Editorial

When Jesus failed

Jesus came out of the room. He was sad. “What happened?” asked the Buddha. Jesus replied: “Once again the same result. I failed.” “Oh,” replied the Buddha, “We are in the same boat.”

It was an examination in philosophy and history for avatars. They asked the usual questions to Jesus Christ. “What is Protestantism? What’s the difference between Calvinism and Protestantism? Who attacked catholics and how long did the war last?”

For Christ all this was too technical and new. He thought that it was the Romans who attacked christians but here he was shocked that christians attacked christians. And the theories of philosophers couldn’t enter his head.

“Same with me”, said the Buddha. He could never answer questions about Shunyavada, differences between Hinayana and Mahayana, about terrible terminologies like Pratītya-samutpāda etc.

It was the same with the other avatars also.

The examiners were furious. “You are all a bunch of unworthy avatars,” they declared. “You fail repeatedly and cannot understand a bit of philosophy.”

So

Humanity is that machine which makes simple things complex. It is the very nature of this machine to turn everything into the most complex issue.

Divinity is that which makes this complex universe simple.

Simplicity is liberation, complexity is bondage.

Swami Sunirmalananda