1/28/15

Tonight's topic in my RCIA class was the sacraments, although we spent most of the hour talking about other things, like sponsors and the like. We're at the point now where they're asking us to think about finding a sponsor, their role being to start coming with us to some of the classes and hear what's being said so that we can discuss it with them later on (if they agree, disagree, or have their own input on what's being taught), as well as to participate in the rites of initiation leading up to, and on, Holy Saturday.

Most of the people I'd want to ask are the ones who can't really fill that role, like Fr. Michael and Barbara, who's on the pastoral council and in charge of the RCIA class. Besides them, the first person that came to mind is my kalyana-mitta, Romanos, who's Orthodox. I asked if it was OK to ask him, and they said it was fine if he's willing. It's kind of a long shot, but I hope he says yes because he's been a big part of this journey. But if not, I asked Barbara if she could recommend someone who might be on a similar spiritual wavelength.

When we finally got to the sacraments, we mostly discussed baptism. I thought the way they talked about it and what it's traditionally believed to cleanse, especially original sin, was interesting. In simple terms, original sin is viewed as humanity's ignorance of God/Dhamma, the idea of not needing God/Dhamma in our lives. And baptism is an initiation into having God/Dhamma in our lives, of consciously turning towards God/Dhamma as a refuge.

To be honest, I always thought the idea of original sin was a little strange, but seeing it from this perspective, it makes sense. And personally, I don't think the water itself washes away our sins (unskillful actions and ignorance) so much as our desire or intention to turn towards what's good and true and away from our inner defilements of greed, aversion, and delusion conditioned by ignorance/original sin.

The way I see it, we're each in certain places and receptive to certain things due to a myriad of causes and conditions that we can't possibly fathom, so why pretend that we have all the answers and discount where others find themselves in life? I discovered Buddhism and it changed my life. And after practicing it for over ten years, I've reached a point where I can now appreciate Christianity and find the same wisdom there, with each complementing my spiritual journey and understanding. The trappings may be different, but for me, the underlying call/message is the same.