Introduction:
           
            There are many who make the following claim: 

“The story of Jesus Christ is just copied mythology about Buddha.”

The purpose of this page is to examine the actual Buddhist writings in order to determine whether or not this claim is true.

We will address each specific parallel in turn after this introduction.

            Christmyth theories such as these are frustrating to research, because the ones who assert these claims hardly ever give any primary sources to back it up.  Typically, they will make a long list of all the ways Christ and Buddha are similar.  Then, they will document the similarities by making reference to books such as Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions by Doane.  Then, when the curious investigator attains a copy of Doane’s book, they find only more of the same - a long list of similarities between Christ and Buddha, and references to other books, but not to Buddhist writings.  If these claims are true, if Christ is only a fabricated myth derived from previous legends about someone else, then why can’t those who assert such a theory prove it by referring us to primary sources? 

            But what if we do find some ancient Buddhist writing that supports this claim?  Would it then be proven that Christ is only a legend stolen from Buddhism?

            To answer that question, we would need to determine three things.

1. Age of the Buddhist writings and legends.  Do they predate Christ?  This is addressed below.
2. Are there multiple points of convergence between the Buddhist and the Christian sequence of events among similar stories?  
3. Are there enough similarities to overcome the probability of coincidence?  The Pali Canon, is 12,000 printed pages in length! – roughly 11 times the size of the Bible!  On top of that monstrosity is the extensive Mahayana literature, the variant Chinese and Tibetan canons, lengthy commentaries on the Pali Canon, the Sanskrit literature, and the Tantric materials.  In such a volume of data, we would expect to find at least a few similar stories shared by Christ and Buddha resulting purely by coincidence.  

 

Age of the Buddhist Writings and Legends

            Buddha lived in northern India about 500 years before Christ.  His life story and teachings were preserved orally by his followers for about 400 years before they were finally written down in the 1st Century BC, an unfortunate occurrence which will forever call into question how well the truth about Buddha was preserved.  These earliest Buddhist writings mostly come to us from the Theraveda branch of Buddhism, which compiled what is known as the Pali Canon, or Tipitaka, which means “Three Baskets.”  There are similarities between Christ and Buddha in the Pali Canon. 

Before the Pali Canon was written, various schisms emerged about 250 BC.  Eighteen schools developed.  Oral tradition became diversified and legendary.  One branch, the Mahasanghikas, originated a completely new way of looking at the Buddha which was in conflict with the orthodoxy of the Theraverda.  A monk named Mahadeva produced a split at the time of Asoka which resulted in the formation of the Mahasanghika sect.  (Conze 119)  Instead of being a man who attained enlightenment, Buddha was now a heavenly being who only appeared to be human.  In this respect, they were similar to the ancient Christian Gnostic docetists.  From this non-orthodox doctrine, the other main branch of Buddhism, the Mahayana, evolved over the next several hundred years.The present form of Mahayana Buddhism did not evolve until the 200’s AD.  (Thomas xx)

It is largely from these later Mahasanghika and Mahayana writings that many similarities between Christ and Buddha are derived.  Some assert that the legends must be older than Christ regardless of when they were written because the oral tradition certainly predates Christ.  For the orthodox Theraveda branch, this may be true.  But for the Mahayana branch, we are not sure when the oral traditions began.  It is quite possible that the legends are no older than the writings themselves, in which case they cannot be proven to predate Christ, and, in many cases, can be proven to post-date Christ.  Even the Theraveda branch was not immune from inserting legends into their later writings and commentaries.

We will address the dating of scriptures as we address the specific similarities that follow.

 

Jesus Christ and Buddha:  The Similarities

“The similarities are not of a kind that suggest cultural borrowing.  They are not at the level of specific images or language.  They are structural.”  - Marcus Borg, author of Jesus and Buddha:  The Parallel Sayings (Borg, xiii)

 

Did Buddha Feed a Multitude?

Did Buddha Walk on Water?

 

He walks upon the water without parting it, as if on solid ground.  Anguttara Nikaya 3.60, (Borg, 149)

The Anguttara Nikaya is part of the Pali Canon written in the first century before Christ.  This saying appears in a list of supernatural powers the Buddha possesses, such as going through walls, diving into the ground, flying, touching the sun and moon, and hearing voices of spirits.  (Thomas, 182)

The Teacher with his five hundred monks finished his meal.  The great guildmaster and his wife also ate as much as they wished, but there was no end to the cakes, and even when the whole monastery of monks and eaters of broken meat had received, there was no sign of finishing. – Jataka 78, compare to Matthew 14:13-21 where Jesus feeds the multitude.

He arrived at the bank of the river Aciravati in the evening.  As the ferryman had drawn the boat up on the beach, and had gone to listen to the doctrine, the disciple saw no boat at the ferry, so finding joy in making the Buddha the object of his meditation, he walked across the river.  His feet did not sink in the water.  He went as though on the surface of the earth, but when he reached the middle, he saw waves.  Then his joy in meditating on the Buddha grew small and he began to sink.  But making firm his joy in meditating on the Buddha, he went on the surface of the water, entered the Jetavana, saluted the teacher, and sat on one side.” – Jataka 190, compare to Matthew 14:28-31 where Peter tries to walk on water but fails.

The Jataka itself is early enough, being a part of the Pali Canon written in the first century before Christ.  However, both instances appear only in the introduction to the Buddha’s discourse.

Thomas says about both these instances, “There is no likelihood in its being old, as these introductions appear to be often the invention of the commentator.”  The commentaries on the Jataka were not written until the 300’s AD (Skilton, Otterbein) or the 400’s AD (Bullitt).  Thomas does, however, admit that the idea of walking on water is pre-Christian (Thomas 241, 246, 182)  because of the Anguttara Nikaya above.  In both Jataka cases, the similarity occurs only in the introductions, which is very short compared to the actual discourses of the Buddha that follow the introductions.  (Kawasaki). 

Conclusion:  The Anguttara Nikaya predates Christ, but is not specific to the story line and so it only bares a passing resemblance.  The two Jataka tales are similar enough to the gospels, but the date is too late to be much use for the christmyth theory. 

 

Simeon and Asita

            The story of Asita is often compared to that of Simeon in Luke 2:25-35.  Like Simeon, Asita is going to die soon.  The 33 gods reveal the whereabouts of the baby Buddha to Asita.  Similarly, the Holy Spirit reveals to Simeon that he would not die before seeing Christ.  Asita speaks wonders about Buddha, as Simeon does about Christ, but each with significantly different words.  Unlike Simeon who lives in the city of Jerusalem, Asita lives up in the Himalayan Mountains.  Unlike Simeon who has the baby Jesus brought to him in Jerusalem and sees him in the temple, Asita searches out the baby Buddha and finds him at his parents’ house.  Unlike Simeon who attains peace with his own imminent death after seeing Christ, Asita continues to mourn his own imminent death. 

Asita’s story is part of the Nalakasutta of the Suttanipata (Thomas, 38), which is one of the earliest Buddhist writings (Skilton, 41, 82).  The Suttanipata is part of the Pali Canon (buddhanet.net) and was therefore written in the first century before Christ.  However, Thomas contends that even though the Suttanipata predates Christ, it cannot be proven that the story of Asita predates Christ.  His rationale:  Asita’s story bares resemblance to late Sanskrit accounts, the sutta itself never references Asita’s story, and that no one believes the introductions to the poems in the sutta to be as old as the poems themselves.  (Thomas, 38-39)  Again, we have a situation similar to the Jatakas.  No one doubts the fact that the core of the writing predates Christ, but there is good reason to believe the parallel is part of a post-Christian addition.

Whatever the date of Asita’s story, its likeness to Simeon’s story is considered by many to be the most striking similarity between the early Buddhist literature and the gospels.

 

Did Buddha Heal the Sick Like Christ?

According to the Nidanakatha, there was an earthquake when Buddha was born.  The blind saw, the deaf heard, the lame walked, prisoners were freed, and the sick were healed. 

These events resemble the ministry of Jesus Christ when he was a grown man.  They do not, as in this case with Buddha, resemble the events of Jesus’ birth. 

The Nidanakatha continues with details that are not mentioned in the Christian version of events.  Hell fire was extinguished, horses neighed, elephants trumpeted, everyone spoke kindly, hunger and thirst was satisfied, musical instruments played, jewelry jingled, rain fell out of season, the ocean became drinkable, birds stopped flying, and everything was covered in flowers. (Hamilton, 3-4)

The Nidanakatha is a commentary to the Jatakas dating to the 300’s AD.  (Skilton, 20)  Others date it later.

Luckily for the christmythers, the legend exists in an earlier work which possibly predates Christ.  Marcus Borg quotes it from the Lalitavistara Sutra 7.   (Borg, 163)

But the date of the Lalitavistara also runs into problems.  First, it is a non-canonical production of the questionable non-orthodox Mahayana branch.  Second, multiple scholars place it in the Christian era.  Sharma places it in the second century after Christ (Sharma, 102).  According to Conze, works like the Mahavastu and the Lalitavistara contain materials which may range from 200 BC to 600 AD.  (Conze, 31) 
Skilton places it before Christ, in the first century BC. (Skilton, 20)  Another possible range is from 200 BC to 200 AD.  (Otterbein)

 

Was Buddha Virgin Born Like Christ?

            Short Answer:  Buddha’s mother was not a virgin, but she did conceive without sexual contact.

            Longer Answer:

“When the bodhisattva has entered his mother, the bodhisattva’s mother has the regular moral qualities of abstaining from taking life, from theft, from wrongful indulgence in sexual desires, from falsehood, and from the occasions of carelessness in the use of intoxicants.  When the bodhisattva has entered his mother, there arises in the bodhisattva’s mother no thought of men in connection with the senses, and the bodhisattva’s mother is not to be overcome by any man with a passionate heart...  When the bodhisattva has been born seven days, the bodhisattva’s mother dies.  She is reborn in a Tusita (heavenly) body.” – Majjhimanikaya 3:118, (Thomas 29-30)

When the bodhisattva had descended into his mother’s womb, no sensual thought arose in her concerning men, and she was inaccessible to any man having a lustful mind. – Majjhimanikaya 123.10 (Borg, 215)

These quotes are very important for two reasons.  First, they are from the Pali Canon, written in the first century before Christ.  (buddhanet.net)  Second, they come from the Theraveda branch of Buddhism, the more traditional branch, and thus they are more likely than Mahayana traditions to be based on some much earlier oral legend.  There can be little doubt that the legend about Buddha’s miraculous conception predates Christ.

Later, more fantastic fables evolved.

“The bodhisattva became a white elephant… smote (his mother’s) right side and appeared to enter her womb.” – Nidanakatha, (Thomas, 32)

The Nidanakatha dates to 300-500 AD.  (Skilton, 20 & Bullitt)

But Buddha’s mother, Queen Maya, was married.  The Mahavastu records that the bodhisattva’s mother does not lust for any man, not even her husband.  It also records that the Maya said to her husband the following:

“It is my wish, O delight of the Sakyas, to pass the night without thee.” – Mahavastu 2:5, 1:201, (Thomas, 36)

The Mahavastu can be dated from the 100’s BC (Skilton, 20 & Otterbein) or the 100’s AD (Sharma, 102) or the first century AD (Thomas).  It is not certain whether the Mahavastu predates or postdates Christ.

The Tibetan Vinaya explicitly states that Buddha’s parents were in union.  (Thomas, 36) 
The Buddhacarita, which is dated in the first century AD (Skilton, 20 & Holding) or perhaps later in the 100’s AD (Otterbein); says,
"He [the king of the Shakyas] had a wife, splendid, beautiful, and steadfast, who was called the Great Maya, from her resemblance to Maya the Goddess. These two tasted of love's delights, and one day she conceived the fruit of her womb, but without any defilement…” (Holding quoting Miller)
Long after the beginning of the Christian era, it appears that some traditions affirmed that Buddha was born of a virgin.  At least Jerome did.  (Holding)  Jerome lived from 340-420 AD.  But this was a Christian speaking, who was no doubt looking at another religion through his own paradigm.  Jerome was not a Buddhist. 

 

Was Buddha Baptized?

Some claim that Buddha was baptized like Christ was baptized.  This rumor can be traced to Van den Bergh van Eysinga, who took accounts from the Lalitavistara and the Mahavastu concerning the Buddha’s confirmation at the temple and compared them to Christ’s baptism.  Unlike the gospels, there is no water baptism.  The similarity arises in that the boy Buddha hesitated to dedicate himself at the temple because he believed himself to be superior to the gods and therefore in no need of such a ritual.  But in the gospels, it is not Christ who hesitates.  It is John the Baptist who hesitated and said to Christ, “It is I who should be baptized by You.” – Matthew 3:14 (Thomas 46, 239) 

Thomas argues that the Lalitavistara and the Mahavastu date to the 100’s AD and are therefore too late to be sources for the gospels.  However, others date both writings before Christ, as we have already seen.  Still others give the dates of these two writings a range covering time both before and after Christ.

Hamilton adds, “Concerning the childhood and youth of Gotoma (Buddha) non-canonical scriptures of later tradition have preserved various stories which are doubtless attempts to fill in what is actually a blank between the events of his birth and his enlightenment.” (Hamilton, 4)

In any case, the similarity is too weak to be much use.  Buddha is a boy reluctantly consecrated in a temple, and the polytheistic gods of India fall down and worship him the minute he enters the temple even before his consecration.  Jesus Christ is a man willingly baptized in water out in the Jordanian desert nowhere near a temple, and the Spirit of God does not descend on him until after the baptism.  No angels are present, contrary to what one would expect from a Judeo-Christian adaptation to Indian polytheism.

 

Was Buddha Tempted by Satan?

            Buddha was tempted by a demonic personage named Mara.  Jesus was tempted, by Satan, in Matthew 4.  The major difference is that Jesus was only tempted once, at the beginning of his ministry.  In contrast, Buddha is constantly harassed by Mara from the very moment he leaves home in his quest for enlightenment until his death.  Mara tempts Buddha at the time of the enlightenment (although the pre-Christian version of the story, the Majjhimanikaya, is not aware of this), tempts him to abandon the ascetic lifestyle, and tempts him to practice good deeds instead of pursuing enlightenment.  (Padana Sutta of the Pali Canon)  Is practicing good deeds something Satan would tempt us to do?!    The Dhammapada, part of the Pali Canon (buddhanet.net), records that Mara followed Buddha around for seven years, trying to catch him in something he might do wrong.  The Mahavastu records that Mara attacked Buddha with an army, complete with horses, chariots, elephants, and infantry.  The Magandiyasutta records that Mara’s daughters attempted to seduce Buddha.  Mara also threw a disk at Buddha’s head (Holding).  Jesus was tempted in the desert (Matthew 4:1), but Buddha was tempted in a “delightful spot with a pleasant grove.” Finally realizing that the Buddha’s teaching had become well rooted and unstoppable, Mara asks Buddha to attain Nirvana (i.e.-die).  After some protest, Buddha promises to oblige Mara’s request by dying in three months.  (Thomas, 54, 62-68, 71, 74, 75, 115, 147, 240)

In this myriad of encounters with Mara, there is one instance that bares a similarity to Matthew 4 where Satan takes Jesus to a very high mountain and promises him all the kingdoms of the world if he worships Satan.  Mara speaks to Buddha:

“Let the Exalted One exercise governance, let the Blessed One rule… If the Exalted One where to wish the Himalayas, king of the mountains, to become gold, he might determine it to be so” – Samyuttanikaya 4.2.10 (Borg, 101) see also http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/samyutta/sn04-020.html

The Samyuttanikaya is part of the Pali Canon dating to the first century before Christ.  (buddhanet.net)

Jesus had no worldly kingdom, but Satan offered to give him kingdoms.  Buddha was heir to a kingdom which he abandoned.  Mara pleaded with Buddha not to abandon the kingdom which would have been his future inheritance.

 

Was Buddha Born on Christmas?

Some have claimed Buddha was born on December 25th, just like Jesus. 

This is simply false. 

Buddha was born either in April-May, according to the Pali Canon, or was conceived at that time, according to the Lalitavistara, which pushes his birthday to January-March.  (Thomas, 34)

Not that it matters anyway, since most who have thoroughly examined the topic of Jesus Christ’s birth conclude that he was most likely born in the early autumn, not around Christmas.  The idea that Christ was born on December 25th might be traced to the Roman cult of the god Mithras, who was said to be born December 25th, but Mithra’s more ancient Zoroastrian birthday is September 16th. 

 

Were Wisemen Led by a Star to Buddha?

Is it that a god of great merit has been born?  Or is it that a buddha has emerged in the world?  Never before have we seen such signs.  We must trace them together, crossing a myriad of lands, seeking the glow and investigating it together. – Sadharmapundarika Sutra 7 (Borg, 217)

The Sadharmapundarika Sutra, also called the “Lotus Sutra,” is a Mahayana writing possibly composed as early as 100 BC – 100 AD. (Skilton, 102) Thomas believes it was written shortly after Christ.

            You can read the Lotus Sutra here - http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/lotus/lot07.htm - read especially 7:17-20. 

            It is not wise men, but monks, gods, angels, demons, serpents, and a variety of other “things not human” attending the event.  The signs are very intense lights that outshine the sun and the gods, coming from all points on the horizon, and glowing spheres; certainly not a single star.

Was Buddha Resurrected?
The basis for this one comes from the Mahamayasutra.  It records that Buddha opened the lid to his coffin, told his mother (who was already dead too) that life is short, and then laid back down in the coffin and closed the lid. (http://virtualcitizen.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_virtualcitizen_archive.html) One must wonder whether we should call this a resurrection or just a ghost story. 
The Mahamayasutra is a Mahayana text probably written in Sanskrit about 100 years before 550 AD when it was translated into Chinese.  (Holding, Nanjio)  This is reasonable, given the fact that Indian writings had a history of making their way into China about 100 years or so after they were written.  The non-orthodox Mahayana branch of Buddhism from which this writing came evolved from about 100 BC to 200 AD and was very different from the more traditional histories kept by the Theraveda branch of Buddhism.
“The contents of the Mahayana sutras often prove that they were, composed, or rewritten, or some additions were made, long after the Buddha. For instance, Mahamaya-sutra says that Açvaghosa would refute heretical doctrines 600 years after the Master, and Nagarjuna would advocate the Dharma 700 years after Gotama,  (http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/rosa/rosa05.htm)
So our source for Buddha’s resurrection is itself a proof for the youth of the Mahayana writings.

Was Buddha Transfigured?

The prince is endowed with the marks of a Great Man.  On the soles of his feet are wheels with a thousand spokes.  His complexion is bright, the color of gold.  He has a Brahma like voice, like that of a bird.  His eyes are deep blue.  The hair between his eyebrows is white and soft like cotton down. – Digha Nikaya 14.1.32 (Borg, 203)

The Digha Nikaya is part of the Pali Canon, and therefore most likely predates Christ. 

Buddha was transfigured multiple times, but Christ only once.  Buddha has wheels on his feet.  Christ doesn’t.  Buddha’s voice changed, Christ’s didn’t. 

One must wonder if the earliest legends meant a “transfiguration” at all.  Notice his eyes are blue, his skin is golden, and his eyebrows are white or perhaps light blond.  These white Caucasian features are virtually non-existent in India today, but they still would have been visible among the Aryan nobility of the upper castes of India back when Buddha was alive.  They would surely have been considered “the marks of a great man” since they indicated his belonging to a high and noble caste.

 

Is Buddha King of Kings?

“Thou shalt have a son.  If he dwells in a house he will become a king, a universal monarch; if he leaves his house and goes forth from the world, he will become a Buddha, a remover in the world of the veil.” – Nidanakatha, Majjhima (Thomas, 32)

The Nidanakatha was a late commentary on the Jatakas, dating from 300-500 years after Christ, but at least part of the story is also preserved in the Majjhima, a part of the Pali Canon that most likely was written before Christ.

Buddha never ruled over a kingdom.  Here he is said to have had the option, but chose to be a Buddha instead.

 

Was Baby Buddha Visited by Kings and Wisemen and Given Gifts?

When Buddha was born, the priests caught him in a golden net, four kings placed him on an antelope hide, and the gods worshipped him. – Nidanakatha, Majjhima (Thomas 33)

This occurred right after Buddha’s mother tried to climb a tree.  Exerting herself too much, she gave birth to Buddha while she was standing up.  This happened in a grove of trees (not a manger).  The purpose of the golden net was apparently to keep Buddha from injury. 

Although the story says nothing about “wisemen,” it should be noted that the Greek word in the gospel is magi, a term for Zoroastrian priests. 

Baby Buddha was visited by 108 Brahmins, who were the priestly caste of the Vedic religion.  (Holding)  In such a case, they were most likely “wisemen/priests” coming from the west, not the east, as Vedic religion came from western India.

 

Was Baby Buddha Threatened by a Tyrant Like Herod?
“In the Abhinish Kramana Sutra King Bimbasara's servants suggest that he kill Buddha. However, Bimbasara totally rejects this and does not go through with it.” (Holding quoting Beal) 
The date of the Abhiniskramanasutra is unknown (Otterbein), but Skilton suggests it belonged to the school of the Dharmaguptakas (Skilton, 20) who are believed to have existed as early as the first century AD.  (free-definition)

 

Did Buddha Crush a Serpent’s Head?
Even Jina (Buddha) slew a great snake which killed living beings." (Rajatarangini Book 8 verse 2234) (Holding quoting Stein)
The Rajatarangini was written in Kashmir about 1150 AD, over 1000 years after Christ. (free-definition)
Stein notes, "I have not been able to trace the Buddhist legend here alluded to." (Holding quoting Stein) 
On at least two occasions, Buddha showed great empathy for snakes.  Once, when a serpent was torn up by a plow, Buddha was troubled and the event caused him to meditate on the temporal nature of life.  (Thomas, 45)  On another occasion, Buddha stated,
If this monk had expressed kindness to the four royal snake families, then he, although bitten by a snake, would not have passed away. – Vinaya, Cullavagga 5.6 (Borg, 165)

Was Buddha Killed on a Cross?
In biographies about Buddha, any reader will find it consistently stated that Buddha died either from food poisoning or intestinal worms, probably the result of an ill–prepared meal.

This is interesting, since tyrants in the Christian tradition are sometimes killed by intestinal worms, as were Herod (Acts 12:23) and Antiochus (I Maccabees 6, II Maccabees 9).

Buddha did not ascend into heaven after his death.  He went through the four levels of consciousness, twice, then died.

Buddha is believed to have died in October-November.  Fleet believes he died on October 13, 483 BC. (Thomas, 158)  Christ was killed in March-April.

We do find one similarity with Buddha’s death and Christ’s death.  The Digha Nikaya is part of the Pali Canon which predates Christ.

At the Blessed Lord’s final passing, there was a great earthquake – Digha Nikaya 16.6.10 (Borg, 233)

 

Other Comparisons

Lotus chapter 4 has a story similar to the prodigal son of Luke 15:11-32.  Lotus chapter 5 also has a story about a blind man and a physician who cured him, which is often compared to John 9:2.  However, the earliest forms of these stories did not exist until the 100’s AD – too late for Christian borrowing to be possible.  (Thomas 244-245)

Buddha had twelve disciples.  Response:  Buddha had five disciples.  (Thomas 62)
Buddha was taught in the temple at age 12.  Response:  Not true, as adequately proven by Holding,
Buddha was of royal descent, like Christ.  Response:  Buddha’s father was a wealthy monarch.  Christ’s ancestral link to David was separated by generations of no-name commoners.
Buddha will return in the last days to judge the dead.  Response:  This statement demonstrates a pathetic ignorance concerning the doctrines of karma, rebirth, and the cyclical nature of human history common among eastern religions.  It does not deserve further comment.

What we have left is only a couple of feasible similarities as evidence that Christ’s legend was derived from that of Buddha; namely, feeding the multitude, walking on water, and perhaps the story of Asita.  They constitute only a miniscule fraction of the gospel story. 

 

Differences Between Christ and Buddha

Christ never married and never had children.  Buddha had a wife, called by various names including “Bimba the Beautiful,” and an infant son, both of whom he abandoned in order to seek enlightenment.

Christ preached the resurrection and judgment of the dead.  Buddha preached in rebirth.

Christ rejected the doctrine of karma, i.e.- the idea that you are punished in a future rebirth for the sins of this life.  (John 9:2)  Buddha upheld the doctrine of karma.

Christ came in His Father’s Name, claiming that His Father was greater than He.  Buddha came in his own name, claiming to be the bodhisattva, above which there is none.

Christ died once for all.  The bodhisattva descends again and again from age to age, each time becoming a different buddha.

Christ ate the Passover, which is impossible for a vegetarian to do since eating the Passover requires the consumption of lamb.  Buddha taught it is wrong to take life.

Christ’s mother lived to see His death.  Buddha’s mother died after seven days from when she gave birth.

Christ was preceded by prophets who predicted the coming of the Messiah.  Buddha was not prophesied before he came.

Christ was immediately preceded by John the Baptist.  Buddha was not preceded by anyone.

References to Christ’s Divine Nature appear in writing within decades of his death.  References to Buddha’s divine nature appear in oral tradition about 250 years after his death.

 

More on Dating Buddhist Scriptures

“Many individual (Mahayana) sutras are clearly composite works, compiled over many centuries, such that the final text is formed from layers of material of different ages.” (Skilton, p. 99)

Skilton places the Mahavastu in the 100’s BC and the Lalitavistara in the first century BC (Skilton, 20)

Tantra texts do not date any earlier than several centuries into the Christian era.  (Harper and Brown, 25)

Although the Abhidhamma was recited soon after the Buddha’s death according to legend, as it exists today is mostly a later commentary.  (Humphreys 45)

The Lalitavistara cannot compare to the Pali Canon as a source for history, because it is a proven fact that it is a collection of inventions from later centuries. (Thomas xvii)

In the Dhamma and the Vinaya, the sayings of Buddha are not integrated with the narrative as they are in the gospels.  It appears that though the sayings may be authentic, the stories and legends which evolved around them are not.  This is especially true in the Vinaya.  (Thomas xix)

The Lalitavistara as a source for history is about as useful as a medieval poem about the gospels would be.  (Thomas xxiv)

The Mahavastu is derived from the Vinaya, a writing of the Lokottara, which is a branch of the Mahasanghikas.  (Thomas xx)

Dipavamsa – 300’s AD
Mahavamsa – 400’s AD    (Thomas xxii)

Dasarathajataka – 400’s AD    (Thomas 11)

 

Bibliography

www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bps/leaves   See here to research the references to actual Buddhist texts!

Beal, Samuel.  The Romantic Legend of Sakya Buddha: A Translation of the Chinese Version of the Abhiniskramanasutra.  pages 103-104. 

Bullitt, John.  Beyond the Tipitaka, A Field Guide to Post-canonical Pali Literature.  www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/postcanon.html, 2002

Borg, Marcus.  Jesus and Buddha, the Parallel Sayings.  Seastone & Ulysses Press:  Berkeley, CA, 1999.

www.buddhanet.net

Conze, Edward.  Buddhism, Its Essence and Development.  Harper Colophon Books, Harper & Row Publishers:  New York, Evanston, San Francisco, & London, 1975

Cowell, E. B.  The Jataka or Stories of the Buddha’s FormerBirths.  London, 6 Volumes, 1990; P. Khorache (Trans) Once the Buddha was a Monkey, Chicago, 1989.  Given at www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/dharmadata/fdd25.htm , 2004

Digha Nikiya 16.1.32, The Maha-parinibbana Sutta.

http://www.free-definition.com/Dharmaguptaka.html

Hamilton, Clarence H.  Buddhism, A Religion of Infinite Compassion.  The Bobbs-Merrill Company Inc, a subsidiary of Howard W. Sams & Company Inc, The Liberal Arts Press:  Indianapolis & New York, 1952

Harper, Katherine Ann & Brown, Robert L.  The Roots of Tantra.  State University of New York Press:  Albany, NY, 2002

Holding, James Patrick.  Lining Up Against the Lotus:  Buddha as a Copycat Christ.  www.tektonics.org/copycat/buddha02.html 

Humphreys, Christmas.  Buddhism.  Penguin Books, Cox & Wyman, Ltd:  London, 1976 

Kawasaki, Ken & Visakha.  Jataka Tales of the Buddha.  Buddhist Publication Society, Bodhi Leaves BL 138:  Kandy, Sri Lanka, 1996, www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bps/leaves

Khosla, Sarla.  History of Buddhism in Kashmir.  Sagar Publications:  New Delhi, 1972

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Sharma, Arvind.  Our Religions:  The Seven World Religions Introduced by Preeminent Scholars from Each Tradition.  Harper Collins Publishers:  New York, 1993

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