VATICAN CITY (UCAN) The Vatican's message for the annual
commemoration of Buddha's birth cites a shared commitment to
selfless love as mutual encouragement for Buddhists and Christians
to join in dialogue and service.
As in past years, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue issued the message to Buddhists for Vesak, also spelled
Vesakh, when some Buddhists commemorate Buddha's birth and others
his birth, enlightenment and death. Some communities observe it on
different dates, but this year Buddhists in many countries will
celebrate Vesak on May 12. Others will celebrate on May 5.
This year's message draws on Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical, Deus
Caritas Est, in making the distinction between erotic love and
agape, love focused on the good of the other. It finds a resonance
in the Buddhist concepts of metta, which it also sees as a selfless
and active love for others, and karuna, loving compassion for
all.
By recovering and sharing these core concepts, the message says,
Buddhists and Christians could advance dialogue and spur
collaboration at the service of hose in need.
Archbishop Michael L. Fitzgerald signed the message on Feb. 14 as
president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligous Dialogue. The
following day, Pope Benedict XVI reassigned the archbishop as
apostolic nuncio to Egypt and to the Arab League. Cardinal Paul
Poupard now serves concurrently as president of the council for
dialogue as well as the Pontifical Council for Culture.
The full English text of the Vesak message follows:
Buddhists and Christians at the Service of Humanity
Message to Buddhists for the Feast of Vesakh
Dear Buddhist Friends,
1. On behalf of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
I offer to you and to all Buddhist communities around the world my
very best wishes for Vesakh. I hope that you may have a joyful
feast.
2. As is now customary, I would like to take this occasion to share
with you some thoughts which may help to strengthen the relations
between our two communities. This year these reflections are based
on Pope Benedict XVI's first letter to Catholics throughout the
world. This letter, God is Love, or according to its Latin title
Deus caritas est (DCE), examines the nature of love. His Holiness
the Pope is convinced that this word, so frequently used and yet so
often misunderstood, needs to have its true meaning restored in
order to become a beacon of light for everyday life.
3. Pope Benedict speaks about two types of love: first eros, the
love between a man and a woman, a love which seeks personal
satisfaction; then agape, a love which seeks the good of the other,
although that person may not be liked or even not known. For
Christians this second type of love is only possible if it is
grounded in love for God, in response to God's love for human
beings. So love of God and love of one's fellow human beings are
inseparable, forming one single commandment. "Love grows through
love. Love is 'divine' because it comes from God and unites us to
God" (DCE 1
.
4. We Christians believe that the perfect manifestation of agape is
founded on Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, who spent his
whole life spreading the Good News of God's love in both words and
deeds. The ultimate expression of this love was when Jesus gave his
life for the whole of humanity. Moreover Jesus is the source of
agape, in particular through the gift of himself in the Eucharist.
Drawing from this source, Christians strive to follow in the
footsteps of Jesus by showing love for their brothers and sisters,
especially for the poor and suffering.
5. Through our dialogue we have come to appreciate the importance
that you Buddhists give to love for one's fellow human beings which
is expressed in the concept of metta, a love without any desire to
possess but only to help others. It is understood as a love which
is willing to sacrifice self-interest for the benefit of humanity.
So metta, according to Buddhist teaching, is not confined to
benevolent thought, but extends to the performance of charitable
deeds, to the service of one and all. It is indeed a universal
benevolence. Nor should one forget that other virtue, karuna,
through which is shown loving compassion for all living
beings.
6. In this world where the word love is so often used and misused
would it not be useful for Buddhists and Christians to rediscover
its original meaning according to their respective traditions and
to share their understanding with one another? This would be an
encouragement for the followers of both traditions to work together
to build up relations based on love and truth, to promote mutual
respect, to foster dialogue and to further collaboration in the
service of those who are in need.
7. These considerations lead me to a final wish, namely that the
feast of Vesakh may be a time when the friendship between Buddhists
and Christians is consolidated and collaboration in the spirit of
agape and metta is strengthened. In this spirit I wish you a very
Happy Vesakh.
Archbishop Michael L. Fitzgerald
President
14th February 2006
