Jesus was a Buddhist?

I'd like some opinions on this video...

Bookmark it.. and lets start a discussion

I kind of think so, though Judiac too. More like a mystic taoist, the precious pearl is the light body, and going within. And of course he was said to go to Egypt where all these things were available.

reply to post by Unity_99


this video really makes you think...

though It kinda falls apart around 43mins imho...

Still an excellent watch!

I think Jesus probably learned about Buddha/ His teaching and try to spread that in middle east, but after his death, higher ups thought they could twist his teaching add in their own version to control people. Of course, few hundreds years after, Muhammad got the information about Buddha or Jesus, and had his spin on it.

Thus we have what we have.

I think chances are... something similar to that happened... than what the books and churches are saying.

I think it doesn't really matter whether Jesus was aware of Buddhism or not. Both Jesus and the Buddha had the same archetypes of the collective unconscious active in their psyche... and so they acheived the same level of altered consciousness - enlightenment. Jesus had Buddha-consciousness, and the Buddha had Christ-consciousness.

"In the Christian tradition, we find Jesus on a cross; and this cross is also the tree of immortal life, and he is the fruit of that tree. Jesus on the cross, Buddha under the tree--these are the same figures."
-Joseph Campbell

Like I have said before. No God, much twisted for control reasons hearsay and rettoric.

God = good old duping

reply to post by Akragon


interesting thread.. s+f sadly i only have time for a quick reply

i'm gonna have to watch the vid some other time, but i have often thought that many of jesus's teaching were akin to buddha's, and in my interpretation, the christ-ian hell is simply rebirth on earth, and heaven is release from the wheel of life and death etc... just it got usurped by those who "compiled" the bible and decided to build a power structure upon a wise man's words

i enjoyed the joseph campbell quote a few posts in too, and if we are going the "campbell route" (which i would always recommend considering at the very least), then all the different teachings really just point us to the same place anyway.. it's hard to disagree with that IMO if you read enough scriptures from around the world

'...but who taught you Jesus?'
'Nobody taught me - I saw the ignorance of man to be a blemish, so I avoided it'.

Well, Buddha did live 500 years before Jesus and they had similar messages about love and forgiveness, so who knows?

I don't think he was technically a "Buddhist" per se, but I do believe Jesus took many different philosophies into account while growing up, including those of the Buddha.

I've got the video bookmarked for later, will be back when I watch it.

S&F

Watch Man from earth.

www.imdb.com...

Great film, don't want to spoil it but it is to do with the OP.

reply to post by boymonkey74


I've seen it. In my opinion it has more to say about the dynamics of skepticism than religion.

reply to post by Akragon

Possibly an interesting topic but provide some background other than "watch this 45 minute video and get back to me".

Originally posted by boymonkey74
Watch Man from earth.

www.imdb.com...

Great film, don't want to spoil it but it is to do with the OP.

Ha...yeah although if that was true I would punch him in the face for making such a mess of things!

It's funny cause I always tell people I want to be a Buddhist follower of Jesus...

reply to post by Akragon


Considering Buddha was an atheist and Jesus said He was the Son of God I would venture to say no. Not to mention Ive never heard of a buddhist who kept the feasts and high holy days of the Jews.

I apologize for not giving a description of the video... I was in a hurry.

This video covers a different point of view of the resurrection of Jesus... In which he survives the crucifixion and travels to various places In the east.

He ends up in india, which is where they claim he actually died.

It also gives a brief description of The life of Issa which many claim are the actual teachings of Jesus which were found in a Tibetan Monistary In 1894 by one Nicolas Notovitch.

The video even claims to show the place Jesus was buried which is where the video falls apart in my opinion.

Regardless of the claims in this video... its well worth the watch

Hey, Akra! Good thread - a revisit of that theory.

s/f

There is a very well-respected Khashmiri professor named Fida Hassnain who maintains that very idea. He co-wrote a book entitled

The Fifth Gospel: New Evidence from the Tibetan, Sanskirt, Arabic, Persian and Urdu Sources about the Historical Life of Jesus Christ after the Crucufixion

That, while not the most well-published volume (it skips around a bit and has some typos) - it's a print on demand text, but is LOADED with pictures, facts, and very credible historical research.

Personally, I believe it.

The resurrection was, as far as I can tell so far, a myth. It is amazing how much Christianity changed from its earliest version over the centuries - it became something entirely different and the history of that transformation should be required reading. I recommend (for those who like to read things, which I know, OP, you don't :p ) Karen Armstrong's A History of God wiki page

A History of God is a best-selling book by Karen Armstrong. It details the history of the three major monotheistic traditions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Also included in the book are Buddhism and Hinduism. The evolution of the idea of God is traced from its ancient roots in the Middle East up to the present day.

It is a free downloadable pdf here
as well as for sale at Amazon

It's been made a feature-length documentary as well,
There really is no way to separate Jesus from older theological traditions, including Greek, Roman, Hindu and Buddhist thought -- and anyone who is earnestly studying should read these books and think hard about this issue. The modern Christian church has very little resemblance to its original inception. It's a construct of man. Period.

reply to post by NOTurTypical

Considering Buddha was an atheist and Jesus said He was the Son of God I would venture to say no.

No, Buddha was NOT an atheist. He believed that God - or the Source - was emanent in the world and within us and that it was "inappropriate" and improper to try to have a personal understanding of "God."

And, No, Jesus did NOT say he was "The Son of God."

Furthermore, that reported exclamation while on the cross: "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" was originally uttered by someone else much earlier.

the Rabbis themselves did not
preach a lugubrious, ascetic, life-denying spirituality.
On the contrary, they insisted that Jews had a duty to keep well and happy. They frequently depict the Holy Spirit 'leaving' or 'abandoning' such
biblical characters as Jacob, David or Esther when they were sick or unhappy. [97] Sometimes they made them quote Psalm Twenty-two when
they felt the Spirit leave them: 'My God, my God, why have you deserted me?' This raises an interesting question about Jesus's mysterious cry
from the cross, when he quoted these words. The Rabbis taught that God did not want men and women to suffer.

(page 77 in the hardback edition of Armstrong's book and page 41 of the pdf, in Chapter 2, which is entitled "One God")

It's so sad that some people simply can't see the reality of how it all evolved, and instead stick to your incorrect ideas.
NuT, truly, I know you read voraciously; please muster the courage to read Armstrong's book. It will help you!

reply to post by wildtimes


According to BuddhaNet:

There is no almighty God in Buddhism. There is no one to hand out rewards or punishments on a supposedly Judgement Day. Buddhism is strictly not a religion in the context of being a faith and worship owing allegiance to a supernatural being.

And Jesus was killed for the blasphemy of claiming to be the Son of God. Please don't lecture me. Psalm 22 is a prophecy of the crucifixion. It's written 1st person singular as Christ hung on the cross.

reply to post by Akragon


Very cool video! S&F!

I loved that guy who said that the church wants your mind and body, and that most Christians have "left their brains in the parking lot." I chuckled out loud!

I also like the idea that the 3 wise men from the east were looking for, and found the reincarnation of a "lama" or holy man in the baby Jesus, and then had him brought to the east for education at the age of 14. Makes a lot of sense to me. But I wonder, if the story of Jesus in Kashmir is true, then when he died, did they search again for his new incarnation, and I wonder who filled the role?

reply to post by NOTurTypical


A Buddhist seeks to become "one with God."

At the outset, let me state that Buddhism is not atheistic as the term is ordinarily understood. It has certainly a God, the highest reality and truth, through which and in which this universe exists. However, the followers of Buddhism usually avoid the term God, for it savors so much of Christianity, whose spirit is not always exactly in accord with the Buddhist interpretation of religious experience. Again, Buddhism is not pantheistic in the sense that it identifies the universe with God.

On the other hand, the Buddhist God is absolute and transcendent; this world, being merely its manifestation, is necessarily fragmental and imperfect. To define more exactly the Buddhist notion of the highest being, it may be convenient to borrow the term very happily coined by a modern German scholar, "panentheism," according to which God is πᾶν καὶ ἕν (all and one) and more than the totality of existence.
www.sacred-texts.com...