When the tangible challenges the intangible - part I

A mystical encounter between Christianity and Buddhism.

Sep 20, 2024

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In the depths of an age-old temple, where the echoes of ancient chants still whispered to the stones, the air was thick with the scent of incense and the weight of countless prayers. The stones themselves seemed to hum with a power born of ceaseless devotion and the unfathomable mysteries they had witnessed through the ages.

In this grand hall with classical columns, bathed in an otherworldly light that blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural, an ordinary worldly figure, dressed in the vibrant orange robes of a monk, standing before a colossal, ethereal being.

1Aruna, the orange-robed monk, had walked the lands, his feet tracing the pathways of enlightenment as taught by the Buddha. His journey was a quest for understanding, a pilgrimage through the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. He crossed the swirling vortex of energy or magic on a floating, ribbon-like path that entirely defies the laws of physics, suggesting a pilgrimage of great significance. Was the temple his final destination? Where he could unearth the wisdom that lay beyond the veil of the seen world?

Across from him floated a figure of awe-inspiring presence, outlined in a radiant glow, exudes an aura of immense power, with a spiral of energy ascending from its head toward the heavens, perhaps indicating a channeling of divine power or enlightenment. His visage shrouded in a halo of light. He was known as The Emissary, a being who claimed to speak with the voice of a higher power, an envoy of the Almighty, draped in the mysteries of Christian lore. The temple, a place where the spiritual energies of the world converged, had called to him too, promising a revelation that would cement his faith as the cornerstone of all belief.

The enormous space is brimmed with anticipation and the tension of a momentous revelation. It is a scene where one might receive ancient wisdom, partake in a ritual of great importance, or be granted a vision of destiny. This moment is frozen in time, a snapshot of an encounter beyond the ordinary, a tale of the seeker and the origin, an odyssey that borders the realms of myth and legend. Here, at the confluence of earthly and divine, a confrontation was about to unfold—one that would challenge the very fabric of belief and existence.

The Emissary, his hands outstretched, spoke with a voice that seemed to emanate from the very stones of the temple standing there for thousands of years. "I come bearing the word of the One True God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts," he proclaimed, his words echoing through the vastness of the chamber. "The path to salvation lies in His grace, in the surrender to His will. Only through Him can we be saved from eternal damnation."

Aruna bowed his head, his hands clasped before him in a gesture of respect, but not submission. "Great Emissary," he replied, his voice a calm stream flowing through the silence, "the path I walk is one of inner awakening. The Buddha teaches us that enlightenment is the liberation from suffering, achieved not through salvation bestowed from above, but from understanding the nature of our own minds."

The air around them crackled with the tension of their opposing beliefs, as if the very cosmos were holding its breath, awaiting the outcome of this debate.

"The Word is clear," The Emissary intoned, his figure seeming to grow, as if to embody the omnipotence of his God. "Without faith in the Savior, your path leads only to the abyss of death."

Aruna's gaze did not waver. "And yet, the Middle Way teaches us to view life and death as a continuum. Death can be an opportunity for liberation from the cycle of life, death and rebirth. The light in our heart comes from our own brightly shining mind. More importantly, it is not through worship of the divine nor through the abyss of denial that we find inner peace and clear light, but through the noble truths and the eightfold path."

The ground beneath their feet began to glow, circles of light swirling into existence, forming a mandala of intricate patterns—a battleground not of swords and shields, but of personal ideals and eternal verities.

"Your truths are but false consolations! You stand small in the shadow of the Almighty," The Emissary declared. His voice boomed, rising like a mighty chorus and reverberating off the temple walls. "I offer the light of Heaven, the promise of an eternal kingdom! What power can you claim from your path of self-cultivation?"

Aruna, unshaken, met the towering gaze with a serenity that seemed to stem from the very earth beneath his feet. "In seeking the eternal, you overlook the now. The Dharma teaches us to be present, to find the sacred in the simplicity of being." Aruna countered, serene yet unyielding, his voice steady as the ancient stones that surrounded them. " True power arises from within. It is in the act of self-cultivation that we ascend to the sacred spirits, not as supplicants, but as embodiments of the divine spark."

The temple resonated with their words, the very air a tapestry of their divergent convictions. It was then that the true nature of their encounter became apparent. This was not a battle to be won by conversion or surrender; this was a dialogue of souls, a testament to the quest for understanding that defined the human spirit.

As the debate raged on, The Monk and The Emissary began to ascend, their feet leaving the ground, their forms enveloped by the radiant energies that their faiths had summoned. They rose until they stood face to face, suspended in the void above the temple, where the earthly met the divine. Here, in this high place beyond places, the truth of their confrontation was laid bare—it was not only a god and a mortal who spoke, but also two facets of the same unquenchable thirst for life’s meaning.

Aruna was aglow with the soft radiance of enlightenment, a light that pulsed with the rhythm of all life. The Emissary was ablaze with the fierce light of conviction, a beacon calling to the faithful.

"Please see the world through my eyes," Aruna implored, his voice imbued with the peace of countless meditations. "Understand the interbeing of all."

"Feel the presence of the Almighty," The Emissary urged, his words a cascade of fervent belief. "Embrace the love He offers."

For a moment, it seemed as though the universe itself pondered their words, considering the essence of faith and the question of what lay at the heart of devotion.

And then, in a burst of light that outshone all stars, their essences intertwined, the energies of their beliefs mingling in a dance as old as time itself. (To be continued…)

Aruna: this name means "dawn" or "reddish-brown" in Sanskrit, evoking the color of the sky as it turns a warm, glowing orange with the first light of day, symbolising new beginnings and spiritual awakening. Aruna is the charioteer of Surya (Sun god) in Hinduism, a personification of the reddish glow of the rising Sun, which is believed to have spiritual powers.

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