Tomorrow is the Feast of Transitus marking the passage of St. Francis of Assisi from life to death. For Francis death is/was a part of life. Francis saw all life as inter-related. He saw himself as brother and sister to all created by the Most High. Francis used many superlatives to describe the almighty.I’ve been reading an interesting book today. It is “Going Home – Jesus and Buddha as Brothers” by Thich Nhat Hanh. I’ve seen some similarities with St. Francis. The Buddha saw “living beings as mothers and fathers for each other.” If I look deeply at all that surrounds me I must se the relationship of everything to me and me to everything else that surrounds me. If I think I am an autonomous creature then I am living an untruth. I breathe air and I expel carbon dioxide. I have a relationship with the air as brother and sister. I am brother and sister to all creation and they are the same to me.
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creation, buddha, thich nhat hanh, st.francis
That is a great book. Reading TNH’s book on the heart of Buddhism or something like that got me through the novitiate!
Happy Transitus, brother.
Thank you both! Peace.
Hello Don, Happy Feast of St Francis a day late, and thank you for spreading the spirit of Francis through your blog.