THE CLEAR PATH - BUDDHA

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All is transient.

When you perceive this, you are above suffering.

The Path is clear.

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All is suffering

When you perceive this, you are above suffering.

The path is clear.

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All is unreal.

When you perceive this, you are above suffering.

The path is clear.

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The Buddha

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JESUS AND THE BUDDHA

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Edited from the preface to Jesus and Buddha -
The Parallel Sayings by Marcus Borg
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 I have sometimes said that if the Buddha
and Jesus were to meet, neither would try to convert the other - not because they would regard such an effort as hopeless, but because they would recognize one another.
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 Jesus and the Buddha were teachers of wisdom.
Wisdom is not just about moral behavior, but about the "center," the place from which moral perception and moral behavior flow.
Jesus and the Buddha were teachers of a world-subverting wisdom that undermined and challenged conventional ways of seeing and being in their time and in every time. Their subversive wisdom was also an alternative wisdom: they taught a way or path of transformation.
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 They both were teachers of the way less traveled.
What Jesus and the Buddha said about "the way"
is remarkably similar.

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 Published in 1997, Jesus and Buddha -
The Parallel Sayings is an excellent text for comparisons between the teachings of these two religious paths. The similarities are amazing.

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Do to others as you would have them do to you.
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Luke 6:31
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 Consider others as yourself.
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Dhammpada 10:1

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Do not store up for yourselves treasures
on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.
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Matthew 6:19-20

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Let the wise man do righteousness:
A treasure that others can not share, where no thief can steal; a treasure which does not pass away.
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Khuddakapatha 8:9

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The kingdom of heaven is like treasure
hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
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Matthew 13:44

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 If by giving up limited pleasures
one sees far-reaching happiness, the wise one leaves aside limited pleasures, looking to far-reaching happiness.
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Dhammmapada 21:1

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Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size

of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,

"Move from here to there," and it will move,

and nothing will be impossible for you.

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Matthew 17:20

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A monk who is skilled in concentration can

cut the Himalayas in two.

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Anguttara Nikaya 6:24

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BUDDHIST PRAYER EXPLAINED

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Prayer should be part of our spiritual journey,

transforming confusion into clarity and suffering into joy. However, some mistakenly believe that the Absolute is separate and/or different from us. Believing this, their prayers ask for favors, such as health, salvation, fame, victory or the winning lottery numbers. They use prayer in order to manipulate their God to work for their benefit. Wanting Him to play favorites, they beg to be blessed by Him at the expense of others. However, this attitude defeats the power of prayer. We believe that in order for prayer to be effective it must be devoid of any self-centeredness and calculation, relying strictly on great compassion. It should be done to strengthen and open our hearts, and to benefit all beings. Buddhist prayer has nothing to do with begging for personal worldly or heavenly gains.
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Buddhist prayer is a practice to awaken our

inherent inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom rather than to petition external forces based on fear, idolizing, and worldly and/or heavenly gain. Buddhist prayer is a form of meditation; it is a practice of inner reconditioning. Buddhist prayer replaces the negative with the virtuous and points us to the blessings of Life.
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For Shin Buddhists, prayer expresses an aspiration

to pull something into one's life, like some new energy or purifying influence and share it with all beings. Likewise, prayer inspires our hearts towards wisdom and compassion for others and ourselves. It allows us to turn our hearts and minds to the beneficial, rousing our thoughts and actions towards Awakening. If we believe in something enough, it will take hold of us. In other words, believing in it, we will become what we believe. Our ability to be touched like this is evidence of the working of Great Compassion within us.
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What's more, it can a function as a form of self-talking or self-therapy in which one mentally talks through a problem, or talks through it aloud, in the hope that some new insight will come or a better decision can be made. Prayer therefore frequently has the function of being part of a decision-making process.
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The wonderful thing about prayer practice is that

 we can do it everywhere and anytime, transforming the ordinary and mundane into the Path of Awakening. Prayer enriches our lives with deep spiritual connection and makes every moment special, manifesting the Pure Land here and now.
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Below is an example of our most popular prayer adapted
 from Shatideva's 8th century Indian prayer.
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Metta Karuna Prayer

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Oneness of Life and Light,
Entrusting in your Great Compassion,
May you shed the foolishness in myself,
Transforming me into a conduit of Love.
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May I be a medicine for the sick and weary,
Nursing their afflictions until they are cured;
May I become food and drink,
During time of famine,
May I protect the helpless and the poor,
May I be a lamp,.
For those who need your Light,
May I be a bed for those who need rest,
and guide all seekers to the Other Shore.
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May all find happiness through my actions,
and let no one suffer because of me.
Whether they love or hate me,
Whether they hurt or wrong me,
May they all realize true entrusting,
Through Other Power,
and realize Supreme Nirvana.
Namo Amida Buddha

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by Senpai Sensai

Buddhist Faith Fellowship

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SEEING THE WAY, TAKING THE PATH

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When Jesus said, "I am the way,"

He meant that to have a true relationship with

God, you must practice His way. In the

Acts of the Apostles, the early Christians always

spoke of their faith as "the Way." To me,

"I am the way" is a better statement than

"I know the way." The way is not an asphalt

road. But we must distinguish between the

"I" spoken by Jesus and the "I" that people

usually think of.
 The "I" in His statement

is life itself, His life, which is the way.

If you do not really look at his life, you

cannot see the way.
 If you only

satisfy yourself with praising a name,

even the name of Jesus, it is not

practicing the life of Jesus.

We must practice living deeply, loving,

and acting with charity if we wish to truly

honor Jesus. The way is Jesus Himself

and not just some idea of Him.
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A true teaching is not static.

It is not mere words but the reality of life.

Many who have neither the way or the life

try to impose on others what they believe

to be the way. But these are only words

that have no connection with real life

or a real way.

When we understand and practice deeply

the life and teachings of Buddha or

the life and teachings of Jesus,

we penetrate the door and enter the abode

of the living Buddha and the living Christ,

and life eternal presents itself to us.

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From Living Buddha, Living Christ

Thich Nhat Hanh

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THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN BE IDENTIFIED

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In every school of Christianity,

we see people who follow the same spirit,

who do not want to speculate on what cannot

be speculated about. "Negative theology"

is an effort and practice to prevent Christians

from being caught by notions and concepts

that prevent them from touching the living

spirit of Christianity. When we speak of

negative theology, the theology about the

Death of God, we are talking about the

death of every concept we may have of God

in order to experience God as a living

reality directly.

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A good theologian is one who says almost

nothing about God, even though the word

"theology" means "discourse about God."

It is risky to talk about God. The notion

of God might be an obstacle for us to touch

God as love, wisdom, and mindfulness.

The Buddha was very clear about this.

He said, "You tell me that you are in love with

a beautiful woman, but when I ask you,

'What is the color of her eyes? What is her

name? What is the name of her town?'

you cannot tell me. I don't believe you are

really in love with something real."

Your notion of God may be vague like that,

not having to do with reality. The Buddha was

not against God. He was only against notions

of God that are mere mental constructions

that do not correspond to reality, notions

that prevent us from developing ourselves

and touching ultimate reality.

That is why I believe it is safer to approach

God through the Holy Spirit than through

the door of theology. We can identify

the Holy Spirit whenever it makes its

presence felt. Whenever we see someone

who is loving, compassionate, mindful,

caring, and understanding, we know

that the Holy Spirit is there.

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From Living Buddha, Living Christ

Thich Nhat Hanh

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FROM THE PARALLEL SAYINGS

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Foxes have holes,

and the birds of the air have nests,

but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

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Matthew 8:20

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The thoughtful exert themselves;

they do not delight in an abode.

Like swans who have left their lake

they leave their house and home.

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Dhammapada 7:2

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From Jesus and Buddha -

The Parallel Sayings

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