Posted: May 08, 2012 12:11 pm
Apparently, there is a list of maitreyan claimants, just like there is a list of messianic claimants in Judaism and Christianity (and other religions).
The most interesting seems to be this guy, Budai (otherwize known far and wide, in one incarnation at least, as 'The Laughing Buddha'), who seems to be a very good analogy for Jesus.
There is not enough information (that I can find) on what Chinese sources are used to form the view that he may be based on an actual monk from 1000 years ago, so it is hard to compare him with Jesus, other than noting the similarities (was a man, now a god etc). There are a few sources that I can find, but these are variously described as 'traditions' and poems/koans. I have no idea if there are any better sources or not. The absence of them anywhere that I can find makes me wonder if there aren't, or if there are and if I asked the question in China I might get a better answer.
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai
http://www.uwec.edu/philrel/shimbutsudo/hotei.html
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/his ... hans13.htm
http://www.taoism.net/living/1999/199907.htm
The most interesting seems to be this guy, Budai (otherwize known far and wide, in one incarnation at least, as 'The Laughing Buddha'), who seems to be a very good analogy for Jesus.
There is not enough information (that I can find) on what Chinese sources are used to form the view that he may be based on an actual monk from 1000 years ago, so it is hard to compare him with Jesus, other than noting the similarities (was a man, now a god etc). There are a few sources that I can find, but these are variously described as 'traditions' and poems/koans. I have no idea if there are any better sources or not. The absence of them anywhere that I can find makes me wonder if there aren't, or if there are and if I asked the question in China I might get a better answer.
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai
http://www.uwec.edu/philrel/shimbutsudo/hotei.html
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/his ... hans13.htm
http://www.taoism.net/living/1999/199907.htm