What's the evidence that Buddha is now in heaven with Jesus?

[pgd]

Buddha apparently was a holy man. What's the evidence that Buddha, today - year 2005 - is in heaven with Jesus - Jesus who has been sitting in heaven for about 2,000 years at the right hand of God?

Other?

 

[robtex]

chicken before the egg. Gotta prove there is a heaven first. right?

 

[Linus]

For the sake of argument, lets assume that heaven does exist. Let's also assume that Buddha does too. That way we can get back to answering the question. To do so, I think it is importnat to adress the issue of actually getting to heaven. There is much debate about the process of getting to heaven, but the overall agreeance (as far as I know) is that you must follow the will of God. As far as I know, Buddha didn't do that. God and Buddha shared some of the same basic principles, but overall I think that their messages were too different to allow Buddha to actually get to heaven. I hope I am not offending anyone, and I hope I'm making sense. What do you all think?

 

[No*s]

Buddha apparently was a holy man. What's the evidence that Buddha, today - year 2005 - is in heaven with Jesus - Jesus who has been sitting in heaven for about 2,000 years at the right hand of God?

Other?

Why concern yourself with it? If you're looking for absolute proof, you better take Robtex's advice and prove a heaven exists.

If, however, you're wanting a Christian perspective, it really is simple: Don't worry about it. You have your hands full with your own salvation. God will take care of that.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Buddha came before Jesus, so Jesus would be with Buddha, not vice versa. And all of your questions thus far belong in the 'debate' section, not 'discussion'. I'm not trying to be rude, but it's something that you might want to catch.

 

[robtex]

Why concern yourself with it? If you're looking for absolute proof, you better take Robtex's advice and prove a heaven exists..

proving its existance means geographically locating it.

 

[No*s]

proving its existance means geographically locating it.

If you believe it to be a literal place, that's a definate. We both know that we found Hell in Siberia, after all, so I'm sure we'll find heaven on Titan or something .

 

[Feathers in Hair]

If you believe it to be a literal place, that's a definate. We both know that we found Hell in Siberia, after all, so I'm sure we'll find heaven on Titan or something .

There's a Hell, Michigan. Does that help?

 

[No*s]

There's a Hell, Michigan. Does that help?

Nuts, that means I have two contenders. I do have to wonder what possessed them to name it that...

At least I know there's a real Metropolis .

 

[Green Gaia]

How can you prove anyone is or is not in "Heaven"?

 

[No*s]

You can't...

 

[michel]

How can you prove anyone is or is not in "Heaven"?

Hang on, Faith means 'Religious belief'; I have Faith; I don't need proof.

 

[Green Gaia]

Hang on, Faith means 'Religious belief'; I have Faith; I don't need proof.

Well, that's great. But it doesn't make it fact.

 

[kreeden]

It makes it fact for the person with the faith .

There are so many problems with the orginal question , I think . As Buddha taughed a totally different type of enlightment , I have to wonder if he would even want to be in " heaven " , as most Christians view it . Once there , would he still be searching for enlightment ?

 

[Doc]

ALthough the question is pointless, I will attempt to answer since I believe there is some form of Nirvana or Heaven. Buddha was a prince and a rich man. He gave up that life though. He lived a life not possessing much of anything and nearly starving himself to death. Buddha taught about finding inner peace within the self. He discouraged the use of violence towards living beings. He discouraged greed and much like Jesus, he pointed out how it corrupted mankind. Much like Jesus, Buddha understood that life was full of suffering.

I do not see what is so harmful about a guy like that. His enllightenment can be compared to the Kingdom of Heaven. Heaven was like that mustard seed in all of us. Enlightenment could be thought of as the baby Buddha within all of us. Seriously, if a harmless man like Buddha cannot get into heaven, who is worthy then? A better question is, what would deem him worthy of hell? Stepping on an insect by accident?

 

[St0ne]

Buddha lived in a time before Jesus so he couldn't get there via him, he also lived in an area that as far as I know had not heard of or seen any evidence of God. I believe in these areas the Bible says God judges people on their own merits? considering Buddha's life was morally and ethically equal or probably greater than the life of jesus, I'd put a bet on he would make it into heaven, however I bet a lot more that he is now in Nirvana.

 

[kai]

Buddha lived in a time before Jesus so he couldn't get there via him, he also lived in an area that as far as I know had not heard of or seen any evidence of God. I believe in these areas the Bible says God judges people on their own merits? considering Buddha's life was morally and ethically equal or probably greater than the life of jesus, I'd put a bet on he would make it into heaven, however I bet a lot more that he is now in Nirvana.

its the principle of whether buddha is in heaven ,and put it this way if buddha failed to gain entry theres no hope for the rest of us

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I believe that Guatama Buddha has surpassed heaven (our tradition teaches of a heaven-realm) where the gods reside, and that his singular essence does not exist anymore. He has escaped the wheel of birth-death-rebirth, and so it would be a step back in his evolution if he were to be in heaven, since he would be "reborn" in heaven.



Anyway, if Christians are right, and that he is in hell, then I believe that the Buddha is bringing joy and compassion to all the poor souls there, including the demons that seek to torture him. There are many stories of Boddhisattvas praying on their deathbeds that they will be reborn in one of the hell-realms so that they'd have the opportunity to bring joy and happiness to those who are suffering far, far more than we can imagine.



I agree with Doc, however, that the question by itself is moot. At the core of both traditions, Buddha's theology differs too much with Jesus' theology to be compared fairly.




Peace,
Mystic

 

[EnhancedSpirit]

No, we cannot PROVE that Jesus is in Heaven, either. I personally believe they are the same spirit spreading the same message to different cultures. I have dug up some stuff I want to share with you guys . . .

1. Both Buddha and Jesus were baptized in the presence of the "spirit" of G--d. (De Bunsen, p. 45; Matthew 3:16.)
2. Both went to their temples at the age of twelve, where they are said to have astonished all with their wisdom. (Ibid., p. 37; Luke 2:41--48.)
3. Both supposedly fasted in solitude for a long time: Buddha for forty--seven days and Jesus for forty. (Arthur Lillie, Buddha and Early Buddhism (London, 1881), p. 100, Matthew 4:2.)
4. At the conclusion of their fasts, they both wandered to a fig tree. (Hans Joachim Schoeps, An Intelligent Person's Guide to the Religions of Mankind (London, 1967), p. 167; Matthew 21:18--19.)
5. Both were about the same age when they began their public ministry:
   • "When he [Buddha] went again to the garden he saw a monk who was calm, tranquil, self--possessed, serene, and dignified. The prince, determined to become such a monk, was led to make the great renunciation. At the time he was twenty--nine years of age...". (Encyclopedia Americana (New York: Rand McNally and Co., 1963), vol. 4, p. 672.)
   • "Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age" (Luke 3:23).
6. Both were tempted by the "devil" at the beginning of their ministry:
   • To Buddha, he said: "Go not forth to adopt a religious life but return to your kingdom, and in seven days you shall become emperor of the world, riding over the four continents." (Moncure D. Conway, The Sacred Anthology (London, 1874), p. 173.)
   • To Jesus, he said: "All these [kingdoms of the world] I will give you, if you fall down and worship me" (Matthew 4:9).
7. Buddha answered the "devil": "Get you away from me." (De Bunsen, p.38)
   • Jesus responded: "...begone, Satan!" (Matthew 4:10).
8. Both experienced the "supernatural" after the "devil" left:
   • For Buddha: "The skies rained flowers, and delicious odors prevailed [in] the air." (Ibid.)
   • For Jesus: "angels came and ministered to him" (Matthew 4:11).
9. The multitudes required a sign from both in order that they might believe. (Muller, Science, p. 27; Matthew 16:1.)
10. Both strove to establish a kingdom of heaven on earth. (Beal, p. x; Matthew 4:17.)
    • Buddha "represented himself as a mere link in a long chain of enlightened teachers." (Muller, Science, p. 140.)
11. Jesus said: "Think not that I have come to abolish the law, and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17).
12. According to the Somadeva (a Buddhist holy book), a Buddhist ascetic's eye once offended him, so he plucked it out and cast it away. (Ibid., p. 245)
    • Jesus said: "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out, and throw it away;" (Matthew 5:29).
13. "Buddha taught that the motive of all our actions should be pity or love of our neighbor." (Ibid., p. 249)
    • Jesus taught: "...love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).
14. Buddha said: "Hide your good deeds, and confess before the world the sins you have committed." (Ibid., p.28)
    • Jesus said: "Beware of practicing your piety before men to be seen by them;" (Matthew 6:1) and "Therefore confess your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed..." (James 5:16).
15. Both are said to have known the thoughts of others:
    • "By directing his mind to the thoughts of others, [Buddha] can know the thoughts of all beings." (R. Spence Hardy, The Legends and Theories of the Buddhists Compared with History and Science (London, 1866), p. 181.)
    • "But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said: `Why do you think evil in your hearts?' " (Matthew 9:4).
16. After "healing" a man born blind, Buddha said: "The disease of this man originates in his sinful actions in former times." (Prof. Max Muller, ed., Sacred Books of the East (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879--1910), vol. 21, p. 129f.)
    • "As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples said to him: `Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' " (John 9:1--2).
17. Both were itinerant preachers with a close group of trustees within a larger group of disciples. (James Hastings, ed., Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (New York: Edinburgh T. & T. Clark, 1918), vol. 6, p. 883; Matthew 26:20.)
18. Both demanded that their disciples renounce all worldly possessions. (Hardy, Monachism, p. 6; Luke 14:33.)
    • "The number of the disciples rapidly increased, and Gautama sent forth his monks on missionary tours hither and thither, bidding them wander everywhere, preaching the doctrine, and teaching men to order their lives with self--restraint, simplicity, and charity." (Hastings, vol. 6, p.883)
    • "And [Jesus] called to him the twelve [apostles], and began to send them out two by two.So they went out and preached that men should repent" (Mark 6:7, 12).
19. Both had a disciple who "walked" on water:
    • To convert skeptical villagers, Buddha showed them his disciple walking across a river without sinking. (Lillie, p. 140)
    • "He said: `Come.' So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus, but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out: `Lord, save me!' " (Matthew 14:29--30).
20. "One day Ananda, the disciple of Buddha, after a long walk in the country, meets with Matangi, a woman of the low caste of the Kandalas, near a well, and asks her for some water. She tells him what she is, and that she must not come near him. But he replies: `My sister, I ask not for your caste or your family, I ask only for a drought of water. She afterwards became a disciple of Buddha." (Muller, Science, p. 243)
    • "There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her: `Give me a drink.' For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him: `How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?' For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans" (John 4:7--9).
21. Each repeated a question three times:
    • "The Buddha next addressed the bhikkhus and requested them three times to ask him if they had any doubt or question that they wished clarified, but they all remained silent." (Encyclopedia Britannica (New York: William and Helen Benton, 1974), vol. 2, p. 373.)
    • "[Jesus] said to him the third time: `Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time: `Do you love me?'" (John 21:17).
22. Both received similar receptions:
    • "The people swept the pathway, the gods strewed flowers on the pathway and branches of the coral tree, the men bore branches of all manner of trees, and the Bodhisattva Sumedha spread his garments in the mire, [and] men and gods shouted: `All hail.' " (Hardy, Legends, p.134)
    • "And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and he sat on it. And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields" (Mark 11:7--8).
23. Both had an archival:
    • "[Buddha's] chief rival was Devadatta, a cousin of the Buddha, who is represented as being jealous of his influence and popularity, and as repeatedly seeking to compass his death." (Hastings, vol. 6, p.883)
    • "While [Jesus] was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying: `The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him!' And he came up to Jesus at once, and said: `Hail, Master!' And he kissed him" (Matthew 26:47--49).
24. Before his death, Buddha said to his disciple: "Ananda, when I am gone, you must not think there is no Buddha; the discourses I have delivered, and the precepts I have enjoined, must be my successors, or representatives, and be to you as Buddha." (Hardy, Eastern Monachism (London, 1860), p. 230.)
    • Before his "ascension," Jesus said to his disciples: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Matthew 28:19--20).
25. When Buddha died: "The coverings of [his] body unrolled themselves, and the lid of his coffin was opened by supernatural powers." (De Bunsen, p. 49.)
    • When Jesus died: "And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the L--rd descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it" (Matthew 28:2).
26. "In the year 217 B.C. Buddhist missionaries were imprisoned for preaching; but an angel, genie or spirit came and opened the prison door, and liberated them." (Thomas Thornton, A History of China from the Earliest Records to the Treaty with Great Britain in 1842 (London, 1844), vol. 1, p. 341.)
    • "They arrested the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the L--rd opened the prison doors and brought them out" (Acts 5:18--19).
27. Both men's disciples are said to have been miracle workers. (Maria L. Child, The Progress of Religious Ideas Through Successive Ages (New York, 1855)vol. 1, p. 229, Acts 3:6--8.)

 

[michel]

I believe that Guatama Buddha has surpassed heaven (our tradition teaches of a heaven-realm) where the gods reside, and that his singular essence does not exist anymore. He has escaped the wheel of birth-death-rebirth, and so it would be a step back in his evolution if he were to be in heaven, since he would be "reborn" in heaven.



Anyway, if Christians are right, and that he is in hell, then I believe that the Buddha is bringing joy and compassion to all the poor souls there, including the demons that seek to torture him. There are many stories of Boddhisattvas praying on their deathbeds that they will be reborn in one of the hell-realms so that they'd have the opportunity to bring joy and happiness to those who are suffering far, far more than we can imagine.



I agree with Doc, however, that the question by itself is moot. At the core of both traditions, Buddha's theology differs too much with Jesus' theology to be compared fairly.




Peace,
Mystic

Why on Earth should Buddha end up in Hell ?