Did the Desert Fathers Borrow from Buddhism?

An examination of the similarities in ascetic practices

In a previous article, I remarked that Siddhartha's ascetic practice and experience reminded me somewhat of St. Anthony. You can find the article below:

After publishing it, I realized I was at risk of doing a Bart Erhman or Mr Reed (from the movie The Heretic) using superficial comparisons combined with lots of hand waving to draw false equivalencies while inadvertently leading some to investigate a non-Christian religion or even deconstruct Christianity. As a result, I decided to do a short follow-up article where I look closer to see if the superficial similarities hold up under closer examination. (So, I will play the role of Sister Barnes here even if I risk contradicting my previous article.)

Also, based on the length of the last article, I’ve tried to keep this one short. Yes, you can take a sigh of relief. (My arthritic hands are relieved for sure!)

Introduction

There are at least superficial similarities between the ascetic practices of early Christian monastics and those found in Buddhist traditions. Both groups embrace solitude, strict self-discipline, fasting, and meditative practices. However, a closer examination shows that while certain practices may appear similar, they originate from distinct historical, sociocultural, and theological contexts with different goals and intended outcomes.

Historical Background

The Desert Fathers

Emerging in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD in the Egyptian desert, the Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits and ascetics. Figures such as St. Anthony the Great and Abba Peomen, seeking closer communion with God, withdrew from urban centers into a harsh desert environment. Their lifestyles were a deliberate choice to follow the biblical tradition of retreating into the wilderness—as exemplified by the Prophet Elijah—to encounter God more directly. Their practices included prolonged silence, intense prayer, fasting, and manual labor as forms of spiritual discipline.

Early Buddhism

Buddhism was founded centuries earlier, around the 5th century BCE, in the Indian subcontinent by Siddhartha Gautama—the Buddha. Early Buddhist monastics, especially those in the Theravada tradition, also chose lives of renunciation and meditation in forest monasteries, following the prevailing Hindu traditions of the time and place. Their goal was to gain insight into the nature of suffering, impermanence, and the self, ultimately attaining the state of Nirvana/Liberation.

Common Themes in Ascetic Practices

Solitude and the Environment

• Desert Fathers: The choice to live in the Egyptian desert was intentional. The barren, often harsh environment stripped away worldly distractions, fostering an atmosphere conducive to prayer and self-reflection. This setting was viewed as a space where one could encounter God away from the corruption and noise of society.

• Buddhist Monastics: Similarly, early Buddhist monks often retreated into forests. The isolation was a rejection of societal attachments, distractions and a way to confront the nature of desire and suffering. Their environment was a laboratory for understanding impermanence and non-self through direct experience.

Silence and Meditation

• Silence was a cornerstone of the practice of the early desert fathers. They maintained that quietness of mind enabled one to listen for the voice of God. Their method was not emptying the mind for its own sake but a way to cultivate a deep, personal communion with the divine. The emphasis on “hesychia” (Greek for stillness or silence) later became central to Eastern Orthodox spirituality.

• In early Buddhism, meditation techniques such as vipassana (insight meditation) and samatha (calming meditation) rely on focused silence and mindfulness. The aim here is to observe the transient nature of thoughts and sensations, leading to the realization of impermanence and the non-self (anatta).

Renunciation and Self-Discipline

• Renunciation for the desert fathers was rooted in the belief that detachment from worldly pleasures enabled one to focus on salvation and union with God. Fasting, manual labor, and self-mortification were methods to discipline the body and spirit.

• Buddhist renunciation centers on the cessation of desire. While physical austerities are also present, the primary focus is understanding the causes of suffering. Practices are aimed at eliminating attachment, ultimately dissolving the cycle of rebirth.

Theological and Philosophical Divergences

The underlying frameworks of both groups are fundamentally different despite the surface similarities in ascetic practice.

Theistic Versus Non-Theistic Outlook:

The Desert Fathers operated within a strong theistic paradigm—every practice was a means to deepen the relationship with a personal, transcendent God. Their meditations were directed toward encountering divine presence and grace. In contrast, early Buddhism is non-theistic; its meditation practices aim at a direct, experiential insight into the nature of existence without reference to a creator or savior figure. (I should note, however, that some Buddhist groups retained Hindu beliefs about the Brahman, a supreme unchanging reality that transcends all and is infinite, eternal, and beyond comprehension. It is not a God, but the essence of all existence. They held that nirvana meant liberation from samsara, allowing them to ultimately become one with Brahman. This view never became mainstream.)

Objective of Practice:

The Desert Fathers’ goal was salvation and spiritual union with God. Their rigorous practices were part of a larger narrative of redemption, sanctification, and divine mystery. Buddhist meditation, however, is designed to dismantle the ego instead of transform or purify it, uncovering the truth of impermanence and suffering to achieve liberation (Nirvana).

Scriptural and Doctrinal Foundations:

The Desert Fathers drew their practices from biblical narratives and early Church traditions. Their methods were heavily influenced by the writings of the Church Fathers and the canonical texts of Christianity.

Buddhist practices are based on the teachings found in the Pali Canon and later Mahayana scriptures, which approach life’s suffering from a radically different philosophical stance.

Examining the Possibility of Direct Influence

The idea that the Desert Fathers may have borrowed directly from Buddhist practices invites an inquiry into possible cultural exchanges and syncretism:

Geographical Separation

The centers of early Christian asceticism in Egypt and the origins of Buddhism in India are separated by considerable geographical and cultural distances. There is not very good evidence for the establishment of Buddhist communities and monastics in Egypt or Syria at this time, so any contact is likely to have been indirect through trade with the East. Along the Silk Road, Buddhism was very well established in the regions of modern Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some individuals or philosophical influences might have encountered Buddhist ideas and practices. However, this is not the same as direct contact with Buddhism being practiced as a community religion in Christian areas or vice versa.

Parallel Developments

Both traditions evolved ascetic practices in response to fundamental human concerns—suffering, impermanence, and seeking salvation/redemption. The similarities observed are more likely the result of parallel developments rather than direct borrowing. When human beings seek to answer existential questions, similar practices (such as meditation and seclusion) can independently arise in different cultures.

Indirect Exchanges

While trade routes like the Silk Road no doubt facilitated cultural exchanges between the East and the West in later centuries, concrete evidence of Buddhist influence on early Egyptian monasticism is lacking. The Desert Fathers were influenced primarily by Jewish and early Christian traditions, with little documented interaction with Eastern philosophies.

Specific Parallels and Contrasts

Let’s look at two specific practices to illustrate the points:

1. Meditative Silence

• Desert Fathers: Abba Poemen and his contemporaries emphasized “watchfulness” and the disciplined use of silence to hear God’s whisper in the midst of inner turmoil. Their meditative practice was not an end in itself but a conduit for a divine encounter.

• Buddhism: In meditation practices like samatha, silence is a means to calm the mind and observe its natural flux. The aim is to understand that the mind’s chatter is transient, leading to a realization of deeper truths about impermanence.

Despite the similar outward appearance of silent contemplation, the understanding of the methods and their goals differ: communion with a personal deity versus insight into the nature of humanity and reality.

2. Ascetic Retreat

• Desert Fathers: Their withdrawal into the desert was a deliberate move to emulate biblical figures and escape the distractions and temptations of a corrupt society. Their rigorous physical discipline was intertwined with a yearning for divine intimacy.

• Buddhist Monastics (Sangha): Retreating into the forest was equally about escaping attachment to worldly life. However, the focus was self-observation and dismantling the ego to dissolve suffering.

Both traditions value solitude, but the interpretation and intended outcome of that solitude differs sharply.

Conclusions

Although the ascetic practices of the Desert Fathers and early Buddhist monastics exhibit surface-level similarities such as solitude, silence, and a disciplined lifestyle, these practices are better viewed as distinct responses to shared human concerns rather than indications of direct influence or blending of traditions. The traditions and cultures that these groups emerge from provide ample fertile soil for developing the practices we’ve been discussing. The practices of the Desert Fathers are rooted in biblical tradition and the pursuit of unity with a personal God through Theosis. Conversely, Buddhist practices stem from a framework focused on grasping the transient nature of existence and the concept of no permanent self. Buddhist practices of renunciation, meditation, and asceticism were already firmly established in Hinduism long before the development of Buddhism.

Instead of borrowing or syncretism, one may instead view the similarities as evidence of how different cultures can independently develop similar practices to tackle fundamental existential questions, suffering, and the quest for truth. This is particularly relevant considering these practices' impact on the human body is the same regardless of your culture, something that is a shared element of all people. Various cultures have recognized the effects of fasting and present-minded awareness on their physical well-being.