Buddha vs Christ

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Buddha (Siddhārtha Gautama) insisted he was human and that there is no almighty, benevolent God. He preached that desire was the root cause of suffering and that people should seek to eliminate desire. He was born in present-day Nepal roughly 500 years before Jesus Christ (Jesus of Nazareth).

Christ was born in Bethlehem in present-day Palestine. He was a Galilean Jewish Rabbi who was regarded as a teacher and healer in Judaea. Christians believe that he was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament and that he was the son of God. In fact, the Christian concept of God is a holy trinity: God (the Father), Christ (the Son) and the holy Spirit.

Comparison chart

Buddha versus Christ comparison chart
	Buddha	Christ

Born	c. 563 BCE, Lumbini, Sakya, Nepal	Approx. 07-04 B.C.
Died	c. 483 BCE (aged 80) or 411 and 400 BCE, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, today in India	33 AD, Jerusalem
Islam	Islam does not mention the Buddha.	In Islam as opposed Christianity, Jesus was just a prophet but also revered as the messiah who will return to save the world from the tyranny of the anti-christ.
Ethnicity	Indian (Shakya)	Palestinian Jew
Incarnation	Buddhism believes in in reincarnation until one achieves enlightenment and "nibbana" (or "nirvana") after which one escapes the cycle of birth and death. The Buddha is believed to have attained nibbana.	Affirmed in Christianity
Raised in	India	Nazareth in ancient Israel
Christianity	Christianity does not mention the Buddha.	Christianity teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, and Saviour the world. Jesus was the founder of Christianity.
Born in	Lumbini, Nepal	Bethlehem in Judea
Judaism	Judaism predates Buddhism and does not discuss the Buddha.	Not accepted as a prophet, the Jewish people are still waiting for a Messiah to come.
Marriage	Before he renounced his family, he was married to Yasodhara and had a son Rahula.	Christ Is Married to His Church
Birth mother	Queen Maya	The Virgin Mary
Parents	King Suddhodana and Queen Maya.	Father: God, Mother: Mary
Cause of death	Believed to be either unintentional food poisoning or natural causes.	Crucifixion
Father	King Śuddhodana	God the Father according to Christianity
Hinduism	Many Hindus believe that the Buddha was a reincarnation of Vishnu, just like Krishna.	N/A
Buddhism	Buddhism teaches Gautama was the Enlightened One. He attained enlightenment through meditation, without the benefit of a teacher or teachings. His teachings are meant to enlighten his followers.	N/A
Language	Pali, Sanskrit	Aramaic
Monotheism	The Buddha encouraged people to follow his teachings: the noble eightfold path. He did not teach about deities, an omnipotent God or prayer. Rather, he encouraged finding the truth yourself through meditation.	God Is Father, Son(Jesus) and Holy Spirit
Resurrection	No claimed	Affirmed in Christianity
Religious Symbol	The wheel	The Cross, because of His Passion and Death
Religion	Hinduism	Judaism
Religion Founded	Buddhism	Christianity
Kind	Philosopher, Phenomenologist, Monastic, Meditator	Preacher, the Messiah.
Name of God	Brahma.	Aloi, Jehovah, Father, Lord
Doctrine	The Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path	The Eight Beatitudes, the Coming of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Today	Recognized as the founder of Buddhism	Recognized as the Founder of Christianity, and the Son Of God.
Honored in	Buddhism, Hinduism, and Baha'i.	Christianity, Islam, and Baha'i.
Relationship with God	Did not believe in a Creator God. Did accept non-creator gods though.	His Son.
Children	Rahula (son)	N/A.
Betrayed by	Devadatta	Judas Iscariot
Foster mother	Mahapajapati Gotami	N/A.
Ethical Views	Existentialism, Asceticism, Nonviolence, Humanism, Animal Welfare	Perfect charity.
Original Idea(s)	Dependent Origination	The 8 Beatitudes.
Summum Bonum	Nirvana	The Kingdom of Heaven.
Foster father	N/A.	St. Joseph
Role in Godhead	Buddhists believe that Gautama Buddha was higher than a god.	Second Person of the Christian Trinity