One thing I personally do not appreciate about Buddha. Buddha left his wife and son (why did he married in the first place?), @levina @Indrani @Chinese-Dragon @Nihonjin1051 @Gibbs @Indischer @Skull and Bones @SarthakGanguly @scorpionx @Ravi Nair @Bang Galore @sreekumar
This is very interesting and my educated guess would be that sacrifice is part of the theological virtues , be it in regards to the Dharmic religions of Hinduism and Buddhism, to the Abrhamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. As for Buddha's decision to leave his wife and son, it is part of the concept of dying to the world , the liberation theology of meditation and internal reflection to finding one-ness with the Divine. One can make a comparative analysis of how the Prophet John the Baptist left the material world and focused on baptizing hebrews and heralding the coming of the Messiah as for in all tense and purposes he lived a rather ascetic life, eating from honey bees, insects, and wild berries, or from the food that pilgrims offered. One can also say that the decision of St. Peter, the first Apostle of Christ, to leave his family behind and to follow Christ was an example of the same sacrifice of Buddha who decided to leave his wife and children. Or if we refer to the life of Prophet Jeremiah who, too, took up an ascetic life and focused on prayer and in personal communion with the Almighty. There seems to be an emphasis of sacrifice and "dying" to the world of materialism and possession in many of the leaders of world religions.