in many ways, and are tied together by Asia, where they have deep roots in its culture and history. Although Hinduism and Buddhism are similar in many ways, very important and large differences separate the two. No one and nothing can ever truly prove either religion is better than the other because that is up to personal beliefs and opinions, but many more people around the world prefer Buddhism over Hinduism because of its beliefs and practices.
...only through Christ can a person find salvation (Acts 17:30–31). Ultimately, Christ entered into human suffering, sin and debt, emptied and redeemed humanity from the curse of sin to give humans eternal life with God; whereas Buddha taught humans to disattach themselves from suffering, sin, and debt in order to be enlightened and dissolve into emptiness.