One of my favorite Simpsons moments was when Homer was being chased by a rhinoceros and cried out as a last ditch attempt to be saved, “Jesus, Buddha, Allah, I love you all.” That might be called a religious bet each way.

In answer to the question, “Aren’t all religions equally true?,” the Rabbi answered, “No, all religions are equally false!”

A Muslim Cleric, a Christian Bishop, a Jewish Rabbi and a Buddhist Monk struck up a conversation in a bar about the recent Tsunami tragedy. The Cleric declared that the tsunami was a warning from the Almighty, a test of righteousness.  “God is angry with the Aceh people,” he said, “because most of them do not do what is written in the Koran.”

The Christian Bishop agreed. “Yes,” she said, “everything which happens is part of the sanctioned plan of God. This is indeed a warning, a warning of the judgment to come.”

The Jewish Rabbi said- “The problem is human beings with finite minds trying to understand the infinite mind of God. It just can’t be done. All we know is that the Tsunami is in some mysterious way part of the plan of God.”

Finally the Buddhist monk chimed in- “The Tsunami is karmic retribution on human beings for not caring for the environment as Lord Buddha has required of us.”

And there was a philosopher sitting next to them at the bar and listening in on the conversation. The words of Rami Shapiro ran through his mind- “All religions are equally false.”

The conversation continued as the Cleric became more animated.

"The problem is that the (Christian) holidays are accompanied by forbidden things: by immorality, abomination, adultery, alcohol, drunken dancing and revelry. At the height of immorality, Allah took vengeance on these Christian criminals ... Allah struck them with an earthquake. He finished off the Richter scale. All nine levels gone."

The Christian Bishop countered, “What about the tens of thousands of non-Christians ‘gone’ alongside these so called ‘criminals’ ?”

The Cleric then went a step further as the atmosphere intensified- “This killer from the sea is connected to Thailand’s support for the United States foreign policy, as they bow at the altar of capitalism.”

The Bishop would have none of that- “What about the aid pouring in from the United States and other places,” she said, “amounts which dwarf the contributions of the Muslim world? And why would the sea not have taken its wrath out on other US allies or even the coastline of the US itself?”

Her blood boiled, and she went on. “What do we make of the fact that a disproportionate number of Christians miraculously survived the disaster, and what of the fact that 8 of the 12 countries affected were systematically persecuting Christians?”

The monk shifted the focus of the exchange when he pointed out that statues of Buddha near Galle, Sri Lanka, survived the Tsunami intact, while other nearby structures were demolished. “The Tsunami was a judgment against the people of Sri Lanka,” he said, “where corrupt priests drive around in big cars and don't pray enough."

At which the point, the philosopher quietly wept for the state of the world and the inability of religion to address the real issues of human suffering. Indeed, he thought, all religions are equally false.

I created that mythical dialogue out of reported quotations from religious leaders since Boxing Day? (* references at the end of sermon text plus some further quotes)

While I have been impressed with the way the global community has rallied in support of those suffering, there hasn’t been much balanced religious enquiry in the media. If this idea that God sent the Tsunami is unthinkable, then how DO we make sense of it as people of Christian heritage?

As we begin a series on Buddhism and Christian parallels, it seems the right time to attempt some comment on the enormous human suffering we have witnessed, although you will understand that I do so with some anxiety. It seems easier to say nothing lest it appear callous to victims. However, it also strikes me that if we don’t do some reflecting after an event such as this, we dishonor the victims by not taking the opportunity to improve our world in some way following the devastation.

Rest assured that my intention is not to give some absolute water tight explanation for innocent suffering. My aim is simply to open some doors of thought and spark your own enquiry into human pain.

So, to our challenge this morning which is to explore the cosmologies; i.e. the big pictures, the systems of meaning or purpose, of both Jesus and Buddha in relation to the Tsunami and other world tragedies. Giving money to those who have suffered, and helping to rebuild communities is a good and right response. However, in order to make any sense of a tragedy such as this will require some soul searching. What the lives of both Buddha and Jesus inspire us to do is remove any separation between ourselves and those who suffer, to blur the boundaries to such an extent that the pain of the Sri Lankan orphan is a pain we physically feel in our body.

It happened for me while in Australia last week. Like most people, I had watched the television pictures and scoured the internet for information. I felt sad and confused and wondered if our world would ever be the same again. However, it was only when I was walking at the edge of the ocean in one country with my children on the other side of the world that it hit me fully. I began to have a vision that the beach I was walking was in Indonesia, and the waves were rolling in, and my kids were out of reach, scrambling for safety. We were screaming, desperate, so helpless. It was the thought of my own children being affected that hit me with a pain that was tangible in my body. For just a few moments I had become a victim of the Tsunami as I felt some small portion of what it must be like to not be able to hug your child and tell them “It’s alright- I’m here.” In some small way, my heart had broken with the pain of loss and impermanence. This is not to suggest for a second that my pain got close to the pain of hundreds of thousands of families. It was just a small spark of meaning that came out of the tragedy for me.

Blurring the boundaries between self and other in the face of suffering is, in a nutshell, the cosmology of both Jesus and Buddha.

The whole intent of Buddhism is to offer a pathway of freedom from suffering. Robert Thurman makes this point in the book Infinite Life. It was Freud who had claimed that all he was offering was to free people from their neurotic suffering so that they could get back to their ordinary suffering. Buddhism is a system seeking complete freedom from suffering. Buddhism says that there are three marks of human existence; suffering, impermanence and non-self. Our suffering grows out of our craving or desire to be a permanent and a successful separate self.  Something like the Tsunami shatters our desire as it speaks of the ever- changing, sometimes rapidly changing universe we are part of. At our most fragile moments, we know that it could have been us or our families; the wave could have hit where we were, or some other tragedy could strike.

If there is any good to come out of this tragedy it will be our world’s ability to hear the cries of injured and grieving people and to know in a new and deeper way the sound of universal connection. Out of this would come a new sense of being one, across national or religious boundary.

Then there was Jesus who made clear that those who suffered at the hands of an oppressive regime were not to blame for their suffering.  Pilate had a group of Galileans killed while in their temple. He also asked the question, “Do you think because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time that they were somehow more sinful?” Obviously, the answer to that question is no. Jesus then goes on to make the powerful statement- “Unless you repent, you will all perish.” It’s not language I use, and yet found myself poring over these words all week as they somehow seemed to hold the essence of Jesus’ cosmology.

The situation is not parallel, for he was describing a politically motivated massacre and not a natural disaster. However, it’s as if he were saying to us today- don’t imagine that because you were not in Asia at the wrong time that you survived the tragedy. If you don’t really hear the cries of those who suffer, if you don’t feel in your body the pain of despair, if you don’t repent of your incessant desire to be separate selves, constantly dividing the world according to lucky ones and unlucky ones, according to those who are Christian and those who are not, then you, too, will perish. You will resign yourself to a lifetime of suffering and possibly other lifetimes of lower evolution.

Thich Nhat Hanh speaks in Living Buddha Living Christ  of interbeing. When we look intently into another object or person, the distinction between observer and observed disappears. We gain insight into the true nature of the object. This understanding, he says, is the pathway to compassion.

Buddhism doesn’t look for a cause of suffering. It holds to a view of Karma where there is a wheel of life, a system of birth and rebirth, where all events and all intentional actions direct all future actions and events. All people, all natural processes, all events are interdependent. It’s important to remember that in Buddhism, as in progressive Christianity, as in life, there is rarely a single answer or explanation. Thurman offers the helpful reminder that moving from self to non-separated self is not a single step. It’s about peeling layers of self away. The Tsunami just might be one important step for the world to take in this process. As the layers of separate self are peeled back, the world becomes a more connected place. As the world becomes a more connected place, it becomes a more compassionate place. As the world becomes a more compassionate place, the victims of the disaster are honored.

This notion of Karma is hinted at also in Jesus’ words when he says we reap what we sow. For post-theistic, or non-theistic Christians, it’s unnecessary for there to be a first cause, just as Buddhism has no need for a single first cause. The universe is quite possibly a beginningless and endless intermingling of energy forces with constant deaths and rebirths taking place.

The beauty of both non-theistic cosmology and Buddhist systems is that we don’t take things so personally. It’s not all about us, and it’s not about whether a separate and personal God cares for us as individuals or chooses not to care for us. Non-causal philosophies can be an antidote to narcissism, which is the root of all suffering.

I received an email during the week which seems to put the Tsunami in another helpful context. Its called “Tsunamis - A Native American Perspective,” and is written by Michael Lightweaver who is a transpersonal therapist. In this piece, he channels a message from a spirit called “Big Mama.”

Tsunamis
A Channeling From Big Mama

You know something, I'm kind of fed up with you guys. You take everything SO PERSONALLY. It doesn't occur to most of you that I am ALIVE.  Yes, I'm a living being just like you.  I'm continually evolving, growing, changing, etc., and you are a part of my growth as you are a part of your own process.  When I stretch, yawn, hiccup, or sneeze you think it's some kind of collective punishment for your “sins.”  Did it ever occur to you that that is a bit arrogant? You worry about “Earth Changes” -- no such thing except for the fact that I am continually changing.  It's not an event. It's an ongoing process that you don't understand because of your fruit fly mentality.

Last week some guy found fossilized footprints of a dinosaur which roamed the suburbs of Washington, DC. 100 million years ago.  That was long before you were even a suggestive sparkle in the Creator’s eyes. Did you know that the total life span of a fruit fly is seven days? Seven days! OK, so let’s say this guy John-the-fruit-fly is born one Monday morning in late October.  On Thursday, the first freeze of the season hits.  John tragically freezes to death.  Now one could take a fruit fly perspective and claim that this was some kind of punishment for John’s many fruit fly misdeeds or -taking a somewhat larger view of the matter - one could see that John had the unfortunate bad luck - or chose at some level - to be born four days before the first killing frost. Do you have any idea how old I AM?  Your life span isn't much more than a fruit fly and your whole sojourn here as a species isn't much more than a blink of the eye to me. 

When Mama moves, she shakes things up.  It's just that you don't have an “eonic” sense of time, so you tend to take it personally. Get Over It! One hundred years from now, you and probably everyone you know will be dead....  and on to greater adventures.  I will still be here, yawning, hiccupping & sneezing long after your species ceases to even be a memory around this place. Put your daily petty dramas into THAT perspective. Why does it ALWAYS HAVE TO BE ABOUT YOU?  Did it ever occur to you how much of your energy and money is focused on killing other species on this planet - and I'm not just talking about bug spray and chicken farms.  You are spending over $175 million dollars a day to destroy Iraq while 14,000 children starve to death every day.  That means that more children have starved to death so far since 12/26/04 - just from neglect - than all of those who died in the big wave.  And then you applaud yourself for sending two days worth of war costs for relief. NOW THAT IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD TAKE PERSONALLY! YES, I'M PISSED - BIG TIME.  But God and I haven't conspired to punish you. You seem to do a fairly good job of that yourself.  I'm just fed up with taking the blame - along with GOD - for just being who I am and doing what I have been doing for the last several millions of years; long before you came on to the scene. And though I may not sound very compassionate at the moment, I do feel the pain of EVERY ONE OF MY CREATURES who suffers. Did you know that I sent a warning to let everyone know that I was about to sneeze?  Did you see the news? The only ones who heard me were the wild animals in India and some “primitive” tribal people on a remote island.  They all went to higher ground just before the wave hit and none of them died.  Why didn't the rest of you hear me??? So, I let you know I'm about to sneeze, you don't hear me because you aren't listening, and it wreaks havoc. And then you have the audacity to blame GOD! Give me a break. Maybe you should just start listening.....  Or even better, maybe you should ask yourself what you are doing that is so important that you aren't listening....Michael Lightweaver

That’s another perspective. Again, it’s only a partial perspective; that’s all anyone can offer. You have to decide what makes sense for you. What I hope is becoming clearer is that whether it is the thinking of Jesus that is most familiar for many of us, or the teaching of Buddha which is newer for some of us, or the channeled teaching of a spirit, the intent is the same- more connected lives, and a more compassionate universe.

My own perspective is that the Tsunami wasn’t sent by any God, and it wasn’t caused by any one circumstance or divinity. My opinion is that there is no divinely ordained purpose to a disaster that kills so many people. It was just part of an ever-changing universe. However, it’s also my sense that there are some important lessons we can choose to take out of it. The main one is to keep paying attention.

That is the half truth of all religions, to watch for the signs or cycles of life. The falsity of all religions is their attempt to paint a single portrait of life’s meaning which is divinely ordained and immutable. The truth of all religion is compassion. Our compassion will grow out of our understanding that we are not separate from those who suffer. The process of peeling back the layers of self will come as we realize the oneness of all things.

Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” A Japanese Zen master said, “The Buddha and all sentient beings are not two.” Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Buddhism is made of non-Buddhist elements. Buddhism has no separate self. When you are truly a happy Christian, you are also a Buddhist. And vice versa.”

Religions coming together. People coming together. Nations feeling each other’s pain. In awareness. In mindfulness. In compassion. The meaning we can choose to take out of tragedy. We just need to pay attention.

(* NB- all of the dialogue was composed of actual comments reported from religious leaders since the Boxing Day Tsunami. Some of the references were included in the text above and some follow here.

Chief executive of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Amjad Mehboob, said in comments to AAP, "It's a test - he wants to see how we react to this. If we react with compassion, our hearts are filled and we do something about it, then that act in itself is something God is wanting to see in us. We turn to God, we become God-conscious and when we become God-conscious we do good and not bad, we seek good in others."

He said that the Koran teaches that natural disasters are in part a result of human actions.

"We believe that whatever happens in the world, it happens with the sanction of God, and nothing can happen without his sanction."

The Washington Post reports that in Indonesia, Muslim imams are blaming themselves -- or, rather, their congregations. They have explained the colossal devastation as a warning from Allah against people's laxity in observing sharia law. "God is angry with Aceh people, because most of them do not do what is written in the Koran and the Hadith (the collected sayings and actions of the prophet Mohammed)," one cleric told the newspaper.

The Anglican Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, told a newspaper that "Disasters are part of God’s warning that judgment is coming.”

Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick, president of the Organization of Rabbis of Australia, said to question God was to question with our finite minds His infinite wisdom. "What we consider tragedies are part of His plan, and the final result is what counts." The world runs to God's plan.

A Buddhist monk named Sumana, said to the Associated Press, "Nature has given them some punishment because they are not following the path of the Lord Buddha. The people have to learn their lesson," he said.)