Coffeehouse chat between Buddha and Jesus
Jesus: May I join you, sir?
Buddha: Oh, certainly. I would love some company.
Jesus: May I ask your name, sir?
Buddha: My name is Gautama Siddharta. My followers call me the Buddha. And yours, sir?
Jesus: I am the one they call Jesus of Nazareth. I am the son of God, sent by my father to save all of humanity from their sins.
Buddha: Really?
Jesus: Yes. Tell me sir, do you believe that the souls of humanity need saving?
Buddha: What do you mean ‘soul?’
Jesus: An essence that survives even after death, an eternal ‘self’ that does not perish.
Buddha: I do not believe that humans have what you call a ‘soul.’ I believe that, ultimately, there is no ‘self’, as you say. I believe that a person goes through a cycle of death and
rebirth until he (or she) reaches a state of ultimate enlightenment, called nirvana. This rebirth I speak of refers to the process in which one goes through a succession of lifetimes as
one of many possible forms of life, be it animal, human, whatever. This continues until the person reaches nirvana, the enlightenment that I mentioned before. I believe that what someone
reincarnates is a dependent rising based on Karma, the sum of their good and bad actions in the last life, rather than a ‘jump’ from one existance to the next. But you said that you believe in a
‘soul?’
Jesus: I find your opinion to be very interesting. It is something that I will have to think about sometime. And, yes, I do believe that every person has a soul. I believe that my Father created
every person with an undying essence that defines them, their soul. Each is unique, and each survives after death. I believe that we have similar ideas when it comes to this Karma you spoke of,
though that’s not a term my followers and I use. I believe that a person’s actions, both good and bad, will be tallyed up when they die, and these will determine whether or not they are sent to heaven
or to hell.
Buddha: I suppose that your ideas oProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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the consequences of one’s actions are similar to mine, but I have no concept of this heaven and hell you speak of. I believe that the ultimate goal in life is to
reach enlightenment, and so to sort of cease to be, to become one with the world, so to speak. The goal of life is to cease to feel desire, for anything, since all suffering stems from desire. When you
cease to desire things, you can see the true nature of reality, and thus you have become enlightened.
Jesus: So, you’re beliefs center around escaping from suffering by ceasing to feel desire?
Buddha: Basically, yes.
Jesus: Hmmm. Interesting.
Buddha: Tell me of this heaven and hell that you spoke of earlier.
Jesus: Certainly. I believe that the things someone did during their life will be weighed by my Father. He will then decide if they go to paradise, heaven, or into eternal suffering, hell. So, the eternal
paradise is a reward for those who did many good deeds during their lives, while eternal suffering is a punishment for those who did foul deeds while they were alive.
Buddha: And what constitutes ‘good’ or ‘bad’ deeds?
Jesus: Anything done to help your fellow man, along with following the commandments that my Father laid down, constitutes good deeds. Bad deeds are actions that intentionally cause harm to
your fellow man, along with breaking my Father’s commandments.
Buddha: Ah, I see. Yes, I suppose this is very similar to my belief in Karma, since doing good deeds increases your Karma and bad deeds decrease it, and your Karma is what determines what you
will end up being reincarnated as, be it human, cow, fly, whatever. Yes, similar indeed.
Jesus: Do believe that there is one and only one God?
Buddha: My beliefs do not have a God or gods at their center. They are more a set of suggestions on how to live a good life and achieve enlightenment, rather than following the rules of a supreme
being. So, no, I do not believe in one God or any gods at all, for that matter. Do you?
Jesus: Yes. My Father. He is the one God who created the universe from nothing but the Word. I am His Son, part of Him always. This is one of my core beliefs.
Buddha: Ah, I see. That is extremely interesting. Well sir, I had an extremely good time speaking with you. You have given me many things to think about. However, I must take my leave now.
My followers and I need to continue our journey. I wish you the best and I hope that this conversation was as stimulating for you as it was for me.
Jesus: Oh, indeed it was sir. I am just sorry that you have to go. This conversation has given me much to think about. I wish you and your followers a safe journey!
Buddha: Thank you, sir. Have a very pleasant day, and may your life be peaceful.
Jesus: The same to you sir. God be with you.
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