HOPE LEARNT FROM THE MAGI

The story of Magi or the three wise men or the three kings from the East is pretty known, especially by Christians. The three wise men saw the unusual star and they tried to find out what the phenomenon is all about.  They searched it and then decided to follow the star. Finally the star stopped in Bethlehem and they found the King.

For me this story tells us something about human hope and human search for the truth: the truth about oneself, about nature, about others, and about God. However, it needs one’s openness to see, to search and to find out the essence or the core behind all the perceived existence. Behind all that is there is a first cause; behind all sensed matters there are spiritual things; behind all that is human there is divine being; and behind human message there is spiritual message.

Therefore, the message of the story leads us to the deepest desire of our human quest. The three wise men were the model of our quest for the truth in our life. Life is not stagnant in our locality, our village, or our circumstance. Life should be a dynamic or a process of becoming to actualize our potentiality.  Therefore I see in the story 6 continuous process of finding the truth.

1. Seeing the star: they were not only seeing the star and stopped with it but they were searching and investigating it. They tried to discover the real meaning of the start: why it was there? Was it there for a purpose? This star only can be seen in the night time of their life.

2. Following the star: leaving the comfort zone of one’s life is not easy but the three wise men went to follow the star. They left their comfort zone of their day-to-day life and encountered uncertainty of the unknown.

3. Encountering distraction: they stopped in Jerusalem and being summoned by Herod the King who planned to kill the child. Herod questioned their intention and their purpose; however, they still stuck with their commitment and pursued their way to find the child, Jesus.

5. Finding the place where the Child was: when they found the place, they entered and saw the child and the mother. They were so full of owe and wonder; “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” that they stayed there with the child for a while, worshiped and gave the child their gifts. What a great gesture and expression that had for the child. Feeling fulfilled or maybe finding the truth is the simple word I can describe of the experience of the wise men. They gave and offered what they had to the child because they had found the answer of their quest.

6. Returning home with new way: the story tells us that the three wise men returned to their place using other way. It brings up a light that because of seeing and encountering the truth of their quest, they came back with a new hope; their spirit was renewed; their life was revived. They become new persons; they had a new paradigm of seeing the reality of life.

The process of journeying of the three wise men to find the truth within their context was our process too. It is the process of our journey to search for something good, something precious and truthful in our life. It is about searching to find one’s deepest longing and desire. It might be the actualisation of our being self or in religious term it will be God, the source and summit of all our human desires.

Therefore, I see that we can lean and use this process to find our answer for all our quests of life. Have a hope always.

Christmas Hope

Well.. Christmas is coming..

 Nothing but to greet all of you "happy n blessed Christmas".

This s special time for us be connected.. not only by our social media but also personally heart to heart n face to face connected...

It s because God is trying to be connected to us humans by His own pure n par excellent image Jesus Christ, His Son to be with us.

 So God wants to connect to us personally.. face to face seeing our humans affairs n struggles.

heart to heart to feel our human conditions..

His Name is Emmanuel.. 

God is with us.. 

Moreover as we are at the last month of this year.. may we realize that of God's connectedness to us. God love you and me as He becomes one of us, humans;therefore, we have opportunity to reach His Divine Life. So let me also take this moment to greet you "happy new year 2019". An opportunity and hopeful year for all of us because God is with us..Emmanuel.. God bless you.

SUN: SOURCE OF HOPE

Sun for me is so powerful; when I wake up in the morning and see the sunrise, it gives me a warm happy feeling within me; during the day when I was outside, even inside the house I feel its heat cover me (I stayed in tropical area) and it brings a sense of its presence; in the night when I sleep I hope to see sun again. I do not know why I have a desire to see the sun in the morning, on which it brings up a sense of hope within me. That is sun.

I learnt that sun is one of millions of stars in our universe. It is the center of our system called solar-system. However, why I, a very tiny entity in this planet earth, can sense and perceive such powerful-unthinkable-start which attracts all to be dependent and to orbit around it. Amazing!!! Maybe I am a chosen one to have such experience of sun; maybe I am different to have eyes to recognize the sun; maybe I was born to desire for sun; or maybe I was a child of the sun, whose gene and chromosome I carry within me. Maybe!!!

In ancient period of humanity, from Asia, Australia to America, Europe to Africa, we find some traces of people worshiping sun; some ancient religions called their god sun; and some ancient nations called their king the son of sun. Therefore, the Sun depict like their God. Why? I think and imagine that it is because the sun gives life – everything comes to be because of the sun -; it gives happiness; it gives warmth; it gives strength; it gives hope.

Well, human race is the race of sun, according to me; we are here and now because of sun. Our life depends on sun; our activities rely on sun; our energy level depends on sun; our planning for the future depends on sun. I imagine if we were without sun, we would not have time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years). Thus, a living without sun is death.

I bring you to my final thought that God is our real sun. Human race is the race of God because God has created us in God’s image; we have God’s genes and chromosomes within our being human. Therefore, we have desire for God as St. Augustine once said, “My heart is restless until it finds rest in God”. God should be our center of life and our dependency of life because we want to see life, which is full of happiness, warmth, joy, energy, activity, and hope. That is my hope for all of us. Thank God, you are my real Sun.

Termites' Life: A Story We Can Learn From...

I like to eat everything woods and dry grass.  Humans do not like me because I destroy their buildings, trees, and flowers. They try to kill me with all kind of chemical liquids but they do not know that I must feed myself and my colony with those shorts of materials.

Humans call me “termite” or “white ant” because I am in the family of ant but I am also different from ant. We build our house in the ground near wood and we live in the group. People call our group is a colony of termites or white ants. We do not like to stay alone because our enjoyment and surviving depend on other termites, however, we don’t like to mingle with termites from other colony. In our colony we have our king and queen, eggs, larvae, soldiers, workers, and nymphs.

Our king and queen come from nymphs and when the nymphs have had matured wings, they are called “swarmers”. Then, they will leave our colony and fly to find lights. There they will find their destiny; they will find their partner and at the end they will be king and queen to start new colony. Therefore, they meet each other for the first time usually on the beginning of the rainy season and after pairing-up, they shed their wings and start finding chamber near wood for queen to lay eggs. During this time king and queen take care of eggs and these eggs will develop to become termite-workers. Thus, cycle of our life as termites begins again.

You, humans can learn from us, termites. Our presence and our cycle of life could teach you something about life itself. Life is about struggle to survive. We know deeply inside of us that many would like to have us around them and that our body could offer nutrition for some insects. However, we do not hide ourselves by stopping ourselves doing our duties; the termites-workers must seek and look for the food; the solders protect our colony, and our queen always produces eggs for the future of the colony. So please, you, humans, do not give up your life but do the best for your colony (your country). You must strive for the best for your country even there are so many challenges and difficulties that try to destroy your colony.

We, termites, follow our destiny. As termites we never dream to become other insects or animals. We know that one day some of us will start their own colony as termites; we follow each process of life as a process of making us ready to be a king and queen. However, each process of our beings starting from beings eggs, larvae, soldiers or workers, and beings nymphs and then to beings king or queen, is a normal process of our life as termites. We imagine that after leaving the colony because of our growing of wings we could become a butterfly but it never happens. We actually leave the colony to become independent king and queen to start another cycle of termites’ colony. Therefore, humans, you have your destiny, but you must know that you cannot be God or high humans. Your destiny is to become independent humans who will start your own life and begin your own colony (family). You leave your “nets” in order to start your own life. But the process of learning has been prepared for you, i.e. the process of socialization and education, in your humans’ system. Therefore, you, humans, should form humanly system that enables your members in each level to participate in actualize their being humans.

Looking from our point of view as termites, I could imagine that humans can have bright future to fulfil their purpose as humans by searching and looking for “lights”. Why I said so because we, termites, we find our true partners when we come closer to light. In this light we find our call of being king and queen. Thus, humans can find their true call of becoming “king and queen” in your society by coming closer to light. Remember that light offers opportunities for that purpose but at the same time it attracts dangers that can stop and destroy it because it happens to us as termites. We come to light and find our true partner there but in light also many of us lose their life because so many predators waiting to destroy our life.

Who is your light? Termites find light, created and provided by humans, but you, humans, must have a light. It can be your faith and believe; it can be your family and friends; it can be something important. However, the function of light is to lead you to find your true self and to find your destiny. So please, don’t stop your selves looking at the present condition of yourselves but this present state of yours can lead you to another stage of your life journey, where you will find your self-actualization, to be king or queen. Take care.

Kenosis and Sunyata

1.      Introduction

The doctrine of Sunyata in Buddhism seems to have a similar meaning to self-emptying (kenosis) in Christianity. However, if we try to look both concepts more deeply, we will find that both of them come from a completely different starting point: Buddhism's starting point is the mystery of human suffering and how humanity evades suffering while the Christian perspective is the mystery of incarnation of God in Jesus Christ.

In this paper I will try to see the concept of Sunyata and its relationship with humanity in Buddhism and then try to compare it to my Christian understanding of God and God's relation to humanity. In so doing, I try to investigate some key elements, of which could open up some opportunities for a dialogue between Christianity and Buddhism.

2.      Starting Point: the Truth in Buddhism

The Buddhist's understanding of Sunyata, I think, comes from their understanding of humanity in relation to creation where everything is interdependent. The truth about it is that the existential phenomenon of humanity is suffering.  Humanity is bound by a cycle of suffering: the experience of giving birth, sickness, death, and then re-birth. If one wants to get rid of all this suffering, she/he should get rid of all her/his desires, wants or needs. This way can be achieved by self-discipline, i.e., through the noble eightfold path: right beliefs, right thought, right speech, right conduct, right vocation, right effort, right attention (meditation) and right concentration. By following these eight paths one can hope to reach the state of an Arahat where she/he is freed from the necessity of re-birth.

This starting points show us that in Buddhism self-discipline and practice are needed in order to achieve enlightenment and to get rid of suffering. Those who reach this state of life can experience SUNYATA. It means that humanity has an opportunity to experience "emptiness" in this life. An experience of Sunyata is an experience of Buddha and enlightenment in this life.

 

3.      The Buddhist's Concept of Sunyata

Sunyata is the Sanskrit word for "zeroness" or "emptiness". This doctrine in Buddhism is used to explain the doctrine of the relativity and interdependence of all phenomena. According to Nagarjuna (the Indian Buddhist philosopher who founded the Middle Doctrine School and one of the chief of Mahayana Buddhism, lived in 100-165), Sunyata is not nothingness, but it is truth or the absolute reality of things or "suchness" of the universe. Sunyata is not being as distinguished from beings, nor is it a transcendent God distinguished from this world, nor is it nothingness distinguished from somethingness of ordinary life. It is not to be found outside oneself, nor to be found inside oneself. If it were any of these things, or if it were found in any particular place, it would be a relative emptiness, not ultimate reality.

Sunyata, therefore, is simply a name for the ultimately un-nameable force that makes things in its uniqueness, be what they are (James W. Heisig, Spirituality Today, Autum 1987, Vol.39). It seems to me that the concept of Sunyata is like Tao (the universal soul of nature or the all pervading energy of nature) in Taosim, which can never be put into a concept. It is an unnamed name.

 

4.      Sunyata and its Relationship with Humanity

When we acknowledge that Sunyata is the truth or the absolute reality of all things -its force is to make things be what they are-, we then can see that humanity in their existential reality of suffering because of desires, needs and wants can achieve its uniqueness as human by experiencing Sunyata by doing or following the noble eight-path in their lives. This condition is based on the fact that Buddhism has been a religion of practice rather than of grace. According to Japanese thinkers, in the absolute selflessness of pure experience, one finds the ultimate reality (Sunyata) that grounds our derivative experience of subjective selfhood and the objective world. All subjective and objective realities of conscious experience are forms of pure experience, which are unified by the self. Therefore, the unity of pure experience in humanity finds the oneness of reality as Sunyata, i.e., the original and true self of all things.

5.       A Comparative Study: The God of Christianity

 In Christianity the mystery of incarnation of Jesus Christ becomes the crucial point because it was the moment that God, who is far and transcendent became human in Jesus Christ who was, is and will be close to humanity and creation and immanent in human history. Therefore, God who became man in Jesus Christ has a special relation to creation. This means that God is the source of all creation. The doctrine of creatio ex nihilo, "creation is never from nothing, but out of God" shows us an understanding of God as the source of all. We, therefore, can use the doctrine of Sunyata by saying "creatio ex sunyata". It means that absolutely transcendent God is absolutely immanent in creation. Creation is the act in which God communicates God's reality.

The second point I want to make is that the God of Christianity is the God who has a special relationship with the humanity. Humanity was created in the image and likeness of God and humanity is sanctified by the presence of God in Jesus Christ. This consequence is for the benefit of humanity because of the grace brought by Jesus Christ. Dr. Rewata Dhamma, who spoke of Buddhist-Christian dialogue in London 27 March 1993, stated that:

In Christianity, one can also say that we all have an original union with God, given the creative kenosis of God at the ground of our being, and that we can obtain a realization of this fact through a redemptive union with God. But there is a major difference here between Buddhism and Christianity. In Buddhism one can become a Buddha in the realization of emptiness (by self discipline). But in Christianity, one cannot say that one can become a Christ in realization of the redemption. Rather, this Christian realization is a participation in Christ's redemptive kenosis.

The third point is the self-emptying of Christ found in Phil. 1:5-11. The Person of Jesus is the self-emptying God. The suffering of Jesus and his death on the Cross depicted the profound realization of his self-emptiness. Masao Abe, in Divine Emptiness and Historical Fullness: A Buddhist-Jewish-Christian Conversation with Masao Abe (Edited by Christopher Ives, 1995), on his theological reflection on the self-emptying of God by focusing on the kenosis hymn of Philippians 2:5-11, states that:

In the case of Christ, kenosis is realized in the fact that one who was in the form of God emptied himself and assumed the form of a servant. It originated in the Will of God. It is not that God become something else by his partial self-giving, but that God is something --or more precisely, that God is each and every thing-- by his total self-emptying. Only through this total kenosis is God truly God. Here we realize the reality of God which is entirely beyond conception and objectification. This kenotic God is the ground of the kenotic Christ.

6.      Conclusion

The ideas of Sunyata in Buddhism and Kenosis in Christianity have some similarities as well as differences but these elements may be developed further for dialogue. Sunyata is the absolute reality of all things which in the Christian understanding can be identified with God as the source of all creation. Sunyata in Buddhism can be gained by self-discipline and Kenosis in Christianity can only be achieved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.  We, therefore, can learn from Buddhist's self-discipline. By personal prayer and meditation, we can achieve our self-emptying, which is the mark of our discipleship; the mark of our genuine desire to live in Christ.

A Hope from the Lake of Galilee and Dead Sea

I was fascinated and amazed to find out about the two big lakes in Palestine/Israel: Lake of Galilee or Lake of Gennesareth or Lake of Tiberias and Lake of Death or Death Sea. These two lakes give me a food for thought and to reflect on our life. They give insight on our life and deepen our being human.  

If you are Christian and you read the New Testament, you will find out that Jesus was calling His disciples on the bank of the Lake of Galilee, teaching on the boat by the shore-side of the lake, walking on the water of the lake, asking Simon Peter to catch fish on that lake, even after His Resurrection Jesus was appearing on the lake side, roasting some fish. So why was the Lake of Galilee so important for the people in Jesus’ time? It was because the lake gave life to the surroundings: people were coming to catch fish in the lake because so many fish were there; people were taking water from the lake for their daily use; even some big villages were found by the side of the lake. We can say that this lake gives life to the living creatures there.

I am just a bit of curious to see on the Google Map about this region of that lake. I discover that there are so many big farms and town by the side of the lake. There are lives by and in the lake.

Moreover, it is at the south of the Lake of Galilee, following the river Jordan, we will find another lake, called Death Sea or Lake of Death. Why people call it such name is that I don’t know but by its name we can say that that there is no living creature in it or by its side. By the fact that this lake has a high contain of salt or hyper saline water that make floating easily, it brings no life in it.

Interestingly these two lakes: Lake of Galilee and Lake of Death, gets the water from the same source, that is, the Jordan River. From north of the country, flowing the Jordan River that fills the Lake of Galilee and flowing trough and it enters the Lake of Death.

The question that comes up in my mind and that brings a sense of wonder within myself is that why do both lakes get different result: one brings life and other brings death, even though the two receive the same source of water? The Lake of Galilee spreads life in, around, and by itself while the Lake of Death produces no life around itself.

Therefore, why does the lake of Galilee spread life and brings life to every creature which is in contact with it? The answer is laid upon its ability to open itself. On the south part of the lake, there is an opening, which brings the water from the lake to flow out from the lake. This opening is the key. As water of the river Jordan flows to the lake from the North, the lake also allows its water to flow out at the South. The lake receives fresh water from the River Jordan and continues to refresh itself by allowing its water flowing out the lake. That is why the Lake of Galilee always produces the fresh water for the living creatures around itself and brings life to all.

On the other side, why does the Lake of Death produce death within and surround itself?  As we know that wherever, the high contains of salt in the water, there will be not any organism found in it. That is the nature of the Death Sea (the Lake of Death). But why does it produce high density of salt? Looking at the hot climate in this region, in which evaporation is very high, we will find some minerals coming in stay within the lake and make the lake contained high density of salt. So the key answer here is that Death Sea receives all the water coming in from River of Jordan but stops all the water within itself. There is NO an opening to let its water flowing out. Because of this, the Lake of death brings death and there is not a single living habitats staying within the lake and its shore-side is full of black mud which is not suitable environment for living creatures. However, in this deserted place and abandoned area like Death Sea, the goodness and blessings coming out from the lands. As we know that the black mud of the death sea contains many minerals for human body; the minerals of black mud can be used as a therapeutic and cosmetic treatments.

Nature gives a lesson for being humans; there are some moral lessons we can learn from the facts of the nature of both the Lake of Galilee and the Lake of Death above for our life. 

It is about life. Life is a mystery like nature but it can reveal itself when we come to meditate and contemplate it. Life has its own beginning, process, and purpose; such as river does it with life, it has source of streams, the process of flowing river and of filling the lake/sea, and at the end to fulfill the purpose on its ways. We are here and we want to see life; every experience we encounter and live is the experience of life but what do we see in life? What do we do with our life? How do we see life as a fairness of life? Is it a blessing and a grace? It depends on us who live our life.

However, life is not seen only from our human perspective, because it is also from the faith in God. That is God’s perspective. It means that life has its own source, that is, God. God is the source of life. As it is from God, life has its own goodness, blessings, and graces. When the life that flows from God touches other beings, they become alive and bring life. Even non-living beings have a goodness and blessings.

What is more, like the Lake of Galilee which brings life, should our life be. But in order to have life, we should open ourselves to share the blessings we receive freely from God. We must open ourselves to pour out each blessing that comes from God. We become the channel of God’s blessings to others. Not like the Lake of Death which brings death and no life found in it because it receives water and refuses to open it to sharing the water to others, should not be our life.  Our openness to others brings life and our self-selfishness brings death to others.

However, we cannot be so negative about our life when we see that our life is like a dead sea. Even though it is so, we know that we can still use this condition (dead sea condition) for the betterment of our life; we should have a hope because “at the end of this dark tunnel of our life, there is always a light”. We can make use of our bad and darkness experiences and turn them into something useful for our life and the life of others. I remember a writer said “the purpose of our life is to help others but if you cannot help them, at least don’t hurt them”. So, be a blessing for others because of the free blessing you have received from God.

BCL: the Story of Hope from Selebi Phikwe

Some days ago on the 7^th October 2016 in town Selebi-Phikwe, at which,  I have been residing, I heard the Government of Botswana liquidated the great mining and smelting company, BCL. This company has been in this town for 60 years because it begun to operate in august 1956. The town has been growing because of the presence of BCL. It becomes the only company that holds the town and other businesses in this town. I come to have an interest in this company not only because of its reputation for this town, but also because of its impacts economically and socially for the people. This liquidation rises up some questions for me to think and to reflect on it, such as, what will the future of this town? What will be the situation of its thousands of workers and their families? What will be its impacts on other small businesses around town?

Some business people I encountered told me about their worries. Some of them have direct-business relations to the BCL; some sell their services to BCL; some shop owners worry about their dropping in goods-sells. Moreover, many families of the BCL’s workers are sad because of this situation. Government of Botswana, having a big stake and responsibility for the BCL and knowing the impacts of liquidation for the social, politic, and economical spares of its people, has been in talk with the managements of the BCL, the local government, and with the workers to take a right decision for the best of the whole country.

However, looking and experiencing this situation, many people I met told me that they have a hope that one day it will be okay. They told me also to pray for the best coming out from the Mines.

In my reflection, I think about there are seasons in life: there is time to plant and to harvest; there is time to be born and to die; there is time of laughs and mourns; and there is time for everything. So when I see this situation, I ask myself: “Has the time of harvests in BCL finished? Or is it a time for us all, starting from those in decision making to those in laboring areas, in administrations, to think creatively about diversifying our economy dependency on mining?’ I then think of SPEDU: Selebi Phikwe Economy Diversification Unit, on which, this town and region has put their trust on, has a huge and challenging responsibility for the people on this town and region.

People of this town are very sad, stressed, and worried because of this liquidation but they have a hope on the Government and they have hope.

What can we learn from this situation is:

1. We must always be prepared: we cannot live as if life was all in roses; life has its ups and downs; life has its own challenges and difficulties. Therefore, starting from now, we must prepare ourselves by being creative looking for opportunity to develop our living or by learning some skills that can open up some opportunities for us.

2. Everything has an end: there are no lasting jobs, no lasting harvests, no lasting diamonds, and no lasting coppers. So when there is a time of plenty, we must save and think to make use of the plenty for next challenges where there is no harvest.

3. Everything has a purpose: there is a purpose of having a mining and smelting BCL and it has fulfilled its purpose by developing this town and this region; however, the liquidity of the BCL also has a purpose for us a town or as a country. But we must look from the big picture of life as country. This liquidity is making us think to be uncountable, transparent, and professional in every areas of our work.