December, 2004 - "Buddha's teachings are the antidote to Christmas
consumption"
"People are missing the whole point of Christmas!" a retired pastor and
professor of comparative religion complained bitterly. "Instead of being a
celebration of God's gift to the world in the birth of Jesus Christ, it has
become a celebration of the power of money, and the ability of the individual to
give more gifts, and more impressive gifts than ever before."
"I agree," I answered. "But not only is it a celebration of the power of money,
but also the power of credit. I heard that the average family owes more than
$7,000 to credit card companies. Most of that money is spent at Christmas time."
The old professor lit his pipe, and with a twinkle in his eye remarked, "Well,
if they won't listen to Jesus, maybe we should teach them about the Buddha."
I frowned - then laughed!
Of course, there is no such thing as a Buddhist Christmas. But the white haired
professor was right. The teachings of the Buddha are a perfect antidote to the
materialism and commercialism of the way we celebrate Christmas. The Buddha
taught that the way to salvation comes through the cessation of desire.
One is called to do one's duty; but in fulfilling that duty, one is encouraged
to follow the 'Middle Way' and to do nothing in the extreme. This means that we
should abandon the desire to feel the power of spending money. We should let go
of the need to feel important and make ourselves big in the eyes of our children
and other loved ones, by giving expensive and opulent gifts. We may feel that it
is our moral duty to give loving gifts for Christmas; but we should avoid doing
so in the extreme.
If we listen to the wisdom of the Buddha, maybe we can settle down and meditate
more clearly on what God's gift to the world in Jesus Christ really means. Jesus
did not even bother to teach such basic ideas. He was born to announce and usher
in a new kind of society: a society permeated by the Spirit of God and brimming
over with social justice, mercy and peace.
To "Keep Christ in Christmas" means to help Jesus usher in this new Commonwealth
of God. Therefore, to build your Christmas celebration on the teachings of
Jesus, find a way to give to the poor, without expectation of return. Celebrate
the new world order that God, Christ and you are creating - and keep it simple.
Share your gifts according to the Middle Way: in non-stressful, debt-free
moderation.
Dr. Greene is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and a resident of Richmond, IN. He is also the author of
Benjamin's Dog Joseph, Feeling Better: The Wisdom of the Doc, You Can Feel Better: How to cope with chronic pain and physical disabilities, and co-author of Walking Free: the Nellie Zimmerman Story.
For further information about his books, please visit www.densmorereid.com
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