Buddha and Jesus: Could Solomon Be the Missing Link? (61 page)
Read Buddha and Jesus: Could Solomon Be the Missing Link? Online
Authors: R. E. Sherman
12
2 Corinthians 9:6–8, 11 (NIV).
13
Exotic India, “Buddha and Christ.”
14
Acts 20:35 (NASB).
15
Dhammapada 252.
16
Matthew 7:1–5 (NKJV).
17
Heartland Sangha American Buddhism, “Parallel Sayings.”
18
Luke 6:27–28 (NIV).
19
Matthew 5:38–42 (NIV).
20
Dhammapada 249.
21
Matthew 6:1–4 (NIV).
22
Dhammapada 137–140.
23
Matthew 5:21–24 (NASB).
24
Dhammapada 240.
25
Matthew 15:18–20 (NKJV).
26
Dhammapada 36.
27
2 Corinthians 10:5b (NKJV).
Chapter Twelve Differences Between Buddha and Jesus
1
In preparing this comparison I had a Buddhist lama (who shall remain anonymous) review the bulk of the commentary about Buddhism for its fairness and accuracy. His assistance was invaluable and much appreciated.
2
See, for example, Romans 8:28 and James 1:3–4 in the New Testament.
3
Huston Smith,
The Religions of Man
(New York: Harper & Row, 1958), 106. Smith noted, “I have paraphrased slightly the discourse as it appears in Majjhima Nikaya, Sutta 63, as translated by E. J. Thomas in Early Buddhist Scriptures (London: K. Pau, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1935), pp, 64–67.”
4
Matthew 5:11–12 (NIV).
5
Lit-Sen Chang,
Asia’s Religions: Christianity’s Momentous Encounter with Paganism
(Vancouver, Canada: China Horizon, 1999), 124. Source cited as Hardy, Robert Spence.
The Legends and Theories of the Buddhists Compared with History and Science with Introductory Notices of the Life and System of Gotama Buddha,
2d ed. (London: F. Norgate, 1881), and
A Manual of Buddhism in its Modern Development,
2d ed. (London: Williams and Norgate, 1880).
6
Luke 23:40–43.
7
Psalm 37:4 (NKJV).
8
2 Thessalonians 5:16–18.
9
John 16:33b (NASB).
10
James 1:3–4.
11
Dhammapada 160 (emphasis added).
12
John 15:5b (NIV) (emphasis added).
13
Gîtassara Sutta
(A.iii.250) from “Association for Insight Meditation,”
www.aimwell.org/Books/Suttas/Ghitassara/ghitassara.html
, as cited in “Buddhist Chant,” Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_chant
, retrieved October 30, 2010.
14
John 14:6 (NIV).
15
See, for example, Ephesians 6:12.
16
John 1:3 (English Standard Version).
17
John 12:31 (NIV): “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.”
18
Ephesians 5:23–32.
19
Dhammapada 284.
20
Luke 8:3.
21
“Patimokkha,” Wikisource,
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Patimokkha
, retrieved May 23, 2011.
22
Steve Cioccolanti,
From Buddha to Jesus: An Insider’s View of Buddhism and Christianity.
(Oxford: Lion Hudson, Monarch, 2007), 119.
23
Galatians 3:28, NKJV. 24
24
Cioccolanti,
From Buddha to Jesus,
119.
25
Luke 8:1–3 (NIV).
26
John 20:11–18.
27
John 4:1–30; John 8:1–11; Luke 7:36–50.
28
Mark 1:29–31; Mark 5:25–34; Luke 13:10–17.
29
Luke 7:11–17; Matthew 15:21–28.
30
Mark 5:21–43.
31
John 11:1–44.
32
Luke 18:1–14; Mark 21:1–4.
33
Mettanando Bhikkhu, “Was the Lord Buddha a Sexist?”
Bangkok Post,
www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=8,2666,0,0,1,0
, retrieved May 24, 2011.
Chapter Thirteen Frequently Asked Questions
1
John 16:33b (NKJV).
2
Exodus 20:17.
3
Matthew 22:37–40 (NKJV).
4
Exodus 20:16.
5
Matthew 5:21–22.
6
Matthew 6:7–8a (NKJV).
7
Matthew 5:21–22.
8
Exodus 20:15.
9
Exodus 20:14.
10
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NASB).
11
Philippians 4:8–9 (NIV).
12
Matthew 7:3–5 (NKJV).
13
Matthew 6:24a (NIV).
14
James 1:5–8 (NASB).
15
Colossians 2:8–10 (NIV).
16
Matthew 24:4–5 (NIV).
17
Matthew 16:24.
18
Oswald Chambers,
My Utmost for His Highest,
excerpt at
www.myutmost.org/10/1005.html
, (emphasis added).
19
Huston Smith,
The Religions of Man
(New York: Harper and Row, 1965), 138.
20
“Child Sex Abuse Cases,” Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_sex_abuse_cases
, is an extensive, detailed reporting, retrieved February 23, 2011.
21
“Christian Evangelist Scandals,” Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_evangelist_scandals
, provides a lengthy list, retrieved February 23, 2011.
22
Mark Oppenheimer, “Sex Scandal Has U.S. Buddhists Looking Within”
New York Times,
(August 20, 2010),
www.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/us/21beliefs.html?pagewanted=1&sq=Frederick%20Crews&st=cse&scp=4
, retrieved February 23, 2011.
23
Tomek Lehnert,
Rogues in Robes
(Nevada City, CA: Blue Dolphin, 1998).
24
Erik Curren,
Buddha’s Not Smiling
(Staunton, VA. Alaya Press, 2006).
25
Sankara Saranam, author of
God Without Religion,
in an introductory quotation to Curren,
Buddha’s Not Smiling.
26
Colossians 2:9–10 (NIV).
27
Matthew 7:21–23 (NIV).
28
Revelation 3:15–16 (NIV).
Chapter Fourteen Common Roots in Judaism?
1
Swami Abhedananda,
Journey into Kashmir and Tibet (the English translation of Kashmiri 0 Tibbate)
(Calcutta: Ramakrishna Vivekananda Math, 1987).
2
Leviticus 19:18b (NIV).
3
Dhammapada 10:1, in Marcus Borg, ed., with coeditor Ray Riegert and an Introduction by Jack Kornfield,
Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings
(Berkeley: Ulysses Press, 1997), 15.
4
Mark 12:31b (NKJV).
5
Luke 6:31 (NIV).
6
Leviticus 19:34 (NKJV).
7
Buddha, Sutta Nipata 149–150, in Borg,
Jesus and Buddha,
25.
8
John 15:12–13 (NKJV).
9
John 3:16 (NKJV).
10
Proverbs 25:21 (NKJV).
11
Dhammapada 5.
12
Ibid., 223.
13
Luke 6:27b–28 (NKJV).
14
Matthew 5:38–42 (NIV).
15
Leviticus 19:34 (NKJV).
16
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (NASB).
17
Proverbs 18:24b (NASB).
18
Proverbs 3:27–28 (NIV).
19
Buddha, Vinaya, Mahavagga 8.26.3, in Borg,
Jesus and Buddha,
21.
20
Matthew 25:40b (NASB).
21
Matthew 25:31–40 (NIV) (emphasis added).
22
Proverbs 11:24–25 (NIV).
23
Proverbs 21:21 (NIV).
24
Nitin Kumar “Buddha and Christ: Two Gods on the Path to Humanity,” Exotic India, November 2003,
www.exoticindiaart.com/article/buddhaandchrist
, retrieved February 3, 2011.
25
Richard Hooper,
Jesus Buddha Krishna Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings
(Sedona, AZ: Sanctuary Publications, 2007), 117.
26
Luke 6:38 (NIV).
27
Acts 20:35b (NASB).
28
Matthew 6:25–34 (NIV) (emphasis added).
29
Proverbs 13:7 (NKJV).
30
Ecclesiastes 11:1–2 (NKJV).
31
Proverbs 3:9–10 (NIV).
32
Hooper,
Jesus Buddha Krishna Lao Tzu,
120.
33
Bhikkhu Bodhi, ed.
In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon
(Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2005), 170–171.
34
Acts 20:35b (NASB).
35
Luke 6:38 (NIV).
36
Proverbs 21:27 (AMP).
37
Dhammapada 249.
38
Matthew 6:1–4 (NKJV).
39
Proverbs 21:21 (NIV).
40
Buddha, Khuddakapatha 8.9, in Borg,
Jesus and Buddha,
69.
41
Matthew 5:8 (NKJV).
42
Matthew 6:20a (NKJV).
43
Matthew 6:19–21, 24 (NIV).
44
Proverbs 3:13–15 (NASB).
45
Proverbs 21:2 (NASB).
46
Proverbs 28:25 (NKJV).
47
Dhammapada 252.
48
Matthew 7:1–5 (NKJV).
49
Ecclesiastes 2:17, 22–23 (NIV).
50
Dhammapada 277.
51
Ibid., 278.
52
John 16:33b (NIV).
53
Matthew 6:19 (NIV).
54
Matthew 7:26–27 (NIV).
55
Genesis 3:17–19 (NIV).
56
Job 5:6–7 (NIV).
57
Ecclesiastes 2:14–16 (NIV).
58
Buddha, Sadharmapundarika Sutra 5, in Borg,
Jesus and Buddha,
45.
59
Matthew 5:44b–45 (NIV).
60
Matthew 7:24–27 (NASB).
61
Ecclesiastes 5:2 (NIV).
62
Proverbs 10:19 (NIV).
63
Proverbs 17:27–28 (NIV).
64
Proverbs 18:2 (NIV).
65
Dhammapada 106.
66
Ibid., 110.
67
Ibid., 240.
68
Matthew 6:5–8 (NIV).
69
Proverbs 11:22 (NIV).
70
Buddha, Dhammapada 26.12, in Borg,
Jesus and Buddha,
75.
71
Matthew 7:15 (NKJV).
72
Ecclesiastes 10:18 (NIV).
73
Proverbs 14:1 (NIV).
74
Proverbs 11:3 (NKJV).
75
Buddha, Dhammapada 1.13–14, in Borg,
Jesus and Buddha, 77.
76
Luke 6:47–49 (NASB).
77
Paraphrased from Proverbs 21:25–26.
78
Buddha, Dhammapada 24.9, in Borg,
Jesus and Buddha,
89.
79
John 8:34b (NASB).
80
John 8:36 (NASB).
81
Proverbs 3:13–15 (NKJV).
82
Buddha, Dhammapada 13.2, in Borg,
Jesus and Buddha,
113.
83
John 8:32 (NIV).
84
John 14:6 (NKJV).
85
Matthew 5:17–19 (NIV).
86
Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV).
Chapter Fifteen Realizing Liberation
1
Patrick French,
Tibet, Tibet
(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003), 27.
2
Dhammapada 87. 3
3
“Coming In Out of the Wind,” July 8 reading, in C. S. Lewis,
A Year with C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works,
edited by Patricia S. Klein (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2003), 208.
4
Buddha used this analogy when describing his path, referring to it as “entering the stream.” Dhammapada 178, in Harischandra Kaviratna, trans.,
Dhammapada, Wisdom of the Buddha,
1980, Theosophical University Press Online,
www.theosociety.org/pasadena/dhamma/dham-hp.htm
, retrieved April 15, 2011.
5
His Holiness the Dalai Lama,
Becoming Enlightened,
translated by Jeffrey Hopkins (New York: Simon and Schuster, Atria Books, 2009), 216.
6
Steve Cioccolanti,
From Buddha to Jesus: An Insider’s View of Buddhism and Christianity.
(Oxford: Lion Hudson, Monarch, 2007), 147–148 (emphasis added).
7
Scientists tell us that the earth is 4.5 billion years old. If we assume a lifetime is 80 years, then the current age of the earth is 56,250,000 lifetimes. So three eons, as defined above, would be at least 168,750,000 lifetimes, or 13,500,000,000 years.