Comparison of the Baha’i & Buddhist Writings

Baha’i Writings:

“Praise be to God Who hath made being to come forth from nothingness; graven upon the tablet of man the secrets of pre-existence; taught him from the mysteries of divine utterance that which he knew not; made him a Luminous Book unto those who believed and surrendered themselves; caused him to witness the creation of all things in this black and ruinous age, and to speak forth from the apex of eternity with a wondrous voice in the Excellent Temple [the Manifestation]: to the end that every man may testify, in himself, by himself, in the station of the Manifestation of his Lord, that verily there is no God save Him, and that every man may thereby win his way to the summit of realities, until none shall contemplate anything whatsoever but that he shall see God therein.”

“And now concerning thy question regarding the nature of religion. Know thou that they who are truly wise have likened the world unto the human temple. As the body of man needeth a garnment to clothe it, so the body of mankind must needs be adorned with the mantle of justice and wisdom. Its robe is the Revelation vouchsafed unto it by God. Whenever this robe hath fulfilled its purpose, the Almighty will assuredly renew it. For every age requireth a fresh measure of the light of God. Every Divine Revelation hath been sent down in a manner that befitted the circumstances of the age in which it hath appeared.”

“The fundamental purposeanimating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men.”

“There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed.”

From the Buddhist Writings :

“That Cause without beginning in time. That common foundation of all dharmas. Because it exists there also exist all places of rebirth as well as the full attainment of Nirvana.”

“There is O monks, an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed. Were there not, O monks, this Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed, there would be no escape from the world of the born, originated, created, formed.”

“Establish the Truth in your mind, for the Truth is the image of the eternal, it portays the immutable; it reveals the everlasting; the Truth gives unto mortals the boon of immortality. The Buddha has proclaimed the Truth, the Buddha our Lord has revealed the Truth.”

“Let us bear in mind, O brethren, that Gauthama Siddharta was the visible appearance of the truth itself. He was the Holy One and the Perfect One and the Blessed One, because the eternal truth had taken abode in his body. The great Shakyamuni is the bodily incarnation of the truth, and he has revealed the truth to us.”

“The Tathagata taught us that the truth existed before he was born into this world, and will exist after he has entered into the bliss of Nirvana.”
“The Blessed One is the truth; and as such he is omnipresent and eternal, endowed with excellencies innumerable, above all human nature, and ineffable in his holiness.”

“Many laws of the dharma are temporary and were prescribed because they suited the occasion and were needed for some transient emergency. The truth, however, is not temporary.”

“The truth is not arbitrary or a matter of opinion, but can be investigated, and he who earnestly searches for the truthwill find it.”
“The truth is hidden to the blind, but he who has the mental eye sees the truth. The truth is Buddha’s essence, and the truth will remain the ultimate standard by which we can discern false and true doctrines.”

“Buddha is the all-excellent truth, eternal, omnipresent, and immutable. …
“Buddha is the all-loving teacher assuming the shape of the beings whom he teaches.
“Buddha is the all-blessed dispensation of religion. He is the spirit of the Sangha and themeaning of the commands which he has left us in his sacred word, the dharma.”
“Everything changes, and there is no permanency; yet the words of Buddhas are immutable.”

“The Buddhas are beings whose words cannot fail: there is no departure from truth in their speech.”

“To abandon all wrong-doing; to lead a virtuous life, and to cleanse one’s heart. This is the religion of all Buddhas.”

“All the Buddhas are wonderful and glorious.
There is not their equal. upon earth
They reveal to us the path of life.
And we hail their appearance with pious reverence.
All the Buddhas teach the same truth.
The Truth points out the way to those who have gone wrong.
The Truth is our hope and comfort.
We gratefully accept its illimitable light.
All the Buddhas are one in essence,
Which is omnipresent in all modes of being,
Sanctifying the bonds that ties all souls together,
And we rest in its bliss as our final refuge.”

“Those only who do not believe, call me Gautama, but you call me Buddha, the Blessed One, and Teacher. And this is right, for I have even in this life entered Nirvana, while the life of Gautama has been estinguished.”

The Blessed One said: “There are two occasions on which a Tathagata’s appearance becomes clear and exceeding bright. In the night, Ananda, in which a Tathagata attains to the supreme and perfect insight, and in the night in which he passes finally away in that utter passing away which leaves nothing whatever of this earthly existence to remain.”

“Why should I preserve this body of flesh, when the body of the excellent law will endure? I am resolved; having accomplished my purpose and attended to the work set me, I look for rest! This is the one thing needed.”

“Now the Blessed One addressed the venerable Ananda, and said: ‘It may be, Ananda, that in some of you the thought may arise, ‘The word of the Master is ended, we have no teacher more!’ But it is not thus, Ananda, that you should regard it. It is true that no more shall I receive a body, for all future sorrow is now forever passed away. But though this body will be dissolved, the Tathagata remains. The truth and the rules of the order which I have set forth and laid down for you all, let them, after I am gone, be a teacher unto you. When I am gone, Ananda, let the order, if it so wish, abolish all the lesser and minor precepts.”

“And the Blessed One replied to Ananda and said: “Those who have died after the complete destruction of the three bonds of lust, of covetousness and of egoistical cleaving to existence, need not fear the state after death. They will not be reborn in a state of suffering; their minds will not continue as a karma of evil deeds or sin, but are assured of final salvation.”

“When they die, nothing will remain of them but their good thoughts, their righteous acts, and the bliss that proceeds from truth and righteousness. As rivers must at last reach the distant main, so their minds will be reborn in higher states of existence and continue to be pressing on their ultimate goal which is the ocean of truth, the eternal peace of Nirvana.”

“And Ananda, suppressing his tears, said to the Blessed One: “Who shall teach us when thou art gone?”

And the Blessed One replied: “I am not the first Buddha who came upon earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a Holy One, a supremely enlightened One, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals. He will reveal to you the same eternal truths which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax, and glorious at the goal, in the spirit and in the letter. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and pure; such as I now proclaim. His disciples will number many thousand, while mine number many hundred.

Ananda said: “How shall we know him?”

The Blessed One said: “He will be known as Maitreya, which means ‘he whose name means kindness.”

“Amitabha, the unbounded light, is the source of wisdom, of virtue, of Buddhahood. The deeds of sorcerers and miracle-mongers are frauds, but is more wondrous, more mysterious, more miraculous than Amitabha?”
“But, Master,” continued the shravaka, “is the promise of the happy region vain talk and a myth?”

“What is this promise?” asked Buddha; and the disciple replied:

“There is in the West a paradisian country called the Pure Land, exquisitely adorned with gold and silver and precious gems. There are pure waters with golden sands, surrounded by pleasant walks and covered with large lotus flowers. Joyous music is heard, and flowers rain down three times a day. There are singing birds whose harmonious notes proclaim the praises of religion, and in the minds of those who listen to their sweet sounds, remembrance arises of the Buddha, the law, and the brotherhood. No evil birth is possible there, and even the name of hell is unknown. He who fervently and with a pious mind repeats the words ‘Amitabha Buddha’ will be transported to the happy region of this pure land, and when death draws nigh, Buddha, with a company of saintly followers, will stand before him, and there will be perfect tranquillity.”

“In truth,” said Buddha, “there is such a happy paradise. But the country is spiritual and it is accessible only to those that are spiritual. You say, it lies in the West. This means, look for it where he who enlightens the world resides. …

“Your description,” Buddha continued, “is beautiful; yet it is insufficient and does little justice to the glory of the pure land. The worldly can speak of it in a worldly way only, they use worldly similes and worldly words. But the pure land in which the pure live is more beautiful than you can say or imagine.

“However, the repetition of the name Amitabha Buddha is meritorious only if you speak it with such a devout attitude of mind as will cleanse your heart and attune your will to do works of righteousness. He only can live and breathe in the spiritual atmosphere of the western paradise who has attained enlightenment.”

“Verily I say unto you, the Tathagata lives in the pure land of eternal bliss even now while he is still in the body; and the Tathagata preaches the law of religion unto you and unto the whole world, so that you and your brethren may attain the same peace and the same happiness.”

~ The God of Buddha by Jamshed K. Fozdar
Buddha Maitreya-Amitabha has appeared by Jamshed K. Fozdar
Buddhism and the Baha'i Faith by Moojan Momen
The Gospel of Buddha by Paul Carus
Bhagavad-Gita as it is by A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Holy Bible, New International Version
Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, ch. 68
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, XCIX