Patrick Butler: Another Look

"Is there a God and if so, what should one do about it?" These are two essential questions all religions, everywhere, ask and try to address. This Easter, for perspective, I considered two sources - His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, currently exiled in Dharamsala, India. The second was the Jewish Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, known today as Paul, who became writer of much of the New Testament.

Among my thoughts was the knowledge that churches predictably swell above normal attendance at Easter. This is not unusual. Jewish and Muslim clergy report similar swellings of their congregations at Yom Kippur and Ramadan.

Among those at tomorrow's Easter services will be some trying to reconnect with God after a long absence. It's a "jolt-cola" or "shot-of-faith" way to do religion, really. The approach is like making up missed morning coffee by one day having ten shots of espresso in your Americano instead of two. The hope, it seems when it comes to Easter, is that the "shot of love" this Sunday will get someone through half a year or so, or perhaps all the way to Christmas.

May I say, certainly, you're going to get something doing it that way but honestly, it's going to wear off fairly quickly. Give it the shot, though. Some buzz is better than none.

With that in mind, it was with fascination I watched the 14th Dalai Lama on TV Tuesday. It was not so much what he was saying (refuting China's claim that he was responsible for civil protests concerning Tibet), but what the man looked like in his environment. I closely watched the video of saffron, sandaled Sadhu's sitting around His Holiness in the lotus position, facing a statue of the Buddha. A Sadhu is a person who's given it all up so they can attain self-realization. That's what the orange robes mean.

Forgetting, for the moment, about what the Dalai Lama and his followers believe concerning the nature of the universe, I think the average Christian, such as myself, might learn something from considering the what, why and perceived spiritual benefits of what these monks are doing.

I'm not suggesting one sits before the Buddha, bending breath and body to become "spiritual." But some kind of mental commitment is definitely necessary for "enlightenment." It's not necessary, I think, to be in the lotus position, sitting up straight and getting the seven "chakra's" correctly in line. If someone is in a wheelchair, confined to bed, has spinal problems or are on crutches, there is hope for enlightenment. But concentration is a must. The question becomes, "what to concentrate on?"

Now enter the man of Tarsus, the elite Jewish religious leader, who tradition calls "Saul" and later "Paul." He started out as a despiser and prosecutor of "Jesus followers" as they were called then, a mix of Jews and gentiles (They were not called "Christians" until later).

Paul was a verifiable historical figure from a well-known city. His observations help Easter take on new meaning. That's because Paul's writings and experience cannot be dismissed as inadmissible evidence toward the very existence of Christ or the significance of Christ's sayings.

Or Christ's resurrection.

Religious critics cannot say "Jesus never said or claimed ..." this or that when you have Paul, the Pharisee, the Jewish-educated former enemy of Jesus followers, saying, "yes, he did" and ignore his perspective. Doing so undercuts the authority of any argument. Paul must be dealt with.

This man turned from approving violence and prison toward Jesus followers, to writing eloquent passages about the resurrection of Christ (See I Corinthians 15 of the New Testament).Why the change of heart? It's that change and Paul's passion afterward that is so intriguing.

What has this has to do with the Dalai Lama? Though all religious roads cannot possibly "lead to the same place" as some wish (because of presuppositions), the internal commitment and willingness to focus and travel those roads sacrificially are very similar. In that light, one can take another look at Paul and the Dalai Lama. Extra effort is required in religion.

Easter is easy in one sense. Believe it or not. And one must consider before dismissing it, that there is no religion anywhere today that features someone rising from the dead. What Paul significantly said in the aforementioned passage was, "If Christ was not raised than our preaching is useless, and so is your faith" (NIV). Seekers of any stripe should look deeply before leaping into just any spiritual path that will take years of effort and deep commitment.

Perhaps this Easter even more Christians will begin to find their path as worthy to give the patience, discipline and devotion that the Dalai Lama gives to his.

BUTLER
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