1897年,萊比錫大學的魯道夫·舍伊道教授在著作「佛教傳說與耶穌生平」(The Buddha Legend and the Life of Jesus)指出佛經與聖經有五十多處相似之處。在此之後,1918年耶魯大學梵文及比較哲學教授愛德華·豪本勤甚至認為耶穌的生平、試練、神跡、寓言以至弟子都是來自佛教的傳說。比較近期的研究有歷史學家傑瑞·本德利 的著作「舊世界的文化交融」(1993年)、意大利撒丁島鄧肯·麥德列(Duncan McDerret)的著作「聖經與佛教徒」(2001)、奕波星的著作「佛教總論:佛陀的構成、法句經與宗教哲學」(2004年) 都認為基督教受到佛教影響。
坎特伯利基督教大學宗教研究學者博哈特·舒瑞爾(Burkhard Scherer)的網頁Jesus is Buddha[27] 引用2007年佛教研究博士基斯·連特納(Christian Lindtner)的研究比較了巴利文和梵文的佛經以及希臘文的聖經之間的相似性。有反對者認為相似的原因只是因為希臘文和梵文是同一語系的語言,但舒瑞爾認為多處相似並非巧合。
Main article: Buddhism and Christianity
Edward Conze claimed to have noted phenomenological commonalities between Mahayana Buddhism and Gnosticism,[1] in his paper Buddhism and Gnosis, following an early suggestion by Isaac Jacob Schmidt.[2][note 1] Conze explicitly compared Mahayana Buddhism with "gnosis," that is, knowledge or insight, and not with "the Gnostics," because too little was known about the Gnostics as a social group.[2] Based on Conze's eight similarities, Hoeller gives the following list of similarities:[4]
Liberation or salvation can be achieved by a liberating insight, namely gnosis or jnana
Ignorance, or a lack of insight, called agnosis or avidyā, is the root cause of entrapment in this world
Liberating insight can be achieved by interior revelation, not by external knowledge
Both systems give a hierarchical ordering of spiritual attainment, from blind materialism to complete spiritual attainment
Wisdom, as the feminine principle personified in Sophia and prajna, plays an important role in both religions
Myth is preferred over historical fact; the Christ and the Buddha are not mere historical figures, but archetypal primordial beings
Both systems have antinomianistic tendencies, that is, a disregard for rules and social conventions in higher spiritual attainments
Both systems are intended for spiritual elites, not for the masses, and have hidden meanings and teachings
Both systems are monistic, aiming at a metaphyscial oneness beyond the multiplicity of the phenomenal world.
According to Conze, these commonalities were not by chance, but inherent to the essence of both religions.[1] How these similarities came into existence was unclear for Conze,[1] but according to Verardi they may be related to the sea trade between the Roman Empire and India, which was intense at the time.[5] Verardi further notes the similarities between the social-economic base of both Gnosticism and Buddhism, namely merchants, which both had to compete with the "great organised powers," of Rome and the Christian Church, and of the Brahmans.[6] Both communities represented "an open economy and society lacking the defenses (and the vexations) of nomos," the law and institutions of the establishment.[7]
Conze's suggestions were noted by Elaine Pagels as a "possibility," in the introduction to The Gnostic Gospels,[8][9][note 2] but Pagels' and Conze's suggestion has not gained academic acceptance or generated significant further study.
主条目:佛教与基督教
爱德华·康兹声称在艾萨克·雅各布·施密特(Isaac Jacob Schmidt)的早期建议之后,[1]在他的《佛教与地精》一书中指出了大乘佛教与诺斯替教在现象学上的共性。[2] [注1]康兹明确地将大乘佛教与“诊断”相比较。也就是知识或见识,而不是“智者”,因为人们对作为一个社会团体的智者知之甚少。[2]基于Conze的八个相似点,Hoeller提供了以下相似点列表:[4]