Jesus & Buddha

Jesus & Buddha


Brett Schopen

Western Traditions 201

10/29/94


Disciple?:  I have heard that you are two of the wisest men in the land and so I

have come to you in hopes of advise. I am scared for my future and for the

future of my newborn      daughter.  Can you tell me what is in store for us or

give me an assurance me that we      will be all right? Jesus:  Do not worry

about your life. Do not worry about food, drink, the body.  Life is more than

these things. Believe in your heavenly Father.  He knows what you need and will

provide you with it if you practice and have faith in his teachings. Strive for

the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to

you as well. Buddha:  No. Comfort in the present and future must come from

inside the self , not from      a God.  In meditation you will find the truth of

life that will set you free from worry.


               Don't chase after the past,

               Don't seek the future;

               The past is gone

               The future hasn't come

               But see clearly on the spot

               That object which is now,

               While finding and living in

               A still, unmoving state of mind.


     This focus on the present is the beginning of the path to enlightenment

which is comfort      through understanding.  When you are able to keep your

mind focused on the present      in a ‘still, unmoving state of mind' you have

reached enlightenment, where you will be beyond all emotion including

suffering and worry.


Jesus:  That is not so.  A search for the entire true of life can never make you

content in      your life because you can never know everything there is.  That

is for God alone to know.  To enter the kingdom of heaven you must have

faith in our Father.  You must trust in His wisdom even in hard times.

For to know all and understand all you  would be a god.  And putting

yourself on a platform with God is disrespectful and      blasphemous.  But if you

follow His laws your suffering will end in the hereafter.


Buddha:  Truth is available to all people not just gods.  For truth is in all

things in the      universe.  We only have to learn not to react with emotion to

see it.  If you can master      not reacting through meditation you will see the

true nature of the universe that lies      behind the illusion of emotion.  In this

truth you will see the cause and effect  relationship of all things and

in that an order which will bring you understanding and comfort.


Disciple?:  What are the truths and teachings you speak of?


Jesus:  In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.   Always

live by      this rule and respect your Father and you will one day be

allowed to walk beside Him in the kingdom of heaven.


Buddha:  In this we do not much differ.  The most fundamental truth is to have

compassion for all creatures. Without this you can never end suffering .

"If a man foolishly does me wrong, I will return to him the protection of

my ungrudging love.  In      trying to cause another anguish you only 
This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Academic Library. Please register below now!









Subscribe to Academic Library
When you subscribe to the Academic Library, you get 24-hour access to the online database containing full-text articles written by thousands of scholarly students. For only $8.95 per month, you receive unlimited monthly access to view and download all of our 40,000 articles available online. That is less than the price of one textbook!
This price includes:

24-hours-a-day, 7 days a week unlimited access on any computer with Internet access
Complete access to all 40,000 articles, essays, and research papers
Ability to view and download virtually unlimited number of documents
Ability to browse through perfectly arranged catalog of articles
Superior search and relevancy ranking techniques using Google SiteSearch and our local search engine
Instant access to the online database after registration


You can pay by credit card, checking account. You get instant access after registration:


You will be billed $ 8.95 every 30 days (recurring billing) starting on the day you subscribe.

Your credit card will automatically be renewed for your convenience until you cancel.




If you are already registered, please click here to login.