Buddhism and Christianity

Purpose

One of the main tenets of St Lucia Spirituality is that Christianity does not have a mortgage on truth. There is great wisdom in other religious and spiritual traditions which can inform one’s spiritual journey. Many spiritual seekers have discovered that all religious traditions are significant and sincere expressions of a great experience. There are cultural, dogmatic and ritualistic differences, but the core truths remain common and universal (the perennial tradition).

In February 2025, we examined Australian Indigenous Spirituality. In this paper, we examine Buddhism and look mainly at the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity.

Who was the Buddha?

Siddhartha Gautama, commonly referred to as the Buddha (literally 'the awakened one') was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. After leading a life of begging, asceticism, and meditation, he attained nirvana at Bodh Gaya in what is now India. He went on to teach and build a monastic order.

According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and severe asceticism, leading to freedom from ignorance, craving, rebirth, and suffering. His core teachings are summarized in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, a training of the mind that includes ethical training and kindness toward others, and meditative practices (see Appendix for details). Buddhism has approximately 500 million followers.

Who was Jesus?

Jesus, commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth,  was a first century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He was an itinerant teacher who interpreted the law of God with divine authority and was often referred to as "rabbi". Jesus debated with his fellow Jews on how to best follow God, engaged in healings, taught in parables, and gathered followers in and around Palestine. After his death by crucifixion and resurrection, his followers formed small house communities which eventually became the early Christian Church and expanded into a worldwide movement. Christianity has approximately 2400 million followers.

Similarities

Both the Buddha and Jesus began renewal movements within their inherited religious traditions, Hinduism and Judaism. Neither saw himself as the founder of a new religion. Each taught a similar psychological and spiritual process of transformation, with the objective of becoming a compassionate human being. They were teachers of wisdom; of fundamental ways of seeing and being. They taught that what is inside a person matters, not his or her outward appearance. They use the same imagery of light and darkness, sun and rain, the fruitful and the barren in describing their moral world.

They also taught that actions matter. Both teachers invoked the Golden Rule of treating others as you want them to treat you. The Buddha helped to reform Brahmanical rituals harmful to people and animals; Jesus attacked many temple traditions. They sought to minimize class distinctions and eliminate animal sacrifice.

Buddhist “letting go” and Christian “dying” are similar processes. As Marcus Borg explains: “Dying is the ultimate letting go—of the world and of one’s self. The world as the centre of one’s identity and security and the self as the centre of one’s preoccupation pass away. This “letting go” is liberation from an old way of being and resurrection into a new way of being. There is thus a Buddhist “born again” experience as well as a Christian “liberation through enlightenment” experience.” [1]

Some historians have speculated that Jesus travelled to the East or even studied with Buddhist monks. There is no evidence of this happening. It is perhaps interesting to contemplate Borg’s observation: “If historians have no explanation, we are led to the larger mystery, the eternal one. Were Jesus and Buddha spiritual masters inspired by a single cosmic source, avatars who appeared at different periods in human history bearing the same truth? [2]

Comparative sayings

This section of the paper is a small selection from the work of Marcus Borg. As suggested by him, the purpose of this collection is to provide opportunity for reflection and meditation. Readers will find it useful to ask several questions about each parallel. How are they similar? How are they different? And sometimes, by viewing the parallels together, one may have the experience of seeing something new in a familiar saying. The sayings can illuminate each other.

On Wisdom

Jesus:  He said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8.4-5 & 7

Buddha: Do not look at the faults of others, or what others have done or not done; observe what you yourself have done and have not done. Dhammapada 4.7 [3]

Jesus: Your father in heaven makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. Matthew 5.45

Buddha: That great cloud rains down on all, whether their nature is superior or inferior. The light of the sun and the moon illuminates the whole world, both him who does well and him who does ill, both him who stands high and him who stands low. Sadharmapundarika Sutra 5 [4]

On the Inner Life

Jesus: Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. Mark 8.35

Buddha: With the relinquishing of all thought and egotism, the enlightened one is liberated through not clinging. Majjhima Nikaya 72.15 [5]

On Temptation

The similarities in the lives of Jesus and Buddha are as compelling as the parallels in their thought. Each is tempted by the devil while fasting during a lengthy retreat near a river. The devil challenged each of them to use his supernatural powers for worldly ends. Each refused. [6]

On Salvation

Salvation for Jesus is a narrow gate, for Buddha a lofty mountain, but the message is the same. To become pure is the ultimate challenge, and there are few who meet it. Both speak of separating the spiritual from the physical and of following the former while relinquishing the latter. [7]

On Miracles

Buddhists hold that miraculous powers result from karmic virtue and the perfecting of the mind, while Christians see them as God’s power working through humans. But the miracles themselves are remarkably similar. Jesus worked with loaves and fishes just as Buddha fed five hundred people with a few small cakes. Both were transfigured by dazzling light in front of their followers. And both grew angry when people demanded miracles to bolster their faith. [8]

Jesus: Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17.20

Buddha: A monk who is skilled in concentration can cut the Himalayas in two. Anguttara Nikaya 6.24 [9]

On Divinity

The question whether Jesus was a man or God has been debated for centuries. Both he and Buddha had characteristics of each. Eternal in some respects, both were destined to die. Ironically, they prepared their disciples for this very human event by permitting them to witness a transfiguration in which their bodies became supernaturally radiant. [10]

Questions

1.     Read the Appendix. How much of Buddhist teaching is in alignment with your own spiritual worldview?

2.     Have you travelled to Buddhist dominated countries? What are your observations of the general behaviour of the population?

3.     Is it possible to be both a Christian and a Buddhist at the same time?

Additional Reading:

“When Things Fall Apart – Heart Advice for Difficult Times” by Pema Chodron, 1997

“Buddhism for Busy People – Finding Happiness in an Uncertain World” by David Michie, 2004

“Documents of Vatican II – Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions”, 1965

Footnotes 

1.      Marcus Borg "Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings, p 17 kindle

2.      Ibid, p 35

3.      Ibid, p 50

4.      Ibid, p 53

5.      Ibid, p 70

6.      Ibid, p 77

7.      Ibid, p 87

8.      Ibid, p 105

9.      Ibid, p 109

10.   Ibid, p 128

Appendix

The Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths are the foundation of Buddhist teachings, offering a framework for understanding the nature of suffering and the path to liberation from it. They are:

1. Dukkha – The Truth of Suffering

   
   

   Life involves suffering or dissatisfaction. This includes obvious pain (like illness, aging, and death), as well as more subtle forms (like anxiety, unfulfilled desires, or the fleeting nature of happiness).

2. Samudaya – The Truth of the Origin of Suffering

   
   

   Suffering arises from craving (tanhā) and attachment—desire for sensory pleasures, desire for existence, or desire for non-existence. It's our clinging to things as permanent or controllable that leads to dissatisfaction.

3. Nirodha – The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering

   
   

   It's possible to end suffering by letting go of craving and attachment. This state is known as nirvana (nibbāna)—a liberation from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (samsara).

4. Magga – The Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering

   
   

   The path to end suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Noble Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path is a guide to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing someone from suffering and achieving enlightenment (nirvana). It's often grouped into three categories: wisdom, ethical conduct, and mental discipline.

Note that each "right" doesn’t mean “correct” in a rigid sense, but rather “skilful” or “appropriate” for awakening. Practicing all eight together brings balance and progress on the path to enlightenment.

Wisdom (Prajñā)

1. Right View

   • Understanding the nature of reality and the Four Noble Truths.

   • Recognizing that life is impermanent, suffering arises from attachment, and liberation is possible.

2. Right Intention

   • Cultivating good intentions and thoughts.

   • Includes intentions of renunciation (letting go), goodwill (not harming others), and harmlessness.

Ethical Conduct (Śīla)

3. Right Speech

   • Speaking truthfully, kindly, and helpfully.

   • Avoiding lying, gossip, harsh words, or divisive speech.

4. Right Action

   • Acting ethically and compassionately.

   • Avoiding killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct.

5. Right Livelihood

   • Earning a living in a way that does not harm others.

   • Avoiding jobs that exploit people or animals (like dealing in weapons, trafficking, etc.).

Mental Discipline (Samādhi)

6. Right Effort

   • Making a persistent, positive effort to improve.

   • Cultivating wholesome states and abandoning unwholesome ones.

7. Right Mindfulness

   • Being aware of the present moment in a clear and non-judgmental way.

   • Often practiced through meditation, observing thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations.

8. Right Concentration

   • Developing deep states of meditative absorption (jhana).

   • Focusing the mind on a single object to reach clarity and insight.

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