Post: #26

One that one has to remember is that like Christianity, Buddhism has also had things added to it over the years, so what would be relevant would be looking at the original teachings, not the current version.

Consider that if what people refer to as The divine is beyond the understanding of the limited rational human mind, then as soon as you try to describe it you are giving an incomplete picture and adding your own cultural baggage.

Post: #27

I don't think the Buddha had any influences on Jesus or his teachings. It is true that the Bible says he grew up in Egypt where there were Buddhists at the time, but on the other hand he grew up in an insular Jewish community that would have ignored all pagan beliefs (He wasn't a Hellenized Jew). Jesus also talks a lot about "The Father" which just in not how Buddhists talk.

The final proof is that he suffered on the cross. Buddhist monks and other Indian gurus are able to eliminate sensations of pain through years of meditation practice. Take for example the gymnosophist who burned himself alive in front of Alexander the Great. More recently, Vietnamese Buddhist monks burned themselves alive to protest the Vietnam war. It takes years of meditation practice to get to this level. My first meditation instructor could do this and would teach pain control techniques to people with AIDs. He also did a Sun Dance ritual (being hung from a tree by two knives through your breasts) which is still being practiced by some Indian tribes.

Here is the description of the burning of Kalanos:

"He was seventy-three years of age at time of his death. When the Persian weather and travel had weakened him, he informed Alexander that he would prefer to die rather than live as an invalid. He decided to take his life by self-immolation. Although Alexander tried to dissuade him from this course of action, upon Kalanos' insistence the job of building a pyre was entrusted to Ptolemy. Kalanos is mentioned also by Alexander's admirals, Nearchusand Chares of Mytilene. The city where this immolation took place was Susa in the year 323 BCE. Kalanos distributed all the costly gifts he got from the king to the people and wore just a garland of flowers and chanted hymns. He presented his horse to one of his Greek pupils named Lysimachus. He did not flinch as he burnt to the astonishment of those who watched."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalanos

Post: #28

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosis

Quote:In Christian theology, kenosis (Greek: κένωσις, kénōsis, lit. emptiness) is the 'self-emptying' of one's own will and becoming entirely receptive to God's divine will.

The word ἐκένωσεν (ekénōsen) is used in Philippians 2:7, "[Jesus] made himself nothing ..."[Phil. 2:7] (NIV) or "...[he] emptied himself..."[Phil. 2:7] (NRSV), using the verb form κενόω (kenóō) "to empty".

http://www.mindful.org/what-the-buddha-taught/

Quote:While there are many practices that will lead one gradually to liberation, the Buddha said that the principal cause for achieving liberation is the realization of egolessness. That is what frees us from suffering. Therefore, without realizing egolessness, there is no way one can achieve any degree of real freedom.
...
The way in which the Buddha taught emptiness in the first turning accords with the gradual, or indirect, way of understanding the ultimate nature of reality. Buddha simply taught that “the self,” or entity identified as “I,” is impermanent in nature and does not exist inherently; it is empty of any true, solid existence. Therefore, in his first teachings on emptiness, Buddha taught the nonexistence of a personal self or individual ego on the ultimate level.

In my mind, these seem like the same thing.

Post: #29

(07-13-2015 08:33 PM)Sherman Wrote:  I don't think the Buddha had any influences on Jesus or his teachings. It is true that the Bible says he grew up in Egypt where there were Buddhists at the time, but on the other hand he grew up in an insular Jewish community that would have ignored all pagan beliefs (He wasn't a Hellenized Jew). Jesus also talks a lot about "The Father" which just in not how Buddhists talk.

The final proof is that he suffered on the cross. Buddhist monks and other Indian gurus are able to eliminate sensations of pain through years of meditation practice. Take for example the gymnosophist who burned himself alive in front of Alexander the Great. More recently, Vietnamese Buddhist monks burned themselves alive to protest the Vietnam war. It takes years of meditation practice to get to this level. My first meditation instructor could do this and would teach pain control techniques to people with AIDs. He also did a Sun Dance ritual (being hung from a tree by two knives through your breasts) which is still being practiced by some Indian tribes.

Two important contextual notes, though:

(1) Even on the Bible's own accounts, Jesus didn't hang in there (pardon the pun) for as long as expected. After about three hours or so the Roman soldiers were commanded to break the legs of the crucified prisoners (i.e. finish them off) but they discovered when they came to Jesus that he was already dead. The implication being that the amateur condemned tended to suffer in agony for longer on average. Indeed that was the point of the crucifixion - it killed you, via asphyxiation, but only after you'd suffered indeterminate hours of agony trying to keep yourself upright and breathing by pressing on your impaled hands and feet.

(2) Suffering in order to gain a transcendent experience or gain some boon for one's self and/or mankind at large is a relatively common theme or aspect to mythology. Take a look at Joseph Campbell's identified hero cycle in The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Crucifixion - in the sense of impalement and fixing to a tree - also features in Norse mythology (Odin is speared to Yggdrasil, thereby becoming one with the World Tree and achieving wisdom/enlightenment as a result; Esus, the Druid god, had similar rituals.) It's often connected with Docetism, the rejection of the flesh entirely in favour of the spirit (which is, I might hasten to add, a long-rejected theological viewpoint in Christianity - it features most among the Gnostics.)

Post: #30

Read Kenneth Humphries Jesus Never Existed or his website for any questions. Jesus is the amalgamation of Mithra Moses David Appolonius of Tyana and many other figures. He is as real as Harry Potter.

Post: #31

It's a nonsensical question since likely both of those are fictional characters and those long posts analyzing it make my eyes roll

Better question would be: Were people who wrote the bible influenced by Buddhist philosophy ? And the answer is yes, very likely.

Post: #32

(07-18-2015 03:25 PM)Pride male Wrote:  Read Kenneth Humphries Jesus Never Existed or his website for any questions. Jesus is the amalgamation of Mithra Moses David Appolonius of Tyana and many other figures. He is as real as Harry Potter.

Humphries is wrong. I've looked at the site. Some of his claims are dubious at best, and others are just demonstrably wrong. Read Bart Ehrman's Did Jesus Exist? The Jesus Myth theory has been in disrepute among scholars for nearly 100 years. I know of one peer-reviewed book on it in the last 60 years. There are fewer Jesus mythicists with PhDs in relevant fields than there are Young Earth Creationists with PhDs in biology. The two are intellectually equivalent.

You want to argue that Jesus was not the son of God, that's fine. I have no issue with people doing that. If you want to argue that he never existed, you're on really thin ice. The Mithraic comparisons come from sources that post date Christianity. The main sources about Apollonius of Tyana are from the 3rd century AD, nearly 200 years after Jesus' death.

Paul calls James "the Brother of the Lord," and knows that he was "born of a woman," "under the law." Kind of hard to do that if Paul only thinks Jesus exists as some type of celestial being.

Post: #33

Doubtful. The Romans would have a laissez-faire approach to any weird religion from the corners of the empire, but Buddhism is radically different from Orthodox Judaism in both content and style -especially at the time-and wouldn't have surived as an idea long in Palestine. Pharisaic Judaism is very attached to the world and every action having immediate physical outcomes-Buddhism not so much. Jehovah and Buddha are very different figures too-the idea of divine parentage wouldn't co-mingle well with Buddhist notions of enlightenment.
For Jews, the law came to them from God, they didn't find it through meditation.
There's similarities between early Christianity and a great many religions-Cybele was a virgin goddess in Attic and Roman religion-but few of them could have been mutually aware of each other. Even Mithraic influence is tenuous.
Sometimes a coincidence is just a coincidence, like how there's stepped pyramids in Giza and Mexico City.

Post: #34

Yes. But, the underlying energies & understanding versus the "story telling" are something not easy to join the dots on.

(07-12-2015 09:20 PM)Slim Shady Wrote:  Virgin birth is quite common in Vedic tradition actually. For example, look at the Mahabharata. The father of the Pandavas [Pandu] was actually impotent, and his two wives, Kunti, and Madri bore sons through the "blessing" of certain gods.

In fact Kunti's first son, Karna, who fought against his own brothers in the war, was borne to her as a "virgin birth" before she was married. The father was the sun god. The fathers of the other Pandavas are considered to be the Wind god, Indra [Zeus], etc.

What do I think really happened? She probably got pregnant off some premarital affair, just like Mary, for the first one. I think there might have been some form of ancient surrogacy or artificial insemination that went on for the other kids.

By the way, the Indian Sun God, flying in his chariott, was the basis for the Greek Apollo. In fact pretty much the entire Greek Mythology is based off the ancient Indian mythology. Zeus is Indra, Apollo is Surya, etc.

So there certainly is a lot of Vedic influence on the much younger religions. Do I think Christ is based off Buddha? No clue.

Krishna is 100% not, even though he is the oldest of the 3, not the youngest. Krishna was a Machiavellian dude who made the ladies swoon. In fact Krishna's philosophy of "Krishnaniti" would influence Chanakya's "Chanakyaniti" which was written around 300 BC, which would later influence "The Prince". He is nothing like Jesus.

Krishna = Krsna = The All Attractive.. comes from Aakrst (To attract)
His name became "Vasudev Krishn"
From my reading .. the original naming/ language from where people get his Jesus's name (phonetic).. it was Crist/Cristo not Cry-ist

See the similarity.. Krist / Cry-ist.. in phonetic sound..

(all I's above have the sound.. of letter E or EE)

Now why, where & how would Jesus.. get his name.. ? Was it a family name..? No.

There is place in / near the Northern part of Indian sub continent that talks about .. Issa.. (Isaa masih.. i.e. Messiah)

Issa.. is similar to ISHAAN one of the names of Shi-va (refer to Hadron collider thread)..

Shi-va - opposite of Va-shi i.e. To Control.. which cannot be easily put in words..

Quote:‘Shiva’ reversed is Vashi. Vashi means control. Control is of the mind. Control also means weakness. One is not doing something naturally but exerting pressure. Control is an illusion. Control is a temporary exertion of energy in the mind. That is Vashi. Shiva is opposite. Shiva is the permanent and eternal source of energy, the eternal state of Being, the One without a second.

He is said to have come from the now middle east.. to LEARN.. and is said to have gotten ENLIGHTENED over in that area.. Now the Kasmir region..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unknown_years_of_Jesus

Now the funny thing..
He said.. I am the only way.. I am his son..

Krishna said the same.. I am the only way.. I am the universe/al being..the Divine itself..

----
Now, if you look and read more and more without Prejudice.. and look for Common threads and philosophy.. you will find.. its all the same in different flavors.. or you will only SEE the differences..

--------

On Buddha.. Prince Named Siddhartha.. who live in luxury.. got disillusioned when he saw some stuff.. suffering.. and began to question.. the point of luxury and suffering etc etc.. what is truth.. what is the way beyond this existence..
(long story.. and lots of stuff & suffering on his journey)..

He got enlightened.. Buddha (.. The Consciousness.. The Big Universal Being/ Mind.. beyond the Buddhi.. i.e. Intellect & Mind)..
Gautam Buddha..

Now why the different approaches.. over time..? That is the nature and flavor of the universe..
------------------

Buddha said the truth is in.. Nothingness.. Zero.. Emptiness.. that is consciousness
Krishna said the truth is .. Everything is Consciousness

Now, how would one understand the above.. Only with a heightened consciousness.. What to chew on till then..?

Heres something for the intellect..

Scriptures say that the world is a Construct... Matrix.. the mind, body, intellect are all virtual constructs (there are essays on each of these etc)..

But.. so.. in Upanishads there is talk of MANIFEST & UNMANIFEST.. that which is visible and has form & attributes... V/s That which is INVISIBLE & has no form/ attributes

the UNMANIFEST is said to be WAY MORE POWERFUL than the manifest.. this is the so called DARK ENERGY/ MATTER that scientists are DISCOVERING in quantum physics and the UKNOWN that seems to be "doing something" between Galaxies & Astral systems that CANT BE EXPLAINED, but whose "EFFECT" is kind of being OBSERVED.. "something is causing" X behavior but we DONT KNOW WHAT..

In Vedic/ Sikh/ Jain & even various ancients there is concept of..

Nir-guna.. No attributes
Sa-guna.. All attributes..

The TRUTH is beyond the 5 SENSES... so fall into the Nothingness/ Fullness beyond the senses.. And there is no EXCLUSIVE way towards it..

4 Pathways:
- Raj Yog > Intellectual understanding & content (from scriptures, knowledge, teachings)
- Dhyna Yog > Elevated Awareness.. Path of Meditation & beyond body experience
- Karma Yog > Action, Service, Compassion, Doing duty, Loving yourself & others..
- Bhakti Yog > Surrender..

The end is SELF realization.. To realize that you are not the Body, the mind or intellect.. or thoughts or emotions..

You are the DIVINE.. You have been created in HIS LIGHT.. that light is CONSCIOUSNESS.. to realize that THERE IS NO OTHER.. But ME.. and that ME is the ONE UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS..

.........again.. all paths preach & recommend some aspects of the above.. in various forms and flavors..

.. I read some Greek gods & relations.. as well as some ancient Judaism.. as some such deep insights..

.. The Messenger.. and the Message was passed on in its FLAVOR at the SAID TIME & PLACE..
Each of them TAUGHT & PASSED On the Wisdom & knowledge to their CLOSE disciples/ devotees..

Followers took the word and spread the gospel far and wide..

Of course over time & place.. UNDERSTANDING of Original was.. not 100%.. Distorted understanding..

"Words are the FIRST DISTORTION of TRUTH" .. Only in deep silence (silent mind) one MAY experience the Truth..

(07-13-2015 07:44 PM)Soothesayer Wrote:  Unless I missed it, Buddha never claimed divinity and neither did Mohammed. Far as I know, Abraham didn't either. Christ did, and raised the dead to prove it. This to me is what sets Christianity apart.

His statements, "No one comes to the Father except through Me" and "He who rejects Me also rejects the one who sent Me" come to mind.

This is what annoys me about Jews and Muslims claiming to worship the same God as Christians do and vice-verse. They don't worship the same God at all. Judaism might as well be Islam in that regard because for a Christian, simply by denying the SON, you also deny the FATHER (i.e. God Himself) so that there is no God without Christ.

Buddhism is a 'save yourself' religion, as is Judaism: Do enough good works, spread enough good karma, follow the 8 fold path = merit your own golden ticket. This not only flies against grace but is a direct enemy of it since it shuns leaving the good works to Jesus who was led to die on the cross. In fact it not only nullifies grace in Christ but also God by association.

It's a direct competitor to Buddhism - where you may see 'great works' being done, such as that by an aspiring Buddhist student who lies across the temple steps for days, motionless, not even swatting the flies in the humidity in an effort to win favor by his 'good meditative works'.

Personally Ill take my chances with Christ.

I've found flavors of commonality between Is-laam & what is similar to ISAA - ISHAAN - Shiva.. or vedic Shaivi practitioners

Shiva Linga(m) - Dark Stone - represents Nothingness/ Dark matter/ Universe/ God particle...

Think of the Universal Consciousness beyond time & space.. as THE FORCE.. that drives and governs the universe.. and IS the universe itself.. Manifest as well as Unmanifest..

- Ancients used to walk circles around the Linga(m).. and still do..
- Shiva promised that wherever I reside the Ganges (holy river/ water has pure divine energy) will flow.. so as a practise people carry the Water back.. after a pilgrimage (in India)..
- At several places when people commit to a serious divine Pilgrimage they choose & commit to go Barefoot, WITHOUT any STITCHED CLOTHING (just white fabric) i.e. all men (rich or poor) as equal in eyes of god.. etc etc. i.e. Dropping your WORLDLY / MATERIAL possessions& Identity/ Ego..

Similar practices are followed when people go for Haj and go around the Kaaba - A B&W pic of it will show it in the form of a Shiva Linga(m).

There are several narratives on how Mohammed came across the above.. His uncle was said to be a big Shiva worshipper.. and either him/ uncle or both traveled and thats how they learnt.. Quite conflicting stories etc and so on..

Given the number of old scriptures destroyed.. esp in the Mid East.. its hard to fathom what was the REALITY back then. and what / where there was MISINTERPRETATION &/OR MANIPULATION..

But it has not been devoid of its flavor of MASTERS (enlightened or close to).. SUFIs, PERSIAN etc.. Rumi, Gibran.. Bula Shah..

...
I can do all things through him..
..

PPS: In western systems the SCIENCE vs SPIRITUALITY debate is at loggerheads to lack of UNDERSTANDING of the connection..

Ancient wisdom has always known the connection & drivers between the UNMANIFEST (SPIRIT) and the MANIFEST (the MATERIAL).

.. End Note: At the end.. only with an AWARE INTELLECT, CALM MIND, LOVING HEART, APPROPRIATE & RIGHT ACTION & FORBEARANCE in LIFE can one make progress in his SPIRIT.. & Vice versa..

Post: #35

For those who want to VISUALLY grab some of these concepts via ENTERTAINMENT..

- Matrix
- Inception
- Interstellar
- Lucy
- Coherence .. this will blow your mind.. simultaneous existing intersecting realities (beyond The One)
- Arrival

These are parables & gospels for OUR time.. as that is what the Population consumes.. Back then each time & era/ region had their own.

Time/ Space constructs are constructs within the framework of our mind.. For an Enlightened being (like Lucy/ Neo) time & space are just Constructs to organize content of a giant non existent virtual library.

Post: #36

Many people believe that Jesus had some mystic schooling in the east - Buddhist or Sanata Dharma or whatever.

While not implausible - the simplest explanation would be that Jesus got his mysticism form the mystic traditions within Judaism itself about whom most people, including modern Judaists, are not informed much and therefore they create theories about Jesus traveling to far east.

Judaism had a lot more variety and depth before the Jewish exile then now - there were many sects with very arcane teachings - today the exploration of these mystic Judaist systems are called Kaballah and practiced only by a tiny minority of Jewish population, in fact there were more gentiles trying to decipher these things then actual Jews - which was root of western magick systems and western occultism in general.

Post: #37

Exactly Mage, Kabbalah is more popular with non Jews than with the Jews, which is pretty interesting. That being said its better to not get into Kabbalah if you have no attention of immersing yourself in it for life. This is not simply something that you do occasionally and half assed (lets see what this is attitude).
I read couple of books about it, just to see what it is, and after it I can say I barely even grasp its concepts. This is extremely deep knowledge and I am sure it was given to Jews by something, this is not what you can simply invent on your own.

Post: #38

You kind of have to decide whether or not you believe he was the son of God or not before you can answer this question.

If he was the son of God, than all of creation was preparing for his birth, and it would make sense that part of that preparation was seeding bits of his future teachings in different faiths around the world so that when he came, people would be less freaked out because they were already familiar with aspects of his ministry.

Also, all of the arguments that Christianity was a kind of syncretism, arising from things that came in the past, and using them for its own ends, utterly fall apart if he was truly the son of God. The creator of heaven and earth doesn't "get' his ideas from people in the past if he was the guy who created the whole shebang.

On the other hand, if Jesus wasn't the son of God, feel free to have a field day, and go hog wild, because everything is up for grabs, and down for debate.

Post: #39

(07-12-2015 09:03 PM)Chick Magnet Wrote:  Be right back while I slaughter everybody in the promise land and stone an adulteress Leviticus-style.

Oh right, Jesus had mercy on the adulteress. One the of the gazillion contradictions between Old and New Testament. Let me know if you'd like more.

Many different scholars have, through various scholarly methods, determined that the Periscope of the Woman Caught In Adultery was added to the Bible several hundred years after Christ. It interrupts the flow of the text, and also is inconsistent with the Hebrew calendar in use at the time. It doesn't belong in the Bible.

Post: #40

(07-13-2015 08:27 PM)RexImperator Wrote:  One that one has to remember is that like Christianity, Buddhism has also had things added to it over the years, so what would be relevant would be looking at the original teachings, not the current version.

Consider that if what people refer to as The divine is beyond the understanding of the limited rational human mind, then as soon as you try to describe it you are giving an incomplete picture and adding your own cultural baggage.

Looking at the origin of Buddhism, I've found it to be like a watered down form of Torah (the simple progenitor of Judaism). Interestingly, the time and place of Buddhism's origin, is almost exactly the same as when the Assyrian empire deported several million Israelites to the western border of India.

Post: #41

Was Jesus humself influenced by Buddhism? Highly unlikely. Gnostic Christianity on the other hand definitely is.

Post: #42

Usually when people discuss which religious movement influenced which - they talk like atheists even if they are faithful people. They assume if two faiths have similar beliefs then there must have been a contact between these cultures somehow, because that is the most materialistic explanation altrough sometimes considering the ancient transportation, lack of universal language and methods of travel it sounds rather far fetched.

If you believe God or any spiritual concepts to be true then you don't have to explain similarities in faiths this way. It can simply be possible that multiple people in multiple parts of the world in different times had similar revelations / conclusions / experiences in elevated states of consciousness because the spiritual dimensions they talk about are actually real only expressed differently trough the prisms of their cultures and languages.

Post: #43

(01-28-2017 05:16 AM)Mage Wrote:  Usually when people discuss which religious movement influenced which - they talk like atheists even if they are faithful people. They assume if two faiths have similar beliefs then there must have been a contact between these cultures somehow, because that is the most materialistic explanation altrough sometimes considering the ancient transportation, lack of universal language and methods of travel it sounds rather far fetched.

If you believe God or any spiritual concepts to be true then you don't have to explain similarities in faiths this way. It can simply be possible that multiple people in multiple parts of the world in different times had similar revelations / conclusions / experiences in elevated states of consciousness because the spiritual dimensions they talk about are actually real only expressed differently trough the prisms of their cultures and languages.

Well put..

What did he read/ what did he meditate on/ what did he ponder upon.. what kind of energy/ chi/ yoga/ breathing etc practices he did..? who knows..

But what did they all CONVEY..? tried to Convey..

End of the day.. they were Seekers & Conveyers of truth.. They did not take in Wisdom with Labels & Biases.. They took it with a OPEN CONSCIOUSNESS..

True wisdom is without "boundaries"..

There were no ..ISMs.. WE LABEL.. and get stuck to LABELS..

They came (some became SEEKERS), they EXPERIENCED, they REALIZED, they SHARED (in appropriate time/ place), they CONVEYED.. (tried to convey whats Beyond).. hence.. Mystic.. That which is HIDDEN behind/ beneath what the Eyes/ Senses can see/ sense.

No one can see / convey the same EVER AGAIN the same way.. the words/ thoughts will only point towards.. And for every Entity who EVENTUALLY goes beyond the POINTERS.. and Experiences.. That is The Truth!

An Inexpressible Truth.. that has a 1000s of pointers to it..

The MASTERS/ GUIDES came at a time & a place to POINT towards SOMETHING that is BEYOND the 5 senses.. that cant be DIRECTLY SEEN..

They methods & mechanisms varied over time.. Just the way Game Techniques & Styles of every Instructor/ Author change.. But underneath, the "FLOW" is experienced..

The messages are similar, at times at different levels (of simple as well as complexity.. ) .. simpler v/s deeper.. love/ fear based motivation.. action/ compassion.. and so on..

The 4 paths.. point to the 4 Flavors of Human journey towards that Truth.. And most faiths/ masters have some aspect of that..

The end is Yog.. Union.. Merging.. Become one with.. The No Mind.. The Zen mind.. The Bodhi mind.. Self-Realization.. Nirvana.. Union with Divine.. (realizing that you never were separate from the Divine..).. Realizing you are the Light! itself..

PS: I was taught about flavors of such knowledge from ALL faiths / origins.. since I was 10 or so..

Post: #44

From another thread.. of similar discussion..
/thread-60749...pid1496448

(01-27-2017 10:36 AM)sterling_archer Wrote:  

(01-27-2017 04:39 AM)xmlenigma Wrote:  /thread-49014...pid1495698

Here's something that explains aspects of SHIVA/ DARK MATTER & ENERGY... the MANIFEST (visible / material universe) and the UNMANIFEST ( the hidden underlying energies that scientists/ quantum physicists are trying to UNCOVER)..

PS: Einstein & quite a many of them were avid readers of ancient vedic knowledge.

Contrary to popular belief, Vedas complement science. If someone were to read sutras, he/she would notice eerily similarity of current breakthroughs in quantum physics and mechanics with some Buddhist, Vedic concepts. Understanding of Time and Mind are one of core teachings of these ancient systems.

P.S. I really liked your post about similarity between Christ and Krishna, you are on right path. Its not that they were same person, but this similarity between title of Jesus and name of figure from India is not coincidence.

I come from a scientific background as a child, but also got a huge dose of spirituality (from all faiths & philosophers - name a western or eastern author / book and its probably on their shelf) from elders so even though as a child I was never able to understand them well enough to INTEGRATE them.. as I became more Conscious/ Aware/ Meditative.. My introspection & my reading/ research found more and more that..

SCIENCE (VI-GYAAN) - KNOWLEDGE OF MANIFEST MATERIAL &
SPIRIT (GYAAN) - KNOWLEDGE of UNMANIFEST ETHEREAL
..was JOINT but not visible easily to the Conditioned Mind

Definitely they came at different times.. More than the names.. what I was trying to point towards is.. the Similarity of Story & MESSAGE.. "I am the only way" And their statement was "within context of that time & place".. meaning.. YOU people who are listening.. drop ALL these Distractions around YOU (varied as per time & place) and COME to me.. I am the only way..

They were the Yodas & jedi masters of their time & place... MAY the FORCE be with you

Post: #45

(01-27-2017 06:41 PM)RealDeal Wrote:  Was Jesus humself influenced by Buddhism? Highly unlikely. Gnostic Christianity on the other hand definitely is.

Precisely.

Post: #46

To me it seems that there is a universal truth which individuals like Christ and Buddha attempted to communicate in the context of their own cultures or languages.

Which is why across ages and eras it seemed many wise men came to very similar logical conclusions despite no direct or external connections.

Post: #47

I'm not a bible scholar myself, but during my school days, our Catholicism teacher did mention that we have no record of what happened to Jesus between age 12 and 33, that's quite of a long hiatus, could be that he went somewhere? Pioneer gap year, the original hippy, instead of going to some trade school he went traveling to "find himself"

There's a town of Srinagar in the Kashmir region of India, it's the location of Roza Bal shrine, some people claim that's Jesus' resting place.

Post: #48

It's easy to mistake a shared origin for sequential influence.

Post: #49

(02-01-2017 04:02 PM)Jaihoo Wrote:  I'm not a bible scholar myself, but during my school days, our Catholicism teacher did mention that we have no record of what happened to Jesus between age 12 and 33, that's quite of a long hiatus, could be that he went somewhere? Pioneer gap year, the original hippy, instead of going to some trade school he went traveling to "find himself"

There's a town of Srinagar in the Kashmir region of India, it's the location of Roza Bal shrine, some people claim that's Jesus' resting place.

Not sure that would explain it, for that matter thinkers who pre-dated Jesus such as the Greek philosopher Plato and Pythagoras had notions which were similar in many ways to Buddhism and Christianity. I believe Zoroaster did as well.

(02-01-2017 04:02 PM)Jaihoo Wrote:  I'm not a bible scholar myself, but during my school days, our Catholicism teacher did mention that we have no record of what happened to Jesus between age 12 and 33, that's quite of a long hiatus, could be that he went somewhere? Pioneer gap year, the original hippy, instead of going to some trade school he went traveling to "find himself"

There's a town of Srinagar in the Kashmir region of India, it's the location of Roza Bal shrine, some people claim that's Jesus' resting place.

For the record, the bastardized Western hippie version of Buddhism is actually nothing at all like most Eastern forms of Buddhism. Buddhism is for the most part extremely conservative; even the current Dalai Lama condemned homosexual relations for example, but since he's not a Christian the left gave him a free pass.

I believe one of the key notions of conservative Buddhism is that there is one universal objective truth and morality, and that all cultures and conventional religions are 'imperfect' copies of this original truth, which was essentially what Jesus was trying to say regarding the conventional Judaic religion and the Pharisees of his day.

Post: #50

(02-01-2017 06:44 PM)EDantes Wrote:  For the record, the bastardized Western hippie version of Buddhism is actually nothing at all like most Eastern forms of Buddhism. Buddhism is for the most part extremely conservative; even the current Dalai Lama condemned homosexual relations for example, but since he's not a Christian the left gave him a free pass.

I can't say I studied buddhism, but I completely believe that it was co-opted by mkultra and similar programs to indoctrinate young boomers and stray them away from catholicism as much as possible. The whole "i'm going to india because i can't find myself at home" and "i'm doing joga" spiel was always a cringe inducer to me, and the Watts McKenna stuff...basically glorified fluffed out semantics ridden degeneracy that could be boiled down to "it's cool to get drugged up and fuck anyone".