Jesus and Buddha are very similar in terms of historical experience. Both were transformed by personal experiences into teachers who respectively founded the religious traditions of Christianity and Buddhism. Guatama Siddhartha (Buddha) was born circa 525 BCE, while Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem sometime between 8 BCE and 4 BCE.

There are many similarities between the religious philosophies founded by Buddha and Christ as well, and it upon this common ground that we draw to form the Dharma of Compassion.

According to Robert Elinor, "Buddha and Christ are but local inflections of a universal archetype: the Cosmic Person imaging wholeness."

Beneath the perceived differences underlying these two visionaries, whether they represent actual historic persons or not, there are subtle unifying attributes which are amply exemplified in the life they led and the message they spread.

An important idea in this context is the belief shared by both in the natural cosmic law of cause and effect, popularly known as 'karma.' Buddha taught:

"Hard it is to understand: By giving away our food, we get more strength; by bestowing clothing on others, we gain more beauty; by founding abodes of purity and truth, we acquire great treasures. The charitable man has found the path of liberation. He is like the man who plants a sapling securing thereby the shade, the flowers and the fruit in future years. Even so is the result of charity, even so is the joy of him who helps those that are in need of assistance; even so is the great nirvana."

This idea is reiterated by Jesus, who said:

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive earthly men their trespasses neither will your Father forget your trespasses. Therefore all things whatsoever you would like that men should do to you, do them; for this is the law and the prophets."

And of course the popular quote:

"You shall love your neighbor as yourselves." (Mark 12: 31)

It is our fundamental belief that both these luminaries evolved out of the latent reaction against centuries of blind ritualism that plagued their religious communities. The original meaning and symbolic structure of the rituals had been lost and what remained was exploitation and subjugation of the masses by the priestly class, and a delusional notion of literal interpretation of midrashic or metaphric stories.

Neither Buddha nor the Christ came to start a religion, and in fact, neither of them did start a religion. What they came to do was to start a revolution... a revolution of compassion.

And it is upon that foundation that we establish our practice.