A Buddhist appreciation of the Pope

This morning, I was reading the first major publication of the wonderful new Pope, Francis, his Apostolic Exhortation entitled "Evangelii Gaudium" meaning "The Joy of the Gospel." While, obviously, his text is thoroughly grounded in Christian ideology--that is, in biblical allusions, the notion of Christ as Redeemer and as Son of God, and references to "Christians" etc.--I nevertheless took great joy, as a Buddhist, in reading it, for it was, notwithstanding, pure Dharma. Here is but one example from the opening invocation:

Original:

The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who ac­cept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. In this Ex­hortation I wish to encourage the Christian faith­ful to embark upon a new chapter of evangeliza­tion marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.

 

With a few minor changes, a Buddhist would feel perfectly comfortable with the following translation:

 

 

The joy of the Dharma fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter it. Those who pursue the path of enlightenment are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Practice, joy is constantly born anew. In this Ex­hortation I wish to encourage all seekers to embark upon a new chapter of Dharma practice marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Human journey in years to come.

 

The sole difference is the terminology; Christian terminology is exclusive; Buddhist terminology is not. In other words, the Christian terminology excludes all who (1) do not believe in the absolute truth of "the gospel";  (2) cannot relate to the idea of Jesus as the sole redeemer of all humanity; (3) are not committed into converting everyone else to believe as they do ("evangelization"); (4) do not limit their appeal to "Christians" alone; and (5) don't limit this journey to one particular "Church."  Yet the common themes of Pope Francis and Dharma practicitioners everywhere else--especially Gaian Buddhists like myself--become even clearer in the subsequent passage:

 

Original:

 

 

The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and an­guish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spir­it which has its source in the heart of the risen Christ.

 

Translation:

The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and an­guish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. Our inherent Buddha nature is no longer heard, the quiet joy of love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for practitioners too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not Bodhichitta, nor is it the life in the Spir­it which has its source in our hearts.

 

As we can see, when the Pope (Peace be upon him) gets seriously down to business, the differences between his Christian teachings and my Buddhist translation become fewer and farther between, and more trivial as well. His message rings true and clear.

 

My fondest wish for world peace lies in a realization I would hope to make available to everyone:  that all (authentic) religious traditions worldwide are nothing but retail outlets for Truth--that they all consist of two elements: Dharma and identity politics. Dharma refers to the inner truth that transcends all ideology--the wisdom and compassion we know in our hearts, to which all authentic teachings point, with their various, culturally based metaphors. Identity politics refers to all those superficial elements of language and doctrine that distinguish one faith tradition from another--all the signs by which people recognize others as "one of us" or"one of them." And the core teachings of every authentic tradition all point beyond identity politics to true Dharma: "Love God and that which is like unto it, Love your neighbor as yourself."

 

Unfortunately, since we all cultivate an (ultimately illusory) sense of self, we are pretty much stuck with identity politics--with labels, whether "Christian," "Buddhist" "Muslim" "Jew" or what have you...But Gaianity--my own "label" for collective enlightenment--involves cultivating the ability to look beyond our personal labels, to embrace our Oneness with each other and with all life.  This entails, among other things, the willingness to let go of the urge to convert--to make others "see like me, feel like me, and be like me" in the words of Bob Dylan. Rather, we need to cultivate the ability to live and let live--to love others as they are, no matter which label they feel most comfortable affixing to themselves.  The Pope is a Catholic; I am a Buddhist. But I honor him as a true Dharma teacher, a true Bodhisattva.