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[Wise Fool for Life]

From the limited extent of historical knowledge of religion, I understand that early Buddhism had already existed for a couple of centuries and already expanded beyond India and crept into the Asian province of the roman empire.

There is objective evidence of Buddhist missionaries residing in territories where Jesus resided or lived nearby.

My question is that why didn't Jesus or his apostles ever mention about Buddhism specifically when Jesus lived in extreme proximity to Buddhist monks near his hometown?

Is it possible that Jesus interacted with these monks?

Is it also possible that Jesus was tutored by Buddhist monks and was influenced by their ideology by any measure?

Is it plausible that Jesus attempted to integrate their teachings into his own?

[jimwalton]

> early Buddhism had already existed for a couple of centuries and already expanded beyond India and crept into the Asian province of the roman empire.

Yes. Gautama Buddha lived in about 500 BC. in India. It had already expanded throughout various parts of India over the course of centuries. As far as it entering the Roman Empire, I don't know any specifics, but I wouldn't be surprised. Rome intersected with cultures and traded with merchants far and wide.

> There is objective evidence of Buddhist missionaries residing in territories where Jesus resided or lived nearby.

I'd love to read this. I would find it interesting. Again, it might not surprise me. First, Palestine was far closer to India than Rome itself. Second, Sepphoris was only 4 miles from Nazareth, and it was culturally diverse. It was mostly a Greco-Roman city of Hellenistic flavor, but was in cultural flux. There's no reason to think Palestine was an island untouched by the greater world. I would like to see your evidence of Buddhist monasteries and monks in the area.

> why didn't Jesus or his apostles ever mention about Buddhism specifically when Jesus lived in extreme proximity to Buddhist monks near his hometown?

There's no particular reason that Jesus and his disciples would have interacted with them over the 3-year period of Jesus's active ministry. He specifically and intentionally restricted himself to a ministry to the Jews, except when in ministry Gentiles approached him (as did a centurion and a woman from Syro-Phoenicia, among others).

> Is it possible that Jesus interacted with these monks?

It's possible but not likely, as I just explained. There is no evidence of any such interaction. The only people of other religious groups we have a record of Him interacting with are Samaritans, a few Greeks (John 12.20-22ff.) and Romans, who would have been polytheistic. They would have had to approach him, and we have no record of such.

> Is it also possible that Jesus was tutored by Buddhist monks and was influenced by their ideology by any measure?

I would say this is not possible. The Jews were very proprietary about educating their sons in the Torah and sheltering them from educational influences in other directions. Each Jewish boy was rigorously trained by his father in the ways of Judaism, to read the memorize the Torah, and to learn the ways of their fathers. The possibility that Jesus was tutored by Buddhist monks is so slim as to be impossible.

> Is it plausible that Jesus attempted to integrate their teachings into his own?

This is extremely unlikely as well. There is no evidence of such. You probably also know that Buddhist teachings are quite at odds with Christianity and often contradictory to it.

[Pol Pot]

And while Buddha certainly lived before Jesus, I believe the first actual writings about Buddha didn't happen until much later when there had already been Christian missionaries in India. That gives reason to believe that Buddhism was influenced by Christianity and not the other way around.

[jimwalton]

This is interesting, but not something I know anything about. Not shy about claiming ignorance. This Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Buddhist_Texts) doesn't commit itself on a date. About the only comment it makes is "one might conjecture that the latest date for the composition of the Mahāparinibbānasuttanta, at least for this part of it, is around 350 to 320 BC." Then there's another quote by Alexander Wynne: "The corresponding pieces of textual material found in the canons of the different sects... probably go back to pre-sectarian times."

I will readily admit that I know very little about this and just did a quick and brief cursory search.