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.