Greg Martin shared this experience in the question and answer period after his lecture at the Soka Spirit FNCC. In it he shows how we can lead people to Buddhism from where they are, without being confrontational. In this case, on a Christian radio program, he used the example of Jesus's life to illustrate some key points about how to live life.
Here's Greg's story:
Greg Martin got a last minute call from the director of a Christian radio program down in Los Angeles a few days before Easter Sunday. "Greg, I need your help. My main guest speaker just cancelled. Can you fill in for him?"
"Sure," Greg said. "What is the topic?"
"Jesus Christ and the Ressurection?"
"Jesus Christ! You know I'm a Buddhist. I don't know too much about Christianity."
"I know, but you're quick on your feet. I'm sure you'll figure out something to say."
"Well, OK, if you really want me to do it, I'll do it." On the day of the show one of the questions Greg got was,
"What is the meaning of Christ getting nailed to the cross and then being
resurrected three days later?" Greg said, "Well, you know, I'm a Buddhist,
and from the Buddhist perspective Jesus Christ was a great mentor. And a mentor
shows with his life how to live as a human being. From what Christ said in
the Bible, it is clear that Jesus always directed his audience's attention
to their own lives. By using his own life as example, he was showing people
the way to lead their own lives. (This is in stark contrast to the church
which is always directing people's attention to the institution of the Church
and thus emphasizing the distance between God and ordinary human beings. By
contrast, the Christ of the bible is an example of an extraordinary human
being showing other human beings the great lives they are also capable of
living.)
That having been said, what lesson is Jesus trying to teach in his final days? Well clearly he's trying to say something about life and death, something everyone who is ever born must deal with.
And the first thing I notice is that Jesus died relatively young - around 35. The second thing I notice is that he really suffered. And the third thing I noticed is that he was resurrected and receives the reward of heaven almost immediately.
So what I can deduce from this lesson of Jesus' life is that it doesn't matter how long you live or how much you suffer, but how you lead your life. If you devote your life to helping other people, then you have lived a powerful, value creating life. That's what Jesus did and he was rewarded almost immediately in his next incarnation with good circumstances.
The moderator said that this was the best explanation he had ever heard. Greg Martin went on to tell us, at the FNCC, that there are studies showing that up to 40 to 50 million Christians call themselves Christians but are not completely satisfied with the church and its teachings. In other words they are searching for something that gives a more comfortable explanation. These 40 to 50 million Christians have a kind of post-modern view on life. They believe things like "cause and effect" and "God resides within." In other words they are proto-Buddhists.
Many religious journals have articles by church ministers pointing out that the current church doctrines don't quite address the beliefs of their parishioners. These articles urge the church to kind of catch up with the times, and the churches are scurrying around trying to adjust things to a more post-modern mind set, but the doctrines of the bible are kind of holding them back.
Buddhism is already there. We believe in cause and effect and that the power resides within, as well as a whole lot of other things like esho funi, one person can make a difference, appreciation is the key to happiness, we can change our environment. We are in a great position, so it's only a matter of us letting people know about Buddhism and then learning how to take care of them when they join.
by Mark Kaplan