April 8, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, April 8.
Today is the birthday of a man named Siddhartha Gautama. He was a wandering teacher who lived five centuries before Bethlehem. You may know him by his other name - Buddha. 500 million people follow his teachings today, and today’s devotion is about an encounter I had... with a Buddhist.
In late August, 2006, I endured the longest bus ride of my life. Eight hours on a hot, noisy, jam-packed Greyhound going from New Orleans to Houston. I lived in the Houston area then, and a few days before, I had taken the train to the Big Easy. Trains are my favorite way to travel and New Orleans is my favorite place. It was the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the Crescent City was full of VIPs, including President Bush. Katrina hit on August 29, my birthday, so it was a memorable trip for several reasons. As I got ready for the return train to Houston, news came of another hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico (remember when we called it that?). Everyone was still so skittish after Katrina, that the train coming from California to take me back home never made it past San Antonio. And that’s how I found myself on that Greyhound bus.
My seat mate was a 21-year-old student, going back to Houston for the start of her senior year. I grew up in Houston, and went to college there, so we talked about that for a while. Then she told me she was a Buddhist. Houston is a pretty cosmopolitan city - lots of ethnic groups, lots of religions - but this was my first encounter with a follower of The Buddha. For the next seven hours we talked about our faith. Have you ever had the opportunity to talk with someone from another religion besides your own? It really makes you think hard about what you believe and why you believe it. My new friend was a gracious listener and a good talker, as well. When we finally arrived in Houston, no one had been “converted,” but I think both of us were a little bit changed. A stimulating conversation will do that for you.
Buddhists don’t, technically, worship Buddha as a god or a savior. They revere him as a wise teacher. The name Buddha means “enlightened one.” My bus buddy shared some of his teachings on our long ride home. I believe that, in addition to scripture, we can also open our minds to inspirational thoughts, quotes, and wisdom. In Philippians 4:8 we receive this instruction - “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - think on these things.”
So, here are some thoughts from a wandering teacher who lived five centuries before Bethlehem.
- Sometimes it is better to be kind than to be right.
- If you lift a light for someone, it will also brighten your path.
- Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.
- If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.
- One moment can change a day. One day can change a life. One life can change the world.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
