Christmas

All cynicism aside, best wishes to all this morning. To steal a sentiment from rev_e: Happy Tuesday, if nothing else.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the pope both gave decent sermons urging people to set aside war and to show each other more love and respect.

The New York Times has a nice editorial on Christmas Morning, and how the uninitiated might be forgiven for thinking that what we actually celebrate is the excitement and potential of being able to go to sleep late on a dark winter’s night, and wake up to a whole new day of opportunity. “After all, what other holiday do we attend in robes and pajamas?”

Also, my weekly Buddhist quote from Snow Lion Publications is worth a look:

When we compare two ancient spiritual traditions like Buddhism and Christianity, what we see is a striking similarity between the narratives of the founding masters: in the case of Christianity, Jesus Christ, and in the case of Buddhism, the Buddha. I see a very important parallel: in the very lives of the [founders] the essence of their teachings is demonstrated. For example… the essence of the Buddha’s teaching is embodied in the Four Noble Truths: the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the truth of the path leading to this cessation. These Four Noble Truths are very explicitly and clearly exemplified in the life of… the Buddha himself. I feel [it] is the same with the life of Christ. If you look at the life of Jesus, you will see all the essential practices and teachings of Christianity exemplified. And in the lives of both Jesus Christ and the Buddha, it is only through hardship, dedication and commitment, and by standing firm on one’s principles that one can grow spiritually and attain liberation. That seems to be a central and common message.

In honor of these and other similar sentiments, I plan to set aside cynicism for the morning at least, and to simply be happy sharing a morning of gifts, music, reflection, remembering, and relaxation with my family.