Buddhist Buddha vs Jesus

For those saying the 2 witnesses in Revelation as being killed by the beast, that is in our future. As far as we know Enoch & Elijah still live; hopefully they will not be slain by the beast but the prophecy points to that.

Revelation 11

Enoch: Genesis 5:21-24

Elijah: 2 Kings 2

They both have many followers who misinterpret their words...

ananda said:

No, their teachings are radically different. I consider them polar opposites in most respects...

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Gasan disagrees with you...

Quote:

icxn said:

Gasan disagrees with you...

Quote:

A university student while visiting Gasan asked him: "Have you ever read the Christian Bible?"
"No, read it to me," said Gasan.
The student opened the Bible and read from St. Matthew: "And why take ye thought for rainment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these... Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."
Gasan said: "Whoever uttered those words I consider an enlightened man."
The student continued reading: "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."
Gasan remarked: "That is excellent. Whoever said that is not far from Buddhahood."​

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Thank you, but I don't follow or practice Zen. Zen/Mahayana/Tibetan teachings are quite divergent from what is taught in the earliest Buddhist texts, IMO.

Basil the Great said:

You are correct. The Bible never conclusively denies the possibility of reincarnation, despite what many on this website will claim. The Elijah passage that you mentioned certainly leaves open the possibility. Yes, I know that most of you hear will claim that the Elijah prophecy was fulfilled by John the Baptist, simply because he came with the power and spirit of Elijah. However.... the Malachi prophecy did not say that God would send someone with the power and the spirit of Elijah. No, my friends, Malachi said that God would send Elijah! Not only that, but I did some research recently, and I was surprised to find that a minority of Jews have professed a belief in reincarnation in the past. Hence, we should not so quickly dismiss the doctrine of reincarnation. While I do not profess a belief in the doctrine, neither do I dismiss the possibility that perhaps some souls do reincarnate.

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Resurrection from the dead, being a doctrine that teaches that we are resurrected in a glorified and bodily state, which the Bible does talk about, would seem to preclude any notion of the transmigration of souls. As would the many instances of Christ describing eternal judgement after death.

The rich man that didn't treat Lazarus correctly, doesn't get a second chance. He doesn't receive another life in order to warn his kin. Likewise the problem is also raised that if reincarnation is true and we are to presume the final judgement is also true, who will we be raised as? What if at one point I was a Coptic Ethiopian man, then at one point a Syrian Muslim Girl? Whose life will God judge me by or raise me up as?

I think to suggest reincarnation as a possibility offers way too many contradictions in the Biblical narrative and it does not fit easily into the text or worldview of Christianity which has never dogmatized such an opinion.

Daniel9v9 said:

Christ and Buddha make exclusive and contrary claims and are entirely incompatible. There is no Gospel in Buddhism. It's pure work-righteousness and idolatry.

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It is not idolatry because there is no idol.

Daniel9v9 said:

It's worship of man, which is idolatry. By trusting in their own works, they elevate and crown themselves, and so reject God.

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You don't understand Buddhism.

Ignatius the Kiwi said:

Resurrection from the dead, being a doctrine that teaches that we are resurrected in a glorified and bodily state, which the Bible does talk about, would seem to preclude any notion of the transmigration of souls. As would the many instances of Christ describing eternal judgement after death.

The rich man that didn't treat Lazarus correctly, doesn't get a second chance. He doesn't receive another life in order to warn his kin. Likewise the problem is also raised that if reincarnation is true and we are to presume the final judgement is also true, who will we be raised as? What if at one point I was a Coptic Ethiopian man, then at one point a Syrian Muslim Girl? Whose life will God judge me by or raise me up as?

I think to suggest reincarnation as a possibility offers way too many contradictions in the Biblical narrative and it does not fit easily into the text or worldview of Christianity which has never dogmatized such an opinion.

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For the most part, I agree. However..... there is no easy way around Jesus' statement about John the Baptist and Elijah. Again, for those who like to interpret Scripture literally, the Malachi prophecy did not say that God would send someone with the power and the spirit of Elijah. No, Malachi said that God would send Elijah!

Daniel9v9 said:

The idea that good deeds, meditation or purification methods results in a blessed rebirth - a new life ...

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Sounds good & reasonable to me.

mathinspiration said:

What are the differences and similarities? Could they be same person reincarnation?

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I see both Buddha and Christ were both God's Messengers. I see they both were the same Holy Spirit sent by God to give a specific Message. These messages appear to differ, as they gave specific advice to a chosen audience. All God's Messages are in fact, suitable for all Humanity.

Regards Tony

crossnote said:

Hebrews 9:27 (KJV) And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

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Except there is also a 2nd death,

Revelation 2:11 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.'

We also know Elijah returns as does Christ.

Thus this subject has meaning that needs to be explored.

Regards Tony

mathinspiration said:

What are the differences and similarities? Could they be same person reincarnation?

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Reincarnation tends to only happen to angels, so Jesus wouldn't be subject to reincarnation.

Tony Bristow-Stagg said:

I see both Buddha and Christ were both God's Messengers. I see they both were the same Holy Spirit sent by God to give a specific Message. These messages appear to differ, as they gave specific advice to a chosen audience. All God's Messages are in fact, suitable for all Humanity.

Regards Tony

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Does the Bahai faith allow one to see God and Christ as the Buddha's messengers?

ananda said:

Does the Bahai faith allow one to see God and Christ as the Buddha's messengers?

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That is a very deep question. The most important aspect to address this in detail, I think, is that we can never know the Essence of God. The door of that knowledge is closed and beyond the capacity of our mind. Thus all our meditations and all our devotions will always bring our self back to the Buddha. Our greatest enlightenment would be to see only what is of the Buddha.

Baha'u'llah has said that all of God's Messengers are revealing the One and same Spirit and that all we can know of God, is the Messengers. Thus if we see Buddha as God it is not wrong, as all the Good that is the Buddha, is good from God.

So what I see is that the Buddha is Christ, is Baha'u'llah, is Zoroaster, is Moses, is Abraham, is the Bab, is Krishna and is Muhammad. These names are but a rainbow refracted from pure white light.

They One and all, are all we can know of God and in this knowledge we also, all become One

Regards Tony

Tony Bristow-Stagg said:

Except there is also a 2nd death,

Revelation 2:11 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.'

We also know Elijah returns as does Christ.

Thus this subject has meaning that needs to be explored.

Regards Tony

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The second death is an event that wipes this world out so we can live in a new one.

In a way, that's the closest the resurrectionist Christianity gets to re-incarnation .. it's a very long long long delayed re-incarnation.

Michael Collum said:

The second death is an event that wipes this world out so we can live in a new one.

In a way, that's the closest the resurrectionist Christianity gets to re-incarnation .. it's a very long long long delayed re-incarnation.

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Except the 2nd birth can also can happen in ones life time.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

This world will not be wiped out, but literal interpretation of scripture does need to be wiped out and it will when science and religion embrace.

Regards Tony

Tony Bristow-Stagg said:

Except the 2nd birth can also can happen in ones life time.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

This world will not be wiped out, but literal interpretation of scripture does need to be wiped out and it will when science and religion embrace.

Regards Tony

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A scientific interpretation of scripture would indicate the sun explodes leaving all the souls in the earth in the emptiness of space.