Buddhist Borrowing of the Magi and Nativity Star

Extract from our "Lost Cultural Foundations of Eastern Civilization"

Childhood of Jesus

Before going on to record Kersten's amazing comparisons between Jesus and the Buddha, I should like to pause for a moment to touch upon a fascinating matter that the author has raised regarding the Nativity of Jesus and the Magi's star, on the one hand, and the Tibetan practice of locating child reincarnations of deceased Buddhist Dalai Lamas on the other.

In his 'Who Were the Three Wise Men?' (Chapter 4), Kersten firstly concludes on p. 63 that: "At this distance in time it is well-nigh impossible to prove that the Magi came from either Persia or from India". Then he introduces his fascinating new twist:

Yet it is absolutely amazing how much the story of the three wise men corresponds with accounts of the methods by which reincarnations of great Buddhist dignitaries are located in Tibet after their demise, even to this day. The way in which such a search is carried out, following ancient and traditional ritual, is described in the present Dalai Lama's own accounts of his 'discovery' as a little boy, and in the book by the Austrian Heinrich Harrer, who spent seven years at the court of the god-king in Lhasa.

And on p. 64, Kersten goes on to write regarding the 1937 search for the child of destiny:

… Most important to these preparations were the pronouncements of the astrologers, without whose calculations no significant moves could be made at all. At last, in 1937, various expeditions were dispatched from Lhasa to seek out the holy child according to the heavenly omens, in the direction indicated. Each group included wise and worthy lamas of highly distinguished status in the theocracy. In addition to their servants, each group took costly gifts with them ….

Is this yet another far eastern tradition that has arisen from a biblical prototype, namely the Gospel account of the Magi's visit to the Christ-child in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-11)?

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