Tesshin wanted to use his talk this week to contemplate Easter and Passover and what lessons they could impart to a Buddhist sangha.  He stated that there is a common theme in these holidays of suffering and redemption.  For instance, Passover recounts the story of a people enslaved in ancient Egypt.  The rituals of Passover spend a lot of time recounting the types of suffering endured.  It is not just the pain of hard physical labor, but the loss of self-determination which makes the slavery so bad.  In the Easter story, we encounter Jesus’s suffering on the cross.  Again, the depth of the suffering is not the pain of crucifixion, but feelings of doubt and abandonment.  Jesus’s words were clear – Oh God, why have you forsaken me?  

 

We all know that suffering is also an enduring theme in Buddhism.  We all have encountered deep suffering as living beings – there can be no denial of this.  Tesshin though at the core of most religious belief is the understanding of the reality of suffering.  For instance, Jesus already knew and understood about the gnawing fear of abandonment.  As a rabbi, he would have known about Psalm 22 which begins ….

 

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

    Why are you so far from saving me,

    so far from my cries of anguish?

My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

    by night, but I find no rest.

 

The Israelites also suffered this feeling of abandonment many times while wandering in the desert.  It should come as no surprise that in a moment of weakness they crafted a “golden calf” to pray to.  People will go to great lengths to alleviate deep psychological suffering like abandonment.

 

Tesshin remarked that all is not lost, however.  Both Passover and Easter counterbalance the suffering with redemption.  In the Passover story, the Israelites eventually enter the land of “milk and honey.”  Easter goes even further with the resurrection of Jesus.  It is clear that in all suffering, there is always the promise of redemption.  

 

Tesshin next remarked that we can also apply the concept of suffering and redemption from a Buddhist perspective.  Buddhist theology has spent a lot of time trying to understand suffering.  Suffering is understood to be a universal phenomenon.  It comes as no surprise that the first line of the core beliefs of Buddhism state that “Life has suffering!”  However, Buddhism also recognizes that universal suffering provides a gateway to compassion.  Why is this?  It is precisely because we all suffer.  This universal suffering allows us to empathize with other sentient beings.  We deeply understand what they are experiencing because we all are fundamentally the same thing.  We do not have this feeling for our car when it breaks down because at a deep level, we understand a car with a broken timing belt does not suffer.  

 

Tesshin next noted that pain and suffering is the birth of great movements in human history.  He asked us where do we think the notion of justice comes from.  One cannot have justice without deep empathy for the suffering of others.  If we look into history, justice tends to break down when we try to dehumanize the “other.”  However, if we recognize ourselves in the other, then justice and fairness is the only actions we can take. Tesshin remarked that is the deepest teaching of suffering and why our tradition spends so much time on the teachings of suffering and redemption.

 

Tesshin wrapped up by noting that cultivating this deep understanding of suffering and redemption is possible by consistent and diligent practice on the cushion.  When we practice, our sense of suffering shifts from being overwhelming to being alleviated in some small way.  If we can cultivate the mind, we can cultivate our wisdom and can see the true nature of suffering and the possibility of redemption.  We do not become a slave to suffering.  Instead, we begin to generate compassion and love for all beings.  Love and compassion are what we contribute to the world.  Each minute of practice is like a small addition to the total love in the world.