| Good friends of mine, Catholic friends, recently | | | | The soul must be resigned, annihilated and detached," |
| confessed to me. They said that although they | | | | Buddhism teaches how to meditate without the burden |
| occasionally attend their Catholic church, they have | | | | of thought and all of thought's implications, even spiritual |
| found a community church that makes them feel | | | | images and theories. |
| better. They find themselves happy when they leave, | | | | "All is darkness compared to God – all creatures |
| unlike their Catholic experience where they feel guilty | | | | deformed, the earth is void, the heaven's dark. All the |
| and dejected. They complained that the Catholic | | | | wisdom of the world is foolishness," in Buddhism this |
| Church depressed them, asking for endless donations | | | | means that everything and anything that we have or |
| and fostering all kinds of guilt feelings. The community | | | | ever hope to think or imagine; all of our thoughts and |
| church, on the other hand, was full of happy people | | | | memories, are but illusion compared to Ultimate reality. |
| with whom they could feel at ease and have a good | | | | When St. John says, "Proceed by unknowing, rather |
| time. And the pastor was funny, too! | | | | than knowing. Desire and knowledge make the soul |
| As I listened to their rationale regarding the problems of | | | | weak," Buddhism teaches that desire is the source of |
| the Catholic Church, and how much better they felt at | | | | all suffering, including the desire to know. |
| the community church, I had to remind myself that they | | | | "To be craving the things of the earth is to be forever |
| were talking about church and not a comedy club! | | | | dissatisfied, as the things of the earth are as small |
| When did church become a form of entertainment? Is | | | | crumbs from the table of God,". and Buddhism rests it's |
| this what church going has become - if the church | | | | case here in the First Noble Truth, that life is indeed |
| doesn't keep people happy, they will find one that | | | | suffering, and that only enlightenment, or as St. John |
| does? | | | | would say, "Union with God," can cure us. |
| Congregations are becoming gargantuan. Thousands | | | | Enlightenment and union withGod is true happiness, not |
| of parishioners jam parking lots that require an army of | | | | the surface happiness we feel when we are |
| security forces to regulate the traffic. The number of | | | | socializing. Socializing is only a way to grow the ego as |
| programs offered boggles the mind and are as | | | | we use friends and loved ones to reinforce the idea of |
| diverse as the people who attend these churches – | | | | "me." In the absence of "me" is God, but few honestly |
| probably everything from yoga, gourmet cooking and | | | | want to go there, even though that's all they will have |
| self-help, to career classes. Something for everybody | | | | left when their last breath is taken . . . nothing will |
| and a great place to meet that Mr. or Ms Right. And | | | | accompany them on their final, solitary journey; no |
| along with all the fun, of course, is the obvious | | | | possessions or knowledge, no family or friends, no |
| guarantee of heaven; just believe and have a ball. It's | | | | rock band, only God. So shouldn't we get to know God |
| not rocket science why my friends are ready to bail | | | | while we can? St. John and Buddhism consider |
| out of their Catholic faith – the Church just cannot | | | | enlightenment or union with God to be the most crucial |
| compete with rock bands and celebrity speakers. | | | | thing that a human being can aspire to, because if we |
| My smiling friends went on and on about their | | | | do not know God in this precious and important lifetime, |
| newfound community church and all the new friends | | | | our destiny is a crap-shoot for sure. |
| and business contacts that they have made, and as | | | | Oh, and one more thing that St. John said, just in case |
| they continued gushing, I found myself reflecting upon | | | | you ever decide to get to know God for yourself: |
| something that a great Catholic saint; St. John of the | | | | "Strive always to prefer not that which is easiest, but |
| Cross, once said. | | | | that which is most difficult. |
| "In order to have union with God, the soul must be in | | | | Strive always to prefer not that which is delectable, |
| darkness concerning things of the senses, that is | | | | but that which is unpleasing. |
| worldly things and creatures (human beings). But the | | | | Strive always to prefer not that which is the most |
| soul must be also blinded to spiritual things which are of | | | | pleasure, but that which is the least pleasure. |
| the higher or rational part. The soul must be resigned, | | | | Strive always to prefer not that which is the most |
| annihilated and detached. All is darkness compared to | | | | restful, but that which is the most wearisome. |
| God – all creatures deformed, the earth is void, the | | | | Strive always to prefer not that which is the most |
| heaven's dark. All the wisdom of the world is | | | | consolation, but that which is disconsolate. |
| foolishness. Proceed by unknowing, rather than | | | | Strive always to prefer not that which is greatest, but |
| knowing. Desire and knowledge make the soul weak. | | | | that which is least. |
| To be craving the things of the earth is to be forever | | | | Strive always to prefer not that which is most |
| dissatisfied, as the things of the earth are as small | | | | precious, but that which is most lowest and despised |
| crumbs from the table of God." | | | | Strive always to prefer not that which is desire for |
| Well. It's a good bet that good ol' St. John, poor fellow, | | | | anything, but that which is desire for nothing. |
| never really heard a really good Christian rock band! | | | | Strive always to prefer not that which is the best of |
| And if he did have a church these days, which he | | | | worldly things, but that which is the least of worldly |
| wouldn't, but if he did, he certainly wouldn't need parking | | | | things." |
| attendants! Who in their right mind would want to hear | | | | And then St. John said this: |
| things like – "Human beings are creatures?" Human | | | | "In order to arrive at having pleasure in everything, |
| beings are our friends and loved ones! They fulfill our | | | | desire to have pleasure in nothing. |
| lives that God wants us to live! "St. John is full of | | | | In order to arrive at possessing everything, desire to |
| beans, really depressing, and must have been out of | | | | possess nothing. |
| his mind," would be a typical comment, or perhaps just | | | | In order to arrive at being everything, desire to be |
| silence and a deer-in-the-headlights stare. | | | | nothing. |
| The problem is, after meditating for almost thirty years | | | | In order to arrive at knowing everything, desire to |
| and studying the deeper aspects of various religions, I | | | | know nothing." |
| have come to the conclusion that St. John was right | | | | And he drove it home this way: |
| on the mark. I mean, he wasn't made a Saint and a | | | | "In order to arrive at that wherein thou hast no |
| Doctor of the Catholic Church on a whim! But what he | | | | pleasure, thou must go by a way wherein thou hast no |
| taught along with St. Teresa of Avila, was too | | | | pleasure. |
| advanced for most people . . . but perfectly in synch | | | | In order to arrive at that wherein thou posseseth |
| with Buddhism. | | | | nothing, thou must go by a way wherein thou possess |
| When St. John says, "In order to have union with God, | | | | nothing |
| the soul must be in darkness concerning things of the | | | | In order to arrive at that wherein thou art nothing, thou |
| senses, that is worldly things and creatures (human | | | | must go by a way wherein thou art nothing. |
| beings)," Buddhism explains how to meditate and sit | | | | In order to arrive at that wherein thou knowest nothing, |
| quietly with one's mind detached from the busy world. | | | | thou must go by a way wherein thou knowest |
| When he says, "But the soul must be also blinded to | | | | nothing." |
| spiritual things which are of the higher or rational part. | | | | Have a nice Sunday! See you in church? |