Zen and the meaning of Easter. Apr 19, 1987

Zen Roshi, Lola McDowell Lee, gives a talk themed on Easter. (While Lola was primarily a Zen teacher, she was also an ordained Christian minister). Lola reads from the Gospels exploring the meaning of Jesus asking, “Why have you forsaken me?”Symbols of Easter include a baby chick, pecking its way out of an egg to become that which he was destined to be. That is also a good metaphor for the human situation.Lola discusses various religious traditions, including that of the Mayans of Central America and Jewish Mysticism.Nothing is taken away from the outer. And nothing is added to the inner. It is a union of the two. Nirvana is Samsara — and Samsara is Nirvana. The history of Constantine, the Roman emperor who became a Christian—and changed the world.No one becomes truly religious on the order of another. We must see to it ourselves.The story of Adam and the tree of good and evil—as well as the tree of life.Who is the True Man that goes in and out of the gates of your face?Jewish mysticism describes the Heart of Hearts, and the Heart of Stone. The internal battle. Our will can cut through the heart of stone… with a sword of truth. It takes a self-emptying of one’s self aggrandizement.The meaning of Passover. You have to empty yourself of your miseries… as well as your best parts.Many of us pray for things, and removal of miseries… without praying (or meditating) to know God himself. It’s Spiritual Hedonism.Apr 19, 1987