Frank Goad
Well-Known Member
Here it says he was: 10 Christ-like Figures Who Pre-Date Jesus - Listverse
What do Buddhists and Christians make of this?
What do Buddhists and Christians make of this?
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Was buddha like christ?
- Thread starter Frank Goad
- Start date
Yes and no.
Secret Chief
Vetted Member
I didn't know the Buddha had plucked someone's eye out. But then I didn't know the Somadeva was a Buddhist book.
I think not.
Christ believed in an omnipotent, lawmaking, judgemental, sentient God; a Strong-Father figure. Christianity is a deontological, rule governed, hierarchical system, enforced by reward and punishment.
Buddhism has none of these features. It's more like a psychotherapeutic modality.
Christ believed in an omnipotent, lawmaking, judgemental, sentient God; a Strong-Father figure. Christianity is a deontological, rule governed, hierarchical system, enforced by reward and punishment.
Buddhism has none of these features. It's more like a psychotherapeutic modality.
Oh, fantastic. Zeitgeist again. It still hasn't stopped being factually inaccurate in several places and an example of what sloppy comparative religion looks like. Yup, it was garbage years ago and still garbage now.
See Zeitgeist, the movie Debunked - Introduction - Zeitgeist Exposed - Skeptic Project
See Zeitgeist, the movie Debunked - Introduction - Zeitgeist Exposed - Skeptic Project
Yazata
Active Member
The Buddha never claimed to be the "son of God" or God's human incarnation or anything like that. He never speaks of a monotheistic-style God at all. He does seem to have acknowledged the many polytheistic gods of his time and place, but they play no role in his system of salvation. That being said, being a Buddha is a very exalted spiritual state that might arguably have some of the characteristics of divinity. (Especially as conceived in the Mahayana traditions.)
Like Jesus, he was the founder of a very successful religious tradition. Or at least very successful religious traditions were started in each of their names. (It's very hard to separate the men from the subsequent traditions.)
While Jesus is supposed to have been a savior somehow in his own right, the Buddha taught a path to salvation. In Buddhism, each person has to save themselves. Though that being said, there are some Buddhist traditions that believe that it's so hard to save one's self that way, that one's goal should be to seek rebirth in a heavenly realm where enlightenment is easier to achieve, by calling upon particular Boddhisattvas in prayer.
The Buddha is never said to have been martyred, nor is he supposed to have been resurrected after his death. He is said to have died at the ripe old age of 80, of natural causes. Or maybe, since in ancient times (in both Greece and India) '80 years old' basically meant a 'long and full life' so it might not have been exactly 80 years. (Many ancient Greeks were supposed to have lived till 80.) And there are some Buddhist traditions that consider the Buddha immortal and that his death was just his leaving the Earthly plane. But most accept he was a man who died.
In Buddhism, the Buddha isn't worshipped. At least not exactly, since he is venerated bigtime, with prostrations and offerings and whatnot. But the idea isn't Abrahamic-style worship so much as honoring the Great Teacher who revealed the path to salvation in this day and age. (Buddhists believe the historical Buddha wasn't the first Buddha and won't be the last.)
Like Jesus, he was the founder of a very successful religious tradition. Or at least very successful religious traditions were started in each of their names. (It's very hard to separate the men from the subsequent traditions.)
While Jesus is supposed to have been a savior somehow in his own right, the Buddha taught a path to salvation. In Buddhism, each person has to save themselves. Though that being said, there are some Buddhist traditions that believe that it's so hard to save one's self that way, that one's goal should be to seek rebirth in a heavenly realm where enlightenment is easier to achieve, by calling upon particular Boddhisattvas in prayer.
The Buddha is never said to have been martyred, nor is he supposed to have been resurrected after his death. He is said to have died at the ripe old age of 80, of natural causes. Or maybe, since in ancient times (in both Greece and India) '80 years old' basically meant a 'long and full life' so it might not have been exactly 80 years. (Many ancient Greeks were supposed to have lived till 80.) And there are some Buddhist traditions that consider the Buddha immortal and that his death was just his leaving the Earthly plane. But most accept he was a man who died.
In Buddhism, the Buddha isn't worshipped. At least not exactly, since he is venerated bigtime, with prostrations and offerings and whatnot. But the idea isn't Abrahamic-style worship so much as honoring the Great Teacher who revealed the path to salvation in this day and age. (Buddhists believe the historical Buddha wasn't the first Buddha and won't be the last.)
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Sand Dancer
Currently catless
In Tibetan Buddhism, the historical Buddha is worshiped, along with many other meditation Buddhas. In other types of Buddhism, he is not.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Absolutely not.Here it says he was: 10 Christ-like Figures Who Pre-Date Jesus - Listverse
What do Buddhists and Christians make of this?
The Buddha didn't posses magical superpowers like Christ, nor was there any deity or kingdom involved where people go to places of rewards or punishments.
There are similarities like compassion and kindness but that's where it begins and ends.
Not in my studies. There are sects that certainly worship. Also worship/venerate aren't really distinct modalities.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Its pretty much Hinduism in drag.
Like Christianity, Buddhism is no different with its exceptions.
I wouldn't call it that. Mostly because it's a rude remark.
It's still Buddhism just because you don't agree with their methods. You don't get to decide what is or isn't Buddhism for someone else.
There are the Four Dharma Seals that are used to discern Buddhadharma from "sorta-looks-like-Buddhism." There was a lot of propaganda surrounding Buddhism, which began during Buddha's lifetime and continues down to this day (Fake Buddha quotes internet memes being a modern example)
Buddhism in a Nutshell: The Four Seals of Dharma (lionsroar.com)
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If you are looking for divinity in the Buddhist sense, there are the four sublimes states. I would say both Buddha and Jesus exhibited them.
- loving-kindness or benevolence (mettā)
- compassion (karuṇā)
- empathetic joy (muditā)
- equanimity (upekkhā)
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Maybe it's best to reverse the perspective.
Is the character of Christ the same as the Buddha?
I go for a boots on the ground descriptor of the Buddha and not the mythological descriptor that people have surrounded the Buddha with.