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Christ
By gartenfische | January 7, 2008
Frederick Buechner wrote a beautiful piece about Paul. In it, he asks, What kept Paul going? Of course it was his visitation by Christ: Everything that Paul ever did or wrote from that moment on flamed up out of that extraordinary encounter on the Damascus road.
Ironically, it seems that non-Christians are visited by Jesus as often as Christians are. Paul. Me (I would have called myself anything but Christian at the time of my encounter). I once read a description that Stephen Levine, teacher of Buddhist meditation, wrote of Jesus coming to him during meditation. His reaction was like mine—astonishment, because this was the last spiritual figure he expected to see.
This is Ram Dass’s account of how his Hindu guru often spoke of Christ:
Once he said the following thing: “Christ died for Truth. He gave his life for the Dharma.” “Maharaji, how can you turn fear into love?” “If you trust in Christ, you’ll have no fear.” Maharaji said to a number of the Westerners: “Christ is your guru.” They said, “But Christ isn’t here,” He said, “Christ never died. He lives in everyone’s heart.” Many, many times he said to me again and again: “Be like Christ.” He said in regard to Truth: “You must tell the Truth, Ram Dass. Christ told the Truth. They killed him for it, but he told the Truth. Be like Christ, Christ died for love. Be like Christ. They slandered him but it didn’t matter.” And he said to us one day: “Meditate like Christ meditated.” “Maharaji, how did Christ meditate?” He closed his eyes and tears ran down his cheeks, and he opened his eyes and he said: “He lost himself into the ocean of love.” Once he looked off and he got into a kind of reverie and he said: “Christ died for humanity, but who will die for him?” and somebody said: “Maharaji, what can I do to gain a pure love for Sri Rama?” (Ram, being a Hindu form of God). Maharaji said: “You can get it by the blessing of Christ.” Maharaji said: “Serve the sick and poor, that’s what Christ did.” One time we were talking about politics. Maharaji said: “Lincoln was a good president.” I said, “Yes, Maharaji, why is that?” He said, “Because he knew Christ was president. He was only acting president.”
He was a Hindu, but he knew Christ. Of course, Christ is not a Christian. We made him a Christian. He belongs to nobody and everybody.
Christ was and is and lives and breathes in us.
Topics: religion, Christianity |
January 7th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Beautiful photo. “Of course, Christ is not a Christian. We made him a Christian. He belongs to nobody and everybody.” I never thought of it this way. Thanks!
January 7th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
This post is amazing. It expresses so well everything that I’ve been wanting to put into words for a long time–wow. I forwarded it to my husband, too (a nominal Buddhist).
January 7th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
It is so true that the “true” Christ is accessible to all of us, and beyond our silly constructs of religion.
January 7th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Garten, this is beautiful. You jogged my memory about Sundar Singh, so I went to look up his story:
“Three days after he burned the Bible in front of his father, he woke up at three in the morning and went out into the moonlit courtyard for the ceremonial bath observed by devout Hindus and Sikhs before worship. He then returned to his room and knelt down, bowed his head to the ground and pleaded that God would reveal himself. Yet nothing happened. He was thinking of throwing himself in front of the train that would pass at 5 a.m. every morning behind their house, in the hope that he would find peacefulness in his future reincarnation.
” He had not known what to expect: a voice, a vision, a trance? Still nothing happened, and it was fast approaching the time for the Ludhiana express. He repeated his prayer once again. He lifted his head and opened his eyes, and was rather surprised to see a faint cloud of light in the room. It was too early for the dawn. He opened the door and peered out to the courtyard. Darkness. Turning back into the room he saw that the light in the room was getting brighter. At first he feared that the room was on fire. But nothing happened. He then thought that it might be an answer to his prayer. While watching the light, he suddenly saw Jesus’ figure in the radiance. To his sheer amazement he saw not the face of any of his traditional gods, but of Jesus the Christ.
“Jesus Christ was there in the room, shining, radiating an inexpressible joy and peace and love, looking at him with compassion and asking, “Why do you persecute me? I died for you …” [Acts 9:1-5] At that time, Sundar realized that Jesus was not dead but alive. Sundar fell on his knees before Him and experienced an astonishing peacefulness which he had never felt before. The vision disappeared, but peace and joy lingered within him.”
January 7th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Jan, Oh thank you so much for that beautiful story. Wow. That could’ve been my whole post. I think I will quote your comment in a post soon!
January 8th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Thank you- this is very moving. Folks get so caught up in who Jesus should belong to… How about no one and everyone?
Recently Desmond Tutu made some remarks to this effect, but he was speaking of God. He said God was not Christian and of course lots of people took offense.
Christ is light, spirit, love -available to all.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Not all that long ago, I would have avoided a post called “Christ.” I have realized how much I missed in that time I spent so much energy avoiding Christianity (seeing only its limitations in the sexism of organized religion and the twisting of the political landscape). Over the last year, my perspective has broadened to include the faith of my childhood, and I know I am richer for it.
Your post has taken me even farther in realizing the universality that is the life and being of Christ. Thank you!
January 9th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Epiphany, Only a few years ago, I would have avoided a post about Christ, too. I’m glad we’ve both widened our perspective!
January 9th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
And in Him we live and move and have our being…at least I do…thank you for this very beautiful and amazingly clear piece.
January 13th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
[…] to get comfortable with saying His name. Actually, Gartenfische’s post simply entitled “Christ” helped me to begin to understand that Jesus is in fact a figure with whom I can feel a deep […]