Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865 –1936) was a British author and poet, born in India, and best known today for his children’s books, but also his wisdom of knowing the distinctions of both East and West. In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English language writer to receive the prize, and he remains today its youngest-ever recipient! And here is a little of what he knew.
He said, “East is East, and West is West. And never the twain shall meet”!
And yet there are so many similarities between Christianity and Buddhism. I know the many differences as well. Is it something in the water? What caused the cross pollination of thoughts, values, and lifestyles? Let’s look at a couple of additional similarities between Jesus and Buddha before we go back to more historical probings.
Both religions, both men, taught that the inside person is where life is truly lived.
Both men revolutionized the beliefs of the day.
Both men altered the religious rituals of their time.
Both created a culture that sought to do away with class distinctions.
Both eliminated animal sacrifices.
One changed the culture of the East and one changed the culture of the West.
Now what?
I cannot fathom why you did not complete the quotation, as Kipling made the point quite well for you:
OH, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth!
Good point.