Virtue Magazine

However, Buddhism and Christianity have significant and fundamental differences, which result from differences between Jesus and Buddha themselves. Jesus and Buddha differ primarily in their nature, their methods of deliverance for humanity, their conceptions of the problem of humanity, and the focus of their teachings.

Buddha and Jesus differ primarily in that Jesus is God, and Buddha was not. To be more precise, Buddhists do not consider Buddha a god even though they attribute many transcendental attributes to him (Pyysiainen, 149). Jesus is unique in that he is fully God and fully man, which Buddha is not (Pyysiainen, 149).

Immediately upon his birth, Buddha is supposed to have walked seven steps and claimed that that birth was his last (Silk; 864, 868). He knew that he would reach nirvana in that life (Silk, 864). As an adult, however, he was so sheltered from suffering that he went into shock when he finally encountered it (Silk, 869). He then spent several years seeking knowledge of the solution for suffering (Eerdman’s 224; Silk, 864). He sought instruction from Brahminic teachers (Eerdman’s 224). Dissatisfied with the teaching of the Brahmins, he turned to asceticism (Eerdman’s 224). Only when asceticism failed him did he hit upon the ideas that became Buddhism.

Jesus, on the other hand, was omniscient from the beginning of time. As God, Jesus sought instruction from no one. Even in his childhood, the Bible says that he astonished the teachers in the temple with his knowledge.

After three days they [his parents] found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers (Lk. 2:46-47).

Jesus had direct communication with his Father, even in his time on the earth. He did not have to spend days under a fig tree to learn the secrets of life. To prove his divinity, Jesus rose from the dead. This fact radically distinguishes Jesus from Buddha, who is thought to be the incarnation of a god but did not rise from the dead (Eerdman’s 226).

Because he was God, Jesus was able to offer deliverance to humanity in a completely different way than Buddha did. Simply a great teacher, Buddha could only teach men how to deliver themselves by following the Eightfold Path, which is a set of moral instructions (Eerdman’s 231). In contrast, Jesus’ followers can claim Jesus’ perfect morality for themselves, based on no effort of their own. Their deliverance is based on Jesus’ sacrifice.

Buddha’s and Jesus’ methods of deliverance differed because they disagreed on the nature of the problem from which man needs deliverance. Buddhism seeks deliverance from the evil of suffering, from which Buddha had been sheltered until adulthood (Eerdman’s 223, 232). When he finally became aware of it, he realized that the whole world is full of suffering (Eerdman’s 223-224). Therefore, desire of anything material and worldly will cause suffering, because everything material and worldly is decaying and passing away (Eerdman’s 230; Silk, 871). Ultimately, his followers hope to attain nirvana, where they will no longer suffer from desire (Eerdman’s 232).

Jesus addressed the problem of suffering by addressing the source of the decay and impermanence of the world, rather than its result. According to his teaching, the decay of the world results from man’s rebellion against God. Man’s rebellion separates him from God, who alone is permanent and eternal. Jesus took the punishment that men deserve, enabling them to live eternally with the eternal God. Man suffers from unsatisfied worldly desires because he really desires God. Jesus’ solution is not to kill the desires, as Buddha aimed to do. Jesus’ solution is to satisfy the desires in himself.

The teachings of Buddha and Jesus focus in opposite directions. The Eightfold Path directs Buddhists to focus inwardly on their desires and actions. In contrast, the two greatest biblical commandments command Christians to love God and their neighbors – a focus completely away from the self.

And he [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 22:37-39).

Buddha and Jesus differ in nature, in their methods of deliverance, their conceptions of the problem of humanity, and the focuses of their moral teachings. Jesus is fully God and fully man, Buddha is not. Jesus offers his followers deliverance, but Buddha taught his followers how to save themselves. Jesus satisfies the insatiable desires of his followers in himself, Buddha attempts to eradicate the desires. Jesus teaches his followers to focus on God and others, Buddha’s teaching leads his followers to focus inwardly. These four fundamental differences between Buddha and Jesus summarize the crucial differences between their respective religions.

Works Cited

Eerdman’s Handbook to the World’s Religions. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994.

Holy Bible. English Standard Version. Wheaton: Good News Publishers, 2001.

Pyysiainen, Ilkka. “Buddhism, Religion, and the Concept of ‘God.’” Numen: International Review for the History of Religions 2003: 50. 147-171. Academic Search Premiere. EBSCO Host. Centennial Library. 01 Feb 2006 < http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=9428364&scope=site>.

Silk, Jonathan A. “The Fruits of Paradox: On the Religious Architecture of Buddha’s Life Story.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion Dec. 2003: 71. ATLA Religion Database. EBSCO Host. Centennial Library. 01 Feb 2006 < http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&an=ATLA0001463298&scope=site>.