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| | | Book Name: The Dhammapada - The Way of the Buddha, Vol 2 | Previous Next | |
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the same category with Jesus, Mohammed and Ramakrishna?"
I said, "Why not?"
He said, "Jesus drinks wine, eats meat -- what greater sin can one commit?"
Mohammed ate meat and got married to nine women! One has to renounce the woman -- and not only one but nine! A perfect number. In fact, there are no more numbers; nine is the last number, then again repeats the same....
"Mohammed got married to nine women, was a meat-eater -- how can you put Mohammed with Mahavira? And how can you put Ramakrishna with Mahavira? He used to eat fish."
A Bengali is bound to eat fish.
His only criticism of my books is that I have put these people together.
Now ask a Christian.... I once asked a Christian missionary, "What do you say about this Jaina monk? He has said this...have you any objection?"
He said, "Certainly! How can you put Mahavira with Jesus? Jesus lived for humanity, sacrificed himself for humanity -- what has Mahavira done? Mahavira is utterly selfish, he thinks only of his own salvation. He cares nothing about others! He never healed a blind person, he never raised a dead person from death. He was just meditating for twelve years in the mountains, in the forests -- what more selfishness...? And the world is suffering and people are in great pain, and he didn't come to console them. What more luxury can there be? Just meditating by the side of a river in the forest -- what more luxury! What has he done for the poor humanity? Jesus sacrificed himself -- he lived and died for others. His whole life was nothing but pure sacrifice. How can you put Mahavira with Jesus?"
And he too seems to be right. Now, how do you decide? Buddha never healed the sick, the blind, the deaf, the dumb -- just meditated. Seems to be selfish! He should have opened hospitals, or at least schools; should have distributed medicine, should have gone to the flood areas and served people...he never did anything like that. What kind of spirituality is this? According to a Christian, it is pure selfishness.
Now, who is right? And who is going to decide? We live according to our prejudices.
The Jaina monk is wrong and the Christian
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