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65 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Similar but different true, but it may help build tolerance., January 6, 2005
I doubt that "Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings" will convert many Christians to Buddhism or Buddhists to Christianity. I hope that it will help to build tolerance between the two religions, which is what I believe is the author's intent. "Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings" shows that there are many similarities between the teachings of Jesus and Buddha. Both were great spokesmen for compassion and nonviolence. However, by focusing on the similarities between the teachings of Jesus and Buddha, this book might be somewhat naïve about the differences between Christianity and Buddhism. A couple of reviewers have pointed to "John 14:6 'I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me.'" The reviewers appear to be using the inherent intolerance of this teaching as a selling point for Christianity. For me it was the intolerance of such biblical scriptures that drove me away from Christianity, the religion that I was raised with and that I once strongly believed in. I could not reconcile how such teachings can be of a loving or just god so I eventually reached the point where I could no longer believe in or worship that god. I then gradually started searching for another belief system. Because of both the similarities AND the differences, Buddhism had a naturally strong appeal to me. Buddha's teachings against attachment, even to his own teachings, are especially appealing to me. Perhaps Jesus was actually speaking against attachments to biblical scriptures when he said "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me." Perhaps he was saying that only his words were the true words of God and telling his followers not to allow them selves to become attached to biblical scriptures that preceded him or may follow him (i.e.: some have argued that Paul was a corruptor of Jesus' teachings). Unfortunately, if that is what Jesus meant, many Christians do the opposite. They attach to biblical scriptures that allow them to chastise the sins of others and let go of Jesus' teachings. This is especially true of his teachings that interfere with worldly profits, egos or vengeance (i.e.: "that which has Caesar on it belongs to Caesar", "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven", "remove the log from your eye before pointing out the splinter in your neighbors", "let he who is without sin cast the first stone", "if someone strikes you, turn the other cheek", etc.). Regardless of how Jesus may have meant "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me", it is most often used as a teaching of intolerance toward other belief systems. Books like "Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings", "Living Buddha, Living Christ", "Spiritual Advice For Buddhists And Christians" and "The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus" might help build tolerance between the two religions. That is why I am giving "Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings" five stars. Unfortunately, such books cannot change the inherent intolerance of some biblical scriptures. That makes the task of these books much more difficult.
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is an open-minded observation, May 11, 2004
I truly enjoyed this book. It kind of saddens me to read all the negative reviews about it, because they have only come from Christians who think that this book is supposed to reveal some kind of universal "truth". All this book is trying to do is relate to people how the two religions are so similar in what they are trying to attain, and what their key figures taught and said. All this stuff about Christianity having the true God is nonsense, because it shows an ignorance of Buddhism. Buddha never once concerned himself with metaphysical matters, and none of Buddhism confuses itself with the invisible world that we cannot prove beyond earthly concepts. That's not to say that Buddhists don't believe in God. It's just a practical religion that says that you can end suffering, and the dependence on something else (like a belief structure and doctrines) in order to do so will never truly end your suffering. It's food for thought, and this book for me was the perfect gateway into this intellectual freedom. That's what's great about this book, the words and concepts are there, but feeling and message are up to the reader. It certainly does a good job of bridging a gap between two misunderstood faiths.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
500 Years and 3000 miles Apart - Compatible Side by Side, February 24, 2002
Located on this book's pages are some amazingly similar sayings that will leave you hungry to learn more about both Buddhism and Christianity. Edited by Marcus Borg, in the preface he states that "If the Buddha and Jesus were to meet, neither would try to convert the other-not because they would regard such an effort as hopeless, but because they would recognize each other." I believe after reading this book that you will feel the same way! Striking similarities start with the book's very first set of sayings... "Do to others as you would have them do to you", attributed to Jesus and "Consider others as yourself", attributed to Buddha. Throughout the book the parallels are amazing up to and including the very last set... "Then Jesus cried again with a load voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split", and "At the Blessed Lord's final passing there was a great earthquake, terrible and hair-raising, accompanied by thunder". The book begins with some discussion about why these two great religious figures may have such similar stories and sayings, but I would have liked to see the author expand on that more. The book is basically just side by side comparisons of similar quotes and concepts and it is up to the reader to form his own conclusions as to why they are so much alike. All in all this is a worthwhile and easy read... a definate recommend to anyone interested in religion or philosophy.
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