Publisher's Synopsis
WHERE JESUS AND BUDDHA AGREE There are many books on the topic of where Buddhism and Christianity agree in philosophy. The same can be made of most (if not all) religions. Some of the key factors of what is best of the Bible and Buddhism both converge on the areas of ethics, kindness, giving, and love. Even the concept of sin, depending on how you interpret the Bible, is the same. On the "Sermon on the Mount" Jesus states many concepts that would agree with many Buddhist traditions: Be humble Be compassionate (a possible translation of sympathy through mourning) Live simply (a possible translation of meek) Be ethical (a possible translation of righteous) Be merciful Be pure of heart Be a peacemaker Do not live in fear to do what is right Be an example to others ("the light of the world") Do not murder (the Buddhist First Precept) Do not commit adultery (The Buddhist Third Precept) Sin is not only found in action but in intention (the Buddhist concept of volitional action creating karma) Keep your promises (The Buddhist Fourth Precept) Turn the other cheek (The Buddhist concept of compassion or karuna) Do charity because it is in your heart to do so (the concept of dana) Do not judge ( The Buddhist concept of the three poisons: hatred, greed and delusion) Always be seeking and questioning ( "seek and you will find .. ") Beware of false prophets and judge them by the fruit they bare (the sutta of the Kalamas) In many ways, this seminal talk of Jesus encompasses almost all of the major concepts of Buddhism.
