When Buddhism Met Jesus: An Alternate Origen for Christianity
A Theological Misadventure
Imagine an alternate history where Origen was exiled from Alexandria and fell in with gymnosophists, and ended up reframing Hebraic Christianity with Buddhist instead of Greek philosophy. Write the story as a semi-comical skit, that nevertheless unfolds the key philosophical ideas. Have Origen meet Jesus at the end, and realize no religion or philosophy is sufficient to contain Christ — but all can point to Him.
ChatGPT Prompt
Characters:
- Origen – A brilliant but exiled Christian theologian, now an overenthusiastic seeker of truth.
- Siddhartha – A wise but exasperated Buddhist monk, trying to explain basic concepts.
- Gymnosophist #1 (Naked Phil) – A chill ascetic who mostly sits in silent contemplation.
- Gymnosophist #2 (Greg the Begrudging) – A grumpy skeptic who thinks Origen talks too much.
- Mysterious Stranger – A shadowy figure who may or may not be Jesus.
Scene 1: Origen Meets the Gymnosophists
Setting: Somewhere in the forests of Gandhāra. Origen, looking utterly exhausted, approaches a clearing where a group of ascetics sit cross-legged, contemplating the void. Naked Phil is, as his name suggests, naked. Greg the Begrudging eyes Origen warily. Siddhartha offers him a cup of tea.
Origen: (Collapsing in the dust)
Brethren! I have traveled from the halls of Alexandria, from the high towers of Caesarea, in search of wisdom. I have debated Greeks, Romans, and Jews—yet my exile has led me here, to you! Tell me, do you know of the Logos?
Siddhartha: (Sipping his tea)
Do you mean word, or wisdom? Or do you mean something entirely different but believe it is the same?
Origen: (Excitedly)
Ah! The eternal Word! The divine reason through whom all things were made!
Greg the Begrudging: (Rolling his eyes)
Sounds like ātman talk. We’ve been through this. There is no eternal soul, no self. Everything is impermanent.
Origen: (Confused, but intrigued)
No soul? But what is it that suffers?
Siddhartha: (Calmly)
Good question. A question which, when properly asked, ceases to exist.
Origen: (Blinking)
That is… either the most profound thing I’ve ever heard or absolute nonsense.
Greg the Begrudging:
That’s how you know it’s working.
Scene 2: The Sermon on the Samsara
Later that evening, Origen sits with the Gymnosophists by a fire, still struggling to grasp their teachings. Naked Phil, silent and meditating, seems to be transcending to another plane. Greg pokes the fire with a stick.
Origen: (Gesturing wildly)
So you’re saying the goal is not to be saved, but to escape suffering?
Siddhartha:
Yes. Salvation suggests someone saving you. But liberation—nirvana—is a state of understanding that suffering arises from desire and attachment.
Origen: (Excitedly)
Ah! Then Christ is the Bodhisattva Messiah! He came not just to redeem us, but to show the way to liberation! His cross is not a sacrifice, but the ultimate renunciation!
Greg the Begrudging: (Sighing)
Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night, philosopher.
Origen: (Eyes gleaming)
And sin—sin must be ignorance, yes? Not a debt to be paid, but a darkening of the mind!
Siddhartha: (Nodding)
You are beginning to see. But beware—words are like boats. They carry you across the river, but they are not the river itself.
Origen: (Pausing, then clapping his hands together)
And the resurrection must be not a mere return of the flesh, but a transformation into a higher state! The body is impermanent, but the divine life is beyond it!
Greg the Begrudging: (To Naked Phil, who is still silent)
Are you hearing this guy? He’s turning our whole philosophy into some kind of Jewish-Buddhist hybrid.
Naked Phil: (Finally speaking, voice deep and serene)
All is one.
Origen: (Gasps dramatically)
Yes! YES! Christ is the One! The Alpha and Omega! But also… the One who renounces! The one who empties Himself!
Scene 3: The Mysterious Stranger
Weeks later. Origen, now fully integrated into the ascetic life, sits under a tree, meditating. A mysterious hooded figure approaches.
Mysterious Stranger:
So… you have found peace?
Origen: (Opening one eye)
Peace? I have found a new understanding of Christ! He is the Bodhisattva of Bodhisattvas, the teacher of liberation!
Mysterious Stranger: (Smiling gently)
Is that so?
Origen: (Nodding fervently)
Yes! I have escaped the illusions of the Greeks! I have shed the errors of Rome! I see now—religion is just a path, a boat to cross the river. And Buddhism… Buddhism is the truest boat of all!
Mysterious Stranger: (Softly)
But what if I am the river?
Origen: (Blinking, suddenly silent)
(The stranger pulls back his hood. It is Jesus. Not a philosopher, not a doctrine, not a symbol—but a living presence. Origen stares, overwhelmed. All his theories, all his theologies, suddenly feel… small.)
Jesus: (Smiling gently)
You have studied well. And yet, Origen, do you not see? I am not contained in any one path, nor limited to any one boat. I am in the stillness of meditation, in the love of a mother, in the suffering of the poor. I am.
Origen: (Falling to his knees, whispering)
You… are beyond all words. Beyond all philosophies.
Jesus: (Nods)
And yet, they all point to me. Now come, Origen. It is time to return.
(As the scene fades, Origen rises, not as a man with answers, but as a man who has seen the truth beyond them. He turns away from the monastery, walking westward, his heart full of something greater than enlightenment—something infinite.)
Final Scene: A New Gospel
Years later, Origen writes in his study, his pen trembling as he records his final realization:
“No mind can contain Him. No words can define Him. And yet, He is near to all who seek.”
Naked Phil rings a small bell. Greg the Begrudging sighs. Somewhere, Jesus smiles.