Originating from the continent of Asia, Christianity and Buddhism are two of the largest and most influential religions in the world. These profound religions are widely practiced and were both spread by religious leaders. Jesus Christ was the founder of Christianity and spread the word of God across the Middle East. Buddha taught peace and kindness and lived a spiritual life. When comparing their lives, one can see that they contain many similarities and interesting parallels such as their birth stories, their entrance into ministry/monasticism, and their teachings. These men were "both destined to instill light and love to this world" (Punnoose).
When looking into the lives of both Jesus and Buddha, one of the most prominent similarities would have to be their birth stories. Jesus and Buddha were both conceived by some type of divine power. Before Jesus was born, his mother, the Virgin Mary, was betrothed to a man named Joseph. She was visited by an angel during a dream in Nazareth and received a message concerning the birth of a son. It was at this time when Mary "was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit" (Matthew. 1:18). Similarly, Buddha's mother, "the queen of the Shakya people" (Oxtoby 378) conceived her son while abstaining from sex during a festival. Like Mary, Mahamaya is visited in a dream by "a spiritual being in the form of a sacred white elephant" (Oxtoby 378). The elephant descended from the heavens and enters Mahamaya through her side. It then becomes "the embryo of the Buddha-to-be" (Oxtoby 378). .
Not only is the conception of Jesus and Buddha similar, but also the locations of their births were unusual. Both Mary and Mahamaya traveled to a certain location instead of staying put and giving birth where they lived. Mary journeyed to "Bethlehem in Judea" (Matthew. 2:1) and gave birth to Jesus there. This was many miles away from his hometown of Nazareth.
