Buddhists Talk About Jesus, Christians Talk About the Buddha

Download or read book Buddhists Talk About Jesus, Christians Talk About the Buddha written by Rita M. Gross and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2000-02-01 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does Jesus mean to a Buddhist, or the Buddha to a Christian? What is it about the Buddha that is appealing to a Christian, or unappealing? In this volume 12 scholars, six of them Christian and six of them Buddhists, speak simply and from the heart about their personal relationship to the great religious leader from the other tradition. The diversity of views within each tradition could be a shock to the average Buddhist or Christian on the street. Buddhists argue about Buddha's nature, Buddha veneration, and the role the Buddha plays in human liberation. Christians argue about Jesus' human and divine status, his uniqueness, and the role he plays in human salvation. The contributors celebrate the family likeness between Jesus and the Buddha, but they also acknowledge the differences as well, for it is at the points of difference that potentially there is the most opportunity for growth.