Since this comes up often about Jesus- Did Lord Buddha exist?

[Engyo]

As long as we're on this topic, was Jesus perhaps the Maitreya Buddha?

Jesus doesn't fit the primary condition for Maitreya's advent; namely that the Dharma will have faded from the minds and understanding of the people of this world (samsara) and as the next Buddha Maitreya will begin a new dispensation by teaching the Dharma anew. We were still in the age of the True Dharma when Jesus lived and taught; we hadn't even reached the age of the Semblance Dharma yet. We are currently in the Dharma Ending age; but it is forecast to be at least ten thousand years long, and we have been in this age for less than a millenium (however you calculate it's beginning) as of today. By this reckoning, we have another 9,000 years or so to go before Maitreya makes his advent.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I don't know if Jesus was the Maitreya or not. There are many things about him that fit the description, but I'm sure some would disagree. The Maitreya, at least in Pure Land tradition, was to be a person who completed the Buddha's dharma, and brought in a new dispensation so to speak. The Buddha would then grow to have less and less followers as the Maitreya grew to have more. The Maitreya would also be born in a manner similar to Lord Buddha, that he would be born at night, and also die at night. Jesus was born at night, and if you count the darkness at the time of his death, he died at night. The Buddha also references the Maitreya's teaching in the Dhammapada, where he says: "If you have a treasure, and someone else comes along with a better treasure, sell the treasure which you have and buy that treasure."

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Like I said though, I don't know if Jesus was Maitreya or not.

 

[aoji]

As is the myth that the man Jesus was born of a virgin.

Or maybe it could be that what virgin means is that when the two made love they were in love and didn't experience lust, that she was very feminine, loving, a patient lover, ladylike, didn't make animal sounds, or talked dirty. The male lover didn't "take her," he was patient and their love making was to give their partner pleasure instead of being selfish.

 

[psychoslice]

He existed but there is a lot of myth surrounding his story of his life, as also with the man Jesus.

 

[JoStories]

I think it significant in that Buddha may be the first known materialist.

A materialist? How so? He, IMO, would have been the antithesis of a materialist.