Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Two great teachers

Some months ago I got a book edited by Marcus Borg, one of my favorite theologians writing today. It's called Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings. The Detroit Free Press called it "An eloquent overview of the similarities between Christianity and Buddhism."

Here is a sample that includes what I think is the central koan of the Christian religion:
Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.

-- Jesus (Mark 8.30)

With the relinquishing of all thought and egotism, the enlightened one is liberated through not clinging.

-- The Buddha (Majjhima Nikaya 72.15)

Both of these teachings are about the imperative of letting go if we want to be whole and free.
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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:24 AM

    Those two sayings remind me of a meditation that is in a little book called "Always We Begin Again, The Benedictine Way of Living." The morning meditation says: "Help us to save ourselves by forgetting ourselves." And then further on it says: Give us the power to. . . . to give up concern for ourselves and thus to walk in perfect freedom." I really enjoy Marcus Borg too. I got to hear him speak a month or so ago and he was just as good a speaker as he is a writer. A few weeks ago I finished reading his "The Heart of Christianity." And now I really want to get the book mentioned in today's meditation.

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  2. Ellie Finlay5:31 PM

    Thanks for this comment, L.K. Yes, I heard Borg speak, too, and he was wonderful.

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