Five Faiths

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An essay: Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islamism. Five faiths, five selected quotes, and some personal reflections.

Buddha- "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." 

First two are easy to recognize, the third is illusive, open to argument, strife, pain. Desire and suffering handcuffed for eternity, inseperable, bound to the seeking of truth's right path. 

Lord Krishna- "Your birth is a mistake you'll take your whole life to correct."

We stumble out into the world with so many decisions and choices already determined. Gender, parents, history, name, core self-identity, early influence, all determined before we're asked, before we have a say. Multiple lifetimes like a curing process, old traits purged over each new existance, the kiln of time.

Moses- "Who am I that I should  go unto Pharoah, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

Self-doubt and an overwhelming burden of assigned responsibility characterize the Torah's description of the persona of Moses. How often do I feel self-doubt and insecurity? And how miniscule my challenges compared to a shepherd commanded by God to change the world. Fast-forward from the original Twelve Tribes, only about fourteen million Jews today. The courage Moses must have found from the depths of his fear, it's the rarest of all human traits, the vital force driving human history.

Jesus- "Whatever you want others to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law of the Prophets." 

The messianic traditions from the Torah patriarchs, the historically rich narratives of a Savior coming to rescue humankind. As the great prophets predicted, the story of Jesus- from Bethlehem to the Cross, it's likely the most profoundly palpable and visceral narrative of all, as it affects me personally. No matter the unknowable reality, realized only thru faith- a decision to simply and trustfully believe- I keep thinking about those grippingly real Gospel scriprures describing the events of the time, the many miracles witnessed, the elegant teachings of Jesus, the sightings after the Cross: just like Moses, his sacred staff a lightining rod of magic and power bestowed from God, those folks both in Eqypt and Jerusalem, they all saw something! How then is all this witnessing explained? I would love to know that answer, and my lifetime studies continue forward.

Mohammed- "There is no beauty greater than intellect." 

Islam is the latest and youngest faith to confirm a monotheistic direction. If the Prophet means the intellect that designs and directs the Universe is inviolable, undivided, the faith speaks to nature's purity. The uniquely reverent beauty of God's creation is the knowledge behind all wisdom, the core truth. 

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