The Next Buddha--or Christ!

"It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual.
The next Buddha may take the form of a community--
a community practicing understanding and loving kindness,
a community practicing mindful living.
This may be the most important thing we can do for the earth."
Thich Nhat Hanh

When I read this quote in a beautiful little book by Terry Tempest Williams, The Open Space for Democracy, I was immediately attracted--you know how it is when someone says something that you've been moving toward, but haven't quite been able to articulate it yourself. My inner self cried, "YES!"

Almost as immediately I began to substitute "Christ" for "Buddha"--not that it needs to be one OR the other, except for me, as a Christian, I needed to hear the truth in my own tradition. And I would take out the "it is possible" and replace it with the stronger, "what if". And I would add practices to the list of Thich Nhat Hanh.
Hence a paraphrase would read:

"What if the next coming of Christ does not come in the form of an individual,
but comes in the form of a community--
a community practicing understanding and loving kindness,
a community practicing Eucharist,
a community dedicated to care of the earth, peace and justice?
This would be the most important practice of faithfulness we could imagine! "

What if we were the ones called to such a community?

P Moe
June 13, 2005