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The Original Jesus: The Buddhist Sources of Christianity

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This is the type of book that, a few centuries back, would have gotten the author a one-way ticket to the stake. Luckily, we can read it in the comfort of our home and ponder the earth-shattering thesis by the authors: that Jesus' message basically is a Buddhist message. Not for the faint of heart, but for the daring.

Persian and Indian influences in Judaism and Christianity are obvious to those who will familiarize themselves with the ancient religious teachings. ....interesting.

That said, the Buddhist influences in Jesus' teachings are plainly there; behind them are Zarathustrian and Hindu thought.

this one is even more heretical than Stephen Mitchell's 'The Gospel According to Jesus'. I could take the fact that Jesus was really the illegitimate son of a Roman soldier and a Jewish woman, rather than an immaculate conception; but to be asked to believe that he studied Buddhism with Theravadan missionaries is a bit much methinks. Granting even that there was contact between Buddhist missionaries from Ashoka's time and Greece of Jesus's time, there is no necessity to 'explain' Jesus's revelation or sayings as borrowings from anothere culture, methinks. Such enlightened beings as Jesus and Buddha have always popped up every now and then, spontaneously, and when they sound a lot alike, why should we be surprised and try to look for hidden connections? The real connection is what they are speaking of, the one beyond space and time. Anyway, a fairly scholarly book here, with lots of interesting history, just a bit too polemical for me to take real seriously. Definitely worth reading for the history.

Finally a materialist analysis of what New Age hippies have been raving incoherently and uselessly about for decades: that Christianity and Buddhism are similar is not evidence for some deep divine universal force. Rather, this similarity is owed to particular cultural forces that affected literate civilization during a unique period during the rise of city-states. This book consolidates and integrates existing research that isn't well-enough known: that Asoka's empire profoundly impacted the Mediterranean, even though its borders never extended that far. The authors brilliantly combine this with insights about profound similarities between the Christian Beatitudes and a prominent trope in Vedic and Buddhist thought. Anyone with a hint of skepticism about traditional views of the history of Christianity will relish the clarity of this book.

Although the scholarly research in this work is laudable, the authors seem to have been caught up in a couple of prejedicial problems. The first one deals with attempting to give many parallels for the New testamant from Hindu sources, while largely avoiding the word "Hinduism" by simply and repeatedly calling them "Indian Sources". And in the same vein, although Lord Krishna's name was mentioned once (as some ancient god),very unscholarly. The Gita, oneof the world's greatest scriptues, and no doubt known to theBuddha, would weigh heavily in this subject.But was it mentioned or did I miss it? Krishna's name was also omitted from the "people" list at the back of the book. I believe the ancient records indicate that Jesus would have had more than sufficient experience with the great Hindu Yogis during his lengthy India visit, this would be the real source of many comparisons the authors' use, and very little data found its way into the NT from influences of Buddhistic origins of the Middle East. JESUS, like so many others through ancient history, well knew about the GREAT YOGIS of INDIA (Pythagoras and Appolonious etc), and when they made such a long treck, would not stop at only other schools along the way, they usually sought out the most prominent Masters and Yogis, as well as the original sources of the VEDAS,UPANISHADS,GITA ETC. No doubt they would encounter others as well, but the slant these authors give this whole subject, is remeniscent of the same onesided approached indulged in by many of those in the early church establishment. FINALLY, one can surely find certain major problems in the holy writ of any of the great religions - the least of which is translation to another language. But history has shown that even in works that may be less than perfect, the power and influence of that illusive original Jesus, has produced many Christlike beings, eg. Padre Pio of Italy. And surely effected the lives of untold millions, I doubt that one of JESUS strong concepts, ! that of the personal "Heavenly Father", came from Buddhist influence, as they seem to follow a concept of the universal impersonal mind only. The mentions of other such matters as reincarnation are clearly from Hindu Origins.

The Ahmadiyya Movement was established in 1889 by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) in a small and remote village, Qadian, in the Punjab, India. He claimed to be the expected reformer of the latter days, the Awaited One of the world community of religions. Mirza Ahmad wrote a Book Jesus in India in which he cliamed that Jesus migrated after his crucification to India. This auther spoke after 100 years of Mirza Ahmad cliam. Please read that book too if you need more historicals facts.

It doesn't matter whether Jesus Lived in India or not. It really matters if you doesn't understand the light of the world . Jesus is the one who knows about the light and could communicate with. Every one in the world is a son of God. But how better you know about the truth is important. It is the direct communication with the creator. This book is meant for a rational thinker who doesn't mind reading any kind of stuff. It may be or maynot be right(doesn't matter). It is true that the ancient rulers destroyed most of the sacred documents. They never realized about the truth lying in the documents. And Once you know about the creator then you will never search for anything else. Your soul is set free by him for a preliminary test.You have to clear so many test to communicate with him . Best of luck