Is Jesus the Only Way?

I thought I’d share a story I heard, told by Ajahn Brahm, a great monk of the Theravada Thai Forest tradition and spiritual director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia, in one of his trips to the US:

A priest was finishing his sermon in church one Sunday, and asked if the congregation had any questions. A parishioner, a professor of philosophy at the local university, stood and said, “Father, you have said belief in Jesus Christ is only true way to get to heaven. But what about some of the great figures in history, like the Buddha, Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Voltaire or even Gandhi? These were great compassionate men but they were not Christians? Surely they can’t be in Hell?”

The priest was a bit taken back by the question and told the congregation he would answer the question in next week’s sermon. The priest knew this was a difficult question to answer, so he paid a visit to the local monsignor to ask for guidance. The monsignor told him that the question was too difficult for him and directed the priest to their bishop the following day.

The priest sat with the bishop that next day and posed him the question. The bishop told him that he could answer the question, but being that the man who asked the question was a professor of philosophy, he needed a more educated answer, so the bishop directed him the professor of theology at the same university.

The theology professor was a very busy man and could only see the priest on Saturday and then only for a few minutes. The priest met with the professor and he quickly rattled off a long and detailed answer. Then, looking at his watch, dismissed himself quickly to his next appointment. The priest barely understood anything the professor told him, so here he was, on the day before he was to answer the question, and he was no better off than when he began!

That night the priest couldn’t sleep. He was so nervous about addressing the congregation without the answer that he tossed and turned all night. So, early Sunday morning, he got dressed and headed into the church early and like all good Christians, he went up to the alter, kneeled down and prayed for guidance. Because of his lack of sleep, the priest fell asleep during prayer and began to dream.

The priest saw himself at a train station and intuitively he knew where this train was heading. He asked the conductor, “Excuse me sir, is this train heading to Heaven?”

“Why, yes, yes it is,” and noticing the collar around the neck of the priest he said, “Father, the ride is free for you.” So the priest boarded the train. Like most dreams, time has no meaning and within a short while he was pulling into anther station. On this station were the letters H-E-A-V-E-N. The priest was got off the train and standing there in the station was a man in a white robe, with white wings and a halo above his head. The priest approached the man and said, “Excuse me sir, is this really Heaven?”

“Of course,” said the man, “Welcome Father, can I get you anything?”

“No, no, I’m quite alright, thank you,” said the priest, “But I would like to ask you a few questions if I could.”

“Sure,” said the man, “Go right ahead.”

“Okay,” replied the priest, “How long have you been here?”

“Oh,” answered the man, “Thousands of years I suppose.”

“Great,” said the priest, “Than can you tell me, do you know if there is a man called the Buddha here?”

“No,” answered the man, “I’ve never heard of him.”

“How about Socrates? Marcus Aurelius? Voltaire? Gandhi?,” asked the priest.

“No, I haven’t heard of any of those men, why do you ask?”

The priest smiled and said, “Thank you kind sir, I have my answer!” and he returned to the train station very happy and very smug.

When he got to the station there was another train there and again, instinctively, he knew where that train was heading as well. He approached the conductor and asked, “Excuse me, is this train for Hell?”

“Yes,” said the conductor, “You can ride this train as well if you wish.”

The priest was certain that the people he asked about weren’t in Heaven, but he wondered if they were truly in Hell, so he climbed aboard, and shortly thereafter the train pulled into a station with the letters H-E-L-L. The priest got off the train and was immediately greeted by another man. “Welcome to Hell, sir! How has your trip? Can I get you anything? Perhaps a drink, or maybe something to eat?”

“No thank you,” said the priest, a bit stunned by the welcoming. He asked the man, “Can I ask you some questions, sir?”

“Of course,” replied the man.

“How long have you been here?”

“Oh, thousands of years,” replied the man.

“Can you tell me, do you know of a man called the Buddha who is here?” asked the priest.

“Oh yes,” said the man, “What a wonderful, generous and kind man he is!”

The priest smiled and continued, “How about Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Voltaire and Gandhi?”

“Yes, of course, great men all of them. So kind and gentle, we really love them. Are you sure I can’t get you something?”

“Wait a minute,” said the priest, “Is this really Hell?”

“Of course, sir,” the man replied.

“But I always thought that Hell was a place of torment, anguish and great suffering,” he told the man.

“Oh yes,” replied the man, “It used to be like that; before the Buddha came…”

(And Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Voltaire and Gandhi)

This story was not meant to offend anyone. We Buddhists know the Buddha is not truly in Hell, but with all Dhamma stories, this one has a moral and the moral as told by Ajahn Brahm is:

"It is people who make the place, not the place that make the people."

Good Buddhist wisdom, with a little funny on the side.

BCBF on Meetup.com

The BCBF now has a group on Meetup.com! We've uploaded files there that anyone can download and read through (just some basic reading material, but very good for answering some basic questions about Buddhism in general). Check us out there and join up!

Daily Wisdom 1/2/2008

Going along in company together, a wise man
Must mix with other foolish persons.But on seeing what is wrongful he abandons them.As a full-fledged heron leaves the marshy ground.-Udana 8.7
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.

New Intentions

New Year New Intentions set.
I don't know about you all, but I chose to let the New Year represent for me a cleansing of the past and putting my intentions into the present.
I sat by a Lovely Fire New Years Eve with a couple of friends and doggies and enjoyed the moment. Taking in the cooler weather and the evening skies, as well as realizing that truly this is just another day. It is what I make it. Or the preception I put into my day, or dayz.
I chose to not do the ritiual burning of what I want to let go off. Since I felt and believe that I had already made peace with the past year. I started a intention list few months ago and read through it every so often. So I had started on that before the Holiday. So for my family it was a celebration of the past year and enjoying the present moment. And truly that is more of what I chose to manifest anyway! It was a great start into the "new year"!
I feel very blessed with my life, friends, and family.
I also realize the ebb and flow of life, more then ever and I am embracing those moments, and not holding on to them for dear life. I see them now as moments, that pass, happiness passes, sadness passes, it all passes and the less attachment I have the more peace I live in. Living out the Dharma in my daily life. Shin Buddhism is that for me. Taking it to the streets of my life! :)
I seem to be coming into a place in my life where I am able to chop that wood carry water, ENLIGHTENMENT don't know what it means (Van Morrision song) that I relate to so well at this moment.
Doing what needs to be done and being mindful of the moment to moment living..
Or at least at best working toward that intention!
Blissings
Shanti