The often violent history of Christianity may lead us to forget
that Jesus's original teachings promoted peace and turning the
other cheek, passive resistance rather than armed insurrection.
Marcus Borg, a Christian and Jesus scholar, focuses on this basic
aspect of Christianity by selecting a range of quotations from the
Gospels and pairing them with parallel sayings by the Buddha. For
example, whereas Jesus said, 'Blessed are the poor, for yours is
the kingdom of God,' Buddha said, 'Let us live most happily,
possessing nothing; let us feed on joy, like the radiant gods.' It
is surprising, to a reader familiar only with the Bible, to find
how similar the words of the two religious leaders actually are.
The main part of the book is taken up entirely by quotations, a
pair to each large page, divided into sections such as 'Inner Life'
and 'Temptation', each with a brief introduction. Beautiful,
peaceful photographic illustrations stand alongside the text, most
of them in full colour, on elegantly designed pages. In a long,
detailed preface, Marcus Borg gives a history of the origins of
both Christianity and Buddhism and a summary of their beliefs. He
makes it clear that the similarities in each pair of quotations are
not contrived or by chance by drawing out parallel themes in the
two religions. Both emphasize imagery of 'the way' or 'the path';
both see death as a step on a spiritual journey, not as the end.
This is in many ways an odd book, scholarly in its introduction but
with a spiritual simplicity in the main body of the text.
Nevertheless, many readers will treasure it. (Kirkus UK)
Jesus and Buddha were separated by five hundred years, three
thousand miles, and two drastically different cultures. Yet this
trade paper edition of the highly acclaimed hardback juxtaposes
passages from the New Testament and ancient Buddhist scriptures to
illuminate the striking similarity between their lives, deeds, and
teachings.
General
Imprint: |
Ulysses Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
1999 |
First published: |
1999 |
Editors: |
Marcus Borg
|
Introduction by: |
Jack Kornfield
|
Dimensions: |
204 x 127 x 19mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
245 |
Edition: |
New Ed |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-56975-169-5 |
Categories: |
Books
Promotions
|
LSN: |
1-56975-169-2 |
Barcode: |
9781569751695 |
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