One of the books I love to re-read when I teach a particular class is by the Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. The book is entitled, Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers. It is a wonderful little introduction to basic Buddhist concepts. Additionally, Hanh continues to pull in Christian ideas. And not surprising given the book’s title, he goes to some lengths to demonstrate some commonalities of Jesus and the Buddha.
Again, it should be no surprise that one of the key common themes in these two major faith traditions is love. Love should be at the heart of all the major religious traditions. I like the way Hanh talks about love. In one context love emerges in a discussion about how humans can be renewed. This is a good reminder that humans are not born into perfection. Most of us travel the road to improvement by virtue of falling short, being forgiven and trying to get better. Most of us do not even see perfection as possible---as long as perfection means to be sinless or mistake free. If perfection means complete or fulfilled (as the original Greek would have it), then I can believe in perfection. And perfection in this way will entail learning about love and growing into the fullness of love.
Hanh speaks to this. In one passage he says, “In the Buddhist tradition, we practice Beginning Anew; it is a very important practice.” Clearly Christians tend not to use this specific language, but I think the concept resonates. For example, when I think about asking for forgiveness, that is essentially a petition to be able to begin anew. We need a second chance. Forgiveness affords a new beginning. It does not ask that we forget what happened. But through forgiveness we are not held hostage to the past---to the mistake or blown situation. Forgiveness is the key out of the predicament.
Hanh continues his thoughts. “To begin anew means we are born fresh and new and able to start again. This is really good news.” It does not take much effort to imagine Jesus basically is saying the same thing. In fact, I think Jesus could have put it exactly the same way---using the very same words. To be born fresh could simply be an alternative translation to what Jesus tells Nicodemus in John’s Gospel about being “born again,” which is the normal popular translation. I prefer to translate that Greek word along with Raymond Brown who says, “born from above.”
To be born from above is simply a way of saying we are born from the Spirit. We are free from the chains of history and our destiny---free to be and act in new ways, which are spiritual ways. This is good news. In Christian language this is the gospel!
Hanh next offers another piece of the Buddhist perspective, which might sound a little less amenable to a Christian interpretation. He says, “The teaching of Buddha offers us ways to be reborn in each moment of our daily life and to learn to love again.” I am thrilled with the phrase, “to learn to love again.” I wonder if this is not the secret to happiness and world peace! I am not being sarcastic. If not love, what else is going to induce happiness on a broad scale? And if not love, how else will folks opt for peace instead of conflict, mayhem, fighting and chaos?
Furthermore, the phase, “to learn to love again,” is a phrase of hope. I am willing to assume people are born to love. The problem, however, is most of us forget or fail to love. We learn the ways of the world and, too often, these ways lead to anger, conflict, violence and forms of death. Hanh develops this in his own words. He notes, “There are those who are so discouraged that they no longer have the courage to love.” Hanh continues, “They have suffered a great deal just because they have made an attempt to love and have not succeeded. The wounds within them are so deep that it makes them afraid to try again.”
The upshot of all this is this. “Instead of happiness, there is widespread sadness. Instead of peace, there is war---between people and between nations. Learning to love again is an act of hope.” To get beyond this hopeless situation, folks can learn to love again. The promise of the act of learning to love again is we will be re-energized. Hanh puts it this way: “In Buddhism, we speak of the mind of love…” Then he adds, that we “get a powerful source of energy that helps you do what you want to do to transform yourself and to help other people.
He adds one final touch. This “powerful source of energy” is called the “mind of love.” And conclusively, “If we have the energy of love…then we will be filled with life. We will be strong; not afraid of anything because love will help us overcome all difficulties and despair.” This sounds very much like the message of Christianity that grace and mercy will be ours. We do have chances to learn to love again. We are not trapped by our past, our mistakes, etc. There is hope.
If we can understand the hope that comes with learning to love again, life and life abundantly will be ours. We can be filled with life!
Again, it should be no surprise that one of the key common themes in these two major faith traditions is love. Love should be at the heart of all the major religious traditions. I like the way Hanh talks about love. In one context love emerges in a discussion about how humans can be renewed. This is a good reminder that humans are not born into perfection. Most of us travel the road to improvement by virtue of falling short, being forgiven and trying to get better. Most of us do not even see perfection as possible---as long as perfection means to be sinless or mistake free. If perfection means complete or fulfilled (as the original Greek would have it), then I can believe in perfection. And perfection in this way will entail learning about love and growing into the fullness of love.
Hanh speaks to this. In one passage he says, “In the Buddhist tradition, we practice Beginning Anew; it is a very important practice.” Clearly Christians tend not to use this specific language, but I think the concept resonates. For example, when I think about asking for forgiveness, that is essentially a petition to be able to begin anew. We need a second chance. Forgiveness affords a new beginning. It does not ask that we forget what happened. But through forgiveness we are not held hostage to the past---to the mistake or blown situation. Forgiveness is the key out of the predicament.
Hanh continues his thoughts. “To begin anew means we are born fresh and new and able to start again. This is really good news.” It does not take much effort to imagine Jesus basically is saying the same thing. In fact, I think Jesus could have put it exactly the same way---using the very same words. To be born fresh could simply be an alternative translation to what Jesus tells Nicodemus in John’s Gospel about being “born again,” which is the normal popular translation. I prefer to translate that Greek word along with Raymond Brown who says, “born from above.”
To be born from above is simply a way of saying we are born from the Spirit. We are free from the chains of history and our destiny---free to be and act in new ways, which are spiritual ways. This is good news. In Christian language this is the gospel!
Hanh next offers another piece of the Buddhist perspective, which might sound a little less amenable to a Christian interpretation. He says, “The teaching of Buddha offers us ways to be reborn in each moment of our daily life and to learn to love again.” I am thrilled with the phrase, “to learn to love again.” I wonder if this is not the secret to happiness and world peace! I am not being sarcastic. If not love, what else is going to induce happiness on a broad scale? And if not love, how else will folks opt for peace instead of conflict, mayhem, fighting and chaos?
Furthermore, the phase, “to learn to love again,” is a phrase of hope. I am willing to assume people are born to love. The problem, however, is most of us forget or fail to love. We learn the ways of the world and, too often, these ways lead to anger, conflict, violence and forms of death. Hanh develops this in his own words. He notes, “There are those who are so discouraged that they no longer have the courage to love.” Hanh continues, “They have suffered a great deal just because they have made an attempt to love and have not succeeded. The wounds within them are so deep that it makes them afraid to try again.”
The upshot of all this is this. “Instead of happiness, there is widespread sadness. Instead of peace, there is war---between people and between nations. Learning to love again is an act of hope.” To get beyond this hopeless situation, folks can learn to love again. The promise of the act of learning to love again is we will be re-energized. Hanh puts it this way: “In Buddhism, we speak of the mind of love…” Then he adds, that we “get a powerful source of energy that helps you do what you want to do to transform yourself and to help other people.
He adds one final touch. This “powerful source of energy” is called the “mind of love.” And conclusively, “If we have the energy of love…then we will be filled with life. We will be strong; not afraid of anything because love will help us overcome all difficulties and despair.” This sounds very much like the message of Christianity that grace and mercy will be ours. We do have chances to learn to love again. We are not trapped by our past, our mistakes, etc. There is hope.
If we can understand the hope that comes with learning to love again, life and life abundantly will be ours. We can be filled with life!
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