JD Is Writing

Blessed are You (Matthew 5:3-10)

Hello there all,

I hope you are well, and that your week is moving along with the current of the times.

Today, I would like to talk about a portion of the Sermon on The Mount, and how it relates to some Buddhist ideas.

Here is the passage:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3-10

When I recently reread this passage, I was reminded of the story of Clyde Barrow, of "Bonnie and Clyde" fame (a strange juxtaposition, I know, but hear me out!).

Barrow came from an extremely poor family in West Dallas, TX, and his father made a living collecting scraps and junk. They were so poor that, when the Great Depression began in 1929, they actually ended up being more well off than some, because they had already had the experience of being as poor as they were.

If they had, in the beginning, been like much of America before the Great Depression, then the resulting fall would have been much worse, and they would have hit the ground much, much harder.

I like to think of the meek inheriting the earth as a lesson in Hubris. Take the story of Daedalus and Icarus, a story I'm sure a lot of us are familiar with from learning about Greek Mythology in grade school. Had Icarus not flown so high, he would not have fallen so hard.

Two phrases come to mind:

You see, the meek inheriting the earth is not about being humble and gaining great riches or actually inheriting a kingdom or planet. Instead, it is about inheriting the earth, that is to say, the ability to stay rooted, and to remember the earth, and the falls that have come before.

This all ties back to the teachings of the Buddha, and how Dukkha, or the suffering we all encounter as a part of being alive, arises from Tanha, or the craving and desire for things to be different from how they are in the present moment.

If we remain "meek" and do not crave for things out of our control, then we will "inherit" the ability to stay grounded, and remember where we have come from.

I will leave you with this:

These times that we are currently facing, though they may seem unprecedented, are only the latest incarnation of the cycle of suffering of the Earth, which is on a similar karmic track as each and every on of us (a later post will be coming about micro versus macrocosm, and "As above, So below"). If we remember where we have come from, and remain meek, pure, merciful, and hungry for righteousness, then truly we will be able to doctor our roots, and inherit so much more than the earth.

With all my brotherly love,

-JD