A Buddha from Nazareth? Buddhist Interpretations of Jesus

Schneider, Mathias

Abstract

This chapter presents a brief overview of Buddhist interpretations of Jesus. During the history of Buddhist-Christian encounter, Buddhists from all major strands of their tradition have used different strategies either to polemicize against Jesus or to integrate him into their own doctrinal framework. The result is a broad spectrum of interpretations ranging from his demonization to his appreciation as a Bodhisattva or a Buddha. However, I will argue that this plurality of views was significantly shaped by external influences, most importantly the quality of historical Buddhist-Christian encounter and the interpreters’ sociocultural and political contexts. Finally, I will discuss Christian responses to Christological challenges raised by Buddhist interpretations, reflecting on further avenues for a Buddhist-Christian Christology.