Love, Part 1 of 2013 Buddhist-Christian Dialogue
09/04/2013
My 2013 conversation with Lama Marut consisted of four parts - two based on Christian scriptures, and two on Buddhist scriptures. Part one focused on the Christian spiritual practice of love. The Christian texts we discussed can be found below the video.
Matthew 22:35b-40
A lawyer
asked [Jesus] a question to test him. 36‘Teacher, which
commandment in the law is the greatest?’ 37He said to him,
‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind.” 38This is the greatest and first
commandment. 39And a second is like it: “You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.” 40On these two commandments hang all the
law and the prophets.’
B. Matthew
5:43-48
‘You have
heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.” 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so
that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on
the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the
unrighteous. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward
do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? 47And
if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than
others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48Be perfect,
therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
John 13:1, 4-5, 12-16, 34-35
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to
depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in
the world, he loved them to the end. . . . [Jesus] 4got up from the
table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then
he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe
them with the towel that was tied around him.
12 After he had washed their feet,
had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you
know what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and
Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your
Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s
feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do
as I have done to you. 16Very truly, I tell you,
servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater
than the one who sent them. 34I
give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved
you, you also should love one another.35By this everyone will
know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’
Matthew 26:31-40
31 ‘When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will
sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be
gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep
at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king
will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was
thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed
me,36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took
care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the
righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave
you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And
when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you
clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison
and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I
tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my
family, you did it to me.”