Reassurance

2024, April, Issue 91

If Yeshua were believed,

then there would be no war among his

followers;

Thus I have heard that he died so that others

could live;

If Yeshua were believed,

then everyone would be treated with

love and compassion;

Thus I have heard that he sat on a mountain,

to proclaim altruistic life;

If Yeshua were believed,

then every step we take would lead to

awakening;

Thus I have heard this altruistic one proclaim that

Bodhicitta is key.

A poem from, The Frog:  A Spiritual Autobiography, Spanning Many Lifetimes, pg. 379, © 2021.

People ask me if I heard from Yeshua when I died.  I think that they’re looking for reassurance, asking me to validate their faith.  This is not for me to do.  It is up to every individual to explore their own faith, and to see what that really is.  I never tell anyone to reject anything, unless it is something that generates negative emotions, such as anger, fear or hate.

When I died, I instantly went beyond anything that can be conceptualized by the human mind.  I became that which is beyond object, not to be reified in any way.  If you want reassurance, know that love and compassion are the basis for such unobstructed bliss.  Awakening occurs through the love and compassion of this determined desire to awaken, or Bodhicitta.  It does not occur because you have been given this from someone else, a god or some other being you may think is above you.  Awakening occurs because you have definitively chosen to walk the Path for yourself.  You must do this.

When I died, I met who we all really are; yet, this is beyond a limited point of view.  God is a limited idea.  Light is a limited idea.  Time itself is a limitation.  We must go beyond.

Sometimes people hear a little bit about me, maybe they read something that I wrote or they heard that I’m a Buddhist, or that I died and came back.  With just a little bit of information, my entire life becomes fabricated in some way, sort of turned into a cliché.  The mind of a person forms an opinion about me, thinking that I must be this or that, and then they expect me to meet that expectation.  I’m not sure that I know anyone who has ever formed an accurate opinion about me; and, I will not assume that I’ve been able to avert disappointment and confusion about me.

People might think that because I’m a Buddhist that I must reject Christianity.  It’s true that I reject Christianity; however, I don’t reject what Yeshua actually taught.  He seemed to actually know what he was talking about.  When you look at that, it’s not what churches teach.

It doesn’t seem that Christianity really understands Yeshua at all, except for a few smaller groups here or there, who are not afraid to delve into the deeper meanings, the deeper truths.  The religion of Christianity, in general, has degenerated into a quagmire of political insanity, generally ignoring the core teachings of love and compassion.  To be fair, not much is left of Yeshua’s teachings, as they were politically edited and somewhat discarded here and there over centuries.

I really think that the core teachings of love and compassion are all that remain, and it is all that we need to know.  Great beings, masters at the heart of many great religions, only taught love and compassion.  When love and compassion are taught, then awakening will eventually follow.

So, back to reassurance, I was aware of all the different beliefs, of the great masters, far more than ever existed on Earth.  I saw many heavens, some relating to belief, some far exceeding that.  I won’t say that any deity doesn’t exist, simply because things exist in our imagination that seem very real.  If you are to be reborn, then you haven’t yet awakened.  If you think belief will cause your awakening, then you will be disappointed. 

When we die, sometimes we see things that we expect; however, we always see far more than we can ever expect.  This is why we must prepare.  If we don’t prepare for endless possibilities, then our death experience will not be pleasant.  Death cannot meet our expectations through belief and concept.  Even in a more relative sense, some parts of the death bardo are very turbulent.  If we have cultivated Bodhicitta, this simple notion of enlightenment mind, this strong motivation of love and compassion, then death will be no problem.

I am here to tell you that this message has been right in front of you for your entire life.  It doesn’t matter what your background may be, the message is clear.  The problem is that this clarity eludes us, due to many obstructions.  If a great being has encountered Ultimate Truth, then they will tell you a message of love and compassion.  Being our True Essence, it is only natural that the messages of many great beings, across many traditions, have been the same message.

When we awaken, we are opening our heart and mind to what is, not some belief or religion.  No religion, no nation, no authority has a monopoly on our Real Nature.  It is freely available to all.

Blessings in Light,               

Robert Aho