The Buddha in Manichaeism

Siddartha Gautama (釋迦文佛)
The Buddha in the Manichaean Diagram of the Universe
PredecessorZarathustra
SuccessorJesus (夷數)
Ethnic groupMagadhi Prakrit

In Manichaeism, Siddartha Gautama is considered one of the four prophets of the faith, along with Zoroaster, Jesus and Mani.[1] Mani believed that the teachings of Gautama Buddha, Zoroaster, and Jesus were incomplete, and that his revelations were for the entire world, calling his teachings the "Religion of Light".[2]

Manichaeism also often calls Jesus a Buddha[3] This is because the term prophet was unfamiliar to a Chinese audience so Buddha was used as a substitute. It does not imply a belief in enlightenment.[3]

Manichaeism was introduced into China during the Tang dynasty through Central Asian communities[4] and was regarded as an improper form of Buddhism by the Tang authorities.

  1. ^ Gulácsi, Zsuzsanna (2015). Mani's Pictures: The Didactic Images of the Manichaeans from Sasanian Mesopotamia to Uygur Central Asia and Tang-Ming China (PDF). Nag Hammadi and Manichaean Studies. Vol. 90. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-30894-7.
  2. ^ John Kevin Coyle (15 September 2009). Manichaeism and Its Legacy. BRILL. pp. 13–. ISBN 978-90-04-17574-7. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  3. ^ a b Gong, Fangzhen (2012-08-01). 融合四方文化的智慧 (in Chinese). 新潮社文化出版. ISBN 978-986-316-114-1.
  4. ^ Ma & Meng (2011), p. 55–56.