Buddhist Christian?

A Christian who admires Buddha? Many friends are confused and think two gods are being worshipped. Siddhartha was a man and never claimed to be otherwise. His gold statues that people seem to pray to are rather reminders to an honoured teacher's lessons; the gold acts as a mirror so that we can see our own image, for indeed his teaching was meant to inspire us to follow his path to enlightenment.
To be inspired and practise much of what the Buddha was teaching one might first see him as a saint or Old Testament prophet. He lived 500 years before Christ in a region already civilised, much like ancient Egypt, with kings and dynasties, complex religious worship to a vast array of deities and an oppressive caste system. Born a prince with wealth and stability, as a child he saw people suffering and knew that regardless of ritual, prayer or position people would continue to suffer. His answer was to give it all up and seek out the answer to living without suffering himself. And he did. And having found the answer, he decided to teach it to whomever would listen. He started with a diagnosis of suffering, a recognition that in this mortal life people will suffer. Recognition of suffering is the first step to curing it, he taught. Then that there is an end to suffering. With medical reasoning he describes the cure as voluntary changes to ones lifestyle: in the west people like to call it a philosophy, and like the ancient Greek philosophers, he lived exactly as he taught. Living moderately in all things, meditating regularly to learn how to control the endlessly grasping mind, knowing stillness to observe in ones Self the slavish patterns of action and reaction to all stimuli which kept one tied to emotional suffering, to live in peace and love with all life, to give and give some more knowing that nothing on this Earth remains forever, and to develop ones own wisdom and compassion are essential. Suffering will happen, he pointed out, for that is the nature of this mortal life, however, we can choose how to react to this suffering; we don't have to let worldly changes and conditions to cause suffering!

Though this eastern culture was not granted the One God's Laws, the Buddha challenged the existing system of his day and found a better, grass-roots, approach to living in peace and allowing individuals to know the Reality of Love. He never clearly described what lay at the end of his path to enlightenment. Coming from a culture of centuries old religious bias, he instead encouraged others to find out for themselves. The way to this Truth is worthwhile. How can he explain that which the human mind and tongue cannot explain? Truth must be experienced.

There are more than enough similarities with this Truth in the west, from prophets to saints, from Christ's example to the gospels and sacraments that Christians share. I benefit from the simple personal application of Buddha's wisdom: his Truth is God, me thinks. We can sit around discussing the nature and messages of God and change nothing of our own lives and societies, indeed it seems to me that this is more prevalent than those who choose to actually take the initiative, change the way one lives ones life and know God through ones own personal experience. The outward trappings of religion are cultural. The inward workings of vigilant, moment to moment practise are divine, me thinks, developing reason and wisdom, knowing compassion and love, giving instead of receiving, coming closer to the universal Truth of Love.

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa.

Deo gratias.

Self-mastery and Going Beyond the Law

Jesus encourages us to be more than just the letter of law: thou shalt not kill. Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement, he says in his Sermon on the Mount. Buddha tells us that anger is a poison that consumes reason and compassion and spreads like fire. Christ wants to take three steps back. Insult? Injury? Being aware of ones own actions and words, one can prevent anger. Being aware of ones own inner peace and being able to notice the seed of ones own anger, the fire can be doused ... or at least controlled, thus preventing a crime.

Being aware of a law is helpful, but being aware of the thoughts and emotions that cause one to react regretfully is even better. Buddha had no laws, but a voluntary recipe to cure the disease of human suffering: whether by choice or temporary loss of control, ones negligent actions will bring personal regret, shame and sin. A law hangs above us as a warning and the fear of punishment hopes to limit transgression. But if we blindly arrive again and again and again at the threshold of transgression and then cross it, how helpful is this? Having been punished, we hope to curb undesirable behaviour in the future as our lesson is learnt. But if we don't understand how we arrived at the threshold of breaking a law and we are not in control of our reason at that critical moment before toppling over, how helpful is the law in preventing sin?

Threats and punishments are the backbone of laws, yet Jesus asks us to be more than just lawabiders. We are to be aware of the seed of transgression, follow it along all its stages, know it, recognise it every time it raises its ugly head. For if we are aware of the emotions that blind us or the thoughts that put us in danger of regretful words or hurtful actions, we can nip them at the bud. If we truly knew how painful and toxic anger is to ourselves and others we can limit it before disaster occurs. Jesus is asking us to be mindful. He is asking us to be masters of our own mind and body. He is asking us to develop wisdom and compassion in the form of Self-control for the benefit of our own Self and others.

So not only do we not kill and follow God's Law, we do not even arrive at the point of causing ourselves and others to transgression. In humbleness and peace we are safe to nurture our wisdom and compassion, to observe our motivations and to be vigilance of distractions that might lead us astray. Blessed is the Self-awakened man who through the strength and warmth of his own heart shows others the way home into God's embrace.

Deo gratias.

On the Golden Rule

Jesus tells us: Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. (Mt 7:12)
To me this gets to the heart of being Christian. The Jesuits of Ireland share their insight on their brilliant site Sacred Space. "It is the Golden Rule, however we tend to follow another Rule: the rule of tit for tat. But as Christians we must instead try to take our cue from Jesus. His goodwill toward us is not conditioned by the way people respond to him. I must try to be like God in this."

For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Mt 7:8)
The Jesuit homily then tells us that whatever we ask of God, we must leave the outcome in His hands: though we cannot controle the world, we can control how we respond to the world. Trust in God's Love. I examine my expectations and motivations for my petitions to God because my wants and desires may not necessarily be what is best for me! Like children who ask for guns, it may not be in their best interests to give guns to them! We give good gifts to our children. Though God knows what i need before i ask Him, the Jesuits remind me too, that prayer will help me focus on my motivations and surrender my Self of expectations. I put my trust in God and His goodness. Like disappointed children who don't get what they want, my ego might kick and scream, beset me with doubts and fears, but i shall not be given anything God knows i can't handle. Knowing this, prayer, inner stillness and a certain emptiness of expectations, habits and clinging desires can allow me accept God's gifts as the building blocks of maturity, strength and wisdom. And if i accept His gifts, i know i am coming closer to Him, closer to His holiness, mercy and grace. Created in His likeness, here on Earth i can be like His caritas. Humbling, challenging, i can't see any other activity in life worth pursuing, for as i grow, so can i help others grow and vice versa.

Deo gratias.

Babble

Jesus tells us that "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Mt 6:7).

Words upon words, like the doomed tower of Babel, babble fills our world. Indeed, this blog or thought-dump is just so much babble. Like the great meditation masters repeatly tell us: Do less, think less, 'babble' less and meditate more! This goes for prayer too, me thinks. An exchange of information is necessary, but when it runs wild, when we 'babble' instead of finding an inner stillness to greet the Father, who knows what we need before we ask, this is a distraction from what is important, what is holy, what is Truth.

Babble distracts. How can i pray when distracted? I love silent retreats. The shock of people walking around, sitting next to me, even sharing a room and not speaking is tremendous ... but short lived. Embracing the silence, i have no need to think about what to say. No need to be clever, charming, gossipy, busy with securing my own ego, for now i am free to smile and cast my eyes back down and know thankfulness for everything. The real shock comes at the end of the retreat when talking resumes. Suddenly the world is loud and cluttered and full of 'babble'! Those silent smiles meant more than any word offered. I remember what my school teachers encouraged: Think before you speak. I smile. Silence is golden.

And in my own oasis of silence i can pray. I can find the wisdom and strength to forgive others their trespasses, even as anger may threaten to boil over. Our Father is with us. Love, forgiveness and grace are ours if we so choose. In the silence of an uncluttered mind i am best prepared to hear Him and know His Truth.

Deo gratias.

Choose Love, Choose Wisely

Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me, says the Lord (Mt 25). Be then blessed by the Father and inherit the kingdom. The Lord tells Moses that He is divine. God encourages all mankind to be like Him, divine, and today's mass reading from Liviticus demonstrates clearly that through carefully controling ones thoughts, speach, motivations and resulting behaviour, one can willingly come closer to that Divine. A choice. Not at the mercy of passions or influences of the material world, God asks us to be like him and love your neighbor as yourself. Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we are tied, interwoven like a family, brothers and sisters, sharing divinity. A Father would not ask the impossible of his children. Though me might have demanded it, threatening, instilling fear, a good father can see the results of his upbringing. Jesus came to tell us this;Love each other, Father asks. Love each other as i love you, he tells us, again and again and again, and let's us know this love through His mercy and grace.

So to be like our Father, we can start by observing our Selves. Anger? Greed? Fear? Feigned ignorance? Thoughtlessness? What is it that prevents us from 'doing the right thing'? Jesus shows us the way once again. Do as i do, he says, feeding the hungry or clothing the naked. Putting others before our own (perceived) need; generous with our energy, time, talents and divine capacity of love and grace. Self-gratification is a lie, an illusion, created by fear and a perceived separation from all that is divine. Look into your heart, reach out to others and know that divinity that we share.

Heaven is knowing the glory of divine love in our own hearts and seeing the paradise around us thrive at the mindful attention of our own hands. Hell? Eternal punishment? The Lord says that "what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me" will lead to falling short of the divine, of not standing beside Him in glory and of not inheriting the kingdom of Love. Again, choosing Self-gratification, of chosing ones Self before a brother, of not sharing, not giving, not caring and not loving. We reap what we sow. For me, Hell would be standing in this darkness, this absence of Love, by my own choice, my own free will. Hell is refusing the Father's offered mercy and grace, showing pride of Self, love of Self, allowing anger, fear and other poisons of the mind to keeps us in our own darkness, the lie of separation, terrible isolation, the Self-created absence of Love that is not God's Reality.

Choose wisely!

Deo gratias.