a conversation with
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A Conversation with Jesus, Krishna, Lao Tzu, and the Buddha
Preached 11/10/2019 at SouthWest UU in N. Royalton OH
By Rev. Meg Mathieson
Welcome to SWUU, the talk show! I’m Rev Meg, your host and as always I’m joined by the great spiritual minds of history! Today, let’s welcome our four special guests, Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, and Lao Tzu!
(applause as they enter)
It’s so great to have the four of you with us today! I trust you all know each other? I don’t need to introduce you?
Lao Tzu: We know each other really well.
Buddha: Hey buddy!
Jesus: It’s been a while!
Krishna: But not everyone might know us.
That’s right! First, we have Jesus, it says here you’re the king of the Jews? That’s … I don’t know if that’s okay to say?
Jesus: It’s you who call me that!
Oh sorry, what do you call yourself?
Jesus: I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger. He who believes in me shall never thirst.
You’re, you’re who exactly?
Jesus: I am the all. All things came from me and all things will return to me.
That’s weird, that’s really similar to what Krishna said earlier. Krishna, what was it that you said to me backstage?
Krishna: I am the origin of all things. All things came from me.
Buddha: (as though to be helpful, to help clarify) Well, Meg, you see, it’s very simple. The intrinsic unity of all things contains all things.
The intrinsic unity of all things?
Buddha: Yes.
Contains all things?
Buddha: You got it! (finger guns)
Lao Tzu: If I may, Meg? (Meg nods) What my esteemed colleagues are trying to say, is that the Way is complete in itself. All blessings come from it, and it holds nothing back from anyone.
(all nod emphatically.)
Jesus, it looks like you agree with Lao Tzu about what he calls “The Way?”
Jesus: Yes, Meg. What I often refer to as the Kingdom of Heaven. You see, it is within you and all around you, yet you do not see it.
Krishna: Those who find The Way are those who have love and forgiveness in their hearts.
Buddha, you agree?
Buddha: The Way holds all things within itself. But no one can understand the Way unless they have pure hearts.
So you all spoke of the Way as something … ethereal. Something - a goal to attain. That you need to have love and forgiveness and a pure heart to attain?
Lao Tzu: The Way is empty. The Way is full. There is no way to describe what it is.
Jesus: Hurry now to follow the Way!
Krishna: Those who are wise seek the Way!
Buddha: The Way is perfect!
Wow. Okay, so I guess we’d better be moving on. Forgive me, I always forget: which one of you came up with the Golden rule?
(All 4 raise their hands)
Jesus: (shrugging like it’s no big deal) Love your neighbor as yourself.
Krishna: Recognizing what brings pleasure and pain to himself, the true yogi treats others accordingly. Thus, he desires happiness for everyone and sorrow for no one.
Buddha: Seeing himself in others, one who is in a higher state of consciousness holds compassion for all beings.
Lao Tzu: Nothing but good comes to him who loves others as he loves himself.
Really? You all advocate for compassion and love for all beings? Not just the nice people? Not just the people who come to church on Sundays? What about people who don’t follow your particular doctrine?
Jesus: You receive no benefit from loving only those who love you. Great benefit comes from loving those who hate you.
Krishna: To me, all beings are the same. I hate none, and no one is more dear to me than another.
Buddha: Have compassion for all of creation.
Really? All of creation?
Buddha: Nurture within yourself compassion that is limitless.
Lao Tzu: Do not turn away from those you consider sinful or unworthy. If you have wisdom, you will try to save everyone.
Wow. You heard it here, folks. Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, and Lao Tzu agree: We should be kind and compassionate to all, not just to folks that we agree with. Wow. No wonder people consider you wise.
So should I engage and argue with people I disagree with? Try to get them to see that my way is correct?
Jesus (exasperated): Do not cast your pearls before swine.
Krishna: (laughing): Those who are wise should not disturb the peace of those who are ignorant.
Buddha: If a fool comes into the presence of wisdom, he still can’t comprehend it.
So that’s a no, then? Don’t argue with folks who aren’t going to get it anyway. Ok, and what should I do then instead?
Lao Tzu: A wise man teaches others without using words.
Buddha: Don’t worry about what others do or don’t do. Instead, worry about what you do or fail to do.
I see. Well, here’s the big question we all want to know: Is there life after death? What happens when we die?
Jesus: When one has completed his designated time here, his body will die but his soul will be alive. He will transcend this world.
Krishna: Those who understand that the Self is changeless and indestructible will never die.
Buddha: Those who understand the dharma will transcend death.
Lao Tzu: To be united with the Tao is to be one. To be one is to live forever. Even though the body dissolves, the person who is one is safe.
So when your body dies, something - some part of you still lives on?
Jesus: I am not the body that surrounds me!
Lao Tzu: That which is essential within a person cannot suffer. That exists forever.
Krishna: (emphatically) There is a place without substance. It exists beyond the great beyond. I call it the end of suffering.
Jesus: Do not fear suffering, for you are surrounded by a wall of protective spirit. The world has existed for a very long time and will continue to exist for a very long time.
Huh. Good stuff, guys. Interesting. So far, we know that you all agree that we should follow “The Way,” which has to do with introspection and also practicing compassion. You also say that we need to direct our compassion towards everyone without exception. You also all agree that I am not my body and that after my body dies, I will continue to live on in some way that I can’t really understand.
(they all nod, give thumbs up)
Any closing thoughts before we sing our final hymn? How about a quick soundbite on how to attain, you know, nirvana, enlightenment, et cetera?
Jesus: Do you not understand that what you see is what you will become? Therefore seek the Self within yourself, because this is who you really are.
Krishna: Recognizing the Lord everywhere reflects the Self within. This is the eternal reward.
Buddha: Recognizing the unity of all life, one sees his own Self in all other beings. This allows one to be impartial about all things.
Lao Tzu: Wisdom comes from knowing oneself. He who knows himself is enlightened.
Thanks so much! There you have it. Jesus, Krishna, Buddha and Lao Tzu, all agreeing that the way to enlightenment is to know the self, to be true to yourself, to be authentic…
Jesus: That’s what we’ve been saying! I don’t know how people got “go to war” and “hate the gays” from what we’ve always said!
Krishna: Yeah! And we’re not the only people saying it!
Buddha: You have living people today who talk about knowledge of the self, and compassion and authenticity!
Lao Tzu: How many preachers need to preach this stuff for humans to get it?
What do you mean?
Jesus: Well, way before I showed up, Socrates said, “To find yourself, think for yourself.”
Krishna: And how’s this for a quote: “You attract the right things when you have a sense of who you are.”
Oh wow who was that? That’s deep.
Krishna: It was said by Amy Poehler!
Buddha: You Unitarians like Henry David Thoreau, right? He said: “We are constantly invited to be who we are.”
Lao Tzu: Eckhart Tolle said, “Only the truth of who you are, if realized, will set you free.”
Jesus: Oscar Wilde said: “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.”
Preached 11/10/2019 at SouthWest UU in N. Royalton OH
By Rev. Meg Mathieson
Welcome to SWUU, the talk show! I’m Rev Meg, your host and as always I’m joined by the great spiritual minds of history! Today, let’s welcome our four special guests, Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, and Lao Tzu!
(applause as they enter)
It’s so great to have the four of you with us today! I trust you all know each other? I don’t need to introduce you?
Lao Tzu: We know each other really well.
Buddha: Hey buddy!
Jesus: It’s been a while!
Krishna: But not everyone might know us.
That’s right! First, we have Jesus, it says here you’re the king of the Jews? That’s … I don’t know if that’s okay to say?
Jesus: It’s you who call me that!
Oh sorry, what do you call yourself?
Jesus: I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger. He who believes in me shall never thirst.
You’re, you’re who exactly?
Jesus: I am the all. All things came from me and all things will return to me.
That’s weird, that’s really similar to what Krishna said earlier. Krishna, what was it that you said to me backstage?
Krishna: I am the origin of all things. All things came from me.
Buddha: (as though to be helpful, to help clarify) Well, Meg, you see, it’s very simple. The intrinsic unity of all things contains all things.
The intrinsic unity of all things?
Buddha: Yes.
Contains all things?
Buddha: You got it! (finger guns)
Lao Tzu: If I may, Meg? (Meg nods) What my esteemed colleagues are trying to say, is that the Way is complete in itself. All blessings come from it, and it holds nothing back from anyone.
(all nod emphatically.)
Jesus, it looks like you agree with Lao Tzu about what he calls “The Way?”
Jesus: Yes, Meg. What I often refer to as the Kingdom of Heaven. You see, it is within you and all around you, yet you do not see it.
Krishna: Those who find The Way are those who have love and forgiveness in their hearts.
Buddha, you agree?
Buddha: The Way holds all things within itself. But no one can understand the Way unless they have pure hearts.
So you all spoke of the Way as something … ethereal. Something - a goal to attain. That you need to have love and forgiveness and a pure heart to attain?
Lao Tzu: The Way is empty. The Way is full. There is no way to describe what it is.
Jesus: Hurry now to follow the Way!
Krishna: Those who are wise seek the Way!
Buddha: The Way is perfect!
Wow. Okay, so I guess we’d better be moving on. Forgive me, I always forget: which one of you came up with the Golden rule?
(All 4 raise their hands)
Jesus: (shrugging like it’s no big deal) Love your neighbor as yourself.
Krishna: Recognizing what brings pleasure and pain to himself, the true yogi treats others accordingly. Thus, he desires happiness for everyone and sorrow for no one.
Buddha: Seeing himself in others, one who is in a higher state of consciousness holds compassion for all beings.
Lao Tzu: Nothing but good comes to him who loves others as he loves himself.
Really? You all advocate for compassion and love for all beings? Not just the nice people? Not just the people who come to church on Sundays? What about people who don’t follow your particular doctrine?
Jesus: You receive no benefit from loving only those who love you. Great benefit comes from loving those who hate you.
Krishna: To me, all beings are the same. I hate none, and no one is more dear to me than another.
Buddha: Have compassion for all of creation.
Really? All of creation?
Buddha: Nurture within yourself compassion that is limitless.
Lao Tzu: Do not turn away from those you consider sinful or unworthy. If you have wisdom, you will try to save everyone.
Wow. You heard it here, folks. Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, and Lao Tzu agree: We should be kind and compassionate to all, not just to folks that we agree with. Wow. No wonder people consider you wise.
So should I engage and argue with people I disagree with? Try to get them to see that my way is correct?
Jesus (exasperated): Do not cast your pearls before swine.
Krishna: (laughing): Those who are wise should not disturb the peace of those who are ignorant.
Buddha: If a fool comes into the presence of wisdom, he still can’t comprehend it.
So that’s a no, then? Don’t argue with folks who aren’t going to get it anyway. Ok, and what should I do then instead?
Lao Tzu: A wise man teaches others without using words.
Buddha: Don’t worry about what others do or don’t do. Instead, worry about what you do or fail to do.
I see. Well, here’s the big question we all want to know: Is there life after death? What happens when we die?
Jesus: When one has completed his designated time here, his body will die but his soul will be alive. He will transcend this world.
Krishna: Those who understand that the Self is changeless and indestructible will never die.
Buddha: Those who understand the dharma will transcend death.
Lao Tzu: To be united with the Tao is to be one. To be one is to live forever. Even though the body dissolves, the person who is one is safe.
So when your body dies, something - some part of you still lives on?
Jesus: I am not the body that surrounds me!
Lao Tzu: That which is essential within a person cannot suffer. That exists forever.
Krishna: (emphatically) There is a place without substance. It exists beyond the great beyond. I call it the end of suffering.
Jesus: Do not fear suffering, for you are surrounded by a wall of protective spirit. The world has existed for a very long time and will continue to exist for a very long time.
Huh. Good stuff, guys. Interesting. So far, we know that you all agree that we should follow “The Way,” which has to do with introspection and also practicing compassion. You also say that we need to direct our compassion towards everyone without exception. You also all agree that I am not my body and that after my body dies, I will continue to live on in some way that I can’t really understand.
(they all nod, give thumbs up)
Any closing thoughts before we sing our final hymn? How about a quick soundbite on how to attain, you know, nirvana, enlightenment, et cetera?
Jesus: Do you not understand that what you see is what you will become? Therefore seek the Self within yourself, because this is who you really are.
Krishna: Recognizing the Lord everywhere reflects the Self within. This is the eternal reward.
Buddha: Recognizing the unity of all life, one sees his own Self in all other beings. This allows one to be impartial about all things.
Lao Tzu: Wisdom comes from knowing oneself. He who knows himself is enlightened.
Thanks so much! There you have it. Jesus, Krishna, Buddha and Lao Tzu, all agreeing that the way to enlightenment is to know the self, to be true to yourself, to be authentic…
Jesus: That’s what we’ve been saying! I don’t know how people got “go to war” and “hate the gays” from what we’ve always said!
Krishna: Yeah! And we’re not the only people saying it!
Buddha: You have living people today who talk about knowledge of the self, and compassion and authenticity!
Lao Tzu: How many preachers need to preach this stuff for humans to get it?
What do you mean?
Jesus: Well, way before I showed up, Socrates said, “To find yourself, think for yourself.”
Krishna: And how’s this for a quote: “You attract the right things when you have a sense of who you are.”
Oh wow who was that? That’s deep.
Krishna: It was said by Amy Poehler!
Buddha: You Unitarians like Henry David Thoreau, right? He said: “We are constantly invited to be who we are.”
Lao Tzu: Eckhart Tolle said, “Only the truth of who you are, if realized, will set you free.”
Jesus: Oscar Wilde said: “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.”