The Hidden Story Of Jesus part 2/7
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I've already heard of the remarkable similarities between the life stories of
of Krishna and Jesus, but here in India there's another important religious figure
also the result of a miraculous birth, who was tempted by the devil before beginning his
public ministry at the age of thirty, who performed miracles such as walking on water
and the feeding of five hundred and he challenged the established religious order
and presented an alternative way of understanding the world
he spread his teachings and wisdom through parables and sayings
now, all sounds extraordinary familiar, but I'm not talking about Jesus
But the prince Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha
I am now on northern India in the four hills of the Himalayas
After the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, this area became the spiritual home of
Tibetan Buddhism. In my search of the hidden story of Jesus I've come here to investigate
the similarities between Jesus and Buddha.
More than four hundred years before Jesus appear in Palestain, prince Siddhartha Gautama
was born. The only son of a local king. According to tradition, his mother Maya
gave birth to him miraculously. Like Jesus he was also predicted to become a great
man from birth, and wise men travelled to see him
As Siddhartha neared his thirty years birthday, He began to realize the world
was full of pain and suffering, so he decided to leave home and take up a
life of a wandering monk.
for the next six years he meditated on the sufferings of the world. Like Jesus
he was also tempted by a devil figure but resisted. finally one day was sitting
under a tree he found enlightenment, and began his ministry to teach the world
about Dharma, or the right way of living.
Today, Buddhism has spread all over the world and has over 3 hundred million followers.
I had arranged to meet Tai Situ Rinpoche, the twelfth incarnation
of a Buddhist Lama or spiritual master. He can trace his lineage back to one of
prince Siddhartha's original disciples.
Buddha as we know was born miraculously and we know that he like Jesus
was tempted by the devil and we know that he performed miracles, and there's some
miracles which are very similar to the miracles of Jesus, walking on water
we know that Jesus' life, he challenges the religious order and so does Buddha
So, I mean, how do you understand the similarities that there are in their lifes,
just in their lifes, and the way that they matter?
This is interesting because on Earth we cannot find one person who don't like
to be happy and who like to suffer. We cannot find one. Everybody like to be happy
everybody don't want to suffer. So the teaching of Buddha is based on that,
the teaching of Christ is based on that. And the why I think is because both of them
are humans. But the good thing is if you're following pure Christian lineage and then
You are following the path already.
In the new testament in John's Gospel, Jesus taught that "I am the way the truth and the life"
And then by following him you can enter the kingdom of god
Buddha told that if you follow his path and live a moral life
a mind full of your thoughts and actions and develop wisdom and compassion
You can reach enlightenment too; in their teachings both Jesus and Buddha
provide a very practical guide to personal transformation that is remarkably similar
Do to others as you have been doing to you
Consider others as yourself
Professor Duncan Derrett has been studying Buddhism for the past fifty years
Any Buddhist hearing the sermon about in the way to save himself
Here is the teaching of a Buddha for sure.
If someone strikes on the right cheek offer him the other also
If anyone should give you a blow with his hand with a stick or with a knife
you should abandon any desires and utter no evil words
the Buddha and Jesus were attempting to achieve the same object.
That an individual could be shown how to be righteous. righteousness is a technical term
amongst the Jews and amongst Christians. A righteous person will always
look out for his duty to his neighbor *
The Buddha on the other hand is looking for what is called Dharma.
And that can also be translated righteousness.
he wanted the individual to have a module*, somebody who has got rid
of anything which stands in way of he's being a perfect man.
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, Pray for those who abuse you.
For anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.
Hatreds do not ever cease in this world by hating but by love,
This is an eternal truth, overcome anger by love, overcome evil by good,
overcome the miser by giving, overcome the liar by truth.
The Buddhists think that there is a continuum of life and by perfecting yourself
where reaches a stage where is not ribbon and suffers no warm.
Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven which exists on the Earth
amongst those who are real subjects of the real king, It is God himself
These teachings are very similar, the Buddhist would understand the Christian and vice versa.
There's so much similarity even in that aspect in Buddhism and Christianity
because I spent time in monasteries and they use incense and they use rosary.
And also they use the folding in the hand during the prayer
And also we have a double duty* the cross of the bhadra *
And you have the cross, so these are... lot of similarities are there.
When you are following a path with one motivation to make everything better
make everyone free from suffering and then regardless of how long it will take
we're all going into the same direction. do you understand?
I understand, understand. So as a Christian when I look at the teachings of Buddha
and see the similarities, in some ways I'm not just following Jesus
I'm also following Buddha.
Well, I can respect that, I can respect that, but I cannot speak for you!
You have spoken!
In Tibetan Buddhism there's a type of holy figure known as a Bodhisattva.
Someone who was put a full enlightenment so they can help others along the right path
here on Earth.
Many Buddhist think Jesus was a Bodhisattva.
Before I left northern India I wanted to meet one of Tibetan's Buddhism holiest leaders.
The Gyalwa Karmapa or the one who carries out the teachings of Buddha
the seventeenth reincarnation in a line stretching back over eight hundred years.
I was granted a private audience.
How would you explain Jesus as a Buddhist, Where would you place him?
Jesus was undoubtly a great holy being for the world and from a Buddhist perspective
We can definitely recognize him as a Holy being.
When someone abandons his own self interests for the benefit of others
We can call him a Bodhisattva, although Jesus wasn't a Buddhist
We can still call him a Bodhisattva.
One of the things that amazes me about the story of Jesus and the story of Buddha
is the similarities in their teachings.
Their thoughts or teachings are similar because their motivation
is to guide others towards the right path.
If we look back into history the stories of these holy beings are always similar
During Buddha psych monist time *, the cast system was extremely prevalent
He worked very hard to undo the cast system and bring equality to all
For example there were many nouns* as there were monks.
Jesus also brought about many similar changes such as equality and justice.
Their both understood their societies problems and so challenged those dogmas.
So what could be the cause of these similarities?
At the time that the Bible was being writing,
We know that trade routes existed between India and Palestain
via the Silk Road in the north and the sea in the south.
And there are even western historical accounts of travelers, diplomats and monks
journeying from India to the middle east.
According to Indian sources, the Emperor Ashoka who ruled most of India
two hundred e fifty years before Jesus was born sent Buddhist missionaries
all over Asia and some may even had made it to Greece and Egypt.
So there is a possibility that Buddhist and early Christians could have met
and exchange ideas.
In the course of this missionary in Deva. *
Buddhist have found their way to all the major centers of learning.
And so lifes of Buddha would have found their ways to Alexandria
and we can be sure of it.
They were engaging in a common search for truth, not only to find the truth
but how individuals might achieve it whatever their backgrounds.
So you may say that there's a two ways exchange.
Yes, It is very possible. We have stories where sailors and soldiers
who went on campaigns took Buddhist teachings with them.
Some believe, and I've been informed how during Jesus' lost years he came to India
at the peak of Buddhism.
He was impressed by the teaching and took it back with him.
So yes, It is very possible.
And as Buddhism developed, the representatives of the Buddha said
that there are Buddhas in other lands and where the story of Jesus is told
and how he knowingly and deliberately throw his life away to show the result
of his teaching. That we are, that's a Buddha!
Whether Buddhist and Christians did meet or not, the similarities between the teachings
Of Jesus and Buddha are remarkable, but many Christians still find it easy to reject this
As there are thousands of miles and hundred of years away from each other.
In the next part I'll investigate two pagan gods much closer to home
and much harder to dismiss.
P.S.: I'm not sure of the accuracy of the transcription in all the words marked with *
Email me for any corrections, thank you! [email protected]