Virtue Magazine

Siddharta Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha, was the son of the raja of Kapilavastu (Eerdman’s 223). His father, Shuddhodanna, utterly spoiled him with multiple palaces, luxurious living, and beautiful women (Eerdman’s 222-223). Jesus Christ, by contrast, was born to a carpenter in a barn and laid in a feeding trough. Nevertheless, although Jesus and Buddha grew up in such different circumstances, they have some things in common. Each taught moral living and proposed a solution for evil. Each was supposed to have been born of a virgin (Eerdman’s 222). Each began his ministry in mid-life, and founded a religion.