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Along with fasting, certain Christian denominations such as the Coptic Orthodox Church, enjoin sexual abstinence during Lent for believers "to give themselves time for fasting and prayer (1 Corinthians 7:5)." [22] [40] Many Christians fast before receiving Holy Communion (traditionally this has been from midnight until the reception of the ...
The Buddha's Middle Path refers to avoiding extremes of indulgence on the one hand and self-mortification on the other. According to the early Buddhist texts, prior to attaining Nibbana, Gautama Buddha practiced a regime of strict austerity and fasting which was common among the sramana religions of the day (limited to just a few drops of bean soup a day).
Asceticism [a] is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. [3] Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their practices or continue to be part of their society, but typically adopt a frugal lifestyle, characterised by the renunciation of material possessions and physical pleasures, and also spend time fasting while ...
Great Lent, or the Great Fast (Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή, Megali Tessarakosti or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, Megali Nisteia, meaning "Great 40 Days", and "Great Fast", respectively), is the most important fasting season of the church year within many denominations of Eastern Christianity.
Most scholars believe there is no historical evidence of any influence by Buddhism on Christianity, [verification needed] Leslie Houlden states that although modern parallels between the teachings of Jesus and Buddha have been drawn, these comparisons emerged after missionary contacts in the 19th century and there is no historically reliable evidence of contacts between Buddhism and Jesus. [28]
[11] [38] Buddhist scholar Masao Abe pointed out that while "the event of the Cross" is central to Christianity, it is not possible for Buddhism to accept its importance. [38] Buddhist philosopher D. T. Suzuki stated that every time he saw a crucifixion scene it reminded him of the "gap that lies deep" between Christianity and Buddhism. [39]
A statue of Siddartha Gautama preaching. Since the arrival of Christian missionaries in India in the 1st century (traces of Christians in Kerala from 1st-century Saint Thomas Christians), followed by the arrival of Buddhism in Western Europe in the 4th and 5th centuries, similarities have been perceived between the practices of Buddhism and Christianity.
The early Christian form is known as the Black Fast: "eating only once a day, toward evening; nothing else except a little water was taken all day". [15] This was the normative way of Christian fasting prior to the 8th century A.D. and is still kept by some of the faithful to this day, especially during Lent. [15]