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Dear Friends,

Just a note to say that Serge's Old World Rus' website has a "must see" page containing testimonies from former Buddhists who converted to the Orthodox Church. They talk about why Orthodoxy makes sense to Buddhists.

Very thought-provoking and interesting.

Congratulations to Serge.

Alex

Hristos a inviat!

In the first book writen by John Paul II there's an interesting comparisson between budhism and christianity:
Budhist and hindu ascetism is honourable and the ancient asian religions have a lot of teachings that could enrich christianity. Despite that, the buhist and hindu religions are not religions of redemption o salvation: the existence of the men is captured in the wheel of reincarnation and the only way to scape from it is to become isolated from the world and ignoring the sufferings of our brothers.
The sense of the budhist ascetism is to ignore the world and its sufferings, while the sense of the christian ascetism is the union with a living god and its saints in order to help this world with their prayers.
Budhim doesn't promiss a better life after these sufferings, they just follow a way to scape or dissappear while the sufferings in the christian religion are a part of the human salvation, represnetd by the martyrs and of course by Christ the son of God.

Lev

Cristo a resucitado verdaderamente!

Dear Lev,

Khristos a inviat!
Adevarat a inviat!

Christians living in Asia have made great strides in adopting Asian spiritual methods from Buddhism and Hinduism.

There are close similarities in terms of the PRACTICES of Tibetan Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity such as prostrations, prayerful invocations on beads etc. as one Russian theologian once wrote about (I forget his name, anyone know?).

Serge's materials demonstrate that there are those for whom these similarities serve as a bridge for them to move toward Christianity.

I remember reading about Buddhists who had become Catholics in Japana.

When asked why he became Catholic and not Protestant, one such convert said that it was because CAtholicisim had statues, just like the Buddhists!

Also, during the nineteenth century, a Catholic missionary to Japan preached the Rosary.

One of his converts seemed nonplussed. He said, "But Father, the Japanese have been praying the Rosary for centuries - and the prayer they use with it is longer than those we use. We may only get them to change their prayers that they chant . . ."

Also, there is a "St Joasaph" in the Roman Calendar under November 27. He is also in the Orthodox calendar.

He is called the "Prince of India" and in our Church he is venerated along with his father, Abenner, King of India and the monk that converted them.

Scholars today say that St Joasaph is none other than Gautama Buddha, Prince of India.

The story of the Buddha came to Greece via the trading routes, according to them.

After reading about how the Buddha left his wife on their wedding night to become a monk, the Greek monks translating this work thought this to be a story about a Christian Saint from India.

The story called Gautama "Bodisaf" or the "Buddha to be."

The closest Greek name to this is, of course, "Joasaph." And thus "St Joasaph" entered the calendar.

Others say this is wrong etc.

It is also interesting that the Asian "OM" sound is found in other cultures such as "Shalom," or the Slavic, "Hospody POMiluy."

Coincidence, no doubt . . .

Alex

Alex,

My one RC seminarian friend from Missouri visited our Church in Columbus, Ohio for liturgy (never been to a Byzantine Church/Liturgy before - never heard of us) and thought I was Buddhist. He never saw so much glitter and gold and incense! "Smells and Bells" he stated. He didn't go to communion because he actually thought we were Buddhist - even though Christ the Pantokrator (Buddha?) was in the ceiling staring down at him with them Eastern eyes.

Ommmmmmmmmmm................. (Tone 1)

Joe

Dear Joe,

During a trip to Hawaii, I paid a visit to that Buddhist Shrine that has the largest outdoor Buddha anywhere outside of Japan - do you know it?

I spoke with the Bishop for some time - it was the feast of the birthday of the Buddha.

It was strange, but at some points I thought we were looking at spirituality from a very similar vantage point.

He wrote what I had to say about "St Joasaph" and said he will tell his congregation during his next sermon.

He also gave me one of their rosaries, two circular strands of beads connected to each other. You hold a bead of one circle with two thumbs as you fold your hands in prayer and then move the other circle with your other fingers, thus allowing you to make more than 35,000 invocations!

I knew a Christian traveller who used the Tibetan invocation, "Om mane padme hum" in his own prayers, adding the Name of Jesus.

Thank you for sharing your post!

Alex

Joe,

I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you!

Everyone knows that our chuch here in Columbus is "that mosque on Cleveland Avenue across from the Japanese steakhouse."

Buddhist indeed!


Sharon


Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com

Sharon,

Was it those prostrations that gave us away or that cantor, Sharon ala Mecha Ali, singing from the golden dome's belltower for prayers?

How's the food at the Japanese steakhouse? Any good? Me wife and I plan to have dinner there someday we're in town visiting the Avenue of the East.

Ommmmmmmmmmm ....... (Hindu Tone 5 - which sounds like Tone 1, Tone 2, Tone 3, ...)


Joe

Dear Sharon and Joe,

Don't know anything about that Japanese Restaurant, but the next time I'm in your area, I'll be sure to look it up!

This reminds me of something my Antiochian Orthodox neighbour related to me about the Mosque that is near the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.

On the Feast of Pascha, the miracle of the Holy Fire occurred and a Muslim cantor standing at the top of the minaret saw the Fire dart to and fro, inside and outside the Church.

He then started to intone his cries that the God of the Christians is the true God etc.

He lost his footing and fell before the door of the Church of the Resurrection.

There is a plaque there in his honour, saying that he was baptized in his blood and is in Heaven with Christ.

Salaam,

Alex

Joe,

If you want good Japanese, don't bother with the Japanese Steakhouse - it's tourist junk, pricey, "scenic" and not very good. Go up the street. In fact if you are coming off I-270 on southbound Cleveland Avenue to head for St. John's, there will be a shopping center on your left at the first traffic light. There's a big healthcare facility there. There's also a storefront restaurant called "Sapporo Wind." Haven't been there in a few years (husband doesn't care for Japanese food) but when I was, the food was delicious, and that was where the suits from Honda ate.

As for our "mosque" alas, we have neither minaret nor choirloft, and our ecumenical approach is illustrated by the participation of our cantor - da Jew.

Shalom y'all,


Sharon

Sharon Mech, SFO
Cantor & sinner
sharon@cmhc.com

Sharon,

Thank you for the food tip. We'll have to check it out.

Was it 'ecumenical' that the Church allowed all of its Apostles to be Jews?

I was just teasing you about the belltower/minaret thing. My classmate actually thought I was Buddhist since our "Temple" had gold all over it, a "wall" before the Holy Place, "shrines" (or icon stands) all over the interior, and "robes" everywhere (he was use to 'potato sack' vestments as him and his friends affectionately called them). He thought the Buddhist priest was passing out meatballs and that is why he did not communicate. We all thought Holy Mother Church was saved when he eventually went into the Army hoping to work in Intelligence.

Shalom!


Joe

Dear Sharon and Joe,

O.K., Japanese restaurants and potato sacks aside, what did you think of my story about the Muslim?

Alex

Alex,

The first step to spiritual recovery is a mighty big one.

Joe

Dear Joe,

I guess someone forgot to tell him to watch that step . . .

Alex

Stories like these put a huge smile on my face.

Allah yirhamo.

The miracle of the Holy Fire has always been one of the most vivid manifestations of the truth of God's Religion to Muslims. I am sure, as accounts would show, it has more than once sparked fury and frustration in their hearts, sometimes to the detriment of our safety, the safety of our churches, and our living as much as we could in peace amongst them. But a conversion? That's indeed a beautiful and rare account in my book.

Alex, at what approximate period of time did this take place?

I imagine him intoning from the minarets, "Esh'hado in'nal Maseeha Ib'nul'lah." (I witness that Christ is the Son of God). Saying what he said from the minaret, had he not lost his step, he might have even received the crown of martyrdom from his former co-religionists.

In IC XC
Samer

Dear Sam,

According to my Palestinian-Antiochian Orthodox neighbour, it was about 50 years ago. (He says he grew up six blocks away from the Church).

I remember seeing the plaque in front of the Church when I was there for my honeymoon.

He also told me about a recent episode where a Muslim girl was in a Christian hospital. Her father removed the crucifix above her bed. But when he came back to see her, the crucifix had been returned to its former place.

He did this enough times and with enough watchfulness to realize that this was a miracle.

They both received baptism and were persecuted for their faith.

God bless,

Alex