The Almond Tree and Our Common Heritage

[Guest]

It's Easter, and in the tradition of my birth (I was raised Greek Orthodox) the resurrection of Christ is being celebrated. David Loy has a very interesting take on this which I find appealing, namely, that Christ's resurrection can be interpreted as the death of ego and the awakening to one's own Buddha nature... renunciation of past actions, atonement, and starting over - a cycle of vow and atonement in our own practice.... but that's a matter for another discussion.

I have read many threads in this section of the forum tonight.... a night of mysticism, connection, and great significance for many.... remembrances of friends who are suffering and finding difficulty in moving forward, teachers who appear with grace in the most difficult of circumstances. I feel very close to all of you tonight. My family have all gone to bed and I am reading and writing. I have never felt closer to the common human legacy that unites us - the desire to live lives of meaning in the midst of suffering. Various spiritual / faith traditions and philosophies come at this existential dilemma in different ways (it is creed that unites us and dogma that divides us) - but I wanted to share with you two pieces from I have read tonight from different traditions that speak to our hearts and our common heritage. I am grateful for all of you in the midst of all our (and my) challenges and difficulties....

I said to the almond tree
Speak to me of God
And the almond tree blossomed
(Nikos Kazantzakis)

God... [is] the spirit of unity and truth at the center of the universe
(Nishida Kitaro)

Sometimes it is in the most difficult of circumstances that grace and beauty appear before us - Buddha nature indeed pervades the whole universe and all beings... regardless of health, employment circumstances, family situations, the opinions of others. It is difficult to perceive these moments when one is in the storms of life. We practice together, share our sorrows, joys, and concerns together as we proceed on our journey. We need one another, regardless of background, context, or heritage. Our humanity is our common legacy. I'm grateful for all of you.

Shawn, Anne, Shonin, and all of you - thank you. You are my teachers and companions in practice.


Deep bows
Yugen

[Nindo]

Happy Rising to your Buddha Nature Day!

[Kokuu]

I said to the almond tree
Speak to me of God
And the almond tree blossomed

This is beautiful, Yugen. Times like Easter give us a good opportunity to look at the shared humanity that binds us rather than the differences that divide us.

I very much like the notion of the death of Christ and his subsequent resurrection into heaven being a story of awakening (also the comparison of that to Odhinn hanging for nine days and nights from an ash tree before himself having a spiritual breakthrough) but recognise my own ability to reinterpret other religious stories to suit my own narrative.

I hope that you and your family are enjoying Easter together in ways that you can all enjoy.

With deep bows for your continued practice and great input into Treeleaf.

Andy