In the Far East, it is quite common for a person to let go of their material life to pursue the spiritual life. It's called renunciation... or renouncing the old life to find the immortal source of life.
Is it more than a coincidence that Christ said something similar: "Lose your life to find it." And of course, he and John the Baptist were not involved in the usual raising of family and going to earn a living here or there... since it appears that they just dropped those matters for more important things.
So when we look at the founders of these religions, are East and West quite a bit more similar than the doctrines of those who claim to represent them?
Is it more than a coincidence that Christ said something similar: "Lose your life to find it." And of course, he and John the Baptist were not involved in the usual raising of family and going to earn a living here or there... since it appears that they just dropped those matters for more important things.
So when we look at the founders of these religions, are East and West quite a bit more similar than the doctrines of those who claim to represent them?