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Early Christianity Vs Buddhism Essay

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Buddhism and Early Christianity both date back thousands of years. Buddhism dates back to sixth century C.E. making it approximately 1,400 years old. Christianity as a whole started to emerge as early as the first century C.E making it a little over 2,000 years. Both religions are unique in their beliefs, ways of worship, and structure, however they do share similarities. Such similarities include how the religions spread into popularity and their core values. They both also focus on morality and deliverance from temptation and suffering. Buddhism is not centered on a god unlike the monotheistic Christianity, which follows rules and mandates of a single God and the example of his one and only son, Jesus Christ. Buddhism however, is more about personal enlightenment and reaching a transcendent stage of bliss and wisdom called Nirvana. Siddhartha Gautama founded the religion, although …show more content…

In Buddhism it is to follow the Middle Path or the Eightfold Way. In Christianity it is to live without sin and to follow in the humble ways of Jesus Christ. Buddhism and Christianity both bring about the belief that material things and pleasures do not make you truly happy and will ultimately end to suffering. Also, that one must treat others with love and respect for if you don’t you will not be happy and will suffer. Examples of these views are found in scriptures like the Buddhist book of concepts called the Dhammapada Pāḷi and in the Bible. “Give of thy bread to the hungry, and of thy garments to them that are naked; and according to thine abundance give alms: and let not thine eye be envious, when thou givest alms.” (Tobit 4:16, King James Bible, Auth. Ver., Cambridge Ed.). “Do not speak roughly to anyone: those thus spoken to will answer back. Painful indeed is angry talk, (as a result of which) one will experience retribution” (Dhammapada: The Way of Truth

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The religion of Buddhism first appeared in India during the sixth century B.C.E and its teachings migrated to China by the first century C.E., gradually winning over the Chinese people following the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 C.E. Buddhist influence continued its expansion in China for several centuries. Throughout Chinese history, China reacted to the spread of Buddhism within its empire in several ways: some valued its policies for their implications in Chinese culture, others condemned Buddhist ideals for not being original to the empire, while many remained indifferent towards Buddhism and its spread. Support for the spread of Buddhism became most evident among Chinese scholars. An anonymous scholar believed that the old Confucian philosophies of China were nothing in comparison to the greatness of Buddhism, even going as far as to compare the sages to the Buddha as swallows to a phoenix (document 3). Additionally, he admires the dedication that the Buddhist monks showed; the monks enjoyed the act of living and inaction, freeing themselves from worldly pleasure.

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While Buddhism began as a method to provide stability to lower-class Chinese citizens, Buddhism ultimately caused division between social classes in China. As Chinese dynasties regained stability, leaders questioned the role of Buddhism in China leading to an inevitable rejection of Buddhist ideas by the Tang Emporer. Buddhism played a significant role in China during the post-classical era. Buddhism had begun to spread from India to China during the Han but was widely spread during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

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In Stephen Batchelor’s book, Buddhism without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening he goes into depth about the idea that Buddhism is not a religion or something to believe in, but rather a mindset that is a way of living with a course of action. Throughout the book he gives examples and tells stories to defend the idea that Buddhism is more than just something to believe in, but it is a way of living. Batchelor noted that when it comes to viewing Buddhism as a religion it is important to know the way Buddha viewed himself “Instead of presenting himself as a savior, he saw himself as a healer” (6). His ‘job’ was not to convert people to believe in his beliefs, rather, he wanted to show them through actions how fulfilling his way of living

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The spread of Buddhism in East Asia had great success when the region became a center of learning for monks and scholars. Merchants in Central Asia came to the region for trade, and as they learned about Buddhism, they accepted this cultural adaptation. When the Chinese had their first contact with Buddhism through people from central Asia, who were already Buddhist, this religion expanded itself through the Chinese empire. As an interest was established for Buddhism in China, monastic orders were established causing political disputes between the emperor and Buddhists for the centuries to come. During the Han Dynasty, Buddhism enjoyed a great state support; however, after the collapse of the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty influences

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Due to China’s Warring Period after the Han Dynasty, Buddhism gained popularity because no imperial authority was around to enforce laws. Once an empire rose to power, Buddhism was turned against. Initially the Chinese defended Buddhism and its policies, but after centuries, others increasingly analyzed how Buddhism had not presence in older documents. Buddhism began to be blamed for the political and social problems of Chinese society. An additional document, such as a graph, that demonstrates actual numbers of Buddhist converts of this time period would help determine if the given documents’ author’s statements about Buddhism were accurate.

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