Wikipitaka - The Completing Tipitaka
Register
No edit summary
Tag: Source edit
No edit summary
Tag: Source edit
Line 181: Line 181:
 
<br />
 
<br />
 
In life , Jesus Christ is so similar to an enlightened Buddhist monk that it is wondered that he was actually practicing the 3 Buddhist practices i.e. 1. Morality(sheel) 2. Meditation(samadhi) 3. Enlightenment(panna/pragya). <br />
 
In life , Jesus Christ is so similar to an enlightened Buddhist monk that it is wondered that he was actually practicing the 3 Buddhist practices i.e. 1. Morality(sheel) 2. Meditation(samadhi) 3. Enlightenment(panna/pragya). <br />
'''It is written in Bible's New-Testament(Gospels) that Jesus Christ did actually practice intense meditation.'''<br />
+
It is written in Bible's New-Testament(Gospels) that Jesus Christ did actually practice intense meditation.<br />
   
 
===='''<u>Relationship With Judaism</u>'''====
 
===='''<u>Relationship With Judaism</u>'''====

Revision as of 09:45, 2 June 2022

[Buddhism FAQ0]] >> 23.Relationship with Other Religions


Religions were created to stop evil spiritual practices such as child sacrifice, human sacrifice, soul harvesting, harmful spells & to stop worship of evil spirits of hell such as Satan worship, Moloch & Baal worship.
Then establish good moral practices beneficial to humanity & to realize God/Nirvanic state common to all but unfortunately unrealized lay followers started viewing each others' differences as adversity leading to disagreements & rivalry.


Buddhism FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions About Buddhism)


23. What is the Relationship of Buddhism with Other Religions?


What Others Call As God, It is Called Impersonal Eternal Nirvanic State in Buddhism


Ans :

Introduction

In Buddhism(& in some other religions too) all beings are considered to be trapped in the cycle of rebirths
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebirth_(Buddhism)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation
which is not merely a theory but many many persons have known to remember their past lives especially children and internet is full of such examples and the phenomenon is evidenced by varying behavior of all different people who react as per their character generated by karma-sanskaras(actions of past leading to behavior). Every life ends in painful death. Buddhism is the path of spiritual awakening and of Moksha/Nirvana(Salvation from rebirths) which is considered the highest achievement in religions of south Asia. Everyday a Buddhist need to :

1. Go to refuge of Triratna(3 jewels) i.e. Buddha, who is Bhagwan(Lord), Dhamma(path & also the eternal natural law) & Sangha(order of monks). Also one needs to request all the devas(gods & godesses) for protection.

2. Take 5 moral vows(Sheel) of non-violence, celibacy, non stealing, not consuming intoxicants & of speaking truth.

3. Do meditation as taught by Buddha (Such as Vipassana & Samatha) and then achieve Samadhi(trance, zen, jhana/dhyan, rapture) leading to spiritual awakening , enlightenment & spiritual knowledge.


Relationship With Vedic Dharma(Hinduism)


The word Hindu originates from the word Sindhu which is a river as the civilisation that thrived on its banks. In many places in India, letter 'S' becomes 'H' hence Sindhu becomes Hindu.

With Vedas ,Vedic Rishis & Gita

Original name of Buddhism is Dharma or Dhamma meaning law of nature, which applies of all. After meditating in seclusion & upon enlightenment, Buddha found that focus on emotions related Vedana (वेदना samvedana or sensations in body) & remaining in equanimity(samata/non reaction) with these is the path of modifying and removing karma-samskaras कर्म संस्कार (habits/behavior) leading to their removal then attainment of a new states of life consciousness called samadhi(trance) then attaining supernatural state of Moksha/Nirvana.

The word Vedana (वेदना) means sensation (implying knowledge from experience) is so much related to ancient knowledge that it is the soul of many words i.e. :

Vid (विद) :Meaning knowledgeable person (vid from vedana).

Vidya(विद्या) : Meaning knowledge.

Vidwan(विद्वान) : Meaning a scholar, a teacher, an expert, holding vidya(knowledge).

Ved (वेद) : The ancient spiritual knowledge of rishis (probably gained through vedana/direct experience).

Vidyarthi (विद्यार्थी): A student gaining knowledge.

Buddha's path is the path of gaining knowledge through Vedana वेदना (direct experience) hence It is the core Vedic Dharma वैदिक धर्म / Vedic Religion.

Also Lord Gautam Buddha is the 25th Buddha as stated by him. All previous Buddhas were great rishis of India,
First Buddha Dipankara
Various Other Previous Buddhas,
Buddhavamsa

Buddha was the Agatsya Rishi Akitta-Jātaka,Cariyapitaka text;

He was the charismatic Rishi Matanga according to the Mātaṅga-Jātaka, Jataka 497. Rishi Matanga was a Brahmrishi and the guru of Devi Anjana who gave birth to Hanuman deva, one of the most revered. What it means is that Lord Ram was reborn as Lord Buddha and then attained final moksha/nirvana, never to be reborn again.

There are references according to which Lord Buddha was also Krishnadipayana Rishi Kaṇhadīpāyana-Jātaka.

Gita is considered as very to difficult to understand, however it is seen that by understanding the teachings of Lord Budhha, interpretation of Gita becomes very easy & is very similar to Buddhist teachings because Gita teaches equality, morality & yoga meditation path similar to The path of Buddha.

With Yoga & Meditation

Lord Buddha has called his path as Yoga in many places in Pali Tipitaka, the follower as yogi & brahmacari also those who attain the highest as kevali(from Sanskrit word kaivalaya the highest attainment of yoga meditation path).


His path is totally based on meditation with its attainment as awakening or enlightenment. It is similar to awakening of kundalini in samadhi states.

He was Ram Himself & Also Brother of Krishna

Also, in one of his previous lives Buddha was the Lord Ram of Ramayana according to Dasaratha-Jātaka , Jataka 461.


Also Lord Krishna was his elder brother according to Ghata-Jātaka2, Jataka 464, and as mentioned there, Krishna was later reborn as the Sariputra, the chief disciple of Lord Buddha and then attained final moksha/nirvana.

With Devas(gods/angels) & Mahadevas(Brahmas/Archangels)

In Buddhist texts it is seen that Brahma, Vishnu, Shiv, Shakra(Indra the king of gods/angels) etc most gods were Buddha's disciples and consulted him often on the matters of Dhamma/Dharma.

Indra king of gods/angels (known as Sakka/Shakra) consults Lord Buddha : Sakkapanha Sutta

Shiv consults Lord Buddha : SN1-version2 in sutta 102

Brahma pleads with Lord Buddha to teach the path(Dhamma): Mahavogga 1.5

Vishnu consults Lord Buddha: SN1-version2 in sutta 93


Relationship With Shintoism of Japan

It is said that Shinto religion has originated from Hinduism of India and of course Buddhism also exists there in Japan. In Buddhist scriptures , all Hindu gods find a place in Buddhism too but only as disciples of Lord Buddha as Lord Buddha was their teacher in heaven before rebirth and also during his earthly life . As written for Hinduism, the letter 'S' & 'H' gets replaced in many places in India, so if letter 'S' of Shinto is replaced with 'H' , then it becomes Hinto (or Hindo/Hindu). Many temples of Japan have both i.e. Lord Buddha as well as their deity/god/goddess in same place. Many gods in temples of Japan are directly related to gods of Hinduism in characteristics i.e.

Hindu god name Shinto god name Description
Shiv(Maha kal) Dai Koku Ten Shown in meditation in both
Saraswati goddess Benzai-Ten Both shown with a similar musical instrument in sitting position
Yamraj Emma-Ten Both similar looking
Ganesha Kangiten Similar looking with elephant snout
Kuber Bishamonten, also known as Tamon-Ten Similar
Brahma Bonten Similar looking with 4 heads
Indra(Sakka/Shakra) king of gods Taishakuten Both riding elephant
Lakshmi goddess of wealth Kisshōten, Kichijōten, Kisshoutennyo or Kudokuten Both standing on lotus in similar pose
Agni (Ka-ten) Ka-ten Fire
Vayu Fu-ten Air or wind
Prithvi Chi-ten Earth
Surya Nit-ten Sun god
Chandra Gat-ten Moon deity

Another good thing that needs to be appreciated is that in Japan Shintoism & Buddhism both support each other, they do not oppose each other and as a result both thrive.


Relationship With Sikhism

Lord Buddha has called his disciples as Sikh(or sekha) which means one who is learning. He used this word in 600 BC. Also he has used the word Akal for being timeless path. In every morning & evening the chanting of Buddhist monks contain these 2 words as in following :

Pananipata veramani sikha padam samadiyami...(5 morals/sheelas).

Suakhyato, Samditthiko, Aupneyiko, Ehipassiko, Akaliko

Also all their Gurus(teachers) were doing meditation in Himalaya caves. That indicates importance of meditation in Sikhism and they should learn it therefore.


Relationship With Jainism

Jains are referred as Niganthas in Buddhist Pali texts which is its original name (Sanskrit: Nirgranth). The teachings of Jains are almost similar to Buddhism except that they (Jains) are still awaiting the arrival of their Buddha (the awakened one) as they do not recognize Lord Siddharth Gautham Buddha as their Buddha.
Jains also have their Jain Ramayana book/scripture which details the life of Lord Ram too.


Relationship With Abrahmic Religions

Buddhism does not practice killing , violence or sacrifice of any creature to please the supernatural because (since it is based on rebirth) any & every creature is related to one another (even animals could be one's blood relatives in past) hence is different than the Abrahmic religions in this regard. Rather it teaches love , compassion & sympathy to all creatures down to even an ant etc. due to the reasons aforementioned.

Relationship With Christianity

Many teachings of Jesus Christ on following the path of universal forgiveness,non-violence, celibacy etc. are very similar to Buddhism. Buddhism is known to have gone to middle-east and to Egypt. In Alexandria city their existence is known(in 200BC) & of a similar sect called Theraputae which appears to be similar sounding Theravada sect of Buddhism. Relationship in detail can be read on Wikipedia here :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_Christianity
Family of Jesus Christ had spent several years in Egypt after coming from Israel and in Egypt, Buddhist practices did exist which is confirmed by philosopher Philo of Alexandria of that times, in his writings. It may be possible that they came in contact with Buddhist or Buddhist like monastic practices & meditation. The library of Alexandria(which later burnt down) had maintained records of teachings & practices of many religions from all over the world including that of Buddhism which had reached there due to efforts of Indian Emperor Ashoka the Great.
Life Of Jesus Christ is so similar to Lord Gautam Buddha except the ending, (that Buddha survived many attacks on him). There are many sects in Jewish religion(aka Judaism) and one of their sect is Essene. The Essene sect is said to have assimilated teachings & monastic practices of Buddhism for the purpose of realizing enlightenment(Gnosis). Essene monks had similar life as in Buddhism. Jesus is said to belong to Essene sect as his teacher John the Baptist was also an Essene Jew. Jesus Christ , similar to Buddha , went into celibacy & seclusion and did meditation for many days at the end of which he attained the knowledge of God(enlightenment or Eternal Nirvanic state) and rejected the offer of worldly wealth, riches & of kingdom from the evil which appeared as devil/satan (similar to Buddha to whom it appeared as Mara, the lord of death, lust & wealth). Though he has not specifically mentioned rebirth-theory but he has stated that (his teacher) John the Baptist was previously the Prophet Elijah.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essenes
Many teachings of Jesus Christ are known to exist previously in Buddhism such as the story of Prodigal Son : https://www.comparativereligion.com/prodigal.html,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Prodigal_Son
also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barlaam_and_Josaphat

In life , Jesus Christ is so similar to an enlightened Buddhist monk that it is wondered that he was actually practicing the 3 Buddhist practices i.e. 1. Morality(sheel) 2. Meditation(samadhi) 3. Enlightenment(panna/pragya).
It is written in Bible's New-Testament(Gospels) that Jesus Christ did actually practice intense meditation.

Relationship With Judaism

It is also an ancient religion and many of its followers are attracted to Buddhism presently. In ancient times too (since 250BC) Jewish people who were residing in Egypt, Alexandria & were learning Buddhism from the great library there and also from monasteries present. Judaism has also links with Essene sect & there is Hellenistic Judaism with links to Greeks & maybe also links with Buddhism.

Relationship With Islam

There is a mention of a word of Dimmi people in Arabic world which seems to indicate Dhammi or Dharmic. Buddhism was known by the word Dhamma/Dharma in past and its followers as Dharmic/Dhammi. The word 'but' (बुत, pronounced similar to 'Put') in islamic world seems to refer to Buddha which is actually pronounced as Buddh(बुद्ध). So, therefore the word 'But Parast' (बुत परस्त) meaning 'idol worshiper' seems to have origin with Buddh(बुद्ध) considering huge statues of Buddha were existing in many places such as in Bamiyaan(in Afghanistan). Also in arabic world there is a mention of word djinn or jinn who can grant any wishes or does magic. Jinn is actually mentioned in Buddhism as an enlightened monk with supreme accomplishment & having achievement of experiencing Arhat/Nirvana state similar to Buddha and so having also magical powers. It is well known that Buddhism had spread to Alexandria in North Egypt in 200BC(as per emperor Ashoka's rock eddicts & as per Philo) so the monks used to cross the Arabic lands & deserts there, it is possible that Arabic people encountered compassion filled monks with great supernatural powers either in body or in spiritual forms who they called djinn/jinn.


Conclusion

Buddhism is so old that it has connections with other religions too.

Also we see Buddhism & other ancient Indian (& other) religions are intertwined and in accordance(Gotama being the 25th Buddha and according to him, all previous Buddhas(Rishis) were born in Jambudvipa(South Asia) and in future also, as stated by Lord Buddha, all Enlightened Buddhas will be born here as a guiding light to the world. Therefore the people anti & pro of of the path should make peace & harmony for growth of all. We see that when this path (of supreme attainment i.e. moksha/nirvana) was glorified, his land, south asia(Jambudipa), prospered and when it was routed out, when labelled as atheism(nastik), the land was met with ill fate, disintegrated and became subjugated to foreigners for more than thousand years (probably as result of karma). 

This article is not meant to hurt any persons of any religion, if anyone is hurt by it then it is apologized in advance and any of its contents can be removed if requested.
Buddhism invites and accepts all people of different faiths to follow morality and meditative practices so that everyone can get liberated.


Come People of All Religions, Learn the Meditation Path Before it Vanishes Because Awakening & Enlightenment is for All. May All Beings be Happy