A Comparison of the Spiritual Ascensions of Christ and Buddha

The Spiritual Inauguration of Christ Vs. Buddha

Forty days and forty nights of fasting would culminate into an extremely trying time within someone’s lifespan. Fortunately, for Buddhist and Christian believers, Christ and Buddha were willing to put their lives at stake during forty-day fasts, in order to reach spiritual pinnacles. Throughout this essay, the spiritual inauguration of Jesus Christ and Siddhartha Gautama will be compared, with emphasis on the forty days of fasting that each of them underwent in order to obtain spiritual enlightenment and renewal. Both were visited by disruptive, evil beings that attempted to push them off course on their journeys, however both Jesus Christ and Siddhartha Gautama mustered up strength through spirituality and refused the temptations offered by the demons. The similarities between these two stories show the importance of the noble quests both of these men took, paving the way for absolute humbleness, cleansing, and proof of their devotion towards becoming the ultimate symbol of faith and spirituality.

The conception of Jesus Christ and Siddhartha Gautama both began with their mothers being visited by sacred beings in their dreams announcing the news of their soon to be born child. These special conceptions marked the dawn of a new age, an age with a messiah who would save the world from their sins, and the age of a man who would reach ultimate enlightenment and set examples for the world. Both of these men’s’ virtues included love, acceptance, sacrifice, and devotion, and their message described ways in which mere humans could obtain ultimate holiness. Jesus Christ was sent to earth to preach about how to get to Heaven, God’s kingdom. Buddha’s teachings involved how to reach Nirvana, the highest state of enlightenment.

During Christ and Buddha’s times on earth, they underwent times of extreme dedication, especially when they spent forty days placing utmost focus on leaving behind anything that would hinder their spirituality. During this time, they did not eat, they prayed and meditated constantly, and they deflected temptation brought along by evil demons. Christ and Buddha used the concept of Heaven and Nirvana to make it through these trying times, for they knew that once they reached those heights, they would be at peace once and for all. They teach that if we sacrifice as they sacrificed, pray and meditate as they did, and refuse temptation as they refused temptation, we will be allowed to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, or reach the coveted state of being called Nirvana. Their egos were tested as well as their physical and emotional perseverance as they starved themselves of all things materialistic and gorged themselves on meditation, worship, and prayer. During this forty-day period, Christ and Buddha had to come face to face with heir egos and surrender their pride in order to achieve what they set out to achieve. The ability to inspire others culminated in part during these forty-day spans of enlightenment, and this shows followers that the only way to hearten others is to first hearten yourself.