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Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings
Jesus and Buddha were separated by five hundred years, three thousand miles, and two drastically different cultures. Yet this trade paper edition of the highly acclaimed hardback juxtaposes passages from the New Testament and ancient Buddhist scriptures to illuminate the striking similarity between their lives, deeds, and teachings.
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
January 12th 1999
by Ulysses Press
(first published 1997)
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Jul 25, 2011
Kristal
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2011,
theology
A selection of sayings taken from the Bible and from the teachings of Buddha, showing how these two holy men were very similar in their teachings of kindness and good will toward all mankind.
The mystery lies in the fact that how does Jesus, born five hundred years after Buddha and three thousand miles away, share the same underlying message in his teachings? To what degree, if any, did Jesus know of Buddha or are they simply sharing a universal message: that as humans, we should love each other,...more
The mystery lies in the fact that how does Jesus, born five hundred years after Buddha and three thousand miles away, share the same underlying message in his teachings? To what degree, if any, did Jesus know of Buddha or are they simply sharing a universal message: that as humans, we should love each other,...more
I bought this book because I had developed a list of Buddhist sayings which were the same message as I have heard from Jesus. I have been pondering why so many people think that somehow being a Buddhist is wiser and more peaceful (and preferred) to being a Christian when the wisdom is the same. I fear it's because too many Christians are basically ignorant of the true Jesus. The USA style of Might-Makes-Right or the Fire-and-Brimstone style of religion has overshadowed the love, peace, joy and t...more
Three thousand miles from where Jesus was born, another miraculous birth occurred: the Buddha. As the Buddha walked on water, passed through walls, and raised the dead, so did Jesus in his day. As the Buddha fed 500 with a few small cakes, so did Jesus work with loaves and fishes. Five hundred years after a terrible earthquake marked the death of the Buddha, the earth shook again when Jesus breathed his last.
Given the eerie parallels between these two lives, one naturally wonders if their teachi...more
Given the eerie parallels between these two lives, one naturally wonders if their teachi...more
I'm adding this beautiful book to the small permanent pile on my nightstand. Sometimes we need a thought starter, an inspiration, a perspective, or just a zen like, calming thought. Marcus Borg has produced a succinct comparison of two of the world's great religions, by comparing the sayings of the two great leaders(?) Jesus and Buddha. This can be read sequentially or browsed for philosophic inspiration. The philosophic parallels are striking between these two men, as are the differences. Rathe...more
I've often been struck on how similar all the Salvationist religions seem to be. It's unfortunate that most of the world chooses to ignore the similarities and instead wishes to hate each other based on doctrinal differences. Just look at the current Middle Eastern situation. No doubt there are many points of difference but it appears that all the major world religions share many common points as well.
This little book is a nice reminder of how the moral and ethical systems of all major world re...more
This little book is a nice reminder of how the moral and ethical systems of all major world re...more
Simple, fast read, one could easily read it in one short setting. The comparisons do not surprise me, one would really expect any spiritual leader to espouse the qualities of charity, love, nonviolence, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, etc. What I found to be really interesting was the similarities in their lives, I had never realized how much their lives were alike before.
"There is one truth, not many."
"There is one truth, not many."
"A fascinating anthology of key beliefs within two of the world's great religions. ... If Jesus and Buddha were to meet, they would recognize one another as fellow prophets because they were teaching the same truths. This is the spirit conveyed, both in words and images, by this lavishly illustrated gift book.
Readers will cherish both the book's message and presentation. Here are two great spiritual teachers from two very different traditions guiding us - whether talking about love, wisdom, or...more
Readers will cherish both the book's message and presentation. Here are two great spiritual teachers from two very different traditions guiding us - whether talking about love, wisdom, or...more
I am flabbergasted at how much Jesus and Buddah share in their teachings, miracles, and life story. It is also really neat to see the teachings of Jesus and Buddah side by side. I would recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy a fresh look at wisdom shared by Jesus given in a different light by Buddah - or vice-versa.
A bit forced in places There are similarities in the teachings, particularly around non self and that which is a power or force or greater reality than "I" and the futility of operating through a sense of self... the necessity for surrender....and of course the universal moral principles for living with an untroubled conscience and in harmony with others.The historical and cultural differences however make direct parallells difficult in many other instances. A nice gift though
If your brain is dying down from lack of stimulation, this is a small book to carry with you to flip open and get something going on in your brain. Very interesting parallel between Western and far Eastern thought.
This is a great idea for a book, but the execution wasn't what I had hoped for. It was as if Kornfield was matching on words rather than meaning. Many of the "parallel sayings" have similar words but appear to be expressing very different ideas. Moreover, missing from the book are some profound teachings that, though worded very differently, are present in Buddhist and Christian scriptures.
I suggest skipping Kornfield's take and read the source material yourself. The Dhammapada and the Book of J...more
I suggest skipping Kornfield's take and read the source material yourself. The Dhammapada and the Book of J...more
i think the editor devalues the differences in jesus and buddha. if we are looking specifically at the text, some instances do correspond, but the context in which the texts of buddha and jesus arose from were not really talked about. also, you cannot abstract the teachings from the life of the people who have applied them. it is not so clear cut to reduce message of Christ and Buddha to mere ethics. there has been justification on both fronts for using their beliefs to justify oppression and vi...more
Feb 11, 2008
Christopher
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
the ghost of martin luther king jr.
While this book was a little different than what i was expecting it is still excellent.
I was expecting an analysis of Jesus and Buddha's sayings. A book that explored the similar teachings of these two men and placed them in context to their lives, times and other sayings. However, this book is more of a reference book. Each facing page contains one Jesus quote and one Buddha, with no commentary or analysis, except briefly in the introduction.
Still, this book is excellent and valuable to have an...more
I was expecting an analysis of Jesus and Buddha's sayings. A book that explored the similar teachings of these two men and placed them in context to their lives, times and other sayings. However, this book is more of a reference book. Each facing page contains one Jesus quote and one Buddha, with no commentary or analysis, except briefly in the introduction.
Still, this book is excellent and valuable to have an...more
A very short read and teachings that should already be known to a decent person. Similarities throughout world religions are contrasted between two icons.
I read this entire book in an hour on the elliptical.
The intro to the book and chapter intros were more interesting than the actual quotes.
Act on truth.
Be compassionate.
The intro to the book and chapter intros were more interesting than the actual quotes.
Act on truth.
Be compassionate.
Fast read. I already knew that there were similarities, but not to this extent. However, I found some of the similarities a bit of a stretch.
1 quote per page; 1 page Christian and opposite page same topic Buddhist. I guess it might work for meditation/contemplative prayer topic.
This was really interesting, how much these two have in common, makes you think about what makes a spiritual leader.
most people woudl be very surprised maybe the legend that Jesus traveled to Tibet in this 20's is true
Lovely book (almost coffee-table sized). Reminds us how truth comes from many prophets.
Excellent book. The words of two very wise men and how closely they parallel each other.
Not at all a voluminous work - many of the pages of this book contain only one or two sentences - the sayings of Jesus and Buddha. The sayings are broken up by categories such as compassion, life, and attributes. Many ties are drawn, and the book shows that while cultures of various nations/peoples may seem worlds apart, we are all still human. We have a need for spiritual leaders, and we usually look for similar characteristics in those leaders. A few of the parallel sayings truly resounded wit...more
Simply beautiful!!! Give it to your friends!!!
This is the other one. Next to read.
I never knew that Jesus and Buddha had so much in common. The first chapter to this book briefly lays out some of ther commonalities, although the author is quick to point out his upbringing in the Christian church and that he has yet to learn more about Buddha. It is not a "heavy" book to read, just interesting to see quotes from both Jesus and Buddha side by side. It also gave me more insight into just how big the universe is and how important the message of love - love of others and yourself...more
interesting comparisons
Extremely uncanny...
Why are so many Americans (read cultural Christians) drawn to Buddhism? Well, because it sure seems like Jesus was exposed to Buddhist teachings and incorporated them into his own ministry. Gasp! Something today's fundamentalists could never imagine or conceed, even after seeing how closely the wisdom teachings match.
The "Sermon on the Mount" was beautiful, both when Jesus gave it, and when the Buddha gave it 300 years earlier.
The "Sermon on the Mount" was beautiful, both when Jesus gave it, and when the Buddha gave it 300 years earlier.
Bumped up from 3 stars because I liked the format and the focus on commonalities. Would be nice if there were a companion edition giving more historical and cultural context.
Beautifully displayed sayings of both Jesus and Buddha and a comparison of their lives as well. The saying are listed under different headings such as compassion, wisdom, materialism, inner life, temptation, salvation, the future, miracles, discipleship, and attributes. The similarities are remarkable. Edited by Marcus Borg.
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Borg was born into a Lutheran family of Swedish and Norwegian descent, the youngest of four children. He grew up in the 1940s in North Dakota and attended Concordia College, Moorhead, a small liberal arts school in Moorhead, Minnesota. While at Moorhead he was a columnist for the school paper and held forth as a conservative. After a close reading of the Book of Amos and its overt message of socia...more
More about Marcus J. Borg...
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