Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings

Through his teachings, Jesus not only created the Christian heritage, he also transcended traditional Western thought to reveal many of the universal truths of Buddhism. As a result, the sayings of Jesus and Buddha are often nearly identical. In Jesus and Buddha, these sayings, as well as equivalences between Jesus and later masters of Zen Buddhism, are presented in parallel fashion on facing pages.

"It is easy to see the fault of others but hard to see one's own", Buddha remarked. "Why do you see the splinter in someone else's eye", Jesus asked, "and never notice the log in your own?"

At the heart of these amazing parallels lie two mysteries How could Jesus, living 500 years after Buddha in a land 3,000 miles from India, teach the same ideals? Some historians believe that Buddhist principles were known throughout the Roman Empire. Certain fringe theorists claim that Jesus was trained in Buddhism and some even insist that he visited India!

Since there's little evidence to support these claims, most scholars dismiss them, leading to the larger mystery, if Jesus was not subject to Buddhist influences, why do so many of his sayings parallel these teachings? Is it possible that the wisdom of Jesus led him not only to lay the foundation for the West's predominant religion but also to communicate many of the truths upon which Eastern beliefs are based?

Jesus and Buddha delves into the mysteries surrounding Christ and the Buddha, traces the life story and beliefs of both, and then presents their dual teachings in a beautifully formatted fashion.