Muhammad vs. Buddha

Muhammad vs. Buddha

Muhammad (570-632 A.D.) and Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.) were the key figures in the establishment of Islam and Buddhism, respectively. As two of the major religions on the planet, Buddhism and Islam rule billions of people’s psychological behaviors. They both direct their believers to evolve into more intelligent and spiritual beings. The foundation of each religion was formed during the lives of their respective founders. Each man sought to spread the ideas and beliefs that they thought to be true. Although they were successful in gaining believers and followers, each man had to employ various techniques to accomplish this same goal. Some techniques were similar, many were very different. The major themes that would guide their beliefs and actions as leaders were the time period in which they were born, their religious experiences, and successfully implementing the skills and techniques necessary to accomplish the goals they set out to achieve.

Although Muhammad and the Buddha were born in two separate areas about 1100 years apart, the similarities of the two societies were strikingly similar. Both men were born into an age of violence and spiritual emptiness that resulted from a shift in the marketplace and feelings that the old ways were no longer fitting.

The tribal system of the Arabian Peninsula around 600 CE kept everyone captive in an endless cycle of blood-feuds. Life was a constant war between tribes where one tribe sought revenge for wrongdoings it felt that it had suffered. Individuals needed the protection of large tribes so that they could not be killed without impunity. Needless to say, it was a very violent time period. At this time, some people were making the shif...

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...ill them, the success of each movement would have been greatly reduced. When they set out, both used some of the same tactics to make clear their knowledge and power, but Muhammad was greatly affected by his political agenda, and the Buddha was only inspired to teach his dhamma. As leaders, Muhammad miraculously unified the entire Arabian Peninsula under his political control and led his followers under his religious control. The closest thing to an actual title or position of leadership for the Buddha was that he was head of the sangha, although the Buddha himself stated that the people worshipped the beliefs, not the man. Both men accomplished their respective goals. And in the end, each man's deeds and words attracted—and would continue to attract—admirers and followers who stand by the lessons they taught and would continue to do so for centuries to come.