I believe that a synthesis of Christianity and Buddhism would be a great way forward for the future of religion and humanity. This synthesis may not be easy from a theological point of view but shouldn’t be too difficult from a poetic perspective. I believe Poetic Faith needs to be taken seriously. It has no affiliation to any religion but can perceive the Ultimate – God – in everyday experience just as powerfully as any devout religious person can. Poetic Faith is simple as it does not get caught up in the search for a coherent system of thought to justify its existence. Poetic Faith demands no proof; living is proof itself. It does not ask God to justify why the world is as it is and seeks to understand God with its poetic heart and soul.
I wrote the poem below several years ago. I was trying to express the desire to achieve the inner peace and detachment of the Buddhist while continuing to engage with the love-story of the Christian West.
Don’t Lose Sight of the Yak Emptiness is a great place to fall in love: desire burns safely without pain. Gautama gave compassion the thumbs-up as he melted into no-self. Jesus bled. The Son of God got himself nailed to wood for the sake of love laid open. When I go walking in Tibet I shall follow the middle way: Attach myself to souvenirs, fall in love with a local girl, talk philosophy with a Lama. I will walk far enough into the hills of passion, but without ever losing sight of the Yak.
One final thought: I don’t think our flesh and blood humanity has much of a future if it abandons religion and spirituality completely. Artificial Intelligence, robots, androids and uploaded-minds may manage to survive without the need for a relationship with God but not us while we remain anchored to our living and breathing reality. I hope our current way of being lasts for millennia to come.
My earlier thoughts on Poetic Faith
