Buddhist Wisdom, Modern Life
Claire Villarreal, PhD
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Buddha nature and the cross: Buddhist reflections on Easter
In this talk, we explore Thich Nhat Hanh's interpretation of the Easter story of the death and resurrection of Jesus from a Buddhist perspective. While acknowledging that this interpretation is not representative of any given Christian interpretation, we use certain aspects of the Christian story and its interpretation for Buddhist purposes. In Christianity, Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, a concept that only applies to Jesus. However, in Buddhism, this applies to every living being. Each of us lives in both conventional and ultimate reality, and the sense of self that we think exists doesn't exist even conventionally. This sense of self obscures the reality of emptiness or Buddha nature. The Dharma path is about deconstructing the mistaken sense of self and "crossing out" the "I." This process can be painful, as it involves letting go of the human part of ourselves. However, this is what makes resurrection possible and leads to the release of our Buddha nature. Through the concepts of Anicca, Anatta, and Dukkha, we explore the tragedy of human life, in which we are both human and divine but have forgotten our divinity. We often go into the spiritual journey thinking we will become more spiritual or bigger, but at some point, we realize we have to let go of who we think we are in order to settle deeper into reality. Overall, this interpretation offers a unique perspective on the Easter story, emphasizing the universal nature of the concepts presented and the importance of letting go of the self in order to access our true nature. May you and all beings be well.
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