Teaching of Jesus in the Gospel Readings of Monday and Tuesday of Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (Mark 10:17-27, 28-31) seem to echo Buddhist teaching of dana and nekkhama, as well as, metta.
Dana in Sanskrit means
giving, and in the context of Buddhism, it means generous charitable giving for
charity (metta), echoed by Paul’s words to the Corinthians:
Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will
also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God
loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
For us to practice what Buddhists call dana and
what Paul calls “cheerful giving”, we must first commit ourselves to the
Buddhist virtue of nekkhama, which is detachment from carnal and
material inclination to ourselves. According to these Gospel Readings of the
first two days of Eighth Week in Ordinary Time, Mark 10:17-27, 28-31, the virtue
of nekkhama and dana are not exclusive to Buddhism but found in
Jesus’ teaching, as well.
In Mark 10:17-27, Jesus responded to a man, who ran up
to him and knelt and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit
eternal life?”(Mark 10:17). And Jesus reminded him of the importance of
observing the commandments in the Torah (Mark 10:18-19). Then, the man said, “Teacher,
all of these I have observed from my youth”(Mark 10:20). So Jesus said:
You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell
what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then
come, follow me (Mark 10:21).
In response to these words of Jesus, this man, who
seemed proud to have been observing all the commandments in the Torah, looked
said and went away because he had so many possessions (Mark 10:22).
Then Jesus said to his disciples:
How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!
Children, how hard it is to enter the
kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God
(Mark 10:24-25).
The disciples seemed to have found this teaching
rather difficult. So they said to Jesus, “Then, who can be saved?”(Mark
10:26).
In reply, Jesus said:
For human beings it is impossible, but not
for God. All things are possible for God (Mark 10:27).
So, here is a very important lesson from Jesus for our
salvation, which is to enter the Kingdom of God through a narrow entry, like the
eye of a needle: Detach yourself from your inclination to carnal and material
clinging (nekkhama) so that you can give your material possessions for
the poor in charity (dana for metta) , and you will be fit to
enter the Kingdom through the eye of a needle.
It is impossible for human beings to save themselves.
Following our desires to amass material wealth and fulfilling our carnal
desires will not save us. Such pursuits only give a false sense of security. It
is Christ the Son, who is incarnated in Jesus, set by the Father, filled with
the Holy Spirit, who can save – if we believe and follow him practicing dana
for metta as a result of nekkhamma.
And Peter began to say, “We have given up
everything and followed you” (Mark 10:28). Indeed, he and other disciples
practiced nekkhamma when Jesus called them to follow him (Mark 1:16-20).
Jesus replied:
Amen, I say to you, there is no one who
has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or
lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred
times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers
and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first (Mark
10:29-31).
With the above words, Jesus explained benefits of nekkhamma
for those who practice this virtue of renunciation, saying that God will reward
manifoldly what we have given up to follow Christ and to benefit the poor. And
the virtue of nekkhamma is not just about carnal and material things,
which we tend to become attached, but our pride (mana). So, those who
are meek (mardava) and humble (vinati) shall have the first place
in the Kingdom.
Jesus teaches that superficial observance of the commandments
does not suffice to enter the Kingdom with eternal life. A man who ran up to
Jesus but left because he could not practice nekkhamma as Jesus commanded
(Mark 10:17-22) is a good example for this. Practicing the virtue of nekkhamma
means to overcome both tanha (carnal desire for material satisfaction)
and mana (pride). Buddha taught that this is how we can be free from endless
cycle of suffering (samsara). But Jesus taught that this is to receive
eternal life and to enter the Kingdom through the small entry, comparable to
the eye of a needle.
Before our
conversions, we may have amassed material wealth, pursuing our tanha and
we used to be so proud of what we have amassed. And it is a major obstacle to
our salvation – to enter the Kingdom. But, upon conversion, we attain nekkhamma
and become able to follow Jesus and prevent material things from
accumulating for ourselves by practicing dana for metta, knowing
God’s rewards and exaltation are incomparably better.
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