Forgive them Father
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. These are the words that Jesus Christ is believed to have cried out approximately 2,000 years ago during his crucifixion at Golgotha. We were recently reminded of these words during a relaxing discussion with a friend of ours who is a Christian monk in the Franciscan tradition. According to the Christian teachings, Christ died because he wanted to absolve us of our sins. Whilst there is no doubt some truth in this, it is also true to say that Christ died because the people killed him.
Christ revealed his enlightened presence to the people and deeply touched their hearts and minds. He demonstrated to the people that the Kingdom of God was within them and he presented them with a basic choice. That choice was so primordial, so pure, so black and white, that it was impossible for people to ignore it. The choice they were presented with was to devote themselves to the practice of basic goodness and work towards liberation or to continue living in ignorance. It was as simple and clear cut as that. There was no room for misunderstanding, no room for excuses, and no room for ego’s games. Christ had laid the truth bare.
Although everyone who met Christ recognised the choice they were presented with, few of them had the courage to follow him. Indeed, a few venomous whispers into people’s ears by some of the high priests was all that it took for them to make up their minds and turn their backs on Christ. It is not so much that the people began to doubt Christ, but rather, they began to doubt themselves. They began to doubt what they had seen and experienced with their own eyes and hearts whilst in Christ’s presence.
Of course, the above pattern of events is not just limited to Jesus Christ but appears to repeat itself whenever an enlightened being decides to expound the teachings. For example, once when the Buddha was residing in the Jeta Grove, some jealous ascetics from Savatthi tried to discredit him and his disciples. They instructed a young female ascetic called Sundari to make acquaintance with the Buddha and to request his teachings. On an occasion when the Buddha was the last person to see Sundari, the ascetics killed her and buried her body near to the Buddha’s meditation hut. They then visited the King and accused the Buddha of sexual misconduct and of killing Sundari in order to conceal his misdeed.
There are numerous other accounts within Buddhism of meditation masters whose enlightened presence has provoked hostility in the people. Some examples are: (i) the Mahasidda Padmasambhava who was ordered to be burnt alive in Tibet by King Indrabodhi, (ii) the translator Vairotsana who was banished from Tibet, (iii) the Japanese monk Nichiren Daishonin who, following a failed execution attempt, was exiled to a remote Japanese island, (iv) the Indian Buddhist saint Shantideva who was treated with contempt by the monastic community, and (v) the Japanese Zen master Haquin who was falsely accused of sexual misconduct.
The most unfortunate thing about all of these examples is that today, many centuries later on, most people don’t seem to have taken the message to heart. People gossip about their friends and neighbours or believe what is written in the newspapers without even caring whether it might be true. They visit the church or temple for social conformity or out of habit rather than to engage in spiritual practice. People wearing religious robes and false smiles attempt to amass large followings whilst inside, their hearts and minds are overrun with corrupt intent. In short, most people choose not to take responsibility for their thoughts, words, and actions and they crucify the enlightened nature that lies in their hearts.
So it is useful to always ask ourselves the following questions: Would I recognise Christ if he walked into my life? Would I truly surrender my heart to the Buddha and allow him to dismantle my ego? Am I suffocating my Buddha nature or my Christ nature? Do I have the courage to follow Christ or do I pretend that I don’t have that choice?
The sad truth of the matter is that if Christ returned today, the majority of people would be too busy or too caught-up in their own selfish pursuits in order to recognise him. In fact, the likelihood is that they would kill Christ all over again. This might not be as brutal as nailing him to a cross, but might take the form of labelling him a charlatan, spreading malicious rumours, or finding some other means to try and exile him from society. If the next time Christ comes and the people choose to kill him again, rather than the words used to open this post, perhaps Christ would say the following: “Father forgive them, for surely by now they know what they do”.
Ven Edo Shonin and Ven William Van Gordon
