“ Heavy is the crown of horns that gave me all this life.”

I write this article with the deepest respect for one of the main roots of my tree of faith. It formed my early life and continues to nourish me to this day. Christianity is part of my spiritual ancestry and I hope that these words will do it honor.  For to me, spiritual reality is universal, but has many linguistic expressions. In my own faith tradition language, I think of Christ as a wondrous Bodhisattva, and a unique manifestation (Nirmanakaya) of the Buddha that Shakyamuni was said to have prophesied, Maitreya.  

Now, before I begin sharing my personal understanding of the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. I should like to say something about the universal themes that appear about this time of year throughout history. Spring time has always been understood to be about rebirth. The English name Easter seems to have its origin with goddess of spring, the Anglo-Saxon, Eostra. In the old German it referred to the Sun dawning in the east, the egg symbolizing new life and the rabbit representing great fertility. Like the Christmas Tree, these German traditions have become a part of American life, whether interpreted religiously or not. And even though I identify heuristically as a Buddhist, I greatly honor and keep in my own way, our Christian heritage. 

In the end, Christ and Buddha, are sacred names I give for our True Self or the spiritual ground of our very being (Dharmakaya). Beloved words that represent the spirit of our True Nature. Icons that embody wisdom, compassion and love. 

And now I would like to share how the main themes of Christian Easter that are helpful to me: 

The Crucified Christ symbolizes the First Noble Truth: This truth is usually stated as, “All life is filled with suffering.” The cross of being conscious, that we all bear, is born of our conditioned human existence. From birth until death, we all experience resistance to the constant, contingent and transient nature of change. This causes us to believe that we are fatally abandoned here in this “veil of tears” and psychological slaves to the existential delusion of soulful separation. And this sense of separation causes us to “miss the mark” of our true meaning in life.

The Empty Cross symbolizes Liberation: A Freedom from the delusion of of spiritual separation, wherein we awaken to the Oneness of all life. And this awesome awakening allows us to realize the true nature and purpose of our life, which is to live abundantly, love freely and give of ourselves completely. 

The Resurrection symbolizes Rebirth and Transmogrification: This is the same understanding that I believe occurred in the Parinirvana of Shakyamuni. He has ascended beyond the cycle of life and death into the Eternal and is reborn as the transmogrified Boundless Buddha whose spirit (Sambhogakaya) is available to all who awaken. 

Again, these are my personal observations and opinions. And while similar views are shared by other Buddhists, like Thich Nhat Hahn, they are not required by anyone. They are simply ways that I have chosen to integrate the religious identity of my youth with the spiritual reality of the present. I hope you may find this helpful. 

“May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering and May all come to know that peace which surpasses all understanding.”