The Buddha and The Christ

During the course of the semester, our class has covered the many religions in the world. Two of the religions are Buddhism and Christianity. In Phillip Novak’s book, The Worlds Wisdom, the founders of these two religions are covered. Siddhartha Gautama, also known as the Buddha, was the creator of Buddhism. On the other hand, Jesus of Nazareth, also known as the Christ, constructed the religion of Christianity. Although the Buddha and the Christ never encountered each other, there are some similarities both religions. However, there are also differences that put the religions in a distant context The origins of the Buddha and the Christ share some similar aspects. The births of the founders are from a virgin mother. For example, the mother of Jesus was Mary, who was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Also, the mother of Siddhartha was Maya, while before her conception had a dream about an, “elephant enter her body without causing her any pain” (Novak 50). In addition to the virgin mothers, the two had at least one wise man visit them after birth. For example, the Buddha had a great seer named Asita visit the palace. Likewise, the Christ had three wise men visit him at his manger. Supplementary, the pair embarked to the forest where they experienced starvation and pursued salvation. For example, the Buddha withdrew from the palace against his father’s wishes in order to free himself. While in the woods he tested starvation but realized it was not good for the human body. Furthermore, the Christ retreated to the woods after hearing about John the Baptist’s death. During his time in the woods he spent forty days and forty nights in starvation. These main points of the Buddha and the Christ prove how similar the two religions are. However, just are there were some similarities; the Buddha and the Christ have differences. One of the most notable distinctions was the social class each belongs to. The Buddha was born to a father who was king, where he lived in a palace. On the other hand, the Christ was born to a father who was a carpenter, where he lived in a small home near shepherds. The Buddha’s father, Shuddhodana, attempted to keep the Buddha away from the forest by locking him in the palace, and gave him a maiden who eventually bore him a son. The Christ’s father, Joseph did not stop Jesus from practicing a religious life nor gave him a maiden. Another example is when Jesus performed miracles to his followers. The Christ healed the sick and the blind and was accepting of all people. Lastly, the Christ was executed on the cross and his mother witness’ his death. Furthermore, the Buddha’s mother died seven days after his birth and died peacefully. The differences and similarities of the Christ and the Buddha are very clear and easy to understand. The Christ lived his life with a group of followers preaching his good news. Otherwise, the Buddha lived his life in mediation searching for Nirvana. However, the two had a common goal for mankind, to learn the importance of salvation.