The story of the Buddha comes to us from around 2,500 years ago, originating in the eastern part of India. The story of Jesus dates back 2,000 years and comes from West Asia. Many believe that Jesus spent several years of his life travelling east, engaging with Buddhist monks and monasteries, and possibly even travelling as far as Kashmir.
There are even strong indications that later Christian institutions were significantly influenced by ideas from the East. From Buddhism came concepts like monastic community (sangha). Buddhist monks practiced celibacy, isolation and confession, practices that are also seen in Christianity. To understand the possibility of an Indian influence on Western faith, we must explore the Gnostic traditions.
The Gnostics were people who believed that the pure soul was trapped in impure flesh and existed in a polluted world. According to their beliefs, the purpose of life was to break free from this corrupt existence through acts of purification. Gnostic faiths typically practised fasting and celibacy, shunned material wealth, avoided marriage, purified their bodies in flowing water, and sought spiritual liberation. This idea had widespread appeal from West Asia to India.
In West Asia, this belief system gave rise to communities such as the Mandaeans, who still exist today and regularly wash themselves in flowing water. They are linked to John the Baptist from the New Testament, who baptised Jesus. Gnostic ideas also influenced Manichaeism, a dualistic faith rooted in the struggle between good and evil, which flourished in Central Asia and Persia alongside Zoroastrianism.
In India, gnostic concepts took the form of Buddhism and Jainism—Buddhism being more moderate and Jainism more austere. Some linguists believe the word ‘gnostic’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘gnana’ or knowledge. This was also the path of the Hindu hermit, Adi Shankaracharya in 8th century AD. As Buddhist and Christian traditions evolved, many parallels emerged between them. For example, early Nikaya Buddhism was highly ascetic, but later Mahayana Buddhism introduced the compassionate ideal of the Bodhisattva. Similarly, in the Jewish Tanakh (Old Testament), God is portrayed as stern, forbidding, and distant, whereas in the New Testament, Jesus, the son of God, embodies kindness and compassion.
Narratives about Buddha and Jesus share striking similarities. Buddha is said to have come from a royal family, and Bodhisattvas are typically depicted as princes. Likewise, Jesus’ lineage is linked to the royal House of David. Both figures are associated with miraculous births—Jesus is born of a virgin, a concept reinforced by the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which suggests that even his mother was conceived without sin, reflecting a discomfort with sexuality. Similarly, Buddhist texts describe how Buddha entered his mother’s womb in the form of a celestial white elephant and was encased in a jewel-studded crystal box to keep him separate from bodily fluids. He is also said to have emerged from his mother’s right side rather than through the usual birth canal, again reflecting a discomfort with female sexuality.
While Buddha leaves his wife and renounces worldly attachments, Jesus never marries. After attaining enlightenment, Buddha is said to have ascended to the Tushita heaven to teach Dhamma to his mother, demonstrating his close connection to her. Similarly, Jesus is deeply linked to Mary, and the image of the mother and son remains central in Catholic Christian tradition.
The story of the Buddha travelled to Europe via Arabia in the eighth century. And so in Christian lore, we find a story uncannily similar to Buddha’s biography. King Abenner, who persecuted Christians, was told by astrologers that his own son would someday become a Christian. Abenner had the young prince Josaphat (Buddhasaf) isolated from external contact, but he managed to meet Saint Barlaam (Bilawar) secretly, got converted to Christianity, and eventually convinced his father to do the same.
Clearly, ideas were transmitted across regions via trade routes and monsoon winds, fostering an exchange of thought between South Asia and West Asia. However, the thing that makes people doubt these connections and influences is the different ways in which Buddha and Jesus die.
Buddha dies peacefully at the age of 80. Jesus is brutally crucified by Romans. In Buddhist tradition, the historical Buddha is one of several Buddhas, all of whom lived similar lives, sharing the same wisdom. This cyclical worldview does not exist in Christianity. Jesus resurrects himself three days after his death and is a saviour figure, one was sacrificed to atone for the sins of humanity, a concept that is alien to Buddhism.