Jesus Christ: History's biggest copycat?
There are similarities between what Jesus' teahchings and those of the Buddha who lived ~500 years before. Buddhism was known of in the levant long before Jesus was supposed to have lived. Is it possible that Jesus (or possibly people who made him up) ripped of the Buddha?
Buddha- “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
Jesus- "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Buddha- “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”
Jesus- "nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Buddha- “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
Jesus (Proverbs)- “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
Buddha- “However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?”
Jesus- "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
Buddha- “Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law.”
Jesus (Proverbs)- "Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins."
Buddha- “Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.”
Jesus- "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you"
Buddha: "If anyone should give you a blow with his hand, with a stick, or with a knife, you should abandon any desires and utter no evil words."
Jesus: "If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also."
Buddha- “Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”
Jesus (Proverbs)- "A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones."
Buddha- “Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”
Jesus (Proverbs)- "A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness."
Buddha- "The faults of others are easier to see than one’s own"
Jesus- "Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?"
Buddha- "The great cloud rains down on all whether their nature is superior or inferior."
Jesus- "Your father in heaven makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous."
Buddha- "Consider others as yourself."
Jesus- "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
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I don't think what you have provided constitutes Jesus as history's biggest copycat. Several religions and philosophical views can hold common interests. The quote you have shown me don't seem like things just one person would say. These sound like some common things you would think of if you were an observer of life and a great thinker. Plenty of the verses in the bible are things many people can think of just from their experience in life. First off, since you dispute weather Jesus actually lived, how can you be so sure Buddha existed? He could be a made up figure also. That would shoot you religion right down the drain. Now, I actually believe Buddha was real. Buddha's prophecy actually came true in Jesus. Buddhist scriptures of Cambodia tell of the Holy One to come. He would lead people away from the old and introduce a new way. Buddha actually described the crucifixion of Jesus to a tee. Buddha also said this Holy One will carry you to the highest Heaven. Do not look for salvation in the old way, there is no salvation in it for sure. Quit the old way. There will be a new Spirit which will come down from the sky above to live in all your hearts. You will be victorious over your enemy and nobody will destroy you. You will go to the highest Heaven. Buddha described the Messiah perfectly. And 500 years later He came. Jesus, the son of God. Not sure how many Christians knew this. But Buddha hit it right on the head about our savior. Buddha's prophecy actually came true in Jesus. Buddhist scriptures of Cambodia tell of the Holy One to come. He would lead people away from the old and introduce a new way. Buddha actually described the crucifixion of Jesus to a tee. I think those were just Christian propaganda. It was probably written by a Christian lying about it coming from Buddha. Here is the link. It sounds authentic to me. The source is a monk in Thailand with the actual book and volume number. I also saw the translation in its native language elsewhere. http://www.jubileeresources.org Go under articles, Buddha prophesized Jesus Could this be coincidental with a few misinterpretations? I mean, you can find an old scripture or saying and make it comport with just about any other. Since it was Buddha, couldn't this "holy one" mean some sort of inner spirit? And the predictability of being led from the old and introduced to a new way of living is high, given that we know we learn new things that would induce a better way of living all the time; and, normally, it is someone that introduces us to this said new things. There will be a new Spirit which will come down from the sky above to live in all your hearts. You will be victorious over your enemy and nobody will destroy you. You will go to the highest Heaven. Can this just be a rhetorical way of saying you will find inner peace, that of which, cannot be destroyed, and, of course, that is what an enemy would want right? Thus being victorious? 1
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Please give the name of the Sutta/Sutra where this is stated. If it is a text only from Cambodia and is not believed or referred to in any other part of the Buddhist world then it is unlikely that they actually did come from Buddha. In Cambodia Buddhism absorbed the Hinduism that was there first so it is possible that the prophecy was Hindu, not Buddhist. 1
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And I do not believe that Buddha said that at all. To start off with Buddha would not have referred to anyone as being an enemy of his followers. If you have ever read any of the Buddha's texts then you would know he was against holding enmity to others. Also the Buddha taught that you should aim for Nirvana/Enlightenment, not heaven. Unless we have physical / tangible proof of who said what and when and where and why it is all simply conjecture. It is also conjecture if some of the critical individuals of our past ever existed at all. For example, Shakespeare has come under scrutiny for possibly not being the true author he is reputed to be....? Who is to know if everything we rely upon as fact is in fact, fiction or perhaps fantasy. We can debate forever the too's and fro's and there will always be those who will disagree. In all circumstances "Be here now" are quite the wisest words ever said. 1
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Jesus and Buddha are preaching the same universal religion that existed in the ancient hindu scriptures prior to both. "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God" (John 1:1) ….is also found in numerous places as openings to chapters in the ancient hindu scriptures, pretty much word for word. "In the beginning was Brahma, with whom was the Word, and the Word was verily the Supreme Brahma." (Krishna Yajurveda, Kathaka Samhita, 12.5, 27.1) This is proof of the direct influence of tradition since it is found in the opening of John's gospel. It is therefore no wonder that Buddha and Jesus have so many parallel sayings, etc,… No need to call Jesus a copycat. 1
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There is no way that what the Buddha taught is the same thing as all other religions because Buddhism is the one religion that sticks out from most others as it lacks a creator god and any belief in a soul or permanent, inherently existent self. What Buddhism teaches is very much different to common theological beliefs, like those of theistic religions such as Hinduism and Christianity. It is only that Christianity nicked some of Buddhism's moral teachings and proverbs. 1
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Most all primary teachings of the Buddha were already written in the hindu Upanishads. Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman calls Buddha a Vedantist at 25:50. The same is true with Jesus. There is plenty of evidence of hindu influence in the gospels. I already mentioned John 1:1. The sermon on the mount is another piece of the puzzle, but I don't have enough time to go into it now. Well, this looks familiar: http://www.createdebate.com/debate/show/ 1
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Religion is just a distraction. Christianity and Buddhism, what are the similarities. Most if not all religions state that there is a stage of utmost enlightenment, Nirvana for Buddhism, Heaven for christianity. But those cannot be achieved without sacrifice. Humans since the day we could think and comprehend has always had a bearing of right and wrong. People believed that the state of enlightenment could be achieved through sacrifice and doing works that are "right". But when there is a good there must be a bad, hell. Hell was not just a fear factor, it was to justify why there was a Heaven. The reason why religion is different is because though they branched out from the bearing of good and evil, were expanded by people. People have their own points of view, each has a bearing of what was right or wrong, all affected by culture, environment, and upraising. Religion is just a distraction created by man to escape the realities of life, giving them something that was easy to commit to with optimal benefits. Now for a personal view: I was a christian until I realised that Chritianity is just a distraction from life that gives you a father figure to rely on, but I questioned too much and ran out of answers to give myself and so I could not commit to something that gave me pain. So instead of distracting myself with nothing I pursued a better life through my own strength. I heard about Buddhism from a friend and I like how they practice to strive for self realisation and peace but I know that I can never achieve Nirvana as I have other worldy commitments. So all in all I feel that religion is a distraction created by man as an escape from reality, supported by human psychology studies that can justify this. 1
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I agree that religion is a distraction from reality but you cannot include Buddhism in that. To start off with Buddhism isn't a religion, by many peoples' definition of the word religion. Furthermore Buddhism doesn't allow you escape reality it encourages you to face it for what it is. The first of the four noble truths is that life is suffering. 1
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