Genesis 1:1-5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Acts 19:1-7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Mark 1:4-11
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He was born a prince, given a name that meant “he who achieves his aim.†His father the king kept him carefully sheltered in his royal palaces, shielded from all exposure to human suffering, disease, old age, death. When at last, at age 29, he left the compound and ventured out to meet his subjects, the young man was overwhelmed by what he saw of suffering, disease, poverty and death. He reacted by adopting a life of extreme asceticism. When this failed to satisfy him, he sat down under a tree, vowing to remain there in meditation until he discovered Truth. After 49 days, he achieved what he called Enlightenment.
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He then embarked upon a ministry of teaching others the wisdom he had found. At its core, this teaching was that suffering results from attachment; that all material things are impermanent and the self is an illusion. There is no God, there is no infallible scripture. The individual’s path is to attain Nirvana, an escape from the cycle of rebirth and hence attachment to material things, to self, to life.
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We are talking, of course, of the Buddha. And I outline his life and teaching, however summarily and inadequately, to highlight their contrast with the life and teachings of Jesus.