In the Gospel of Matthew, Christ described the kingdom of heaven like a mustard seed. I am sure most know the analogy that a mustard seed, once planted, becomes a strong tree, to which others can gain nourishment from. Likewise, in the same Gospel, Christ also described the Kingdom of Heaven is similar to yeast, meaning a little bit of yeast can leaven a lot of flour. Both the mustard seed and the flour is our mind and thoughts. Inside, our mind has the ability to choose both negative and positive thoughts. We can choose to rid ourselves of potential negative thoughts without regret.
Whether it is the Kingdom of heaven or the nirvana, all of us can touch Christ. We can touch the Buddha. Each of us has the power to reach the deepest level of love at any given moment. When we realize everything around us was by the love of God,: you me, mother father, lover friend, tables and chairs, homes and cars, candy, ice cream, the sky, fresh air, birth and death, toil and joy. All things were created by this eternal force.
When we see love, the Christian can see and touch the Holy Spirit. For the Buddhist, can see the Buddha. When we see love and compassion, forgiveness and heart, then we are very close to the Buddha and Christ. When you practice these, you practice His teaching.
In his book “The Wisdom of Forgiveness,” the Dalai Lama claims each of us are interdependent. Each of us shapes our thoughts, feelings and reaction to world events. Sometimes it is the things help shape who we are. Life events, death of family members, lack of resources, etc., often shape who we are.
For instance, I lost the love of my life. Inherently, I am not a bad person. While some things I did were not proper, not all of me is bad. Yet, both my former love and to some extent, the Catholic Church feels I may not be reclaimable. Yet, take that vey same person, place them and place him in a loving environment where both loves could flourish and nurture, our experience and outcome would be very different.
In many cases, one cannot experience the greatest of love without the potential for pain. You generally cannot experience one without the other. By understanding our interdependence, edges soften and physical boundaries blur when spiritual lucidity occur.
So in times of great struggle, remember your potential interdependence. Great diversity may be your greatest strength.