5. The selflessness of both faiths, whether by charity and poverty or detachment and egolessness, is a path to great compassion and liberation from rebirth or to the eternity of Heaven. In examining the single spiritual child prodigy stories told of their childhood-Jesus demonstrating his learning with a group of elders, and the young Buddha meditating under a tree-each contains an illustration of attainment within a unique cultural context. Such could indeed be said of the scriptures of Christianity and Buddhism as a whole: whether we turn to Christ or the Buddha for inspiration and guidance, the path they point to will surely lead us to the same and universal selfless compassion.
