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John
Wotherspoon
Email: jdwomi@gmail.com
Sun: Africa
Mon:
Europe & Russia Tues: South
Asia Wed: East
Asia Thurs:
S.E. Asia & Pacific
Frid: South
America Sat: Central & North
America Please join me in praying for one part of
the world each day:
Jesus, today please bless the people of
Central & North America
Saturday April , 2012 Daily Blog John W Previous 2012 blogs
Dear Friends
Today in Hong Kong is a public holiday - Buddha's Birthday
Not long after I arrived in HK in early 1985,
I attended a weekly course on Buddhism to try to get a better understanding of
what it's all about.
I learnt that "the
Buddha" (= "the enlightened one")
was born in Nepal about 500 years before the time of Jesus.
Buddha's name was Gautama.
He was a prince, the son of a Nepalese king.
He moved to India.
He was a good man, a spiritual teacher,
something like the sages and wise men in other cultures
- sages like Solomon (Israel), Confucius (China), Socrates (Greece)
One thing he specifically requested:
"Don't worship me"
Many HK people go to a Buddhist temple one or
more times during the year,
but I think for most HK people,
Christmas is more important than Buddha's birthday
Matteo Ricci had a lot of time for
Confucianism, but little time for Buddhism
- because Buddhism denies the existence of God, denies an afterlife,
and because, like Hinduism, it stifles human progress
by teaching that we can't improve our lot
This is not to deny that Buddhism continues to
produce good and holy people,
even people willing to lay down their lives (the highest form of love)
for the sake of high ideals (e.g. Tibetan monks)
On this feast of Buddha's birthday, God bless all dear Buddhist friends and places of prayer!
---------------
And on this 28th of the month,
Jesus please bless
the people of Beijing
(Please join me in praying for one
part of China each day of the month)
My Bible Plan for today = Please join me in using these readings to seek enlightenment!
Thank you for a prayer
God bless!
John W
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