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I would just add that in Thailand, where Buddhist monks are not generally under the microscope, it is well known that there is sexual abuse. Not sure how common it is, but, based on news reports that do surface, I also wouldn't say it is "isolated".
There is a quote always attributed to Gandhi (though it is questionable whether he ever said it) that is "I like your Christ. I don't like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." But when you turn it around, instead of pointing fingers and blaming the Christians for being un-Christlike, you can instead look at your own life. I like you Buddha. I don't like your Buddhists. Your Buddhsits are so unlike your Buddha.
It's a pretty high goal to act like Buddha would. We know that. Just remember that it's equally a difficult goal to act like Jesus.
And that while Christians use their beliefs to tell others how to live, sometimes so to Buddhists. Like telling others they are murderers for not being vegetarian and some other such things I have seen around online.
The heretical Rabbi, Yeshua of Nazareth, spoke of a strange and elusive concept he called The Kingdom of God. Something that was yet to come, yet strangely present in the Here and Now; within ourselves (Luke 17:21). An unrealized potential.
I believe Yeshua was an exemplar; he was a Revealer rather than a Redeemer. It is religion, religiosity itself, that keep us ignorant, captive, and slaves to Fear, Envy, and Delusion.
What I believe Yeshua truly taught wasn't the advent of new religion (Christianity), but a heightened awareness - a sort of freedom and enlightenment, rather than a salvation.
Yeshua's Kingdom of God wasn't a new religion, but the end of all religion. The escape hatch from this Edenic Birdcage; emancipation from the Entrapment of Religiosity itself.
This Jesus fellow seemed like a nice fellow and I have heard a Tibetan monk refer to him as a "bodhisattva." The spiritual director for my dharma center seems to agree and on Easter Sunday he remarked that there this phenomenon in Tibet where enlightened people seem to dissolve into rainbow light. He suggested that perhaps this might have happened to Jesus. Sounds like as good as an explanation as any to me! Haha.
Personally, I think his teachings have been wildly changed by people wanting power from them..... And just the fact that he said his teachings in one language (Hebrew), they got translated into Greek, then Latin, then finally into English. Who knows how much was lost in translation from one language to the next! I've heard from Buddhists elsewhere that he might've been englightened, and just trying to make his teachings applicable to the Jews by using God in place of the Dharma that we know. Either way I think he is an interesting figure and would like some feedback in terms of his supposed miracles, crucifixion, etc.
Someone told me the same thing about Buddha too, that his teachings had changed throughout time and he was in fact, one of the prophets of God. I don't worry too much at the moment since I am more worried about a close friend. I think he has changed.
Jesus was a Jew. He didn't aim to start a new movement, he wanted to shake people up and get them to spend the time living their faith, not judging each other. He took aim at the Pharisees in particular because, quite bluntly, they were a bunch of hypocritical wankers. Throwing the money changers out of the Temple is a good example of this.
Even if he was the Son of God, he was here in human form and got frustrated just like the rest of us. I have tended to look at the crucifixion in the same light as the Vietnamese Monk who underwent self immolation in protest against the Vietnam War. These two were personifications of putting all sentient beings' happiness before their own. Whether or not the outcome got the desired result, their actions spoke of love and compassion/empathy for everyone else.
In this light, I can see how Jesus could be viewed as a Bodhisattva (as TNH's book Living Buddha, Living Christ can show). Circa 2500 years ago, in his society, I think he was preaching Dharma, in a society that was entrenched in Samsara and the atman.
Comments
I don't think we're really in disagreement here.
I would just add that in Thailand, where Buddhist monks are not generally under the microscope, it is well known that there is sexual abuse. Not sure how common it is, but, based on news reports that do surface, I also wouldn't say it is "isolated".
There is a quote always attributed to Gandhi (though it is questionable whether he ever said it) that is "I like your Christ. I don't like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." But when you turn it around, instead of pointing fingers and blaming the Christians for being un-Christlike, you can instead look at your own life. I like you Buddha. I don't like your Buddhists. Your Buddhsits are so unlike your Buddha.
It's a pretty high goal to act like Buddha would. We know that. Just remember that it's equally a difficult goal to act like Jesus.
And that while Christians use their beliefs to tell others how to live, sometimes so to Buddhists. Like telling others they are murderers for not being vegetarian and some other such things I have seen around online.
The heretical Rabbi, Yeshua of Nazareth, spoke of a strange and elusive concept he called The Kingdom of God. Something that was yet to come, yet strangely present in the Here and Now; within ourselves (Luke 17:21). An unrealized potential.
I believe Yeshua was an exemplar; he was a Revealer rather than a Redeemer. It is religion, religiosity itself, that keep us ignorant, captive, and slaves to Fear, Envy, and Delusion.
What I believe Yeshua truly taught wasn't the advent of new religion (Christianity), but a heightened awareness - a sort of freedom and enlightenment, rather than a salvation.
Yeshua's Kingdom of God wasn't a new religion, but the end of all religion. The escape hatch from this Edenic Birdcage; emancipation from the Entrapment of Religiosity itself.
This Jesus fellow seemed like a nice fellow and I have heard a Tibetan monk refer to him as a "bodhisattva." The spiritual director for my dharma center seems to agree and on Easter Sunday he remarked that there this phenomenon in Tibet where enlightened people seem to dissolve into rainbow light. He suggested that perhaps this might have happened to Jesus. Sounds like as good as an explanation as any to me! Haha.
Someone told me the same thing about Buddha too, that his teachings had changed throughout time and he was in fact, one of the prophets of God. I don't worry too much at the moment since I am more worried about a close friend. I think he has changed.
Jesus was a Jew. He didn't aim to start a new movement, he wanted to shake people up and get them to spend the time living their faith, not judging each other. He took aim at the Pharisees in particular because, quite bluntly, they were a bunch of hypocritical wankers. Throwing the money changers out of the Temple is a good example of this.
Even if he was the Son of God, he was here in human form and got frustrated just like the rest of us. I have tended to look at the crucifixion in the same light as the Vietnamese Monk who underwent self immolation in protest against the Vietnam War. These two were personifications of putting all sentient beings' happiness before their own. Whether or not the outcome got the desired result, their actions spoke of love and compassion/empathy for everyone else.
In this light, I can see how Jesus could be viewed as a Bodhisattva (as TNH's book Living Buddha, Living Christ can show). Circa 2500 years ago, in his society, I think he was preaching Dharma, in a society that was entrenched in Samsara and the atman.
Just my 0.02. YMMV
In metta.