El-Branden Brazil

Photographer, Writer & Mystic Traveller

Posts tagged ‘Religion’

Mutual Coexistence

I’m a Buddhist. I practice Zazen (Zen meditation) regularly, I read, I contemplate. I also acknowledge that I don’t yet know ultimate Truth. To pretend to do so would be arrogance in the extreme.

My faith connects with me and helps me find meaning through the mysteries of everyday life and beyond. I personally believe that Lord Buddha’s teachings offer a very practical path to finding peace.

…What I believe, doesn’t mean I am necessarily right. I can no more prove my beliefs to be true than anyone else of another faith. My beliefs alone make no difference to the world, other than give me a label. It is how I act in the world that matters.

I have Christian, Muslim, Pagan, Jewish, Hindu and many other friends of faiths, who are close friends. There is no question that they are very good people, trying to be a force for light, rather than darkness, in the world. We have mutual respect for each other, and share in a single goal for peace, understanding and love.

We all need to celebrate together our wide-eyed, shared appreciation for the mystery of the Universe. Together, we should hold hands and breathe in the brief moment that is allowed us to explore it. We should waste no time fighting each other.

A Burning Lamp & Lotus Leaves
Photography by El-Branden Brazil

The Art Of Tolerance

I call myself a Buddhist, but I believe that such labels are irrelevant. I cannot be certain, but I like to believe that Christ was a Buddha, although he was not a Buddhist.

The reality is that such labels only divide us in our mutual search for Truth. Calling yourself a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jain, Pagan, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic… whatever, does not give you the privilege to Truth alone. To investigate reality, we must first engage with it, looking beyond the preconceived, conditioned cultures we are indoctrinated into. We must step out of the comfort zones we inhabit, open our minds and embrace the possibility that we might well be wrong. Just search, question and seek absolute truths, even if you never find them, because they do exist.

Surely, whilst we may ALL be wrong in what we believe in, the least we can do, in this vast, unanswered moment in space and time, is to hug and love our brothers and sisters of different faith. Our faiths might be unprovable, but LOVE AND COMPASSION ARE ABSOLUTE, because we have all seen the results they bring. The abstract dimensions of faith should be less of a priority, whilst the direct actions of love and compassion amplified, because, regardless of faith, these are qualities that bring positive effects to all.

Friends
Photography by El-Branden Brazil