Santa, Jesus & Buddha

[Guest guest]

~ Joseph Eagle "Everything Is Zen...Everything Is Zen"

"Jesus Christ and Buddha, born in two different traditionsseparated by

large geographical distances, nevertheless sharecommon

characteristics, which is not surprising since they arebut both

manifested expressions of the universal human yearningfor mystical

harmony with the rhythms of nature. According toRobert Elinor,

'Buddha and Christ are but local inflections of auniversal archetype:

the Cosmic Person imaging wholeness.'Beneath the perceived differences

underlying these twovisionaries, there are subtle unifying attributes

which are amplyexemplified in the life they led and the message they

spread.An important idea in this context is the belief shared by both

inthe natural cosmic law of cause and effect, popularly known

as'karma.' Christ says for example:'Blessed are the merciful: for

they shall obtain mercy. If youforgive men their trespasses, your

heavenly Father will alsoforgive you. But if you do not forgive

earthly men theirtrespasses neither will your Father forget your

trespasses.Therefore all things whatsoever you would like that men

should doto you, do them; for this is the law and the prophets.' And

ofcourse the popular quote:"You shall love your neighbor as

yourselves." (Mark 12: 31)The Buddha reiterates whatever Christ puts

forward andelaborates:'Hard it is to understand: By giving away our

food, we get morestrength; by bestowing clothing on others, we gain

more beauty;by founding abodes of purity and truth, we acquire

greattreasures. The charitable man has found the path of

liberation.He is like the man who plants a sapling securing thereby

theshade, the flowers and the fruit in future years. Even so is

theresult of charity, even so is the joy of him who helps those

thatare in need of assistance; even so is the great nirvana.'Since

they both embodied universal human aspirations and theirultimate

realization, it was but natural that the art theyinspired too would

develop motifs which would elaborate similarprinciples, though the

metaphors deployed would vary, beingdependent upon local contexts.'"*

"The essence being that not only the people of Israel ratherrulers

from all over the world came to venerate the infantChrist. That he

was glorified thus by kings representing themajority of humanity

reconfirmed his own status as the king ofkings, or ruler of the

world. Of related interest here are theindividual offerings made by

the three kings. These were namely:a). Gold: Symbolic of Christ's

earthy kingship.b). Frankincense: This incense is used in worship and

hence is ametaphor for his divine status.c). Myrrh: A resin used in

the embalming of the dead, thuspredicting Christ's imminent and

unnatural death.Here it needs to be observed that the identification

of the threevisitors as kings is a later modification in Christian

art as theBible itself does not specify their royalty, rather only

mentionsthem as 'wise men from the east.' But more importantly when

theycame, they asked for the 'newborn King of the Jews.'

(Matthew1:2)The Buddhist aesthetic too was faced with a similar

dilemma,namely the simultaneous depiction of humanity and divinity.

Butrather than take the Christian route of narrative

theologytransformed into verbal metaphors, the art of Buddhism

presents ahard-hitting picture of the Buddha himself bejeweled and

crownedas a king would be."*

"But if only things were so simple. This leaves the issue ofdivinity

wide open and also a logical basis needs to be given tothe

representation. Both are resolved in a single and gracefulstroke of

artistic ingenuity. The answer lies in the gestureBuddha makes with

his hands (mudra), the thumb and index fingerof both hands touching

at their tips to form a circle. Thiscircle represents a wheel, and

herein lies the key to the wholesymbolism. In Sanskrit, the word for

wheel is 'chakra,' and inancient times the title of Chakravartin or

'wheel turner' wasconferred upon a powerful and mighty ruler. The

idea being thatas the chariot of majestic and warrior king rolls

along, allimpediments on his path get crushed and no obstacle can

stand inhis way, expanding his empire endlessly. Similarly is

Buddhaglorified as a Chakravartin, the circle which his fingers

makesignifying the wheel, visualized as the wheel of dharma.

Thewheel's swift motion serves as an apt metaphor for the

rapidspiritual conquest wrought by the teachings of the Buddha.Not to

be interpreted in a literal sense, Buddha and Christ areof course not

sovereigns over material kingdoms, but rathercosmic emperors, ruling

the spirit rather than the body. Verilydoes say Christ: 'My kingdom

is not of this world.' (John 18:36)"*

~Joseph Eagle

"Humanity - Their Common Religion:One of the prominent Jews of the

city once invited Jesus fordinner. Jesus arrived and took his place

at the table. Just then,a woman with a bad reputation in town

entered. In her hands wasan alabaster jar containing an ointment.And

she stood at his feet behind him weeping, and she began towash his

feet with her tears, and wipe them with her hair, andshe kissed his

feet and anointed them with the ointment.Illustration:

http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/dinner.jpgNow when the host saw

this he said to himself, if this man was aprophet he would have known

who and what sort of woman this isthat is touching him: for she is a

sinner.Jesus (as if reading his thoughts) said to him, Simon I

havesomething to say to you.There was a creditor who had two debtors:

one owed five hundredpounds and the other fifty. And when they had

nothing to pay, hefreely forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which

of them willlove him most?The host answered, I suppose that he to whom

he forgave most.And he said, You have judged rightly.And he turned to

the woman, and said to Simon, Do you see thiswoman? I entered your

house, and you gave me no water for myfeet. But she has washed my

feet with tears, and wiped them withthe hairs of her head.You gave me

no kiss: but since the time I came in this woman hasnot ceased to kiss

my feet.You did not anoint my head with oil: but this woman has

anointedmy feet with ointment.Wherefore I tell you, her sins, which

are many, are forgiven. Forshe loved much. But he to whom little is

forgiven, loves little."*

~ Steven Gonzalez"This tale from the Bible illustrates Jesus' all

embracingforgiveness. In Christ's kingdom of heaven there is mercy

forall. Thus said Buddha: 'No sin is so great that a person cannotbe

purified of it. Imagine that you had murdered several Buddhas;you

could still be purified.' (Dhammapada 295)"*

~Joseph Eagle

"Whosoever exalts himself shall be abased;and he that humbles himself

shall be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14).

Whosoever exalts himself shall be a base hit;

and he that stumbles himself shall be exalted. ( D'Ohtavakra-Gita 18:9-13)

Marge: Homer, please don't make me choose between my man and my God, because you just can't win.

Homer: There you go again, always taking someone else's side.

Flanders, the water department, God...

~Joseph Eagle

God: Thou hast forsaken My Church!

Homer: Uh, kind-of... b-but...

God: But what!

Homer: I'm not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love my kids.

So why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to

Hell?God: [pause] Hmm... You've got a point there.

"Many people appear to be generous, but in fact are trying to

gainadvantage for themselves. (Dhammapada 249).Take heed that you do

not give alms making it a show. When yougive alms, do not sound a

trumpet. But rather when you give alms,let your left hand not know

what your right hand does. Your almsbe in secret and your Father who

sees it in secret shall rewardyou openly. (Matthew 6: 1-4)"*

~Joseph Eagle (Got Enough Lights?)

"It is well established that both these luminaries evolved out ofthe

latent reaction against centuries of blind ritualism thatplagued the

local communities. The original meaning and symbolicstructure of the

rituals had been lost and what remained wasexploitation and

subjugation of the masses by the priestly class.Not surprisingly

thus, Buddha and Christ offer refreshinginsights into religious

behavior. Christ says for example:When you pray, don't pray like the

hypocrites; for they love topray standing in the synagogues and in

the corners of thestreets, that they may be seen by others.Enter your

closet, shut the door, and pray to your father insecret; and your

father who sees you in secret shall reward youopenly.And when you

pray, use not vain repetitions, as the hypocritesdo; for they think

that they will be heard for their muchspeaking. Therefore do not be

like them. (Matthew 6:5-8)Dull repetition of sacred verses does

nothing to remove rust onthe soul. (Buddha in the Dhammapada 240).In

a beautiful simplification Christ also elaborates upon the

superiority of brotherhood of man over mere ritualism:If you bring

your gift to the altar, and there remember that yourbrother has

anything against you, leave there your gift beforethe altar, and go

your way. First be reconciled to your brother,and then come and offer

your gift. (Matthew 5: 23-24)"*

~ Joseph Eagle (Anima)

"Heaven is god's throne and earth his footstool (Isaiah 66:1),

andChrist, suspended on the cross, is the connecting link.Indeed,

just as Buddha gained enlightenment by conquering thefive senses,

Christ, pinned in five places (the two hands, thetwo feet, and the

head crowned with thorns), nails down the

fivesenses.Conclusion:Christ and Buddha, two manifestations of

divinity, showed us thattrue salvation lies only on the path of

humanity and compassiontowards all. Indeed, through their humanity

they are both relatedto us, and through their divinity, to god."*~

*Nitin KumarEditorExotic Indiahttp://www.exoticindia.com

LoveAlways,

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[Guest guest]

, "Mazie Lane" <sraddha54@h...>

wrote:

 

thank-you for sharing that

the tears

that fell from thine eyes

while reading it

are holy water

that blesses

the soul

 

David

(grateful)