Oh Jesus, I love You
And I love Buddha too
Ramakrishna, Guru Dev
Tao Te Ching and MohammedWhy do some people say
That there is just one way
To love You, God, and come to You?
We are all a part of YouYou are un-nameable
You are unknowable
All we have is metaphor
That’s what time and space are forIs the universe Your thought?
You are and You are not
You are many, You are one
Ever ending, just begunAlright, alright, alright
I love You and Buddha tooOh Jesus, I love You
And I love Buddha too
Ramakrishna, Guru Dev
Tao Te Ching and MohammedWhy do some people say
That there is just one way
To love You, God and come to You?
We are all a part of YouAlright, alright, alright
I love You and Buddha tooOh Jesus, I love You
(I love You, Jesus)
And I love Buddha too
Ramakrishna, Guru Dev
Tao Te Ching and MohammedWhy do some people say
(I love You, Jesus)
That there is just one way
To love You God and come to You?
We are all a part of YouYou are un-nameable
(I love You, Jesus)
You are unknowable
All we have is metaphor
That’s what time and space are forIs the universe Your thought?
(I love You, Jesus)
You are and You are not
You are many, You are one
Ever ending, just begunAlright, alright, alright
(I love You, Jesus)
I love You and Buddha too
Alright, alright, alright
(I love You, Jesus)
I love You and Buddha tooAnd Buddha too, and Buddha too, and Buddha too
(I love You, Jesus)
And Buddha too, and Buddha too, and Buddha too
(I love You, Jesus)
And Buddha too, and Buddha too, and Buddha too
(I love You, Jesus)
And Buddha too, and Buddha too, oh yeah
H/T Father Richard
webmaster of the wonderful companyofvoices.blogspot.co.uk
That’s a good way of confusing people about God.
I don’t think people need any help in getting confused about God…I like this song. It reminds me of a favourite poem from my youth, by the late Ghanaian poet Kwesi Brew, called ‘The Search’:
“….when wise men become silent,
It is because they have read
The palms of Christ
In the face of the Buddha”.
Lots of fun, and thought-provoking; shame it is musically so uninteresting. In fact, I could only listen to the first chorus and verse!
Yes, Gillian, I hadn’t heard of them until Fr Richard pointed me to this – but clearly there’s a crowd there that has different taste. Blessings.
Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed have all attempted to teach and lead us toward the love of the Creative Energy that we call God.
*facepalm*
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6)
So, if one is a Christian, then Buddha and Mohammad (unless they point directly to Jesus, which they don’t) have nothing to teach us.
Buddha, with his beliefs on reincarnation directly contradicts the concept that your one life here on earth is vitally important and Mohammad, with his impersonal God and lack of belief in the divinity of Jesus contradicts the personal and incarnational beliefs of our faith. Both lead further away from God, rather than helping us come closer.
I don’t worship Buddha as a Deity yet have learned much from Buddhists over the years, and I know from interfaith events we’ve done here that people of other faiths have learned much from Christ.
One of the most spiritual events of my life was when the Dali Lama came to speak here, not necessarily what he said, which I did not always understand, but the moment he came in and sat down and composed himself- he just took his shoes off and sat quietly praying for a few minutes and the whole room took a collective deep breath, there was a real sense of ‘oneness’ and peace.
According to the Nicene Creed which establishes the formalised Christian religions God has the three components: Father, Jesus and Holy Ghost and thus is omnipresent.
Like you, Tracy, I have been immeasurably enriched by Buddhists. Including, like you, by the Dalai Lama. This is not at all about agreeing with all they say; there are many Christians with whom I differ also. Blessings.
I have the Dalai Lama’s book about Jesus here on my shelf, I’ll take a look at it today.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Good-Heart-Perspective-Teachings/dp/0861711386/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349788766&sr=8-2&keywords=dalai+lama+book+about+jesus
So many people in the world are being put off Christianity by the actions and attitudes of Christians, I think perspectives from outside our own eternal internal squabbles might be refreshing.
I didn’t understand the teachings of Christ until I started going to Jewish Temples, and realising the way the Rabbi speaks around the topic to illuminate it and waken a connection in the listener…one Rosh Hashanah service sticks in my mind particularly: ‘can I be an atheist and a Jew?’ where the preacher took the congregation on a tour of what it means to be Jewish- the understanding and commitments involved in that- and how enlightenment of different things comes at different times to each, and in their ordained time.
Sometimes I think Christian preaching is a bit like force-feeding…especially now so many places don’t keep to liturgy and the personality and politics of the preacher and culture is the flavour of the sermons.
I believe that Jesus is the only way to God, because I believe that is what God said in the gospels. However, God can teach us truths via a rock if He wants to. Truth comes from nature, from animals, from children and from anywhere. Truth is truth! Wisdom (truth)can be learned anywhere you are if you are open to God…as (I beleive) there are not many paths to God, but God is on every path. He is always finding ways to speak to us…if we have ears to hear.
I love your point, Jennifer, that God is on every path. Blessings.
One time there was a Pastor in a particular town who regularily invited those in the congregation to choose a Sunday to share what ever was on their hearts. Many times church members would take this time to share bible passages that inspired them…or things that God had done in their lives.
There was a man, who usually came on Sundays and always sat way in the back. It was not hard to figure out that he didn’t really want to talk much because he would immediately leave after service. He was probably homeless because no one could ever find where he stayed.
Anyway, one Sunday he asked the Pastor if he could share…well, the Pastor was surprised, quite surprised actually. He also, was surprised at his own reaction, as his response was not as kind as he would have liked — as he told the man that he they would talk about it the following Sunday.
That week it was in his mind almost at every minute. He thought about the appearance of the man — how dirty and how “homeless” he looked. He thought about the voice of the man, how “old and scratchy” it sounded. Yet, he knew that no matter his misgivings, he had to give the man his turn to share.
That morning, when it was time, the old man got up and walked slowly to the pulpit. He opened his bible and then from the minute he opened his mouth to the very end when he closed his bible and began his walk back to his seat…there was not a dry eye in the whole sanctuary. His voice, as he spoke about God’s love and grace, came forth with such beauty and conviction, that it was something that rang in the people’s ears for months afterwards.
The Pastor’s heart was pricked and was so humbled that Sunday…and learned that indeed wisdom and wonderful truths can come from anywhere.
Thanks, Jennifer. Blessings.