When Buddha Meets Christ - A Complete Record of the Struggle Between Eastern and Western Figure Art (Full-Color Illustration Treasure Edition)

Author: Liu Hui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: It is generally believed that Siddhartha Gautama was born in 566 BCE, but many modern scholars suggest 480 BCE is more likely. Approximately five centuries later, Jesus was born. It is commonly accepted that Jesus was born in the year zero, but unlike this widespread speculation, this book argues he was born in 4 BCE, around the time of King Herod's death. Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, belonged to the Gautama family of the Shakya clan and was the son of a king. (The Buddha is also called Shakyamuni, meaning the sage of the Shakya clan). Jesus' father was a carpenter or stonemason, and Jesus and his brothers likely learned their father's trade. Beyond this, we know very little about Jesus' early life. Siddhartha was married and had a son. Both men entered history through profound religious conversions—Jesus at about the age of 30, and Siddhartha at about 35. Jesus was likely a member of the prophetic movement initiated by John the Baptist, when he received baptism from John in the Jordan. Siddhartha first renounced worldly pleasures and underwent years of ascetic practices before abandoning extreme asceticism and, ultimately, attained enlightenment through meditation near the Ganges River. Both became itinerant preachers. Jesus initially gained public attention and attracted followers as an exorcist and healer. Before his final days in Jerusalem, he mainly ministered to the lower classes in Galilee and northern Palestine, likely for only one year, at most three. Siddhartha probably demonstrated his extraordinary abilities through yoga meditation. Over about 50 years, he primarily preached in major towns and cities of the Ganges Plain to people from all social strata. Both founded devoted communities. Both were adept at adapting to specific situations and occasions, delivering wisdom tailored to particular events. In their sermons, both frequently used parables, smiles, irony, exaggeration, and other techniques, avoiding obscure speculations. Both emphasized the importance of morality but did not value ritualistic purity. Both the Buddha and Jesus despised worldly wealth and power, though their teachings included radical social advocacy, their primary focus was not social change but establishing a kingdom where individuals could attain salvation. Both taught a doctrine of transforming one's life by committing to an absolute, infinite, and eternal truth. Siddhartha advocated the "Middle Way," a path between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-restraint he had personally experienced, alleviating the suffering caused by the unsatisfactory nature of existence through ethical living and spiritual awakening. Jesus preached the necessity of entering the "Kingdom of God," a spiritual realm of love and justice. He demonstrated his teachings through personal experience, proving the power of divine salvation and thereby completing the Old Testament and human experience. Both clashed with the prevailing religious institutions of their time—Siddhartha with the Brahmins, and Jesus with the Pharisees. P21