No, while Buddhists, in general, do not believe in Jesus Christ being the Son of God sent down to earth to save the world from sin, they do believe that he existed.
They believe that Jesus Christ was an important man that walked the earth, that he was wise, and that he was holy and filled with the divine spirit but don’t worship him.
This is, obviously, quite a bit of a departure from what Christians believe of Jesus Christ.
But it’s not as though Buddhist’s discount that Jesus walked on earth, that he was critically important to humanity, or in any way put down believers of Jesus, either.
To learn a little bit more about what Buddhists believe about Jesus you’ll want to read the rest of the inside info below.
Buddhism | Jesus Christ Beliefs
Buddhism, a lot like Hinduism, is less a singular monolithic religion and more a family of religions and beliefs that all share a lot of common traditions, rituals, and foundational characteristics.
This is all to say that there is no specific unified vision about Jesus and who he was, his importance, or whether or not he really was the divine son of God – at least not as far as the overwhelming majority of Buddhists are concerned.
It’s important, however, to not take this as a dismissal of Jesus Christ or his importance to humanity or the Christian faith in general.
Many important Buddhists throughout time (including the current Dalai Lama) have stated unequivocally that Jesus was a holy man, that he came to help humanity, and that they have a tremendous amount of respect for Jesus, his teachings, and Christianity in general.
The current Dalai Lama has even spent quite a bit of time with the Pope, speaking about Buddha as well as Jesus and showing not just an interest in Christianity and the teachings of Christ, but also respect for all aspects of Christianity – including where it differs from his concrete beliefs in Buddhism.
Do Buddhists believe that Jesus Christ was a critical part of human history, the founder of the Christian faith, and an important person to billions of people still today?
Absolutely!
Do Buddhists believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God, that he was sent to earth to atone for the sins of humanity, and follow all of his Christian teachings?
No.
What Buddhists Think About Jesus
Buddhists generally regard Jesus as a highly enlightened individual and certainly have a tremendous amount of respect for the life he led, particularly the self-sacrificial nature of his being as well as the compassion he showed to those that needed spiritual guidance.
The Buddhist faith is very big on compassion, kindness, and helping and serving others – and Buddhists believe that’s a key part of the pathway to awakening and enlightenment.
Buddhists also respect the teachings of Jesus even if they don’t necessarily subscribe to or believe in them themselves.
Many Buddhists would agree that the core concepts of Christianity – loving one’s neighbor, demonstrating kindness, believing in forgiveness, etc. – are fully compatible with Buddhism in every aspect.
For these reasons, a lot of Buddhists regard Jesus as a very wise teacher even if he is not necessarily considered to be divine.
Finally, as we mentioned a moment ago, even the Dalai Lama has recognized Jesus as a “holy man” – not to be confused with a Holy Man, however. There is a difference and a distinction.
The Dalai Lama is not and would not ever elevate someone above the status of Buddha, but would also not attempt to elevate the status of Jesus above Buddha, either.
Do Buddhists Believe In The Resurrection?
There is a distinction between the Buddhist belief in rebirth and reincarnation as well as the Christian belief in resurrection, especially when it comes to Jesus.
The resurrection of Christ is thought to be a miracle of God, something that happened to and for Jesus alone.
Buddhists, however, believe that rebirth is the path for each and every person on the planet (as well as every other sentient being, too).
Rebirth is not a path to heaven or hell, but is instead a path and a journey towards awakening and enlightenment much like the path that the Buddha followed himself.
Closing Thoughts
While Buddhists certainly believe that Jesus was a real person, a hugely influential person, and the founder of the Christian faith they do not necessarily ascribe divinity to him or believe everything that Christians believe, either.
No, Buddhism is distinctly different from Christianity in a variety of different ways.
There’s still a lot of mutual respect between these major faiths, though.