Today has been a fascinating exploration into the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity. Today was also an exploration into the mystic side of Christianity through the writings of Thomas Merton. I'll start the blog with my thoughts on his book, "Dialogues with the Silence," which is full of his journal entries, prayers and drawings.
His drawings are very zen in their simplicity...this simplicity and emptiness from zen is a focus for Merton on the experiencing of God. He mentions that the moment we put an image of God in our mind we are committing idolatry, since God is there in the silence and the darkness. Some of his best thoughts though are outside of the book I read...which did have beautiful, simplistic drawings and prayers that gave a glimpse into the man...but some of his powerful quotes are in other writings.
For example, "The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not twist them to our image. Otherwise we only love a reflection of ourselves we find in them."
and "The more you try to avoid suffering, you suffer, because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you. in proportion to your fear of being hurt. The one who does the most to avoid suffering, in the end, the one who suffers the most."
Even before he began studying Eastern thought he was already living that within the Christian tradition. The second quote especially is all about letting go of attachments and confronting our fears. Suffice to say, these themes of living virtuously, and releasing attachments are very strong in his writings and reflections.
The themes that I found in the book would continue over to the service at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church visit I did today. The service was about how much a person should desire the "Kingdom of Heaven" also called "The Kingdom of God." In the parables that Jesus talked about at the service, Jesus mentioned two stories in which the person sells everything they have to have the treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven. The service was then about, "What would you give up to create the Kingdom?" Since part of the Kingdom is working with the community to create that world of virtue and life in the now.
This mentality reminded me a bit of the Buddha and the fact that in seeking to end suffering, missionaries also came out of his religion to create the community of seeking to end suffering where each individual can live the Eight Fold Path of living with virtue and letting go attachments. Christianity and Jesus is also similar in this way in regards to the Kingdom of Heaven and being an apostle.
I still have much to learn from both traditions and many other philosophies and other faith traditions as well. I guess in a way, this blog shall be a continued documentation of the journey in what I live and discover.
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