Buddha Through Jesus
There is a small Christmas
tree in our house (my husband calls it a ‘Charlie Brown tree’), placed between
our indoor Buddhist shrine and the large, embroidered silk thangka on the
living room wall. It may be small, but it’s pretty: its white lights sparkle
all night long, and small, colorful Tibetan prayer flags are draped all around
it. Under our little tree is a large statue of Ganesha, a
Hindu deity who has millions of devotees in the Jain and Buddhist
traditions.
Both my husband and I grew up
in traditional Catholic families. By the time we both reached adulthood, we had
parted with Catholicism; he, to an agnostic viewpoint, and me, to East Asian
values and philosophies.
I spent my early twenties
exploring many traditions before Buddhism found me at the age of 25. A friend
and I then traveled to South Korea, China, and the Hong Kong section of China
in an effort to connect more closely with the Buddhist community. It was in
Hong Kong that I had my most intimate experience with Buddhism. I had an incredible
vision at Lan Tau– of Adibuddha in the form of a blue flame emerging from a
white lotus – that showed me the eternal truth of all things.
Shortly after I returned from
Hong Kong, a friend, farmer, and fellow Buddhist named David Brown introduced me
to a community of Tibetan Buddhists in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. That
connection set me on the path to enlightenment: I became a disciple of His
Holiness the Dalai Lama. About 12 years later, I further refined my practice to
include aspects of both Tibetan and Mahayana practice. Finally, 10 years ago, I
formally took refuge and began ngondro.
As a dual Tibetan/Mahayana practitioner
who acknowledges several Hindu deities, I’m no stranger to an eclectic mix of traditions
in my everyday practice. I’ve been Buddhist longer than ever I identified as
Christian. And yet, at Christmas, I and many other Buddhists participate in some
of the practices associated with Christmas.
Many Buddhists around the
world have a positive view of Christmas. They may go to temple on Christmas
Day, and they may exchange small gifts. And all the while being disciples of
the Buddha and their guru or karmapa.
There are powerful similarities
between followers of Buddha and followers of Jesus Christ. Noble and selfless love,
forgiveness, compassion for the world, caring for the sick and poor, kindness to
animals, giving of alms, and moderate living are just a few. Despite what retail
interests tell us, the true celebration of Christmas is to go deeper into one’s
heart – to create a loving, compassionate mind in order to be of service to others.
Buddhists and everyone can deeply appreciate what Jesus Christ has taught.
Christmas gives us all a very
important message for humankind: love one another, harm none, trust the infinite, and never lose
sight of hope. Wishing peace and joy to the world is not just a Christian
thing, a Hindu thing, a Jewish thing, or a Buddhist thing. We are all so incredibly,
deeply, and lovingly connected.
