Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings (Seastone series) | 
 enlarge | Creators: Marcus Borg, Jack Kornfield
Publisher: Ulysses Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy Used: $2.57
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Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 416831
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5 x 0.7
ISBN: 1569751692
Dewey Decimal Number: 232.954
EAN: 9781569751695
ASIN: 1569751692
Publication Date: January 12, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Visible shelf wear -- may have some notes/markings on pages
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Product Description
Jesus and Buddha were separated by five hundred years, three thousand miles, and two drastically different cultures. Yet this trade paper edition of the highly acclaimed hardback juxtaposes passages from the New Testament and ancient Buddhist scriptures to illuminate the striking similarity between their lives, deeds, and teachings.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
Interesting Read April 27, 2008
A short book on the similar sayings of Jesus and Buddha. The pictures are great, and sayings they use do demonstrate their likeness. My only complaint is that I thought there would be a lot more of them. You get only one saying a page, with most of the rest taking up by a great photo. Ok book, for what it does.
 Jesus And Buddha Are Clearly Friends October 23, 2007
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
i did not find this book challenging. though its introduction is one of the most beautiful introductions of any book i have ever read. i reccomend it to those who wish to see parallels between the christian and buddhist paths, though of these parallels, it is the compassion/loving kindness practice that is expressed in the introduction that matters most.
the presentation is nice, but it in my opinion says nothing that cant be read in the scriptures. it just seemed a little superficial to me, and as i said, only took three hours to read. big on presentation, little on substance.
there will be those that will say that "you are disrespectful of these two great teachers"... well so be it. i hope i am not.
God knows why i wrote in the earlier post that the buddha is not a source and great fire of love... sometimes the ignorance in my own words dazzles me! the buddha in my opinion has an even more compassionate teaching than jesus. though i am myself a christian, i am dazzled by his love for the evil. and shake at the buddhas teaching of compassion. unlike Jesus, the buddha never cursed anyone or anything... not even a fig tree. Jesus may love hypocrites, but he will apparently watch them go to a fiery hell as a just and fair judgement... fair yes, but not merciful. the buddha would never wish or inflict pain on anyone or anything. therefore my statement stands. the buddha was and may still be more compassionate than jesus.
but... in the end, it is jesus who made the ultimate sacrifice. "if i be lifted up (crucified), i shall draw all men unto me". lets hope that Julian of Norwich is divinely inspired when she says that through God: "all will be well and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well." i dont think i could die for Jesus, but he died for me. now that speaks. the word in action, is a true word indeed.
isnt it remarkable how ignorant one can be at times! i can see my own ignorace and it sometimes worries me!
my only bug-bear with marcus borg is his aversion to the literal ressurection and virgin birth. two things that i strongly believe in.
but then we all have blind spots, and isnt true love/loving kindness far more important than what we believe? i think so.
with love, from, snow-flake. xxx
still learning, still on the path (i hope!)
 LIFE- a tiny word to say but so hard October 21, 2007
"Nothing is more simple than TRUTH", as goes an old saying and surely, IT applies to this book. It is an extremely easy yet reassuringly, a most profound 'read' and while seemingly expounding on an already explored topic, it re-enforces the Universality of TRUTH in an engaging and truly commanding and thought provoking way. Entrusted to lesser scholars than its authors, the subject matter surely could easily have been a simplistic undertaking; these authors made it a compelling, and most thoughtful experience.
It demands that its contents be pondered and factored into so very many preconceived notions of topics commanding the skills of a good many profound scholars of Early Christianity beginning with Christ's public ministry.
The patient reader who makes no quick assumptions upon reading the early pages will find a great deal of reason to being provoked by and to some truly serious thought and enlightenment. I almost fell victim to that impulse to simply 'presume' the books remaining comments and thought of putting it aside; I didn't! It has been to my further enlightenment and edification that I persisted and read it; more accurately, 'thought it out' as I read. I re-read it less than one week later. It is more than worthwhile; it is edifying and its lesson lives on with me.
James E. Girzone
An accesible revelation May 25, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I was raised Christian and have long practiced vipassana meditation and follow many of the non-dogmatic principles of Buddhism, so I have had many moments of cross-cultural epiphany, over the years, in which Buddhism and Christianity confirm each other. So I browsed this book with real pleasure. The side-by-side quotes often achieve a greater depth of significance than they tend to on their own, and I feel a growing sense of the universality of the basic tenets of both traditions. Whether Jesus actually came into contact with Buddhism before the age of 30 may be impossible to determine, but, as I see it, he at least had access, through insight, to the fundmantal rightness of compassion as a path, and oneness as the goal. I find the book well-conceived, lucid, approachable, and beautifully designed, too.
It is also interesting to note that this format unexpectedly foregrounds the difference between principles and mere cultural accretions. In this light, ritual practice, questions of authority and lineage, orthodoxies of all kinds, and all the other culturally-determined trappings of religion-as-practiced can be easily shucked off to reveal the "heart of the lotus" [the "plain and simple truths"] within. In this sense, the fundamental priciples of each tradition serve as a sort of Bessamer furnace for the other, ridding it of the unnecessary and increasing its universal appeal at once. Quite a brilliant idea, and well done.
Expresses the Universality of Wisdom and Truth July 16, 2006
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
I've often been struck on how similar all the Salvationist religions seem to be. It's unfortunate that most of the world chooses to ignore the similarities and instead wishes to hate each other based on doctrinal differences. Just look at the current Middle Eastern situation. No doubt there are many points of difference but it appears that all the major world religions share many common points as well.
This little book is a nice reminder of how the moral and ethical systems of all major world religions run sort of parallel to each other when compared. For instance, in Buddhism as well as Christianity there are admonishments such as: do unto others as you would want them to do to you, practice compassion, contentment, do not worry about material riches, practice kindness and so forth.
In this book each chapter starts with a short commentary on the material that will follow. These are divided into headings like compassion, wisdom, salvation, etc. Then on opposite sides of the pages sayings of Jesus are put up against sayings of the Buddha. These sayings sit alone on the white page so you can read them slowly and savor them. Many people in America are probably pretty familiar with the messages of Jesus but will be surprised to find many of the Buddha's teaching use parables like we find with Jesus and contain the same messages that we find in Christianity.
Some people have bashed this book for its supposed lack of great scholarship. I believe these people are missing the point. The point of this book is to emphasize the universal element that all experiences of the sacred seem to promote. It doesn't matter if you are studying mystical Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism or Christianity-they all point to the same Truth. That is, the untalkable, unthinkable Beingness that everything comes from and is a part of. Call it Godhead or God but it's the nonduality and Oneness of everything. It makes no difference if these sayings actually came from a real person with the title of Buddha or not. What matters is the path to freedom and liberation that they express. Does not being a work of great scholarship detract from the value people can gain by reading these sayings?
For these reasons I highly recommend the book. Anyone can pick it up and read these little quips and experience a better mood right off. What greater source of inspiration and enlightenment than to read sayings from two of the greatest men that ever lived and their commitment to serve and better humanity all of their lives? Their timeless messages and teachings will continue to live on and change those that embrace them.
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