Buddhism vs Christianity

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Buddhism is centered upon the life and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who came to be known as the Buddha — the enlightened one, or one who is awake — whereas Christianity is centered on the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ. Buddhism is a nontheistic religion or philosophy, i.e., it does not believe in a supreme creator being a.k.a. God. Christianity is a monotheistic religion and believes that Christ Is the Son Of God.

Buddhism, like Jainism and many other Indian traditions are Śramaṇic traditions which originally referred to several non-Brahmanical ascetic religions parallel to but separate from the Vedic religions of India such as Hinduism. The Śramaṇa tradition includes primarily Jainism, Buddhism, and others such as the Ājīvika.

Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism and is an Abrahamic religion.

Comparison chart

Buddhism versus Christianity comparison chart
	Buddhism	Christianity

Use of statues and pictures	Common. Statues are used as meditation objects, and revered as they reflect the qualities of the Buddha.	In Catholic & Orthodox Churches.
Place of worship	Buddhist monasteries, temples, shrines.	Church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, home bible study, personal dwellings.
Clergy	The Buddhist Sangha, composed of bhikkhus (male monks) and bhikkhunis (female nuns). The sangha is supported by lay Buddhists.	Priests, bishops, ministers, monks, and nuns.
Belief of God	The idea of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent creator is rejected by Buddhists. The Buddha himself refuted the theistic argument that the universe was created by a self-conscious, personal God.	One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity.
Marriage	It is not a religious duty to marry. Monks and nuns do not marry and are celibate. Advice in the Discourses on how to maintain a happy and harmonious marriage.	A Holy Sacrament.
Founder	The Buddha (born as Prince Siddhartha Gautama).	The Lord Jesus Christ.
Literal Meaning	Buddhists are those who follow the teachings of the Buddha.	Follower Of Christ.
View of the Buddha	The highest teacher and the founder of Buddhism, the all-transcending sage.	N/A.
Population	500-600 million	Over two billion adherents worldwide.
Original Language(s)	Pali(Theravada tradition) and Sanskrit(Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition)	Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.
Followers	Buddhists	Christian (followers of Christ)
Place of origin	Indian subcontinent	Roman province of Judea.
View of other Abrahamic religions	N/A.	Judaism is regarded as a True religion but incomplete (without Gospel, and Messiah) Islam is regarded as a false religion, Christianity does not accept the Qur'an as true.
Scriptures	Tripitaka - a vast canon composed of 3 sections: the Discourses, the Discipline and the Commentaries, and some early scriptures, such as the Gandhara texts.	The Holy Bible
Life after death	Rebirth is one of the central beliefs of Buddhism. We are in an endless cycle of birth, death and re-birth, which can only be broken by attaining nirvana. Attaining nirvana is the only way to escape suffering permanently.	Eternity in Heaven or Hell, in some cases temporal Purgatory.
Practices	Meditation, the Eightfold Path; right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration	Prayer, sacraments (some branches), worship in church, reading of the Bible, acts of charity, communion.
Religion which atheists may still be adherents of	Yes.	No.
View of other Dharmic religions	Since the word Dharma means doctrine, law, way, teaching, or discipline, other Dharmas are rejected.	N/A
Human Nature	Ignorance, as all sentient beings. In the Buddhist texts, it is seen that when Gautama, after his awakening, was asked whether he was a normal human being, he replied, "No".	Man has inherited "original sin" from Adam. Mankind then is inherently evil and is in need of forgiveness of sin. By knowing right and wrong Christians choose their actions. Humans are a fallen, broken race in need of salvation and repair by God.
Authority of Pope	N/A.	Leader and overseer of the Catholic Church. his authority is completely rejected by Protestants, and is viewed by Orthodox as first among equals. Orthodox and Protestants reject Papal infallibility and Papal supremacy.
Goal of religion	To attain enlightenment and be released from the cycle of rebirth and death, thus attaining Nirvana.	To love God and obey his commandments while creating a relationship with Jesus Christ and spreading the Gospel so that others may also be saved.
Means of salvation	Reaching Enlightenment or Nirvana, following the Noble Eightfold Path.	Through Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
Authority of Dalai Lama	Dalai Lamas are tulkus of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. They are cultural figures and are independent of the doctrinal basis of Buddhism.	N/A.
Confessing sins	Sin is not a Buddhist concept.	Protestants confess straight to God, Catholic confess mortal sins to a Priest, and venial sins straight to God (Orthodox have similar practice) Anglicans confess to Priests but considered optional. God always forgives sins in Jesus.
Status of Vedas	The Buddha rejected the 5 Vedas, according to the dialogues seen in the nikayas.	N/A.
Religious Law	The Dharma.	Varies among denominations. Has existed among Catholics in the form of canon law.
Geographical distribution and predominance	(Majority or strong influence) Mainly in Thailand, Cambodia, Sri lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Japan, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Other small minorities exist in other countries.	As the largest religion in the world, Christianity has adherents are all over the world. As a % of local population, Christians are in a majority in Europe, North and South America, and Australia and New Zealand.
Concept of Deity	According to some interpretations, there are beings in heaven's realms but they are also bound by "samsara". They may have less suffering but have not yet achieved salvation (nibbana)	1 God, in 3 Divine Persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Symbols	The conch, endless knot, fish, lotus, parasol, vase, dharmachakra (Wheel of Dharma), and victory banner.	Cross, ichthys ("Jesus fish"), Mary and baby Jesus.
No. of Gods and Godesses	Numerous deities. No supreme creator.	1 God
Holy days/Official Holidays	Vesak day in which the birth, the awakening, and the parinirvana of the Buddha is celebrated.	The Lord's Day; Advent, Christmas; New Year, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, every day is dedicated to a Saint.
Goal of Philosophy	To eliminate mental suffering.	Objective reality. Worship of God who created life, the universe, and is eternal. Christianity has its own philosophy, found in the Bible. That philosophy is Salvation from sin, through the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Beings	Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Devas, & gods & goddesses.	Angels, demons, spirits.
Place and Time of origin	The origin of Buddhism points to one man, Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, who was born in Lumbini (in present-day Nepal). He became enlightened at Bodhgaya, India and delivered his first set of teachings at a deer park in Sarnath, India.	Jerusalem, approx. 33 AD.
Most Common Sects	Mahayana, Theravada, Vajyana. Zen is the most well-known Mahayana sect. Tibetan is the most well-known Vajyana sect.	Catholics, Protestants, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Mormons (LDS).
Virtues in which religion is based upon	Compassion.	Love, charity, and mercy.
Founders and Early Leaders	Buddha & his disciples.	Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the Apostles.
On Atheism	Varies. It is possible for a Buddhist to be atheist.	Varies. Some believe atheists will go to hell because they do not believe in God; others believe God does not operate that way. "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile..." —Psalm 14:1
On Other Religions	Buddhists usually see no contradiction in following more than 1 religion.	Many Christians believe all other religions are false. Moderates may or may not believe this. "Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips." —Exodus 23:13
On Afterlife	Reincarnation, Hell, or ultimate Nirvana.	Eternal life in heaven (paradise) or hell (torment). Some Catholics believe in purgatory (limbo, temporary punishment).
Belief of deities	Numerous non-creator deities.	One God three forms: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Views about other religions	See no contradiction in following more than 1 religion.	No other religion leads to God. Judaism being a unique exception, Jews viewed as ignorant of the Messiah.
Three Jewels/Trinity	The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.	The Blessed Trinity: In the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit
What is it?	Buddhism is the religion founded by Buddha, to which he is central to.	Christianity is the religion founded by Christ, to which He is central to.