Was Jesus a Buddhist?

Was Jesus a Buddhist? Certainly he was many things--Jew, prophet, healer, moralist, revolutionary, by his own admission the Messiah, and for most Christians the Son of God and redeemer of their sins. And there is convincing evidence that he was also a Buddhist. The evidence follows two independent lines--the first is historical, and the second is textual. Historical evidence indicates that Jesus was well acquainted with Buddhism. If Jesus did not go to India, then at least India went to Judea and Jesus. The real historical question is not if he studied Buddhism, but where and how much he studied Buddhism, especially during his so-called "lost years." Historical accounts aside, many textual analyses indicate striking similarities between what was said by Jesus and by Buddha and between the prophetic legend of Jesus and ancient Buddhist texts. The conclusion is that, although not identifying himself as a Buddhist for good reasons, Jesus spoke like a Buddhist. The similarities are so striking that, even if no historical evidence existed, we can suspect that Jesus studied Buddhist teachings and that the prophecy and legend of Jesus was derived from Buddhist stories.

सुखी माणसाचा सदरा घातलेला भिक्‍खू

जगी सर्व सुखी असा कोण आहे, हा प्रश्‍न नेहमीच आपण स्वतःला करीत असतो. शास्त्रज्ञांना मात्र याचे उत्तर सापडले असून, काठमांडूतील एका बौद्ध भिक्‍खूला जगातील सर्वांत आनंदी माणसाचा किताब देण्यात आला आहे. मॅथ्यू रिकार्ड असे त्यांचे नाव. रिकार्ड हे स्वतः ही एक शास्त्रज्ञ आहेत. तिबेटचे धर्मगुरू दलाई लामा यांच्याबरोबर संवादक म्हणून ते जगभर भ्रमण करीत असतात. 

रिकार्ड हे फ्रान्सचे नागरिक असून, मॉल्युक्‍यूलर जेनेटिस्ट आहेत. विस्कॉन्सिन विद्यापीठात मेंदूतज्ज्ञ रिचर्ड डेव्हिडसन यांनी ध्यानधारणा करणाऱ्या अनेकांच्या मेंदूची शास्त्रीय चाचणी घेतली. रिकार्ड यांच्या मेंदूला 256 सेन्सर्स लावून केलेल्या चाचणीत त्यांच्या मेंदूतून गॅमा लहरी मोठ्या प्रमाणात बाहेर पडत असल्याचे निष्पन्न झाले. या लहरींचा संबंध माणसाच्या जागृतावस्था, अध्ययन, स्मृती आणि लक्ष देण्याच्या क्रियेशी आहे. एवढ्या प्रमाणात गॅमा लहरी बाहेर पडत असल्याचे याआधी कधीही नोंदविण्यात आलेले नाही. या चाचणीत रिकॉर्ड यांच्या मेंदूचा डावा भाग हा उजव्या भागाच्या तुलनेत जास्त क्रियाशील असल्याचे दिसले. 

पाश्‍चात्य जगात रिकार्ड यांची ओळख "बौद्ध धर्माचा चेहरा' अशी आहे. रिकार्ड यांचा जन्म पॅरिसमध्ये झाला. त्यांचे वडील ज्यॉं फ्रान्सिस रिवेल हे तत्त्वज्ञ, तर आई यान ली टॉमेलिन या चित्रकार. यामुळे पॅरिसमधील बौद्धिक वर्तुळात ते लहानपणापासून रमले. अनेक चित्रकार, साहित्यिक, संगीतकार यांचा त्यांच्या घरी राबता असे. पॅरिसमधील पाश्‍चर इन्स्टिट्यूटमधून 1972 मध्ये "सेल जेनेटिक्‍स' या विषयात त्यांनी पीएच.डी. मिळविली. शास्त्रीय संशोधनाच्या क्षेत्रात चालणाऱ्या चर्चा आणि वादविवादांमुळे लवकरच त्यांना उबग आला. त्यांनी मग सुटीत बौद्ध धर्म अभ्यासण्यासाठी दार्जिलिंगकडे धाव घेतली. नंतर त्यांनी वडिलांसमवेत "द मॉंक ऍण्ड द फिलॉसॉफर' हे पुस्तक लिहिले. या पुस्तकाने त्यांचे नाव जगभर केले. 

"हॅपीनेस : अ गाईड टू डेव्हलपिंग लाईफ्स मोस्ट इपॉंर्टंट स्किल', "द क्वांटम ऍण्ड द लोट्‌स' आणि "व्हाय मेडिटेट' अशा पुस्तकांतून त्यांनी त्यांचे अनुभव मांडले आहेत. त्यांची पुस्तके वीसहून अधिक भाषांत अनुवादित झालेली आहेत. याचबरोबर ते उत्तम छायाचित्रकार आहेत. शास्त्रज्ञ व बौद्ध विद्वान यांच्या समन्वयातून चालणाऱ्या माईंड ऍण्ड लाइफ इन्स्टिट्यूटचे ते सदस्य आहेत. त्यांनी केलेल्या कार्याबद्दल फ्रान्स सरकारने त्यांना "ऑर्डर ऑफ मेरिट' पुरस्कार देऊन गौरविले आहे. ( सकाळ.)

Conquest by Dhamma

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"Now it is conquest by Dhamma that Beloved-of-the-Gods considers to be the best conquest ...

And conquest by Dhamma has been won here, on the borders, even six hundred yojanas away, where the Greek king Antiochos rules, beyond there where the four kings named Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas and Alexander rule ...

Here in the king’s domain among the Greeks, the Kambojas, the Nabhakas ... everywhere people are following Beloved-of-the-Gods’ instructions in Dhamma.

Even where Beloved-of-the-Gods’ envoys have not been, these people too, having heard of the practice of Dhamma and the ordinances and instructions in Dhamma given by Beloved-of-the-Gods, are following it and will continue to do so ...

This conquest has been won everywhere, and it gives great joy – the joy which only conquest by Dhamma can give. But even this joy is of little consequence. Beloved-of-the-Gods considers the great fruit to be experienced in the next world to be more important.

I have had this Dhamma edict written so that my sons and great-grandsons ... consider making conquest by Dhamma only, for that bears fruit in this world and the next."

– Asoka’s rock edict at Girnuri in Guzerat.

A sacred plan for peace within

Vajrayana Buddhism was born out of centuries of dynamic intellectual search at the great universities of eastern India and Kashmir. It is believed to have the clarity and indestructible nature of a diamond as well as the striking nature of a thunderbolt. Its purpose is to free us and to dispel the veils of ignorance with the force of a clap of thunder

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A SACRED PLAN FOR PEACE WITHIN

Early Buddhism was founded on the Buddha’s sublime message of love and self-discipline. This philosophic vision of life found representation in mighty stupas, impressive gateways that stand before them, and great caves hewn out of rocks, which together form perhaps the greatest art ever created in the world
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Buddha legacy

 The Buddha’s message was one of self-discipline. He pointed out that there was pain in our lives, and that the cause of this pain was our desires. Therefore, in order to escape the pain, we had to do away with our desires. We would then leave behind the illusions of the material world and attain Buddhahood.

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Beauty and grace of Buddism.

The Compassionate Buddha by Dr. C.S. Shah

'The absolutely sane man' the world had ever seen. He refused rituals and gods, Atman andParamatman, but never compromised on reason. His efforts at last led him to experience the Truth and he became Buddha, The Enlightened. The Truth and Knowledge flowed from his every pore as Compassion, in his austerities and tapas, kindness and humility, and suffering and feelings.And what a sacrifice to realize the Truth! Palace and luxury, wife and son appeared pigmy in front of the loftiness of the desire to seek the Highest. He was ahead for his time, liberal and kind, and had selected Yashodhara as his bride. They had happy married time. No want, no misery, no worries. And one dark night (I am tempted to say 'one fine night') the farewell! Thrice Buddha went back to the bedside of his sleeping wife.