The Buddha and Christ both represent self-knowing spirit. What both the Buddha and Christ realized was beyond the world of the flesh and for that matter all worldly things. Accordingly, nature is the vivid ignorance of spirit. It is only by transcending nature that spirit is fully realized.
Each sentient birth represents a fall into ignorance in which spirit is hidden by the forces and forms of nature. In the case of mankind it is his very thoughts which hide spirit and bind him to nature. No amount of thinking can reveal spirit in itself. The price of thought is delusion; Yet, the greatest minds of the world do not fully understand this. It is like pursuing reality by way of dreams What is accomplished is only more dreams. And soon mankind tires of its dreams. But where can it go? Both the Buddha and Christ show the way.
But the way is no human path. The way cannot be conceived of in human terms anymore than the vertical can be conceived of in horizontal terms. But this does not stop the human mind from trying to turn the way into a human path. This is why religion ultimately fails to get it's message across. The passions of the flesh are not easily curtailed or transcended. They undermine the pursuit of religion. But ultimately mankind’s very thoughts and imagination undermine religion. He becomes at some point skeptical and nihilistic.
Both Buddhism and Christianity reveal their secrets to the spiritually minded. The secular mind, on the other hand, is excluded. The passions of this mind are ruled by the daemonic which is an impulse towards the contingent and conditioned. Suffering is never ended as a result. This is the tragedy of mankind.
Ardent is currently recovering quite well and is regaining strength on his right side, but is still unable to type. All posts are authored by him via dictation. Other contributions to the blog will be noted with their corresponding author.
Posted by: The Zennist | April 21, 2020 at 02:52 AM
T. Reinhart, you just don't know how to read. He said Christ not Christianity and is obviously referring more to the gospel of John (not the narration but the quotes of Jesus) where Jesus says things like "Fear not for I have overcome the world." What need does the Creator have to overcome his own creation? Ergo Jesus is speaking as an ascetic and mystic not the Creator as the narrator eould have it.
Posted by: david brainerd | April 20, 2020 at 03:57 PM
The spiritual naivety found in the several erroneous assumptions in this article, tells me Zenmar has yet not recovered from his stroke.
What Buddhism offers, and has to offer, Christianity cannot even touch in terms of profound dharma. Where the former always points directly to that which is unconditioned, and absolute, the latter never approaches due to its repeated reference to an ancient synthesis of repacked Abrahamic ontology and dogma.
It seems the stand-in author was born and steeped in Christian (Abrahamic) thought, studied Buddhism to a degree his limited merit enabled but never allowed the latter to emerge and replace the conditioned contradictions and illusory consciousness of the former.
Posted by: T. Reinhart | April 19, 2020 at 12:08 AM
Hope your recovering well Ardent!
Posted by: Oshin | April 18, 2020 at 03:14 PM
You made it. I'm so happy.
Posted by: David brainerd | April 17, 2020 at 02:23 AM