Buddha And Jesus Comparison Essay

Superior Essays
Jesus and Buddha’s Differences
Jesus preached: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12) [Currie]. Similarly, Buddha stated: "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful" (Udana-Varga 5:18) [Currie]. Clearly, these two great religious figures shared the same beliefs regarding the golden rule. They both taught that mankind should treat one another as they would want to be treated. Although Jesus and Buddha share similarities and are two of the most well-known religious figures, they differ in their origins, religious practices, and beliefs on the afterlife. The first way that Jesus and Buddha differ is their origin. Jesus was born in Bethlehem by his mother Mary. Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. However, Buddha was born in Lubini by Queen Mayadevi. Buddha was born of a dream that his mother Mayadevi had of a mystical white elephant that entered her womb (“About Buddha”). Unlike Buddha’s mother,
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Jesus uses Christianity to tell those who believe in Christ that everyone is presented only one chance to live and once this chance is over the journey to the afterlife begins. Jesus also wants them to know that how they live their lives is up to them but requests one thing and that is to praise God. Controversially, Buddha uses Buddhism to tell those that believe in Buddhism that they may have to go through multiple lives to reach the afterlife. The reason for experiencing life more than once for those that believe in Buddhism is because they must achieve nirvana. Nirvana is achieved when a believer of Buddhism has done what they were put here in this world to do and Buddha believed in this as well as his followers. However, there is no sole creator in Buddhism that needs appraisal, instead there is belief in personal effort to achieve

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