Is Christianity based on Buddhism?
November 20th, 2007 2:01 pm | News | cedric | 792 Views|
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Aizol Times
Aizawl: The state’s only Sunday newspaper Zalen in its issue today brought out an article asking if Christianity is based on Buddhism which could bring forth a storm of criticisms in Christian-dominated Mizoram.
Written by its joint editor, Zalen today said it had been the belief of many historians for many decades that Christianity has its roots in Buddhism since there are so many similarities in the teachings of Buddha and Christ and that Christ could have been influenced by Buddha’s teachings because Buddhism had traveled even to Palestine long before Christ was born.
According to the article, the similarities did not end there. The trinity concept of Christianity can also be found in Buddhism and the birth of both Buddha and Christ were divine interventions both conceived by virgins.
While admitting that it would be difficult for Christians to accept that their religion has its roots in Buddhism, the article pointed out that it could do no harm to know what historians and experts thought about the connection between the two religions.
“Historians say Buddhism had become very popular among the Greeks who had trade relations with India where this religion was founded before the Common Era (BCE). The Greeks also had trade relations with Palestine and it was through them that Buddhism began evolving in the Middle East,” the newspaper said adding that historians studying religions believe Christ could have been greatly influenced by Buddhism because it was not an unknown religion in the Palestine of Christ’s time.
Bringing out the similarities in both Buddha and Jesus’ lives, the article said except for the persecution that Christ suffered in Roman hands and his eventual undignified death at a cross, both men’s lives follow very similar patterns with both births foretold and both men denouncing worldly riches and living a life of purity and humbleness.
Zalen also pointed out that both men were human sacrifices although only Jesus was actually put to death. “Buddha was known as ‘Maha Purusha’ which means set aside for sacrifice and that from the body of the ‘Purusha’, all living beings would become pure. Although Buddha was not actually sacrificed, he was set aside for sacrifice and he was sacrificed symbolically. Jesus’ death at the cross and his likening himself to a lamb is believed to be similar with Buddha’s ‘sacrifice’ with Jesus’ death purifying all human beings too,” the paper said.
It also pointed out that the Christian manner of praying where the hands are clasped could be derived from both the Hindu and Buddhist religion which practice this because Judaism, which should have had some influence on Christianity because Jesus was a Jew did not have this hand clasping practice while praying.
Supernatural abilities such as walking through walls and walking on water were attributed both to Buddha and Jesus. Quoting the Digha Nikaya, the paper said, “He goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts and mountains as if walking through space. He walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land” of Buddha. Of Jesus, the passages from the Gospels written by John and Matthew were quoted where Mathew recorded, “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea” and John saying “Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them.”
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November 20th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I am lost for words to reply to this kind of over-stretched imaginations! Just because there are few similarities between the 2 religions does not mean that Christianity is based on Buddhism! In fact, Christianity has its beginning at the very beginning of time, when the God of Christians was the Creator Himself! JESUS, the 2nd Person of the Trinity, the Son of God, the founder of Christianity, whom Christians now claimed as the Saviour of the world, was also there at the time of Creation (of course, He has no beginning or end)! It’s sheer stupidity to speculate that Jesus needs Gautama Buddha to inspire His teachings! I have every respect for Buddhists, but I see much much more similarities between Buddhism and Hinduism, not with Christianity. In deed, I would say Buddhism was based on Hinduism.
Also, it galled me to see people using BCE (Before Common Era!!!my foot!!) in place of the usual BC (Before Christ), which has been in use for centuries! What is happening to this world? Politically-correct (But False) people seem to find so many ways to attack Christ and Christianity these days!! Which only shows that the end is near! Sometimes I feel like saying to them..’Just wait and see. You will be a sorry sight when JESUS Himself comes back…’, but I know that’s not the right attitude. May God have mercy on them!
November 20th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Flimsy evidences. What about re-incarnation ? Buddhists believed in it, and we don’t.
November 20th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
“based”… unlikely as far as my ill-informed mind can comprehend.
But I believe Christianity thru the ages have been influenced by a lot of things… other relgions and different cultures possibly included.
November 20th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
There are a lot of similarities in the Bible with events which have occured in other cultures/ religion before they happened in the Bible. e.g.
- the prosecution at Jesus\’s birth of all male children under 2 years of age also happened in the case of Krishna
- the 10 commandments are very similar to the code of Hammurabi of ancient Babylon
- some more similarities with Buddha apart from those already mentioned in the main article
1. Both astonish their teachers with their knowledge in their early childhood
2. Both walk on water
3. Both feed multitudes (500 in one case and 5000 in the other)
4. Both are tempted by the devil before they start their ministry
5. Similar parables used by them - prodigal son etc.
Similarities of christianity with other religions
- use of holy water (with hinduism)
- concept of trinity
- Osiris brings eternal life to his followers (Egyptian)
- good people go to the Elysian fields, and the bad go to Hades (Greek)
- Dionysus turns water into wine (Greek) etc etc…..
I do agree with Silent Man that christianity thru the ages has been influenced by a lot of other things.
November 20th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
I believe that there are many similarities between Christ and Buddha. I also believe Christianity might have been, to some extent, conditioned by the way in which its environment/culture has shaped it. But, this doesn’t mean that Christianity is based on Buddhism. The following decisive differences may tell something about this issue.
Buddha was never prophesied. Jesus Christ was prophesied thousands of years before his birth, thousands of prophecies and types of each book of the OT fulfilled in Jesus Christ and his church
Buddha is an enlightened teacher and exemplar, but Christ is a sacrificial victim.
Buddha never claimed to be God. Jesus claimed to be God, the incarnated logos who was at the beginning.
Buddha’s aim was to extinguish suffering. Christ entered into suffering and led his followers into the same suffering.
Buddha died of severe sickness. Christ was crucified on the cross and died for the world.
Buddha’s body was cremated after his death. Christ rose from the dead and went to heaven.
The lotus flower offers you peace on earth, and a escape from reincarnation… ending up in “nothingness!” The Cross of Christ offers you the cleaning of all your sins, a glorious life on earth, and an eternal one in the real Heaven, as a person you are now, without any reincarnation.
November 20th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Is christianity based on Buddhism? tih zawhna ai chuan , Is christianity based on judaism? tih ni ta se la, a inhmeh zawk hmel te ka tia
a bak chu ka la sawi belh leh ang nakin ah
November 20th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
It is said that everything in the universe is related…
November 20th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
ka han chhiar ve phak ah chuan , Isua zirtirna te hi, Indian traditions ah roots a nei tih ngaihtuahna vawrh chhuak tu hmasa pawl chu Russia Doctor Nicholas Notovitch in kum 1894 a a lehkhabu chhuah ” The unknown life of christ” tih kha ani in a sawi theih awm e.
he lehkhabu ziak tu hian a ke tliak avanga tibetan monastery , Ladakh region , hmun a a awm lai in, Isua in kashmir leh Ladakh hmun vel a tlawh na record, scroll a ziak a hmuh thu a sawi a. tin ‘yuzu’ tih leh ‘issa’ ti a muslim ho in an koh chu ‘yeshua’/jesus/isua tihna ani e, tiin a ngaihdan in a chhui chho ta vel a ni.
Nicholas thu ziak hi bul trut a hmang in , a hnu deuh kum ah german mi , Holger Kersten chuan , nicholas a sawi monastery te leh a bul vel ah te cham chilh in , kersten an scroll a sawi hi a zawng a, mahse a hmuh loh thu leh buddhis monk ho in tumah in a chanchin hrilh tur an neih loh thu chiang tak in a sawi leh bawk. Mahse kersten chuan , lungawi ta mai lo chuan, buddha zirtirna leh, Isua zirtirna in ang thei lai tur ang te, an chanchin in ang deuh lai awm te chu khawn khawm in, Isua kha buddhist monastery ah zir chhuak ani ange !! ti zawng in a thu a keuh thlu ta tho.
Isua thlan te, Bible a eden huan te, mosia thlan etc te pawh kashmir ah a awm tir vek ani kersten chuan
hetiang , a in bawl kual na atanga an lehkhabu chhuah dung zui hian 2009 ah “the aquarian gospel” tih movie te pawh release an tum ani awm e. ( Isua chanchin kum 13-30 anih vel bible a in ziak kan hmuh loh zawng hi a chung a sawi ang khian an phuah kual ta vel a) , mahse, heng ho bawl phawn theih tawk chu an awm ve leh pek awm si a aw
Kristianna leh buddhism in an loh na lian ber mai chu , pathian awm ring leh ring loh na ani. Bible ah hi chuan a tir atanga a tawp thleng in , pathian a awm leh awm loh lam ani lova, pathian hi awm ani tih ani tawp mai ani.
November 21st, 2007 at 12:51 am
Sum hmuh nana tu in emaw an ziah chawtak khuk a khuk pui vak angai love.
Zalen newspaper poh an lar phah in anin hralh hnem phah maithei, mahse nakinah Lalpa hmaah aninsawifiah ala ngai ang.
November 21st, 2007 at 6:38 am
Christianity is base on Judaism not buddhism
November 21st, 2007 at 7:06 am
Lo in ang pawh ni teh reng ang. That’s what “faith” is all about - despite weird similarities, lack of physical evidences, despite insinuations that sounds so convincing, believing in what we believe in. If they can, they’ll turn everything including the Bible into just another history book that we study in school and forget about. Risk pawn rin luih tlat mai tur
November 21st, 2007 at 7:55 am
H.Vangchhia Says:
It is said that everything in the universe is related…
It will be nice to be related to Jessica Alba, but not to Osama Bin Laden.
November 21st, 2007 at 10:24 am
The bottom line is “Our Faith is Blind Faith”. We’ll see the reality only when we see God, well, that is also ‘faith’!