It is said that history is shaped by the lives of great men. Great men are leaders. They bring about change; they improve the lives of others; they introduce new ideas, models and theories into society. Most of the world's religions were founded, developed or discovered by great men. Two particular religions – Christianity and Buddhism – developed in different parts of the world, under different circumstances and in different social atmospheres. But every religion is based on the teachings of a great man. When we compare the life of Buddha with that of Jesus, we see that the two share many points in common. This essay aims to compare and contrast the lives of Buddha1 and Jesus in two key areas: conception and birth. In these two areas, we see that the Buddha and Jesus share many similarities. Sources on the Buddha's life indicate that he was born around the 6th century BCE. The events and conditions of his conception are miraculous. Tradition reports that the Buddha's mother, Maya2, had just returned from the Full Moon festival in the month of Asalha3, when a deep sleep overcame her. While she was sleeping, she saw a magnificent white elephant approaching her. The Mahavastu Pali texts describe the elephant as: light-footed, flawless-limbed, shining like snow-white silver with six tusks, a gracefully undulating trunk and a crimson head.4 The elephant, holding a white lotus in its trunk, circled The queen's body three times, then entered her belly from the right side. It is believed that when the future Buddha entered his mother's womb, there appeared a "limitless and glorious radiance, surpassing even the majesty of the devas." 5 This light was so powerful as darkness...... middle of paper ......23 See http://www.bible2000.org/forgottenindex.htm24 Amore, Roy C. and Julia Ching. Buddhist tradition. In Willard G. Oxtoby, ed. World religions: oriental traditions. P. 221Bibliography: Edwardes, Michael. Ed. A Life of the Buddha - From a Burmese manuscript. The Folio Society, London; 1959Oxtoby, Willard G. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. Oxford University Press; 4 edition. March 11, 2014Holy Bible - Web "The official King James Bible online". June 4, 2015. http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Khosla, Sarla. The historical evolution of the legend of the Buddha. Intellectual Publishing House, Delhi; 1989 “Pseudepigrapha, apocrypha and sacred writings.” Internet. June 1, 2015. http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/MH Shakir. [Trans] The Holy Quran. Internet. May 18, 2015. http://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/koran/browse.html