And Men Do Not See It

Jesus reconciles mankind to God. Upon the cross is where God and man meet. The cross is where man gives up his animal nature, and becomes Divine.

However, Christians tend to see themselves as one thing and Jesus as another. But in the Thomas gospel, which has all of the flavor of the other four Gospels, a slightly different view is given.

For example, Thomas verse 113: His disciples said to Him, "When will the Kingdom come?" Jesus said, "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'Here it is' or 'There it is.' Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."

In other words, the Kingdom of God is here, now.

Or consider verse 108: Jesus said, "He who will drink from my mouth will become like Me. I myself shall become he."

Jesus is talking from the point of view of the Being of beings, which we call the Christ. Anyone who lives in relation to that is as Christ.

In other words, you are the radiant vehicle of the Christ spirit. And if you are, then you recognize that same radiance in your fellow man, and indeed in all living beings.

That is basic Buddhism.

A Sermon for Today

To many Christians, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5, 6, 7) contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship.

Here are some excerpts which are important even to me, a Buddhist:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God...Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven...Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment...But whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also... Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you...Judge not, that ye be not judged.

As a Buddhist, I cannot understand how too many tolerate or encourage war, oppression, and dominance when their Lord had a different view. These people aren't a fringe; I see examples each day in my commute, at work, or at family gatherings. Sometimes I'm shocked and frequently disheartened when I hear Christians spread fear, hatred and war. They were taught differently.

Fortunately, I have found, subscribe to and am enlightened by Sojourners, a Christian organization committed to social justice. We are all human and fallible, but these folks practice the great teachings of their Lord Jesus.