In the end, only LOVE remains

 So, I was able to move from Shinran to Christianity easily, but since I'm a textualist (as I was with Buddhism), I decided to start by reading the Bible.


But Christianity is convenient, isn't it? Like Islam, it has a well-organized set of original texts. Buddhism apparently attempted to compile the Buddha's teachings in a collection of Buddhist scriptures, but even so, the volume is so vast! It's impossible to keep track of it.


So, when I thought about talking about the Bible, I knew I couldn't do something so pretentious, and I have no desire to do so now. But back then, whenever I read the Bible, I would find myself constantly reading only 


"God will save you."


This was troubling. No matter where I read it, it always said 


"God will save you."


That "you" refers to all of humanity. Fortunately, I'm sure that all of humanity includes me, so when I personally read the Bible, I hear 


"God will save you."


And at that moment, I saw that familiar, or should I say spiritual, white light. I ascended into ecstasy. A state of ecstasy. It was the same state I experienced when reading Buddhist scriptures.


"Buddha will save you."


It was the same state I experienced when I read it everywhere. Then I saw a white light, and it was exactly the same light I saw in the Bible. So, just because I went from Shinran to Christianity doesn't mean I "converted," and I can safely say I'm a Buddhist and a Christian. And then, if I go too far, I become both a Muslim and a Hindu (Ramakrishna), but that's a story for another time.


For a while, whenever I saw the white light, I would post a verse from the Bible, but that's a thing of the past now. I think that's fine.


Because now, God has sealed it away and I can't open it. My Bible. I do have "The Study Bible" within reach of my left hand, though.


So, I haven't opened my Bible in about 15 years. Naturally, I gradually forget. And in the end, all that's left is love. All that remains is love. But isn't that enough?


Let love and compassion guide you.

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