Jesus was a Buddhist Monk?

[sonamdhargey]

I found this very interesting video about Jesus was a Buddha. It is a BBC documentary. Please leave your comments.

Happy viewing.

Jesus was a Buddhist Monk BBC Documentary	Small | Large

[Benny]

Thank you Sonamdhargey for sharing this documentary about Jesus Christ's lost years. Well i am one of those who believe that Jesus Christ was a man like anyone of us and that he has to die like anyone of us.

So i do not believe that he just ascended to haven like an alien being beamed up to a spaceship and disappeared from the face of this earth just like that.

I also totally accept as credible evidence of the Tibetan monastic records of a man named "jesus' from Palestine of having been at the monastery around the time of Jesus's disappearance from the Middle East.

It is not surprising that if we look closely at both Christianity and Buddhism, there more similarities than differences. I was taught this by my Lama that we should always look at our similarities rather than our differences and that would make the world a better place. 

[Tammy]

I am not surprise at all if Jesus is indeed a Buddha or a Boddhisattva. They gave their lives to spread 'dharma' and they loved their students unconditionally, to the point he let them betrayed him in the hope of making them realize their mistake and change... the list goes on..

All religions are the same in terms of their motivation - they only want the followers to do good, avoid evil acts and repent their sins.

My view of Christian's version of heaven - it is one of the pure lands that we Buddhists wanted to take rebirth to !!

[Benny]

Now that you have brought that up Tammy , there are indeed many similarities such as the fact that Jesus took upon himself to bear all the sins of humanity and that of the deeds of many bodhisattvas who constantly strive to bear all the suffering of all sentient beings .

I have personally been fortunate enough to hear and witness many Buddhist monks prayers and they always have the phrase " let the sufferings of others be mine " or something along that line.

[Poonlarp]

I like the part that Jesus used Tantra power to sustain the pain and survive from the death punishment! Everything seems making sense, just that I do not understand the part which Jesus make him the head of another religion if he was a Buddhist. It means that Jesus would like to be the savior for his pilgrims?

Is that really to make something for more people to accept??

But, in another way, with different types of religions, no matter Buddhist, Christian, Muslim etc, the spread of peace and love is larger than with only 1 type of religion.

As long as all religions achieve their purpose to make the world better, that is the reason for the particular religion to exist.

[dsiluvu]

This is an interesting Video... thanks sonamdhargey! I've always been fascinated about different religions and spiritual path. I was a Catholic before I became a Buddhist. As I understand more and more about Buddha Dharrma, I see traces of similarities in term the teachings more evident. For examples we have purification practices - 35 confessional Buddhas, Catholics have a Confession Box and also encourage this. I now understand it better as a "Purification" practice not so much so of the concept of you relying on a man behind a box that could assume to be able to take away you "sin". I guess the part that was missing is the explanation behind it all that is logical and not some other invisible "faith" thing. Hence it doesn't sit well for my type of questioning mind. Not for long at least. So this video with many questions is good! Because in reality in all Churches you're not allowed to question and everything is based on Faith and faith alone. Like the video says; leave your brains outside when you come in to the church! This was normally the Sunday classes which I was rejected due to too many questions LOL.

I don't take it literally that Jesus had died on the cross to "save" us from our "sins" but I do believe He died with a Bodhisattva type of motivation which is for the benefit of others... that is probably true and yes He definitely acts like one with a Boddhisattva vows. 

None-of the gospel stories are exact and does not tell us the exact accounts but it is more about the teachings of forgiveness and kindness we should focus on. In terms of reincarnation, well it sounds like Jesus resurrection story. So is Jesus a Buddhisatvva? Why not, I think so. And there was at one point Jesus actually went missing for a while... where did he go? The lost years of Jesus concerns the undocumented timespan between Jesus's childhood and the beginning of his ministry as recorded in the New Testament.

It is not the Buddhas/Jesus/Mohammad that made spirituality/religion complicated, it is human ignorance and limited wisdom that makes it complicated.  In the end they are basically say the same thing: be kind, forgive, have compassion x

[dsiluvu]

Ahh.. wiki is always a great friend when you need to look up for something quick Apparently He did studied Buddhism! What do you think actually happened??

Lost years of Jesus

The lost years of Jesus concerns the undocumented timespan between Jesus's childhood and the beginning of his ministry as recorded in the New Testament.

The gospels have accounts of events surrounding Jesus' birth, and the subsequent flight into Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod (Gospel of Matthew 2:13-23). There is a general reference to the settlement of Joseph and Mary, along with the young Jesus, at Nazareth (Matthew 2:23; Gospel of Luke 2:39-40). There is also an isolated account of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus' visit to the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, when Jesus was twelve years old (Luke 2:41-50).

Following that episode, there is a blank space in the record that covers eighteen years in the life of Christ (from age 12 to 30). Other than the generic allusion that Jesus advanced in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52), the Bible gives nothing more about Jesus' life during this time span. A common assumption amongst Christians is that Jesus simply lived in Nazareth during that period, but there are various accounts that present other scenarios, including travels to India.

Several authors have claimed to have found proof of the existence of manuscripts in India and Tibet that support the belief that Christ was in India during this time in his life. Others cite legends in a number of places in the region that Jesus passed that way in ancient times.[1] The Jesus in India manuscript was first reported in modern times by Nicolas Notovitch (1894). Subsequently several other authors have written on the subject, including the religious leader Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (founder of Ahmadiyya movement) (1899), Levi H. Dowling (1908), Swami Abhedananda (1922),[2] Nicholas Roerich (1923–1928),[1] Mathilde Ludendorff (1930), and Elizabeth Clare Prophet (founder of Ascended Master Teachings New Age group) (1956).[3]

Aquarian Gospel of Jesus "Eesa" the Christ
Main article: The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ channeled from "Akashik Records" by Levi H. Dowling, and published in 1908, claims to be the true story of the life of Jesus, including "the 'lost' eighteen years silent in the New Testament."

The narrative follows the young Jesus across India, Tibet, Persia, Assyria, Greece and Egypt.

Jesus in India
Jesus "Eesa" and Buddhism

Gruber and Kersten (1995) claim that Buddhism had a substantial influence on the life and teachings of Jesus.[4] They claim that Jesus was influenced by the teachings and practices of Therapeutae, described by the authors as teachers of the Buddhist Theravada school then living in Judaea. They assert that Jesus lived the life of a Buddhist and taught Buddhist ideals to his disciples; their work follows in the footsteps of the Oxford New Testament scholar Barnett Hillman Streeter, who established as early as the 1930s that the moral teaching of the Buddha has four remarkable resemblances to the Sermon on the Mount."[5]

Some scholars believe that Jesus may have been inspired by the Buddhist religion and that the Gospel of Thomas and many Nag Hammadi texts reflect this possible influence. Books such as The Gnostic Gospels and Beyond Belief: the Secret Gospel of Thomas by Elaine Pagels and The Original Jesus by Gruber and Kersten discuss these theories.
Saint Issa

In 1887 a Russian war correspondent, Nicolas Notovitch, visited India and Tibet. He left Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir to cross the Himalaya to the remote Ladakh region. His diary has descriptions of the dramatic landscape, the sturdiness of the local people and their friendliness.[6] Notovitch claimed that, at the lamasery or monastery of Hemis in Ladakh, he learned of the "Life of Saint Issa, Best of the Sons of Men." Isa is the Arabic name of Jesus in Islam. His story, with a translated text of the "Life of Saint Issa," was published in French in 1894 as La vie inconnue de Jesus Christ. It was subsequently translated into English, German, Spanish, and Italian.

Notovitch's writings were immediately controversial. The German orientalist Max Mueller, who'd never been to India himself, published a letter he'd received from a British colonial officer, which stated that the presence of Notovitch in Ladakh was "not documented."

J. Archibald Douglas, then a teacher at the Government College in Agra also visited Hemis monastery in 1895, but claimed that he did not find any evidence that Notovich had even been there. But, there is very little biographical information about Notovitch and a record of his death has never been found.[3] The diary of Dr. Karl Rudolph Marx of the Ladane Charitable Dispensary, a missionary of the Order of the Moravian Brothers, and director of the hospital in Leh, clearly states that he treated Nicolas Notovitch for a severe toothache in November 1887. However, Edgar J. Goodspeed in his book "Famous Biblical Hoaxes" claims that the head abbot of the Hemis community signed a document that denounced Notovitch as an outright liar.[7]

The corroborating evidence of later visitors to the monastery having yet to appear, Notovich responded to claims that the lama at Hemis had denied that the manuscript existed by explaining that the monks would have seen enquiries about them as evidence of their value to the outside world and of the risk of their being stolen or taken by force.[3] Tibetologists Snellgrove and Skorupski wrote of the monks at Hemis, "They seem convinced that all foreigners steal if they can. There have in fact been quite serious losses of property in recent years." [8] Notovitch also provided the names of several people in the region who could verify his presence there.[3]

In 1922, after initially doubting Notovitch, Swami Abhedananda, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, and a close acquaintance of Max Müller,[3] journeyed to Tibet, investigated his claim, was shown the manuscript by the lama and with his help translated part of the document, and later championed Notovich's views.[2] Having spoken at Max Müller's funeral, his opposing Müller's assertion that Notovitch's document was a forgery, was no small matter.[3]

A number of authors have taken these accounts and have expanded upon them in their own works. For example, in her book The Lost Years of Jesus: Documentary Evidence of Jesus's 17-Year Journey to the East, Elizabeth Clare Prophet cites Buddhist manuscripts that allegedly provide evidence that Jesus traveled to India, Nepal, Ladakh and Tibet.[3] However, she reprints objections and rebuttals of Life of Saint Issa, citing both sides of the controversy in detail.[3] She observes, "The fact that Douglas failed to see a copy of a manuscript was no more decisive proof that it did not exist than Notovitch's claim that it did." [3][Note 1]

    Today there is not a single recognized scholar on the planet who has any doubts about the matter. The entire story was invented by Notovitch, who earned a good deal of money and a substantial amount of notoriety for his hoax.[9]
    —Bart D. Ehrman, Forged: Writing in the Name of God—Why the Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are

Christ and Krishna
See also: Jesus myth theory

The Jesus in India idea has been associated with Louis Jacolliot's book La Bible dans l'Inde, Vie de Iezeus Christna (1869)[10] (The Bible in India, or the Life of Jezeus Christna),[11] but there is no direct connection between his writings and those of writers on the Himmis mauscripts.

Jacolliot compares the accounts of the life of Bhagavan Krishna with that of Jesus Christ in the gospels and concludes that it could not have been a coincidence that the two stories have so many similarities in many of the finer details. He concludes that the account in the gospels is a myth based on the mythology of ancient India. [Note 2] However, Jacolliot is comparing two different periods of history (or mythology) and does not claim that Jesus was in India. He spells "Krishna" as "Christna" and claims that Krishna's disciples gave him the name "Jezeus," a name supposed to mean "pure essence" in Sanskrit[11], although according to Max Muller it is not even a Sanskrit term at all – "it was simply invented"[12] by Jacoillot.
Bhavishya Maha Purana

Holger Kersten suggests[citation needed] that the Hindu Bhavishya Maha Purana, in the Pratisargaarvan (19.17-32), a 19th century redaction of a text purporting to tell future events, describes the arrival of Jesus thus:

    "One day, Shalivahana, the chief of the Shakas, came to a snowy mountain (assumed to be in the Indian Himalayas). There, in the Land of the Hun (= Ladakh, a part of the Kushan empire), the powerful king saw a handsome man sitting on a mountain, who seemed to promise auspiciousness. His skin was like copper and he wore white garments. The king asked the holy man who he was. The other replied: 'I am called Isaputra (son of God), born of a virgin, minister of the non-believers, relentlessly in search of the truth.'

    O king, lend your ear to the religion that I brought unto the non-believers ... Through justice, truth, meditation, and unity of spirit, man will find his way to Isa (God, in Sanskrit) who dwells in the centre of Light, who remains as constant as the sun, and who dissolves all transient things forever. The blissful image of Isa, the giver of happiness, was revealed in the heart; and I was called Isa-Masih (Jesus the Messiah).'"[citation needed]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_years_of_Jesus

[Vajraprotector]

Holger Kersten's wrote a book "Jesus Lived in India". This German book is a thorough, methodical and authoritative examination of the evidence of Christ's life beyond the Middle East before the Crucifixion and in India and elsewhere after it.

The Russian scholar, Nicolai Notovich, was the first to suggest that Christ may have gone to India. In 1887, Notovich, a Russian scholar and Orientalist, arrived in Kashmir during one of several journeys to the Orient. At the Zoji-la pass Notovich was a guest in a Buddhist monastery, where a monk told him of the bhodisattva saint called "Issa". Notovich was stunned by the remarkable parallels of Issa's teachings and martyrdom with that of Christ's life, teachings and crucifixion.

It is said that for about sixteen years, Christ travelled through Turkey, Persia, Western Europe and possibly England. He finally arrived with Mary to a place near Kashmir, where she died. After many years in Kashmir, teaching to an appreciative population, who venerated him as a great prophet, reformer and saint, he died and was buried in a tomb in Kashmir itself.

Roza Bal (picture below) is the name of a shrine located in the Khanyaar quarter of the city of Srinagar in Kashmir (GPS: 34.085005,74.820196), venerated by some Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Some people identify the sage buried there with one Yuz Asaf, that is Jesus of Nazareth, whom they allege to have arrived in Kashmir after surviving his crucifixion.

[Positive Change]

Ancient scrolls reveal that Jesus spent seventeen years in the Orient. From age thirteen to age twenty-nine, he was both student and teacher.

The story of his pilgrimage from Jerusalem to Benares was recorded by Brahmanistic historians.

Today they still know him and love him and worship him as St. Issa. their 'buddha' (coincidentally, in the Quran, Jesus was known as Nabi Isa - interesting similarity huh! And what of the "miracles" Jesus used to perform... e.g. multiplying of bread and fish - seems like a yogi's feat to me!)

Excerpts taken from article, The Lost Years of Jesus, from Heart magazine, Spring 1983 issue, pp. 4-13, 110-111. Copyright © Summit University Press. This article also appeared in the January, 1995 Wolf Lodge Journal. Excerpted from The Lost Years of Jesus, E.C. Prophet

Very interesting read here: http://reluctant-messenger.com/issa.htm

Excepts from the above:

... He passed his time in several ancient cities of India such as Benares. All loved him because Issa dwelt in peace with Vaishas and Shudras whom he instructed and helped. But the Brahmins and Kshatriyas told him that Brahma forbade those to approach who were created out of his womb and feet. The Vaishas were allowed to listen to the Vedas only on holidays and the Shudras were forbidden not only to be present at the reading of the Vedas, but could not even look at them.
Issa said that man had filled the temples with his abominations. In order to pay homage to metals and stones, man sacrificed his fellows in whom dwells a spark of the Supreme Spirit. Man demeans those who labor by the sweat of their brows, in order to gain the good will of the sluggard who sits at the lavishly set board. But they who deprive their brothers of the common blessing shall be themselves stripped of it.

Vaishas and Shudras were struck with astonishment and asked what they could perform. Issa bade them "Worship not the idols. Do not consider yourself first. Do not humiliate your neighbor. Help the poor. Sustain the feeble. Do evil to no one. Do not covet that which you do not possess and which is possessed by others."

Many, learning of such words, decided to kill Issa. But Issa, forewarned, departed from this place by night.

Afterward, Issa went into Nepal and into the Himalayan mountains ....

"Well, perform for us a miracle," demanded the servitors of the Temple. Then Issa replied to them: "Miracles made their appearance from the very day when the world was created. He who cannot behold them is deprived of the greatest gift of life. But woe to you, enemies of men, woe unto you, if you await that He should attest his power by miracle."

Issa taught that men should not strive to behold the Eternal Spirit with one's own eyes but to feel it with the heart, and to become a pure and worthy soul....

"Not only shall you not make human offerings, but you must not slaughter animals, because all is given for the use of man. Do not steal the goods of others, because that would be usurpation from your near one. Do not cheat, that you may in turn not be cheated ....

"Beware, ye, who divert men from the true path and who fill the people with superstitions and prejudices, who blind the vision of the seeing ones, and who preach subservience to material things. "...

Then Pilate, ruler of Jerusalem, gave orders to lay hands upon the preacher Issa and to deliver him to the judges, without however, arousing the displeasure of the people.

But Issa taught: "Do not seek straight paths in darkness, possessed by fear. But gather force and support each other. He who supports his neighbor strengthens himself

"I tried to revive the laws of Moses in the hearts of the people. And I say unto you that you do not understand their true meaning because they do not teach revenge but forgiveness. But the meaning of these laws is distorted."

Then the ruler sent to Issa his disguised servants that they should watch his actions and report to him about his words to the people.

"Thou just man, "said the disguised servant of the ruler of Jerusalem approaching Issa, "Teach us, should we fulfill the will of Caesar or await the approaching deliverance?"

But Issa, recognizing the disguised servants, said, "I did not foretell unto you that you would be delivered from Caesar; but I said that the soul which was immersed in sin would be delivered from sin."

At this time, an old woman approached the crowd, but was pushed back. Then Issa said, "Reverence Woman, mother of the universe,' in her lies the truth of creation. She is the foundation of all that is good and beautiful. She is the source of life and death. Upon her depends the existence of man, because she is the sustenance of his labors. She gives birth to you in travail, she watches over your growth. Bless her. Honor her. Defend her. Love your wives and honor them, because tomorrow they shall be mothers, and later-progenitors of a whole race. Their love ennobles man, soothes the embittered heart and tames the beast. Wife and mother-they are the adornments of the universe."

"As light divides itself from darkness, so does woman possess the gift to divide in man good intent from the thought of evil. Your best thoughts must belong to woman. Gather from them your moral strength, which you must possess to sustain your near ones. Do not humiliate her, for therein you will humiliate yourselves. And all which you will do to mother, to wife, to widow or to another woman in sorrow-that shall you also do for the Spirit."

So taught Issa; but the ruler Pilate ordered one of his servants to make accusation against him.

Said Issa: "Not far hence is the time when by the Highest Will the people will become purified and united into one family."

And then turning to the ruler, he said, "Why demean thy dignity and teach thy subordinates to live in deceit when even without this thou couldst also have had the means of accusing an innocent one?"

From another version of the legend, Roerich quotes fragments of thought and evidence of the miraculous.

Near Lhasa was a temple of teaching with a wealth of manuscripts. Jesus was to acquaint himself with them. Meng-ste, a great sage of all the East, was in this temple.

Finally Jesus reached a mountain pass and in the chief city of Ladak, Leh, he was joyously accepted by monks and people of the lower class .... And Jesus taught in the monasteries and in the bazaars (the market places); wherever the simple people gathered--there he taught.

Not far from this place lived a woman whose son had died and she brought him to Jesus. And in the presence of a multitude, Jesus laid his hand on the child, and the child rose healed. And many brought their children and Jesus laid his hands upon them, healing them.

Among the Ladakis, Jesus passed many days, teaching them. And they loved him and when the time of his departure came they sorrowed as children.

[Positive Change]

Map of Jesus's eastern travels
Source: Summit University Press

[AnneQ]

Thank you sonamdhargey dsiluvu, Vajraprotector and Positive Change for your interesting and enlightening posts on the lost years of Jesus Christ. Is it very believable that Jesus travelled to India, Tibet and Eastern Europe to see and learn about the world and took a affinity to Buddhism and studied its philosophies. And then returned to the Middle East in his thirties to teach and spread his form of Dharma among the ignorant. As Benny had mentioned, both Christianity and Buddhism have many similarities in their teachings, to make sentient beings realise their potential to become better humans and make the world a better place for the benefit of everyone.
All other religions in the world be it Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism...etc, all have the same purpose and I believe they were started by good people with good intentions and compassion. Unfortunately, man by nature are selfish and immoral and most of these religious texts and bibles are left to misinterpretations by these people with their own selfish agenda.
As for the question that Jesus was a Buddhist monk? Yes this theory is possible and I for one is a believer.

[ilikeshugden]

I am really not surprised if Jesus is a Buddha or a Bodhisattva as I always known he was. When I was younger, i used to be a christian. Then, when i joined Buddhism, I noticed there are similarities between the two faiths.

I bought this lovely book http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/103336.Jesus_and_Buddha . It is very informative as it shows the similar teaching that both Jesus and Buddha have.


I firmly believe that any religion that preaches kindness to all beings is a good religion.

[WisdomBeing]

The video focuses on Jesus’ death but I’ve always been intrigued by Jesus’ birth. According to biblical history, when Mary gave birth, three wise men came to make offerings to the babe in the manger. I’ve always had the strange thought that it is possible that instead of three kings or three wise men or three Magi, it was three Tibetan monks who came to recognise the baby as an incarnation. And yes, as many of the others who have posted on this thread, I have always thought that Jesus was a Bodhisattva.

Jesus’ teachings are so Buddhist, and focuses on compassion as opposed to the fearsome and vengeful God of the Old Testament. Also, I thought that Jesus’ ascension sounds like a tantric yogi ascending to the heavens complete with his physical body.

Definitely food for thought.

[Positive Change]

I am really not surprised if Jesus is a Buddha or a Bodhisattva as I always known he was. When I was younger, i used to be a christian. Then, when i joined Buddhism, I noticed there are similarities between the two faiths.

I bought this lovely book http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/103336.Jesus_and_Buddha . It is very informative as it shows the similar teaching that both Jesus and Buddha have.


I firmly believe that any religion that preaches kindness to all beings is a good religion.

Yes I too believe Jesus could very well be a Boddhisatva or an emanation of a Buddha. His every action is that of a truly compassionate and enlightened being.

All religions do teach us the basic ethical goodness and hence if all religions and teachings of the world take the similarities and not harp on the differences, the world will certainly be a more tolerant place. In accepting each other's differences and celebrate the similarities, we will inevitable create a society that focuses outwards and not inwards. This is important! This is the very basis of Buddhism. Or should I say this SHOULD be the very basis for Buddhism or anyone for that matter.

Imagine if we embraced each other's differences and celebrated the similarities? This whole Dorje Shugden ban would not even be an issue let alone be in place as tolerance and acceptance would paramount!

I believe there are also events out there that are trying to foster this whole interfaith interaction and I applaud and rejoice as these are good steps albeit baby steps. And as such here are some interesting pointing while organising such events which I thought was worth mentioning. The care that goes into such events.

Catering for multi faith events

Many groups have social gatherings where shared food and hospitality play an important part. A shared meal, announced as vegetarian, ensures that each community has some familiar food. Careful labelling of all dishes allows participants to explore new tastes without anxiety about accidentally eating foods not acceptable to them for religious reasons. It is a good idea to discuss food issues with your group or council and agree a basic set of guidelines.

If you are arranging an event which involves sharing of food, the following guidelines may be useful. It may be helpful to give a copy of them to the caterers for an event and have them available should anyone be interested to see them.

Generally speaking, the best way to cater for a multi faith event so that the maximum number of people can share in the food is to make it fully vegetarian, with some vegan options, and to label each dish.

Other pointers:

1. Have some dishes which contain no eggs and ensure that some of these non-egg dishes also contain no garlic or onions (since all these may be unacceptable to some Hindus, observant Jains and also some other groupings).

2. Devout Jains also avoid eating all root vegetables (such as potatoes) because they believe that ahimsa or nonviolence requires that you do not kill any plant: it is only acceptable to eat vegetables and fruits the removal of which leaves the plant itself alive. Consequently it can be useful to have one carefully labelled main dish or type of sandwich which contains not only no eggs, garlic or onions, but also no root vegetables.

3. No animal fat should be used in any vegetarian cooking, and when cheese is used it should be of the kind labelled ‘vegetarian’ which indicates that it has not been made with rennet which comes from cows’ stomachs.

4. If making sandwiches, avoid any butter substitutes made with rendered beef fat. The label will indicate use of such fat – at least one butter substitute on the market does use this form of fat.

5. Avoid the following e numbers as they are non-vegetarian: E120 Cochineal; E441 Gelatine; E542 Edible Bone Phosphate. Some other e number substances can also be produced from animal sources. A full list can be found at www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=727.

6. Any biscuits provided should contain no animal fats other than butter, and preferably there should be some which also do not contain egg. Also check the label to ensure that cochineal has not been used in their production as this is not vegetarian.

7. Puddings should not include gelatine (unless it is of a vegetarian variety).

8. Alcohol should not be used in the preparation of any food.

9. List ingredients, so that people with religious or health reasons to avoid particular foods can do so.


On a lighter note, here is an interesting excerpt from an article from The Telegraph which is rather witty which seems to be a little optimistic (always good to have two sides to the coin):

I was forwarded a sweet email yesterday, which brought a smile to my sad face. It began:

PICKLES CELEBRATES FAITHS WORKING TOGETHER IN INTER FAITH WEEK
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles today kicks off national Inter Faith Week by urging everyone to get involved in inter faith activities and make connections with people of different beliefs.

Ahh, bless.

National Inter Faith Week will apparently be marked by “dialogues and debates”, “school activities” and “youth faith forums”, but also ”special focus events on topics such as faith in the workplace, faith and family, aging and spirituality, spirituality and health, faith and disability, faith and the Big Society, freedom of speech, and compassion and social justice.” Sounds fun. Just one question – can I take tranquillisers beforehand? It’s just I don’t think I’d be able to get through it otherwise.

There will also be “a national photography competition” and something called “inter faith salsa” (sorry Eric, as David Cameron might say, that’s the dance, not the food) and “youth evening exploring faith and diversity through film”. Life of Brian? Temple of Doom? Fitna?

I know it’s easy to mock such harmless and good-natured events; it’s obviously better that people get together with members of other religions to dance rather than to run each other through with swords, but I just wonder whether it actually has any function, except to blow more taxpayers' money.

As the site says, the events are organised by the “UK Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), the Local Government Association, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Department for Education and the Community Development Foundation”; in other words, taxpayers' money that could be spent on vital services such as propping up the euro.

But the danger of tribal violence in our society comes from young men, in particular young working-class men from different ethnic-religious groups. And while imams may have sway among angry young Muslim men, how many young white hoodies attend church? How many could name their local priest or bishop, or in fact a single priest or bishop on earth? Increasing numbers may identify as “Christian” in areas where there are large Muslim populations, but it’s a tribal mark of identity; just as the UVF didn’t go around murdering Catholics because they objected to transubstantiation.

The Catholic and Methodist churches, which once had immense influence on working-class men, now have virtually none. In London, at least, working-class whites below the age of 40 very, very rarely have anything to do with the churches, which is dominated by the middle class and immigrants. The irony is that the leaders of the English Catholic, Anglican and Methodist churches now see their organisations as a glorified extension of the race relations industry – yet they’ve largely lost their ability to make a difference.

This is why inter-faith events are essentially a chance for nice middle-class liberals to meet ethnic minorities; which is great for them, but as nice middle-class liberals rarely start race riots, it’s not exactly vital.

[sonamdhargey]

Dalai Lama regard Jesus as a Bodhisattva who dedicated his life to the welfare of human beings.

I also find the similarities between Mother Mary and Guan Yin. Some have commented on the similarity between the Blessed Virgin Mary and Guan Yin. The Tzu-Chi Foundation, a Taiwanese Buddhist organization, also noticing the similarity, commissioned a portrait of Guan Yin and a baby that resembles the typical Madonna and Child painting.
Some Chinese of the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Philippines, in an act of syncretism, have identified Guan Yin with the Virgin Mary.
During the Edo Period in Japan, when Christianity was banned and punishable by death, some underground Christian groups venerated the Virgin Mary disguised as a statue of Kannon; such statues are known as Maria Kannon. Many had a cross hidden in an inconspicuous location.

Interesting read of the Parallels of Buddha and Jesus. See link below.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallels_between_Gautama_Buddha_and_Jesus