BBC article on Jesus in Hinduism by Shaunaka Rishi Das
I am bowled over by the sincerity as well as the scholarship of this article on Jesus from a Hindu viewpoint, http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/beliefs/jesus_1.shtml, by a former Irish Catholic who now has the name, Shaunaka Rishi Das, and has been Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies since its inception in 1997. A couple of paragraphs from his article:
"Jesus shows this struggle of surrender during his evening in the garden of Gethsemane. His sincere appeal to the Lord to let the cup pass from him, although He was willing to go through with His Father's command. I have always found myself in this kind of dilemma, although without the same willingness to do the needful that Christ had. All of us who struggle with spirituality wonder if we are capable of making the effort, or if we are doomed to failure and hypocrisy. Can we meet the challenge? Christ's example is so relevant for all of us who want to practise a spiritual life, and even for those who just want to be good. But how many of us are willing to sacrifice our desires in favour of the will of God, even in small ways?
When we look at his experience during his traumatic arrest, trial and crucifixion we see a man at peace within Himself and with the world. He was condemned for his zeal and for his perceived threat to society, because he was misunderstood. I have experienced that to a lesser degree in my life - being condemned for being a Hare Krishna, for being different and incomprehensible. I have been spat at and derided, but not crucified. I have no idea what Jesus had to give up, in His early thirties, so that I, in my early forties, could be inspired to follow the Godly path."
Ravi: What an awesome inspiring figure Jesus Christ is for all who want to spread the love of God, whatever be their religion! What are the troubles missionaries of today face in comparison to the supreme sacrifice of Christ, no matter what the religion or inter-faith practice the missionaries of today try to spread!
The article ends with this sentence, "It would be a great shame if we allowed our Hinduism, our Islam, our Judaism or indeed our Christianity to stand in the way of being able to follow the teachings and example of such a great soul as Lord Jesus Christ."
Ravi: Amen to that, I say!
"Jesus shows this struggle of surrender during his evening in the garden of Gethsemane. His sincere appeal to the Lord to let the cup pass from him, although He was willing to go through with His Father's command. I have always found myself in this kind of dilemma, although without the same willingness to do the needful that Christ had. All of us who struggle with spirituality wonder if we are capable of making the effort, or if we are doomed to failure and hypocrisy. Can we meet the challenge? Christ's example is so relevant for all of us who want to practise a spiritual life, and even for those who just want to be good. But how many of us are willing to sacrifice our desires in favour of the will of God, even in small ways?
When we look at his experience during his traumatic arrest, trial and crucifixion we see a man at peace within Himself and with the world. He was condemned for his zeal and for his perceived threat to society, because he was misunderstood. I have experienced that to a lesser degree in my life - being condemned for being a Hare Krishna, for being different and incomprehensible. I have been spat at and derided, but not crucified. I have no idea what Jesus had to give up, in His early thirties, so that I, in my early forties, could be inspired to follow the Godly path."
Ravi: What an awesome inspiring figure Jesus Christ is for all who want to spread the love of God, whatever be their religion! What are the troubles missionaries of today face in comparison to the supreme sacrifice of Christ, no matter what the religion or inter-faith practice the missionaries of today try to spread!
The article ends with this sentence, "It would be a great shame if we allowed our Hinduism, our Islam, our Judaism or indeed our Christianity to stand in the way of being able to follow the teachings and example of such a great soul as Lord Jesus Christ."
Ravi: Amen to that, I say!
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