en sent to assassinate him. The Buddha would proclaim throughout his life that anyone could follow in his footsteps, entering into the supreme truth and making it a reality in their own lives. All they had to do was give him a fair hearing (Buddha, 100). When people would listen to the Buddhas explanation of his dhamma, the teaching filled their hearts with joy (Buddha, 114). Many people would hear his dhamma and become enlightened immediately. The power of his dhamma was unparalleled. In effect, the Buddha achieved enlightenment on his own after making the final commitment to do so. When he was enlightened, the Buddha was delighted and went to spread the word immediately. Throughout his life, the Buddha would teach his followers the path that he himself established. The Buddhas calm and tranquil appearance would be immediately noticed by all, and in combination with the awesome effect of his dhamma, he would successfully convert many people to follow him and his teachings. The similarities and differences that we can extrapolate from this are many. First of all, they received their knowledge in different manners. Secondly, Muhammad was frightened by his encounter, and the Buddha was pleased. Muhammad refrained from telling people and spreading his word, and the Buddha immediately began teaching. Muhammad was ordered through his revelations to spread the word, and the Buddha was compelled by enlightenment itself. In addition to the actual message being preached, it was the Quran that affected people for Muhammad, and for Buddha it was his calm and serene appearance and his dhamma. Additionally, Muhammad was the last prophet of God, but Buddha served only as a teacher. Despite these differences of each person, their combination was a force that would affect thousands of people throughout their lifetimes. Without the divine knowledge they possessed and without the unique means of conversion each person utilized, neither ...
