On Easter Sunday, 2019, a series of explosions took place at
churches and hotels in Sri Lanka. Over 250 people were killed. Clearly, the
Christian community was being specifically targeted, and the terrorists probably
thought that the hotels tended to receive visitors from the Western world.
Most of the Sri Lankan population belongs to one of the four older religions of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam or Christianity. Although much-misunderstood by outsiders, Hinduism has at its core a moral code, enshrined in a book called “The Laws of Manu”. Many, but not all, Hindus regard Krishna as an “Incarnation of Vishnu” – in other words, as a manifestation of God in person. According to the text of the “Bhagavad-Gita”, Krishna Himself (or the divine spirit which He represented) said: “Whenever there is a decline of righteousness or religion, and a rise of unrighteousness… then I send forth Myself. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of righteousness, I come into being from age to age.”
Gautama Buddha, the Enlightened One, taught The Middle Way, between materialism and extreme asceticism. A major part of His Teaching was the Noble Eightfold Path, which includes Right Understanding, Right Mindfulness and Right Conduct. In the Buddha’s words: “He in whom there is truth, virtue, pity, restraint, moderation, he who is free from impurity and is wise, he is called an elder.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, discussing teachings on personal behaviour, explained that “The real teaching of Buddha is the same as the teaching of Jesus Christ. The teachings of all the Prophets are the same in character.”
So, in the same way as the Buddha spent His time emphasising how His followers should behave, Jesus did so too. Much of Jesus’s teaching was in the form of parables. These were stories which illustrated a point of understanding or of conduct. Jesus taught: “Love thy neighbour as thyself”. He said: "Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them! … Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them His children!” Bahá’u’lláh, referring to Jesus, stated: “Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee.”
Most of the Sri Lankan population belongs to one of the four older religions of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam or Christianity. Although much-misunderstood by outsiders, Hinduism has at its core a moral code, enshrined in a book called “The Laws of Manu”. Many, but not all, Hindus regard Krishna as an “Incarnation of Vishnu” – in other words, as a manifestation of God in person. According to the text of the “Bhagavad-Gita”, Krishna Himself (or the divine spirit which He represented) said: “Whenever there is a decline of righteousness or religion, and a rise of unrighteousness… then I send forth Myself. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of righteousness, I come into being from age to age.”
Gautama Buddha, the Enlightened One, taught The Middle Way, between materialism and extreme asceticism. A major part of His Teaching was the Noble Eightfold Path, which includes Right Understanding, Right Mindfulness and Right Conduct. In the Buddha’s words: “He in whom there is truth, virtue, pity, restraint, moderation, he who is free from impurity and is wise, he is called an elder.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, discussing teachings on personal behaviour, explained that “The real teaching of Buddha is the same as the teaching of Jesus Christ. The teachings of all the Prophets are the same in character.”
So, in the same way as the Buddha spent His time emphasising how His followers should behave, Jesus did so too. Much of Jesus’s teaching was in the form of parables. These were stories which illustrated a point of understanding or of conduct. Jesus taught: “Love thy neighbour as thyself”. He said: "Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them! … Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them His children!” Bahá’u’lláh, referring to Jesus, stated: “Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee.”
Muhammad, recognised by a fifth of mankind as another of
God’s Messengers, was likewise very meek in His behaviour towards others. He
suffered years of persecution in silence, and never retaliated. He only allowed
actions of self-defence when the entire city of Medina was being attacked. He
set out Teachings on how both the individual and the community should behave:
“Take not life, which God hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law.”
A high standard of behaviour was expected from His followers: “Verily, the most
honoured of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you.”
The Bahá’í Faith recognises the divine spirit present in all four of these Founders of religion. Some of the practical details of each religion will be different, because they appeared in different contexts, and at different times. But Bahá’u’lláh said: “If thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold Them all abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith.” In other words, in essence, they are all One.
The Bahá’í Faith recognises the divine spirit present in all four of these Founders of religion. Some of the practical details of each religion will be different, because they appeared in different contexts, and at different times. But Bahá’u’lláh said: “If thou wilt observe with discriminating eyes, thou wilt behold Them all abiding in the same tabernacle, soaring in the same heaven, seated upon the same throne, uttering the same speech, and proclaiming the same Faith.” In other words, in essence, they are all One.
Bahá’u’lláh warned against religious fanaticism and hatred, which He described as “a world-devouring fire”. He urged people to, “consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship”. What the world really needs now is for people to recognise the essential oneness of the world’s religions, which will in turn help people to recognise the oneness and wholeness of the entire human race.
(Photograph courtesy of Getty Pictures.)
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
In March, 2019, I wrote a blog post about the attack on Muslim worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand, under the title, “Why?”
