Assignment:
Discusion 1
Kindness, the value of human life, and the hope for a better future are major themes in both sermons of Christ and Buddha. Christ ministered to the people in Israel that were suffering physically and spiritually. Christ preached about the coming of God to the people of Israel and stressed the importance of repentance. Christ promoted the word of God and his love for his people. Christ had many followers that love him and many that despised him.
Christ's intended audience was everyone, his mission was to live a sinless life and spread the word and love of God. Siddhartha Gautama known as Buddha was a human being who's teachings were based on relieving humanity from suffering. His sermons opposed abuses of the caste system and inequality. Buddha didn't promote faith or beliefs in any higher powers. His targeted audience was everyone and especially the people in Indian society that were poor and oppressed. Over time his teachings became a religion known as Buddhism, and his teachings now have an impact all over the world especially in Asian spiritual traditions.
During the time of which sermons were conducted by Christ and Buddha, I would assume the quality of life was not good. Many people were suffering from inequality, lack of freedom, abuse, spiritually, physically, and it seems as though these two individuals helped bring peace among humanity. Their words of wisdom and preaching comforted many individuals. https://www.ancient.eu/Jesus_Christ/ https://www.ancient.eu/Siddhartha_Gautama/
Discussion 2
I see many similarities in Christ and Buddha, both lived among the people at one point, had a similar message, and had followers. They both rose independently of one another, Buddha rejected efforts to make him a deity, Christ said he was the son of God. I believe the message they spread applies to everyone on Earth. If we can manage to find the middle ground or "balance" as Buddha proclaims or to reject evil and accept good as Christ intended, then we would all benefit from this improved attitude. We would be able to look past some of the barriers in society and focus on moving forward as a people or culture.
I believe that both Buddha and Christ emerged in a time when humanity was looking for guidance, answers to the great questions of the time. People may have lost hope or the will to help their neighbor. I think both of them got their point across within the cultural boundaries of their regions. Their message is still alive and well today with no signs of slowing down as both have a worldwide following, the meaning of this message has withstood attack and constant debate I believe it will continue to spread for generations to come.