Dina of Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo sent me a link to a Vatican message for the Feast of Vesakh which is the Indian name for the Japanese Hana-Matsuri celebrating Buddha's birthday. It really started my day off with a smile.
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Dina is a dear friend I met in Chicago who then moved back to Israel. Her daughter and mine were elementary school buddies. Dina is also the person who got me started in blogging, gave me an understanding of the Jewish religion and renewed my hope in all faiths coming together.
The link she sent me was for a Vatican message calling for friendship among Christians and Buddhists. (Click on the link for the entire message which is much longer.) The introduction showed me why I'm liking Pope Francis more and more.
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The link she sent me was for a Vatican message calling for friendship among Christians and Buddhists. (Click on the link for the entire message which is much longer.) The introduction showed me why I'm liking Pope Francis more and more.
I remember a Buddhist friend of mine here in Hawaii whose brother had converted to Christianity. She asked him if there could be a dialogue of understanding between her temple and his church. His church absolutely refused to consider it since they felt their way was the only way. It was disheartening. The closing paragraphs of the Vatican message are uplifting and gives me hope for the future."Pope Francis, at the very beginning of his ministry, has reaffirmed the necessity of dialogue of friendship among followers of different religions."
“As we all know, in spite of these noble teachings on the sanctity of human life, evil in different forms contributes to the dehumanization of the person by mitigating the sense of humanity in individuals and communities. This tragic situation calls upon us, Buddhists and Christians, to join hands to unmask the threats to human life and to awaken the ethical consciousness of our respective followers to generate a spiritual and moral rebirth of individuals and societies in order to be true peacemakers who love, defend and promote human life in all its dimensions.”
I'm so happy!“Dear Buddhist friends, let us continue to collaborate with a renewed compassion and fraternity to alleviate the suffering of the human family by fostering the sacredness of human life. It is in this spirit that I wish you once again a peaceful and joyful feast of Vesakh.”
This is such an important post and something I needed to read today of all days.
ReplyDeleteGreat! Meanwhile I found this, which puts the Vatican message in context and has a nice photo:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.news.va/en/news/christians-and-buddhists-loving-defending-and-pr-2
It really is such a beautiful, loving letter of collaboration from the Vatican. Thank you so much, Dina.
DeleteWell, that is encouraging news. I am not affiliated with any religion, but I do believe that they cannot all be: "the one true"
ReplyDeleteHa, you must have dug deep in the archive to find that photo of us. Like, 30 years ago?!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, Kay. One of the best things in my family's 3-year sojourn in Illinois was becoming friends with you and Art, Tiffany and Jonathan.
Yes, Papa Francesco is a pope who is easy to love. He is "good for the Jews" as well as for Buddhists. Our President Peres had a friendly audience with him just a few days ago.
When the Pope comes to Israel (and he will), I wish he would enter a room with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, lock the door, and not let anyone out until white smoke of a peace agreement rises. They could declare "Habemus pacem!"
That photo was from June, 1983. :-)
DeleteHe is a different kind of pope, and one who is really needed during this time in the world, I think. I am encouraged, also. Thanks, Kay, for starting my day in such a positive way. :-)
ReplyDeleteI've been so impressed with his sweet spirit and reaching out to others of all faiths...
ReplyDeleteNice post, Kay!
ReplyDeleteWhen I learned that Christians weren't the largest religious group in the world, I started noticing other religions. Yes, the new Pope seems very good, but I still worry about his safety.
I think "Aloha" is a good religion. DrumMajor
I'm all for aloha, DrumMajor. :-) I hope the snow is done for the season for you guys.
DeleteOur 8,000 member Methodist church has carried on a open dialogue for years with all the religions of the community. But to have such a message from the new Pope speaks with a louder voice and hopefully many will listen and agree.
ReplyDeletethere's always needs to be more friendship between all faiths and non-faiths. I actually had to work another store yesterday at my company because some worker had passed away and they allowed anybody there to go the funeral and had neighboring stores give people to fill in the gap.
ReplyDeleteWhile working there somebody had asked what the deal was and I told him the basics. He goes "I hope he was a Christian" and it took a lot of self-control to not tell him off.
Which also reminds me of ultra-conservatives/republicans "pledge" to stand with Israel. They don't care about a friendship with Judaism, it's just a more politcally correct face for their islamophobia.
Thank you so much for your wonderful perspective, Adam. From all you write on your blog, I can see what an interesting, knowledgeable person you are.
DeleteWe like this new Pope!
ReplyDeleteJust your long friendship with Dina is an inspiration. Through your blog, I have noticed that you are very passionate about so many different people and things in life. How do you keep such an open mind and heart?!!
ReplyDeleteL...w
After getting to know you through our cyber conversations, I can see we are the same way, L...w.
DeleteBut I'm afraid that's where it ends for me. You, Kay, on the other hand, live with conviction. That's why you are my model of how it's done.
DeleteL...w
You are too kind, L...w.
DeleteAre you getting this horrendous thunderstorm in your area?
I like the quote 'fostering the sacredness of human life' as being a vital goal of all religions. May we all work towards a better world through tolerance, understanding and working together no matter what our differing beliefs might be.
ReplyDeleteWow, that gives me hope. I left organized religion mainly for that "our way is the only way" mentality. I too am liking this Pope more as we learn more about him.
ReplyDeleteI am applauding! I remember having two 'friends' years ago who once they realized I would not join their church, turned their back on me. It was a real eye-opening education and ever since I have been very wary of whom I make friends with.
ReplyDeleteOh my... That's so sad, Denise. You know what? They weren't good enough to deserve you, that's for sure.
DeleteI hope the Pope's message of reaching out influences others to move toward more religious tolerance. Why is it that so many "true believers" are so intolerant?
ReplyDeleteIsn't it sad?
DeleteThank you for this post. I think that a Christian can be a Buddhist as well, because Buddhism is not a religion but a way of life. In a Japanese hotel where I stayed for one night, there was a bible and the book of Buddha, which I opened and read part of it. I was astonished that so many quotes looked like those of Jesus. They expressed peace and reconciliation.I always think that Buddha and Jesus would have been friends.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that Dina is such a good friend to you and many bloggers.
Dina is also my friend. She is the one who invited me to come to Israel, and she booked for me an apartment not far from where she lives. It was great to have her as a guide.
About the pope I can say that we hope that he will seek a possibility to include the protestants in the Christian community, and to understand why we became protestants. Well we see!
You are very right, Wil. I was over-generalizing there. How quickly and unforgivably I have forgotten. In fact I do have a protestant minister friend in Illinois who was very much interested in and respectful of Buddhism and other faiths. It was unfair of me to generalize and I apologize for that. I was thinking only of those people I know who will not recognize the fact that there are other beliefs and at the moment was what I was thinking of. Thank you for setting me straight.
DeleteIt is gratifying to see the leader of one of the world's most intolerant religions profess tolerance. It remains to be seen how sincere that message is, and if it is, whether followers will embrace it.
ReplyDeleteSuch an important post. Thanks for reposting his words.
ReplyDelete