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The Chronicles of Narnia: LWW
War of the Worlds
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First Contact, 2005
The Constant Gardener
The Gospel of Thomas
Star Wars Fan Films
About Central
The Power of Now
Peter Pan
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Dandelion Wine (aanvvv)
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The Wisdom of the Enneagram
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Soul to Soul
I Am That
Don't Make Me Think!
The God Shift
The Heart of Awareness
The Upanishads
Learning PHP5
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The Journeys of Socrates
The Bhagavad Gita
Guns, Germs and Steel
A New Earth
Spiritual Astrology
The Gospel of Thomas
Shadow of the Giant
Learn to Play Go
Nirvana and God
Buddhist-Christian Parallels
The Dharma of the Buddha, the Gospel of the Christ
Christians and Buddhists
Buddha and St. Francis of Assisi
The Dharma and the Church
Recommended Reading
as being beyond description. Most Christian denominations see the Bible as being of paramount
importance (particularly in conservative Protestantism), while the vastly larger collection of
Buddhist scriptures are seldom considered as an infallible authority except for a handful of
smaller sects.
But delving deeper, the differences become much smaller. For instance, many of the early
Church Fathers taught that in his true essence, God is unknowable and unfathomable, beyond all
words and all descriptions. This inability to speak of the divine nature is known as apophatic
(unspeakable) mysticism, which recognizes God is beyond all words and concepts, and anything
we use to say what God is falls short. God's essence (ousia), is within all things, but ever beyond
all. Similarly, the Buddhist scriptures refer to the ultimate reality as "the Uncreated," or "the
Unmanifest," an absolute Reality which is everywhere present, but beyond this perceived world,
resulting from no cause, and limited by no conditions.
Buddhist-Christian Parallels
Parallel Beginnings
God
the Unconditioned
Heaven
Nirvana
Jesus
Gautama
(Yeshua of Nazareth)
(Siddartha Gautama)
Jewish founder of Christianity
Hindu founder of Buddhism
virgin birth account
virgin birth account
tempted by Satan
tempted by Mara
Good News of the Kingdom of God the Dharma (law) of Liberation
Sermon of "Turning the Wheel of
Sermon on the Mount
Dharma"
taught in parables
taught in parables
Feet kissed by Mary Magdalene
Feet kissed by Pasanedi
Betrayed by Judas
Betrayed by Devadatta
Crucified
possibly poisoned
Ascension
Parinirvana
the Awakened One (Buddha,
the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ)
Enlightened)
Savior
Bodhisattva
Parallel developments
the Church
the Sangha
Gospels
Sutras
Tripitaka, Prajna Paramita, and many
Bible
other writings
Apostolic succession
Lineage of dharma transmission
Faith promoted 300 years later by
Faith promoted 300 years later by
Emperor Constantine
Emperor Ashoka
Church councils
Buddhist councils
missionaries
missionaries
monasteries
monasteries
After flourishing in the Middle East,
After flourishing in India, now a
now a minority religion in area of its
minority religion in area of its birth
birth
Parallel Paths
agape (spiritual love)
maitri (lovingkindness)
the world
samsara
Purification (Purgatory)
Rebirth (Reincarnation)
hell
hell realms
imago Dei (image of God)
Buddha-nature
Christ within you
Realizing your Buddha-nature
Theosis/Deification
Awakening, Enlightenment
the Way
the Dharma
chant
chant
prayer candles
saints
angels
demons
relics
Shroud of Turin
Four Spiritual Laws
10 Commandments
rosaries
icons
statues
the "Jesus Prayer"
Sign of the Cross
contemplation
New Jerusalem
sin
prayer flags
buddhas, bodhisattvas
devas
demons
relics
Buddha's Tooth
Four Noble Truths
Eightfold Path
rosaries (malas)
icons (thangkas)
statues
nembutsu
Taking Refuge
meditation
Western Paradise
dukkha (unsatisfactoriness)
Parallel Schools???
Eastern Orthodoxy
Theravada
(teachings of the Church Fathers)
(teachings of the Elders)
devotional Catholicism
Kwan Yin, Amitabha, Pure Land
(saints, Heaven)
(enlightened beings, Paradise)
Mysticism
Zen
(direct experience of God)
(direct experience of the Ultimate)
Protestantism
Nichiren, Pure Land
(Scripture and salvation)
(Scripture and salvation)
Charismatic / Pentecostal
Vajrayana
(enthusiasm)
(enthusiasm)
Dhammapada 26:399
They taught that selflessness entails a profound shift in the mind
Avoid all wrong,
Cultivate the good,
Love the Lord your God with all your
Purify the mind,
heart, all your soul, all your mind, and
This is the teaching of all the Buddhas
all your strength. . . Mark 12:30
[awakened ones].
Dhammapada 14:183
[Note: Jesus is quoting the Jewish Shema (Dt. 4:5) as the greatest commandment, but the words
all your mind are his own addition.]
Entire books can be written on the similarity (and differences) between the recorded teachings of
the Christ and the Buddha; it's beyond the scope of this modest page. But if you've been
interested enough to read this far, you might well want to explore it yourself.
St. Francis
born Giovanni Bernadone
thought his destiny was to become a
knight
privileged early life
loved Yasodhara
encounters with suffering led to
rethinking his life (sick man, old man,
corpse)
renounced world to live in joyful
poverty and chastity
rejected excessive asceticism
noted for compassion for all creatures
taught non-violence
opposed the caste system
received marks of a Buddha
tamed the mad elephant
founded a religious order with
thousands of monks and nuns by the
time of his death
tried to stop a war by King Ajatasattu
loved Clare
encounters with suffering led to
rethinking his life (POW in Perugia,
kissing the leper, etc.
renounced world to live joyful poverty
and chastity
rejected excessive asceticism
noted for compassion for all creatures
taught non-violence
opposed the class system
received stigmata after visitation
tamed the wolf of Gubbio
founded a religious order with
thousands of friars and nuns by the
time of his death
tried to stop a war by the Crusaders
Recommended Reading
The Dhammapada
This beautiful collection of short teachings in verse, which is ascribed to the Buddha
himself, and about the size of the Gospel of Mark, is the most revered of all Buddhist
Scriptures. The Thanissaro Bhikkhu translation (read it on-line) is especially beautiful
and strives to capture the poetry of the Pali original.
The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicaryavatara) by Shantideva
A magnificent poetic manifesto for those committed to saving the world. (Shambhala
edition recommended.)
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, compiled by Paul Reps, trans. Nyogen Senzaki
Several collections of wonderful Zen stories and koans which make a superb introduction
to Zen.
Soul Sword: The Way and Mind of a Zen Warrior, by Vernon Kitabu Turner
A exploration of spiritual warriorship by a teacher who has lived the path.
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
A detailed and readable treatment of Buddha's Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
Buddha, by Karen Armstrong
The famous religious historian writes an enlightening [sorry!] biography of the
Enlightened One.
What Would Buddha Do? by Franz Metcalf
101 short, funny, wise examples of practical wisdom from the Buddhist scriptures.
Saffron Days in L. A. by Walpola Piyananda
Delightful story of a Theravadin monk's life in America, with good explanations of basic
Buddhist concepts. An excellent antidote to academic essays on Buddhism.
Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies, and the Truth about Reality, by Brad Warner
a de-romanticized look at Zen as the quest of knowing Reality.
Jesus and Buddha: the Parallel Sayings by Marcus Borg
Hundreds of very similar sayings of Jesus and the Buddha arranged side-by-side for
reflection.