What is the Overlap of Buddha and Jesus’ Teachings?

Lord Buddha and Jesus Christ both taught that there is a transcendental reality; that is, a reality that is beyond that which is experienced by the ordinary egoic consciousness.  Buddha called this reality ‘Nibbāna’ and Jesus called it ‘God.’  The transcendental reality is unconditional, outside of time and space, boundless and eternal; it is the essence of everything and everyone.  Some of the qualities of the transcendental reality is pure consciousness, loving-kindness and wisdom.

The teachings of Buddha and Jesus guides and points to the essence that is our real being.  The teachings can be summarized as the training of mind in morality (not causing harm to others or to oneself), meditation or prayer (that which brings the egoic consciousness to stillness and silence) and wisdom (clear sight into the suffering ego who is caught up in the impermanent world and insight into the permanent transcendental realm that is free of suffering.)

Buddha and Jesus both taught loving-kindness as a principle means to tame the egoic consciousness and to experience great happiness. Mindfulness and concentration, taught by both great teachers, are utilized to train the mind in morality, meditation and wisdom; they are faculties of mind that are exercised and mastered in order to be liberated from suffering and thereby experience our true being. The above may be sufficient to appreciate the similarities between the teachings of Buddha and Jesus.