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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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 Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 1:55 am Post subject: Was Buddha a European Saint? |
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Okay, so my title was a little facetious. It's possible, though, that a European Saint has turned out to be Buddha...
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By Kim Ki-tae
Staff Reporter
Greek drawings estimated to be from the 12th century show Ioasaph teaching Christianity to the public. A group of researchers claim the European saint is a derivation of the Buddha. Courtesy of Antiquus
The ancient tale of Gautama Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism, spread from his homeland to Europe, where he became a Christian saint with the name of ``Iosaphat.��
That��s the conclusion of a group of Korean researchers who have conducted a multi-linguistic study of the westward spread of the story of the Buddha.
``It is apparent that the name Iosaphat originates from Buddha,���� Paik Seung-wook, a lecturer of Spanish at Seoul National University said.
According to Paik, while the Buddha��s tale spread westbound, his name ``Buddha���� or ``Bodhisatta���� in Sanskrit, changed gradually in accordance with various linguistic backgrounds with similar accounts of the tale.
For example, it changed to ``Bodisav���� in Persian texts in the sixth or seventh century, ``Budhasaf or Yudasaf���� in an eighth-century Arabic document and ``Iodasaph���� in Georgia in the 10th century.
The name in turn was adapted to ``Ioasaph���� in Greece in the 11th century, and ``Iosaphat���� or ``Josaphat���� in Latin since then.
``The gradual change of the name shows the westward spread of the tale from Nepal (where the Buddha was born) to Persia, the Middle East, Greece and Europe,���� Paik said.
Paik is a member of a project research team undertaking a study of the literary interchange between the East and the West. The Korean Research Foundation is sponsoring the study, and the study results were published in the June-July edition of the bimonthly ``Antiquus.����
As it spread, the tale adapted different versions according to various religious backdrops. In the Greek account, a hero Ioasaph, a prince in India, one day witnessed blind, sick and old people on the streets outside of the palace. The scenes shocked the innocent prince and led him to contemplate the agony and emptiness of life. One day, a Christian monk named Barlaam visited the anguished prince and taught him the religion. Enlightened, Ioasaph abandoned his secular values and led an ascetic life until his death. This account has a striking similarity to that of the Buddha��s tale.
In Europe, the story spread to most regions, especially since the 11th century, and the tale��s hero has been acclaimed as the champion of Christianity, not Buddhism.
``There are slight differences in accounts in different texts. For example, in an Arabic account, the prince married a woman, but in a Greek text, he overcomes temptation from female figures,���� Paik said.
According to Paik, there have been previous studies in Britain and Germany on the cultural transmission of Buddha��s tale to Europe, but he said this study is the first time scholars approached the subject in a comprehensive and multi-linguistic way.
``The research covered eight languages _ Sanskrit, Georgian, Arab, Turkish, Persian, Greek, Latin and Spanish. Our team studied the original text in six languages, and the other two in English,���� Paik said.
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Okay, let's keep this thread as objective as possible. There's been enough "You religious types are crazy" "No, we aren't!" sort of yelping lately.
I'm interested in the notion of stories moving from culture to culture, getting co-opted and customized. Some people look at the story of The Flood and see connections to the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Virgin Birth seems to appear in a few places throughout history. In the modern era, the story of Saint Nicholas has hopped continents and morphed considerably. (If you're interested in Santa, keep an eye out for this book which comes out this October: Santa Claus: A Biography. I'll proudly admit that this book was written by my father.)
Anyway, can you think of any other examples? What are the enduring narratives of our times? A thousand years from now, will people tell the fable of the President, the Intern and the Stained Dress? |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:39 pm Post subject: Re: Was Buddha a European Saint? |
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| kermo wrote: |
For example, it changed to ``Bodisav���� in Persian texts in the sixth or seventh century, ``Budhasaf or Yudasaf���� in an eighth-century Arabic document and ``Iodasaph���� in Georgia in the 10th century.
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I've for some time now suspected Jesus was actually Buddha reborn.
Yuz Asaf = Jesus
Great book if you get a chance to read called "Jesus Lived in India". The author is a German named Holger Kersten.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=jesus+kashmir+missing+years+yuz+asaf+holger+kersten++&spell=1
Amazing the similarity of their life stories & teachings. Many scholars can't help but see the Buddhist influence on the Gnostic scrolls of Nag Hammadi. Elaine Pagels would be one author i'd highly recommend.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=pagels+gnostic
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=jesus+buddha+parallel+similar++
Check out their parables. Lots of room for research & investigation for anyone truly interested in exploring 
BTW - could you post the media link to your story here plz. Gracias. |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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Wrench
Joined: 07 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 12:26 am Post subject: |
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| All I got to say is that all religions suck. Secondly who cares. |
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endofthewor1d
Joined: 01 Apr 2003
Location: the end of the wor1d.
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| Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 12:43 am Post subject: |
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| Wrench wrote: |
| All I got to say is that all religions suck. Secondly who cares. |
i think that's a bit of an ignorant thing to say on this kind of thread. i agree with you about religions being a way for an elite group of clever (or at least charismatic) people to control the masses. i don't know how you feel about nationalism, but i think that they are pretty much one in the same.
but this isn't a thread about who is going to heaven and who is going to hell and "have you been saved?" and all that nonsense. this is a curious thread about ancient and modern mythologies, how they're related, and whether this was simply the passing of information from one culture to another with adaptations along the way, or if there's something innate in humanity that causes certain themes to penetrate into the stories passed down from one generation to another in otherwise substantially different cultures.
to just attack this thread with "religion sucks" is like saying "anthropology sucks."
one of my favorite professors back in my uni days used to play us audio and video clips of joseph campbell. he's got a lot of interesting things to say on the matter, and he's super-interesting to listen to. |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 1:02 am Post subject: |
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| kermo wrote: |
| I was searching through some old posts today, and saw this one, which I had quite forgotten about. I thought perhaps we had demonstrated the old adage "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." |
That old adage was one i remember as a child my grandmother drawing to my attention. A whole lot more difficult to actually put into practise.
Thanks Grandma ... and thanks Kermo |
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