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Throughout the world there are hundreds of religions, probably even thousands. From the
smaller, less known followers of shamanism and Santeria to the devout fanatics of the Catholic Church,
religion is a huge aspect of many people’s lives. Though I am not a religious man, I respect and even
envy the amount of faith and power it gives people. Great civilizations have risen and fallen because of
religion and the power it has Two religions that I believe are very juxtaposed and easily contrasted are
Buddhism, popular in Southeastern Asia and India, and Christianity, which is prevalent in the western
cultures and Europe.
The biggest difference between these two religions, at least in my opinion, is their views on a
“Higher Power.” In Christianity, the higher power is simply known as God, the “one true God” as they
would call it. This is true for all sects of Christianity, from Protestants to Baptists; they all believe that
there is one God, and that he is to be worshipped. However in Buddhism, the view on a “higher power”
depends upon which sect they are from. The Theravada believes in no God. They believe only in the
the bettering of one’s self through sacrifice of worldly possessions and attaining a certain “detached
wisdom” through meditation, to become what is known as an Arhat, or one who is “esteemed for
detached wisdom and unworldly living.” However, the catch to the Theravada way is that to attain
Nirvana, one must live their life as a monk, which is contrast to the view of the Mahayana Buddhists.
this sect believes that any person, from the beggar on the street to the Dali Lama himself, can attain
Nirvana and become what is known to them as Bodhisattva or “compassionate one.” They also look
upon the Buddha as a sort of God and revere him much like the Christians revere their God.
The idea of Bodhisattva and Arhat are similar to that of the Christian saints. These people are
considered to be people who have gone beyond the calling of their religions; that these people are of
ultimate devoutness. In a depiction that sounds strangely like that of the Christian God, Avalokiteshvara,
the most significant of the Heavenly Bodhisattvas, “looks down from a location above in order to give
help.” As you can see, in any religion, it is hard to escape the classical “God” figure; for if there was no
God the revere and follow what would the religion have? And what is it about religion that makes it so
appealing? Is it that the masses enjoy revering and groveling beneath an idol or God? No, it is not. What
attracts people to religion is the concept of being “saved” and being granted salvation; that at the end
all their good deeds and their devout life will bring them to paradise.
Salvation. The word alone can inspire and empower people. Both religions have their own way
of attaining this ultimate goal. In Christianity, the ultimate goal is to be admitted into heaven through
Golden Gates by the Gate keeper, Saint Peter. The funny part of Christianity is that all you need for
salvation is to accept Jesus as your lord and savior. However once you do, you must live the life of a
devout Christian, because God keeps track of everything that you do in your life, good and bad. This
concept is somewhat like the concept of karma in Buddhism. Karma determines where you will go in
your next life. Good karma will lead you closer to the ultimate goal of Nirvana, and bad karma might
result in you being reborn as a snake or a bug. Committing good deeds and being charitable will bring
you good karma, as well as bring you through the Golden Gates. Also, the idea of a “soul” is prevalent in
both religions. The soul is the actuality of the person; his/her personification lies in the soul for both
religions. And in both religions, the soul carries the deeds of the human form with it wherever it goes.
Whether it is being reborn or ascending to heaven or descending to hell. The soul’s salvation depends
on the human forms deeds. The difference between the two religion’s views on salvation is that Jesus
grants it to once you accept him, but you must work for your karma to attain your salvation in
Buddhism. And what does it mean to live as a devout Christian or Buddhist?
Both Jesus and Buddha both rejected living life in extreme austerity, and they both embraced
living a “middle way.” As the saying goes, too much of anything is a bad thing, and both religions hold
this saying to be true. Both religions also emphasize love and compassion for all living things, whether
be friend of foe. Being kind, I believe, should just be a way of life and not have to be dictated to you by a
religion, but sometimes people need a reason, I suppose. So alright, so far to be a devout Christian or
Buddhist, you must live a middle way and you must be compassionate to all living things, but what
about worship? Again, both religions share very similar characteristics when it comes to practicing their
worship. Both religions have monasteries in which monks and nuns live their lives in simplicity and
worship. Both use incense and rosaries and/or prayer beads to enhance their prayers. Both pray and/or
meditate in order to come closer to God or Nirvana. Both erect towers, or stupas in the Buddhists
case, to praise and exalt their religions and beliefs. Basically, they both praise what they believe in
almost identical fashions.
Representation is a very big part of religion. Since the followers of these religions cannot meet
Jesus or the Buddha, they have physical representations created to replace them. The big symbol in
Christianity is the cross, which is representative of Jesus’ sacrifice to save the people of this world. To
me, it seems a little morbid to have the tool of your savior’s destruction to be the worldly
representation of Him, but that’s just me. Another symbol common in Christianity are the Greek letters
alpha and omega, which are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. They symbolize the
beginning and the end, which, again to me is a melancholic representation of a religion and of God. In
Buddhism, Buddha is mostly depicted as a happy person, not one who is suffering or has suffered. Even
representation of the Buddha’s death is pleasant. The Reclining Buddha is a representation of Buddha
on his death bed as he died. In both Wat Po, Bangkok and Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, the reclining Buddha
is depicted with a smile on his face. Even on at the knowledge of his imminent death he called his
followers to console them and give them his last piece of knowledge. After he was finished he “turned
on his right side and died with a look of serenity on his face that only the Buddha could have felt.”
Another big symbol of Buddhists is the Eight-Spoked Wheel, which is representative of Buddha’s
teachings. However there is a common symbol between these two religions and that is the number
three. In Buddhism, the Buddha is represented through Trikaya, which means “Three Body”, which
means the Buddha is not one form, but three different entities possessed in one body. Similar to that is
Holy Trinity, which is representative of the entirety of God, which is the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit.
Now that we’ve talked about the religions themselves, let’s take a look at the men behind them.
Jesus was born to human parents, but was ordained to be the son of God himself. Siddhartha was as
well born a human, and a prince at that. The difference between them is that Jesus was born as God’s
son and Buddha was a mere human. Jesus lived his life as a carpenter and eventually came to be a
wandering holy man, spreading his teachings to all who would listen. Siddhartha was hidden away from
the world by his father, who wanted him to become a great king and not a great holy man, as an oracle
had predicted. He led a life of extreme extravagance and lavishness, that was until he defied his father
and went out into the world and saw the Four Passing Sights: an old, crooked man, a sick man, a corpse
and a sannyasin, a wandering holy man who seemed to be at peace with nothing. Both Jesus and
Siddhartha were moved by the suffering of people and sought to try and help them. The difference I see
between them is that Jesus is a savior where as Buddha is a facilitator. Jesus grants salvation whereas
Buddha claims that it must be worked for, and is willing to show the world how to work towards it. The
Holy texts are also different. In Christianity, there is the bible, which are accounts of Jesus’ life through
the eyes of other people, and stories which try to show by example of how to live the correct Christian
life. The Pali Canon is the actual teachings of the Buddha and his views on how to live life to attain
the ultimate goal of Nirvana.
Both of these religions have great depth to them. They are rich in detail, faith, belief and are
both deep rooted in the lives that they touch. Again I can say that I envy that amount of faith and belief
that they afford their followers. Both Jesus and Buddha led extraordinary lives which allowed them to be
forever remembered and revered.
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