Religious Parables Comparison

Basic Beliefs of Christianity

• God sent his son to earth
• He was sent to spread the message of a kingdom
• He died for us and our sins

Basic Beliefs of Buddhism

• 4 Noble truths
• Existence is suffering(duhkha)
• Suffering has a cause craving an attachment(trishna)
• There is a cessation of suffering(nirvana)
• The path to cessation of suffering(eightfold path)

Purpose of Biblical Parables

• They create a realistic situation but use imagination
• Jesus used these parables to explain secrets of the kingdom
• To hide secrets from others and to reveal it to others

Purpose of Zen Parables

• They are used to help students stop thinking in a traditional way
• They are also used to teach moral lessons

Literary Structure of Biblical Parables

• The prodigal son uses symbolism, repetition, similie, and metaphor
• They were used to teach moral lessons

Literary Structure of Buddhist Parables

• They use imagery to get the scence across to the listner