The Evolution of Eastern and Western Religions

If what I'm sharing here offends anyone please excuse my attempts at explaining this whether it is your religion or whether you are an agnostic or atheist or whatever.

So, if we start in the Middle East the primary basis of religions that still are practiced a lot on earth we have the Jewish religion that started about 6000 years ago. Then coming from the Old Testament we have first Christianity at zero AD and then I think it was about 700 AD we hav Mohammed from which the Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims (the two main outgrowths of the Muslim religion) and then we have Mystical Muslims which are called Sufis just like we have a lot of Mystical Christians in places like San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.

Then out of Christianity there became Catholicism, Greek Orthodox, Coptic and several other groups, some of which still exist and some likely have been all killed off in one or more ethnic cleansings of their factions over the world. Just like the Catholics completely killed off the Cathars who were too independent and a lot like people were in the 1960s in California in France. So, there have been many complete extinctions of different religious groups at different times by competing religions.

Then if we go to India and Brahmanism which is 10,000 years old or more we have Hinduism which is a class based religion found there in India. And also 2500 years ago we have Prince Siddhartha from Lumbini (near Nepal) who became Guatama Buddha under the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya (I've been there).

Brahmans and Hindus often consider Buddhism to be a little like Protestant Christianity in comparison to Hinduism and Brahmanism. Although you might say, "Well. There are no Gods in Buddhism so how could this be?" That's a good point from a western mind but less so from an Asian or Oriental mind because they start in a different place than we do in regard to this even though they wind up in similar place to Christians with Enlightenment which I find exactly the same as "A State of Eternal Grace" but with different cultural views on it than people in Asia would tend to have.

Then we have many different kinds of Buddhism practiced like Mahayana, Vajrayana, Hinayana and others. Tibetan Buddhism practices Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism for example which is unique in it's own way and very individualistic like a combination of Shamanism and Buddhism in some respects but actually very well thought out and organized in a logical manner.

Then we have more recent adaptations like Zen Buddhism with Zen Koans that explode the mind so enlightenment can be instantaneous in some people. And it tends to make people very present oriented rather than looking to the future or past so much.

However, all these paths go back to Guatama Buddha who was a Prince of the kingdom of Lumbini and was expected to become King of that Kingdom but instead became sort of like a Jesus instead to Asia.

What is the difference between a Christ and a Buddha?

My point of view (which might be unique) is that ultimately there isn't any difference except culturally speaking. But, in actuality what they are is the same. In fact, forgiveness which Jesus brought likely is a cultural adaptation of Compassion that Buddha taught. So, basically what Jesus did was take the Jewish religion and add forgiveness and Grace to it (a form of compassion towards oneself and others) and thereby Create Christianity which has helped the world in a lot of ways free itself from the past.

Hopefully, all of you will see the spirit in which I have described it all so you see it is very simplistic to give people sort of an overall view of eastern and western religions in a very simplistic way.