An appreciation of Lord Jesus Christ by a Buddhist | I met a Bodhisatva in the Bible

Lord Jesus Christ used to visit lepers outside the gates of Jerusalem.

When I was a child I used to listen to my father talking about Lord Jesus Christ with great respect and love. He was an Anglican converted to a Buddhist. His interpretation of Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible was rather revolutionary, but very interesting and thought provoking. My late cousin Anton Fernando too was an Anglican by faith and has also told me many times that Lord Jesus Christ was a ‘Bodhisatva’.

Lord Jesus was said to be the son of God Almighty who left heaven and was born as a human being to save mankind from sin. His earthly mother was Virgin Mary and father was Joseph.
Gautama Buddha the enlightened one or the awakened one in the honorific name given to sage Gotama, the Sage who lived in Thusita heaven as God Santhushitha. He left heaven and was re-born as a human being to save mankind by showing the correct path to attain Nibbana, if they are ‘karmically ready’. Buddhas are only leader and not saviours.
Tummehi kichchan athappan
Akka Tharo Tatagata
His mother was Mahamaya Devi and father was king Suddhodana. These two incidents point towards ‘rebirth’ – as a subject of great controversy.

The Buddha was a human being who suffered humiliations and threats of assassination.  
The Buddha is neither a god nor a prophet nor an incarnation of a god, but a supreme human being who through his own effort attained final deliverance and perfect wisdom.
Lord Jesus Christ too led a human life on earth experiencing praise, suffering, torture, humiliations and crucifixion on a cross. He was said to be the son of God who led a human life to serve mankind and he served the men as well as women.

In ancient Israel, if you break Sabbath, you will be stoned to death. Once a woman prostitute was about to be stoned for gathering firewood on a Sabbath day. Lord Jesus Christ who appeared on the scene requested a man who has had never broken Sabbath to throw the first stone at her. As there was no one who had ever broken Sabbath, the crowd dispersed. Thus it was the principle that you must be perfect first to criticise others. 
This incident brings to mind how The Buddha saved Sopaka- the boy who was ill-treated by his step-father and to a corpse and left in the cemetery. The Buddha saved Ambapali, a prostitute from humiliation and disgrace.
The Buddha visited and nursed the monk Putigatta Tissa who suffered from a terrible skin disease as there was no one to nurse him. After nursing the thera The Buddha said these everlasting words,
 ‘‘Those who serve the sick serve me best.”

As mentioned in the Bible the greatness of Lord Jesus Christ lies in the fact that he bore all these cruel acts in silence without anger, hatred, malice or vengeance. It reminds us of the compassion or ‘maithree’ only a Bodhisatva is capable of. Instead he uttered words of mercy and compassion. “Father they do not know what they are doing. Forgive them.”

In the same manner Lord Jesus Christ too visited leprosy patients who lived outside the city gates of Jerusalem and nursed them; as if following the example set by The Buddha. It was the first example of serving untouchables or lepers in Israel. Was Lord Jesus Christ familiar with the teaching of The Buddha? Was he a follower of The Buddha? There is a period of silence in the life of Lord Jesus Christ. According to some thinkers and philosophers in the West as well as in the East this great human being or son of God visited Tibet and associated with Mahayana Buddhist priests. Even today people of Tibet remember Lord Jesus Christ as Esa’.
Lord Jesus Christ was the ‘prince of peace and mercy’. This great human being or son of God knew that he would be betrayed by his student Judas (prototype of Devadatte) for a few gold coins. But he never divulged even to his pupils the name till the last moment.

Lord Jesus Christ seems to have been familiar with meditation. Meditation is an essential part of Buddhism. According to some records, Jesus was a ‘Dhyang” labiya. Once he suddenly appeared among the fishermen and blessed them. The incident of reviving the boy from death is another example. Lord Jesus was so humble that he washed the feet of his students.

Jealousy is a common human weakness.  Israeli priests at the time felt jealous of the priest who was preaching a doctrine that went against their habits, belief and Torah that included tooth to tooth, eye to eye doctrine. Lord Jesus said if someone hit you on the left cheek, give him the right. Before pointing to the speck of dust on others in other person’s eye remove the large piece of wood in your own eye. Israeli priests felt jealous about this young handsome priest preaching a doctrine against their own religious belief, so they decided to put an end to the life of this young priest and brought him before the judgement of their ruler – king of Israel. The ruler wanted to save Jesus on the request of his queen who believed in Lord Jesus’ preaching. But people led by the priests insisted that a robber must be saved and Lords Jesus must be crucified. The ruler had to bow down to the public cry whether it is justifiable or not.

When Lord Jesus was taken to the Mount Calvary for crucifixion soldiers insisted that he must carry his own cross on which King of Israel must be crucified. This delicate thinker was not strong enough to carry the heavy cross. He fainted, but the soldiers insisted that he must carry it to the top of the mountain.   On the summit of the mountain these Israeli soldiers, or devils, pressed a crown of thorn on this great human being or son of God’s head.
As mentioned in the Bible the greatness of Lord Jesus Christ lies in the fact that he bore all these cruel acts in silence without anger, hatred, malice or vengeance. It reminds us of the compassion or ‘maithree’ only a Bodhisatva is capable of. Instead he uttered words of mercy and compassion. “Father they do not know what they are doing. Forgive them.”

Lord Jesus Christ was the ‘prince of peace and mercy’. This great human being or son of God knew that he would be betrayed by his student Judas (prototype of Devadatte) for a few gold coins

These actions of mercy and compassion reminds us a Buddhist Jataka story; the story about Hermit Kshantivadi and King Kalabu. The hermit was famous for his compassion. The king who wanted to test the Hermit’s level of compassion ordered the soldiers to cut the hermit’s arms. Then he asked the hermit whether his level of compassion is the same. The hermit said that nothing could alter his level of compassion. Then the King ordered to cut his limbs. The king asked his question and then the hermit again said nothing could alter his level of compassion and then the king kicked the limbless body of the hermit in the chest and killed him. Till death approached the Hermit showed mercy. The last words of Lord Jesus Christ were “Yeli Yeli Lama Lama Abasthamie”

Some these words belong to an “Accordian language: It is a dead language. According to others these words belong to Tibetan language. The word, lama is a very common word in the Tibetan Language. Eg; Dalai Lama.
To me Lord Jesus Christ’s sermon on the Mount” is a very interesting. I feel they echo the words of our great philosopher Lord Buddha.

How best are the poor in spirit- the reign of God is theirs
Blest are they who hunger for holiness. They shall have their fill.
Blest are they who show mercy. Mercy shall be theirs.
Blest too are the peace makers. They shall be called sons of God.
In one ‘Suthra” The Buddha advises his “shravaka Sangaya” not be angry when people slander his doctrine.
“Listen to them then only you can understand my doctrine.”
Thus I met a Bodhi-Satva, in the Bible,
Blessed are the peacemakers. They shall be called Sons of God.