Christianity and Buddhism are two religions that have drawn the interest of scholars and philosophers alike. Christianity is centered on Christ as the Son of God and the Messiah. Christians emulate the life and teachings of Christ. Buddhism on the other hand, is centered on Gautama Buddha, a Hindu religious teacher. His life and teachings founded Buddhism religion, whose doctrine Buddhists live by. Several similarities exist between the life and teachings of these two religious leaders (Marcus, Kornfield, and Riegert, 8-9). This paper discusses some similarities found in these two religions specifically on the topics of altruism or selflessness, the golden rule, materialism and wealth, and love.
Altruism or selflessness is a virtue in both
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(King James Bible, John 15:12). Saint Paul, a follower of Jesus also sees love as surpassing all other values, he says “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (King James Bible, 1 Cor. 13:13)
Buddhism, similarly, looks at love as a source of peace and happiness, “The bhikkhu who abides in loving-kindness, who is pleased with the Buddha 's teaching, attains to that state of peace and happiness, the stilling of conditioned things, Nibbana. Let him be cordial in all his ways and refined in conduct; filled thereby with joy, he will make an end of ill.” (Dhammapada, 368, 376)
Buddhism and Christianity are in many ways similar in their teachings. Both uphold virtues that cause human beings to live together in happiness, peace, and love. The doctrines of these two great religious leaders dictate the standards by which their followers should live their lives, and are accompanied by great reward and fulfillment. They also illustrate how people should live with and treat each other citing the golden rule as the fundamental in treating others. Both teachings emphasize Sacrificial and unconditional giving as an expression of love to others especially those that are in