Jesus Through Buddhist Eyes

Jesus Through Buddhist Eyes
Ajahn Candasiri is a senior nun at the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire.

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, speaking to a capacity audience in the Albert Hall in 1984 united his listeners instantly with one simple statement: "All beings want to be happy; they want to avoid pain and suffering." I was impressed at how he was able to touch what we share as human beings. He affirmed our common humanity, without in any way dismissing the obvious differences.

When invited to look at Jesus through Buddhist eyes, I had imagined that I would use a 'compare and contrast' approach, rather like a school essay. I was brought up as a Christian and turned to Buddhism in my early thirties, so of course I have ideas about both traditions: the one I grew up in and turned aside from, and the one I adopted and continue to practise within. But after re-reading some of the gospel stories, I would like to meet Jesus again with fresh eyes, and to examine the extent to which he and the Buddha were in fact offering the same guidance, even though the traditions of Christianity and Buddhism can appear in the surface to be rather different.

A little about how I came to be a Buddhist nun

Having tried with sincerity to approach my Christian journey in a way that was meaningful within the context of everyday life, I had reached a point of deep weariness and despair. I was weary with the apparent complexity of it all; despair had arisen because I was not able to find any way of working with the less helpful states that would creep, unbidden, into the mind: the worry, jealousy, grumpiness, and so on. And even positive states could turn around and transform themselves into pride or conceit, which were of course equally unwanted.

Eventually, I met Ajahn Sumedho, an American-born Buddhist monk, who had just arrived in England after training for ten years in Thailand. His teacher was Ajahn Chah, a Thai monk of the Forest Tradition who, in spite of little formal education, won the hearts of many thousands of people, including a significant number of Westerners. I attended a ten-day retreat at Oakenholt Buddhist Centre, near Oxford, and sat in agony on a mat on the floor of the draughty meditation hall, along with about 40 other retreatants of different shapes and sizes. In front of us was Ajahn Sumedho, who presented the teachings and guided us in meditation, with three other monks.

Eventually, I met Ajahn Sumedho, an American-born Buddhist monk, who had just arrived in England after training for ten years in Thailand. His teacher was Ajahn Chah, a Thai monk of the Forest Tradition who, in spite of little formal education, won the hearts of many thousands of people, including a significant number of Westerners. I attended a ten-day retreat at Oakenholt Buddhist Centre, near Oxford, and sat in agony on a mat on the floor of the draughty meditation hall, along with about 40 other retreatants of different shapes and sizes. In front of us was Ajahn Sumedho, who presented the teachings and guided us in meditation, with three other monks.

This was a turning point for me. Although the whole experience was extremely tough - both physically and emotionally - I felt hugely encouraged. The teachings were presented in a wonderfully accessible style, and just seemed like ordinary common sense. It didn't occur to me that it was 'Buddhism'. Also, they were immensely practical and as if to prove it, we had, directly in front of us, the professionals - people who had made a commitment to living them out, twenty-four hours a day. I was totally fascinated by those monks: by their robes and shaven heads, and by what I heard of their renunciant lifestyle, with its 227 rules of training. I also saw that they were relaxed and happy - perhaps that was the most remarkable, and indeed slightly puzzling, thing about them.

I felt deeply drawn by the teachings, and by the Truth they were pointing to: the acknowledgement that, yes, this life is inherently unsatisfactory, we experience suffering or dis-ease - but there is a Way that can lead us to the ending of this suffering. Also, although the idea was quite shocking to me, I saw within the awakening of interest in being part of a monastic community.

So now, after more than twenty years as a Buddhist nun, what do I find as I encounter Jesus in the gospel stories?

Well, I have to say that he comes across as being much more human than I remember. Although there is much said about him being the son of God, somehow that doesn't seem nearly as significant to me as the fact that he is a person - a man of great presence, enormous energy and compassion, and significant psychic abilities.

Article continues here.

The teaching of Jesus that even to have a lustful thought is the same as committing adultery had seemed too hard, while the idea of cutting off a hand or foot, or plucking out an eye should they offend is sensible enough - but how on earth do we do that in practice? I can see that it would require far more faith than I, at that time, had at my disposal! So I was overjoyed to learn of an alternative response to the states of greed, hatred or delusion that arise in consciousness, obscure our vision and lead to all kinds of trouble.

Jesus taught if a man looks at a woman and wants to possess her, he has committed adultery in his heart. This is a teaching about faithfulness of mind over and above faithfulness of body. When a man has right understanding, a man does not look at women lustfully. Rather, a man looks at a woman compassionately, understanding her needs and her nature.

Jesus said: "If your eye sins, pull it out. It is better to pull out your eye than have your whole body go to hell". This is the same as the Buddhist teaching of sense control. If upon seeing a form or having another sense experience, defilement or craving arises, we make the effort to abandon that unskillful mind state.

The Buddha taught there are four right efforts:

1. effort to prevent unskilful mind states that have not arisen.
2. effort to abandon unskiful mind states that have arisen.
3. effort to cultivate skilful mind states that have not arisen.
4. effort to maintain skilful mind states that have arisen.

Thus Jesus is talking about the second effort, the effort to abandon unskiful mind states that have arisen.

However, as usual, Jesus treats people like children, either wishing them to worship him or teaching 'secret' teachings.

Better to follow the clear unconvoluted Buddha rather than a lunatic intoxicated on his own wine, who taught: "I am the way, I am the life, no one comes to the Father but through me".

I have the impression that he is not particularly interested in converting people to his way of thinking.

Really?

And He said unto them, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.


He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Mark 16

And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, "All power is given unto Me in Heaven and on earth.


Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,


Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Amen. :beard:

Matthew 28