Was Buddha a Magi? No, not one of the magi that came to see Jesus -- they were 500 years later than Siddhartha Gautama – but he was possibly one of their ancestors and influencers. To understand this, and Buddha’s role in Biblical prophecy, we need to travel back – far back through the sands of time and winds of change to the era of calm after the storm to time immemorial and… and… sorry the metaphor well just ran dry. In short, we’re going back to the time of Noah to see just where Buddha and the magi came from.

In Genesis chapter nine we see God handing out blessings to Noah’s sons Japheth and Shem. Japheth’s descendants (Europeans and Mongolians) would enjoy an extended territory and live in the house of Shem. Shem’s descendants (Southern Asians, Jews and Arabs) would enjoy a special relationship with God. Among Shem’s descendants were such heroes of the faith as Moses (~1500 BC), King David (!1050 BC) and the prophet Isaiah (~725 BC). In 606 BC the nation Israel was taken into captivity by the Babylonians and we are introduced to the prophet Daniel. Daniel survived the Babylonian rule which ended in 538 BC when the Medes and Persians took control, forming the Medo-Pesian Empire. This event resulted in the advancement of Daniel to Chief Administrator of the new empire where he would live out the rest of his days.

In 538 BC, when Daniel was at the top of his game, was born Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India, the virtual edge of Persian territory. At the age of 29 he embarked on his famous journey to see the world and seek truth. This timeframe parallels biblical history as the time when Daniel’s influence extended to the region of Siddhartha’s homeland and the king had decreed that all people of the empire must fear and revere the God of Daniel.

Siddhartha’s journey of the land and toward enlightenment are oft told stories and easy to look up, but what few people know is that he was also a descendant of Shem. Familiar with concepts of sin and redemption, he maintained throughout his life and even on his deathbed that he was not a “god” but a mere mortal like everyone else. To be sure, he did not hold a biblical worldview and his understanding of the afterlife was based on karma and reincarnation. That said, he had many beliefs that are at place in a believer’s life. One of his sayings, contained in the manuscript Praising Temple (Chiengmai, Thailand) states:

"Regardless of how many laws you have kept, or even if you pray five times a day, you cannot be free from your sin. Even though you burn yourself, even though I become a hermit, or am reborn another 10 times, I also shall not be saved."

Near the end of his life he spoke often of the “Lord of Mercies”, a future Messiah who would free men of their sins saying,

"...He is the Lord of Mercies, His name shall be called the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. He is all knowing, all wise. He knows all that is in the human heart. He is Lord of all the angels and of all humans. No one is greater than He." -- Sutrapridot 3:107

Sound like anyone you know? Then this will certainly strike a chord:

"...His side has a wound where he was pierced, and his forehead has many scars. He will carry you to heaven where you will find the triune God. Thus give up following the old way. A spirit from heaven will come and dwell in your heart." (ibid., Praising Temple).

Could this be among the prophecies the magi of Jesus’ time knew? Let’s look at what we know from the Bible. In Matthew chapter 2 we are told that the wise men (or magi) came from the east. Geographically they fit nicely. Historically, we know of a tribe of Medes that were contemporaries of Buddha and were both priests and warriors who studied astronomy. Furthermore, they asked Herod where the King of the Jews was, which matches with the knowledge Siddhartha had about Jesus as well. When they found Jesus they worshiped him, indicating they understood that he was more than a mortal. They also brought gifts befitting the king of Kings.

It might be impossible to say with certainty if the magi were Buddhist monks, it is at least possible if not likely.

Before I close I need to acknowledge the very excellent research of William Singleton in his paper The Heritage of Siddhartha Gautama. Without his paper this article would not have been possible.