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Power concedes nothing without a demand.
Name:
Date:
Mr. Carey/Mr. Clarke
Buddhism v. Christianity
Buddhism v. Christianity
I. Overview
Despite having originated in two different areas of the globe and at
different times (Jesus Christ lived about 500 years after Siddhartha
Gautama, or the Buddha), the religions of Buddhism and Christianity
share a number of similarities. Because both Jesus Christ and the
Buddha are considered to have had a dramatic impact on world
history—today, Christianity has nearly 2.1 billion followers worldwide,
while Buddhism claims nearly 376 million—we must analyze the
central values and development of each of these religions in order to
understand why they are seen as so important.
Directions: Actively read and annotate the provided texts on Buddhism and Christianity. While you read, focus on the
questions below. When you have finished reading, respond to this question in the “Homework” section of your AP World
History notebook.
1.
2.
3.
In your own words, explain the ways in which Buddhism challenged the established social structures of India
during the classical period (600BCE-600CE). Support your response with evidence from the “Ways of
Buddhism” text.
In your own words, explain why people were attracted to Jesus’ teachings. Support your respect with evidence
from the “Origin of Christianity” text.
Compare the lives of the Buddha and Jesus of Nazareth. Your response should include two textually-based
similarities, as well as two textually-based differences.
II. The Ways of Buddhism
About the same time as Hinduism was emerging, another movement took shape in India that soon
became a distinct and separate religious tradition—Buddhism. Unlike Hinduism, this new faith
had a founder, Siddhartha Gautama (566-486BCE), a prince from a small north Indian state.
According to Buddhist tradition, Gautama had enjoyed a sheltered and delightful youth but was
shocked to his core upon encountering old age, sickness, and death in Indian society. Leaving
family and fortune behind, he then set out on a six-year spiritual question, finally achieving
complete wisdom, or “enlightenment,” at the age of 35. For the rest of his life, he taught what he
had learned and gathered a small but growing group of followers who referred to him as the
Buddha, or one who had awakened. (1)
To the Buddha, suffering was the one thing that all human beings shared. This suffering, the
Buddha believed, came from human beings’ attachment to things that were ultimately empty—
things like money, sex, and physical beauty that never leave us satisfied. The cure for this suffering
could be found in living a simple and moral life, combined with meditation practice. Those who
followed the Buddha’s way most fully could expect to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana—a state
of total peace and happiness in which one’s suffering finally ends. (2)
Although much of the Buddha’s teachings reflected Hindu traditions (e.g., Hindus struggled to free
themselves from the endless cycle of reincarnation to achieve unity with Brahman, just as
Buddhists struggled to free themselves from suffering to achieve nirvana), other elements of
Buddhist teaching sharply challenging Hindu thinking within Indian society. Rejecting the
religious authority of the Hindu Brahmins, or priests, the Buddha mocked their rituals and
sacrifices as irrelevant (unnecessary). Nor was the Buddha interested in questions about the
existence of God or gods, as he emphasized that individuals had to take responsibility for their own
progress and should not rely upon gods for assistance. Most importantly, the Buddha challenged
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
the inequalities of the Hindu-based caste system, arguing that neither caste position nor gender
should be a barrier to enlightenment—the possibility of enlightenment was available to all. (3)
Buddhism’s egalitarian message appealed especially to lower-caste groups and to women. Although
Buddhism, like many religions of the time, maintained a patriarchal attitude toward women,
thousands of women flocked to join the Buddhist order of nuns, where they found freedom and
independence that was unavailable elsewhere in society. State support for Buddhism during the
reign of Ashoka, in turn, helped the enw religion gain a foothold in India as a distinct tradition
separate from Hinduism. (4)
Over time, both within and beyond India, differences in understanding about Buddhist teaching
emerged, and Buddhism split into two forms. The early form, Theravada Buddhism, portrayed
Buddhism as an immensely wise teacher but not as a god and placed a lot of responsibility for
achieving nirvana on the individual Buddhist. The later form, Mahayana Buddhism, portrayed the
Buddha almost as a god and introduced the idea of bodhissatvas, or saint-like individuals who
helped Buddhists along the path to nirvana. (5)
III. Origin of Christianity
Christianity came into existence with Jesus of Nazareth, a charismatic (attractive) Jewish teacher
who claimed to be the Messiah, a religious figure for whom Jews had long waited, because they
believed that the Messiah would save all of humanity. During Jesus’ lifetime, Nazareth was a small
town in the Middle East under the control of the Roman Empire. Many people were attracted to
Jesus’ teachings of devotion to God and love for all human beings. Roman and Jewish leaders
considered Jesus to be a threat to their power, so in approximately 30 CE, Jesus was crucified. His
followers believed that he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and Christianity was born
as a religion separate from Judaism. (1)
Christianity is based on both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Christians believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that forgiveness of sins, and ultimately everlasting life, is
achievable only through belief in the divinity (godliness), death, and resurrection of Christ. The
Christian view is that the world was made by a loving God, but that the world has fallen away from
what God wants for humanity. As the Son of God, Christ was the link between God and human
beings. Christians are expected to seek to know their God, to worship him, and to practice love and
service to other human beings. Many early Christians also believed that it was their duty to share
this message with non-believers, and so Christianity became a strong missionary religion, in which
Christians tried to convert non-Christians to Christianity. (2)
IV. The Lives of the Founders
The family background of the Buddha and Jesus could not have been more different. Gautama was
born to royalty and luxury, whereas Jesus was a small-town worker from a distinctly lower-class
family. But both became spiritual leaders who claimed to have personally experienced a higher
level of reality. Those powerful experiences provided the motivation for their life’s work and the
personal charisma (charm) that attracted their growing band of followers. (1)
Both were “wisdom teachers,” challenging the conventional values of their time, urging the
rejection of wealth, and emphasizing the supreme importance of love and compassion as the basis
for a good life. The Buddha had instructed his followers in the practice of metta, or lovingkindness, toward others. In a similar vein, during his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his
followers: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Both Jesus and the Buddha
called for the personal transformation of their followers, as seen in the Buddha encouraging his
followers to let go of the attachments that caused them suffering, and in Jesus encouraging his
followers to love others isn order to save themselves. (2)
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
Despite these similarities, there were also some differences in their teachings and their life stories.
Jesus inherited from his Jewish faith an intense devotion to a personal, single God. According to
the New Testament, the miracles Jesus performed reflected the power of God that was made
available to him because of his relationship with God, who Jesus saw as his father. The Buddha’s
original message, on the other hand, ignored the idea of a God and instead taught a path of intense
self-effort and mindfulness to end suffering. (3)
Furthermore, Jesus’ teachings had a sharper social and political edge than did those of the Buddha.
Jesus spoke more clearly on behalf of the poor and the oppressed, directly criticized the injustice of
the powerful, and intentionally spent time with the diseased, unfaithful women, and tax collectors,
all of whom were seen as dirty or impure. These actions reflected his lower-class background, the
Jewish tradition of social criticism, and the reality of Roman rule over his people, none of which
matched the Buddha’s experience. (4)
Finally, Jesus’ public life was very brief, less than three years, compared to more than 40 years for
the Buddha. His teachings had so antagonized both Jewish and Roman authorities that he was
crucified as a political rebel. The Buddha’s message was apparently less threatening to the
powerful, and he died a natural death at age 80. (5)