Truth is truth, no matter what part of the world you live in. Jesus did not need to be exposed to Buddhism in order to speak the truth. And if you take a few minutes and do a quick online search, you will find all sorts of dissimilarities between buddhism and what Jesus taught.


Not for me, I am completely insensitive.


Certainly unnecessary.


Pure supposition.



Depends on which church you go to.

Yes, but Jesus used koans to make his points, providing multiple layers of understanding depending on one's openness. This is a tradition of Zen that Jesus embraced.

Not really. If you compare the words of Christ and Zen koans, you will find striking similarities. This is evidence of a connection, though I certainly agree it does not prove the connection. Its going to be tough to make the case on a forum. But, I think the best way is to examine some of the more misunderstood words of Jesus.

For instance, a young ruler once inquired about eternal life from Jesus addressing Jesus as "good teacher." But, Jesus immediately corrected him: "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

Very similar to the concept in Zen that beauty can not be found by seeking....

__________________
Qur'an:8:39 Fight them until all opposition ends and all submit to Allah.
Qur'an:8:67 It is not fitting for any prophet to have prisoners until he has made a great slaughter in the land.
Qur'an 8:12 I will terrorize the unbelievers...Strike off their heads and cut off each of their fingers and toes.
Qur'an 9:5 Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, torture them, and lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war.

Until you have evidence to support your claim, it is nothing more than supposition.


I have and I already explained the reason for the similarities.

I'm not really trying to prove anything, just having an interesting discussion hopefully. It is not provable. In fact, both positions could be true. Christ could be the literal son of God in a way we are not and he could be a Zen Master. But, I am citing evidence- the words of Jesus and the words of Zen. Are you denying that Jesus spoke in koans?

Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."

Zen Master Hakuin said, "Should you desire the great tranquility, prepare to sweat beads."

Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Zen koan, "If you know the sound of two hands clapping, what is the sound of one hand clapping?"

Jesus said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand."

Nan Chaun said, "If you approach/seek it, you will most certainly miss it."

__________________
Qur'an:8:39 Fight them until all opposition ends and all submit to Allah.
Qur'an:8:67 It is not fitting for any prophet to have prisoners until he has made a great slaughter in the land.
Qur'an 8:12 I will terrorize the unbelievers...Strike off their heads and cut off each of their fingers and toes.
Qur'an 9:5 Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, torture them, and lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war.

He spoke in 'proverbs'.

Here are a few examples from different cultures, I would hardly call them koans.


A bad cause requires many words.
German Proverb

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.
Arab Proverb

A bird in the hand is worth two in a bush.
English Proverb

A broken hand works, but not a broken heart.
Persian Proverb

A cat has nine lives.
Proverb of Unknown Origin

A clear conscience is a soft pillow.
German Proverb

A close friend can become a close enemy.
Ethiopian Proverb

A closed mouth catches no flies.
Italian Proverb

A country can be judged by the quality of its proverbs.
German Proverb

A courtyard common to all will be swept by none.
Chinese Proverb

A dimple on the chin, the devil within.
Gaelic Proverb

A dog is wiser than a woman; it does not bark at its master.
Russian Proverb

A drink precedes a story.
Irish Proverb

A drowning man is not troubled by rain.
Persian Proverb

A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.
William Blake "Proverbs of Hell" (1790)

A forest is in an acorn.
Proverb of Unknown Origin

A friend in need is a friend indeed
English Proverb

A friend's eye is a good mirror.
Irish Proverb

A good denial, the best point in law.
Irish Proverb

A good husband is healthy and absent.
Japanese Proverb

A hard beginning maketh a good ending.
John Heywood "The Proverbs of John Heywood" (1546)

A healthy man is a successful man.
French Proverb

A hedge between keeps friendship green.
French Proverb

A hen is heavy when carried far.
Irish Proverb

A hound's food is in its legs.
Irish Proverb

A house without a dog or a cat is the house of a scoundrel.
Portuguese Proverb

A hungry man is an angry man.
English Proverb

A lie travels round the world while truth is putting her boots on.
French Proverb

A little too late, is much too late.
German Proverb

A loan though old is not gift.
Hungarian Proverb

A lock is better than suspicion.
Irish Proverb

A man does not seek his luck, luck seeks its man.
Turkish Proverb

A man is not honest simply because he never had a chance to steal.
Yiddish Proverb

A man may well bring a horse to the water, but he cannot make him drink.
John Heywood "The Proverbs of John Heywood" (1546)

A man should live if only to satisfy his curiosity.
Yiddish Proverb

A monkey never thinks her baby's ugly.
Haitian Proverb

A new broom sweeps clean, but the old brush knows all the corners.
Irish Proverb

A penny for your thoughts.
John Heywood "The Proverbs of John Heywood" (1546)

A penny saved is a penny gained.
Scottish Proverb

A poor beauty finds more lovers than husbands.
English Proverb

A prudent man does not make the goat his gardener.
Hungarian Proverb

A rumor goes in one ear and out many mouths.
Chinese proverb

A silent mouth is melodious.
Irish Proverb

A single Russian hair outweighs half a Pole.
Traditional Russian Saying

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.
Greek Proverb

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Bible - Proverbs 15:1.

A son is a son till he gets him a wife,
But a daughter's a daughter the rest of your life.
Proverb of Unknown Origin

A spoon does not know the taste of soup, nor a learned fool the taste of wisdom.
Welsh Proverb

A table is not blessed if it has fed no scholars.
Yiddish Proverb

A teacher is better than two books.
German Proverb

A thief believes everybody steals.
Proverb of Unknown Origin

A thorn defends the rose, harming only those who would steal the blossom.
Chinese proverb

A throne is only a bench covered with velvet.
French Proverb

A trade not properly learned is an enemy.
Irish Proverb

A tree falls the way it leans.
Bulgarian Proverb

A white Christmas fills the churchyard.
French Proverb

A wise man hears one word and understands two.
Yiddish Proverb

A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion.
Chinese Proverb

A woman has the form of an angel, the heart of a serpent, and the mind of an ass.
German Proverb

A worthy woman is far more precious than jewels, strength and dignity are her clothing.
Bible - Proverbs 31

Act in the valley so that you need not fear those who stand on the hill.
Danish Proverb

Advice should be viewed from behind.
Swedish Proverb

Advice when most needed is least heeded.
English Proverb

After shaking hands with a Greek, count your fingers.
Albanian Saying

Age is honorable and youth is noble.
Irish Proverb

All is well that ends well.
John Heywood "The Proverbs of John Heywood" (1546)

All things grow with time, except grief.
Yiddish Proverb

An angry man is not fit to pray.
Yiddish Proverb

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Proverb of Unknown Origin

An ass in Germany is a professor in Rome.
Traditional German Saying

An enemy will agree, but a friend will argue.
Russian Proverb

An Englishman will burn his bed to catch a flea.
Turkish Proverb

An ox remains an ox, even if driven to Vienna.
Hungarian Proverb

And old rat is a brave rat.
French Proverb

Sorry, that is not accurate. Jesus spoke many koans, which are distinctly different from proverbs. They contain contradiction/paradox, for starters. Proverbs do not.

__________________
Qur'an:8:39 Fight them until all opposition ends and all submit to Allah.
Qur'an:8:67 It is not fitting for any prophet to have prisoners until he has made a great slaughter in the land.
Qur'an 8:12 I will terrorize the unbelievers...Strike off their heads and cut off each of their fingers and toes.
Qur'an 9:5 Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, torture them, and lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war.

I hate to break this to ya, but Jesus was not asian.

From an old rat, a fantastic list, I have one of my own that has stood me in good stead " It's nice in the but a lot better in the daughter"

Have you read "zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance"

I found them here: http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/proverb.html



You Brits are very wise!