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SECTION Religion B

THURSDAY, DECEMBER24,2015 / THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS

BUDDHISM HINDUISM INTERFAITH INSIGHT Bodhi Day Dattatreya’s remembers the Celebrating light story shared enlightenment and recognizing other traditions among Hindus By Rev. Shuji Mintzmyer By Fred Stella Grand Rapids Pracharak of West Michigan The date many Buddhists By Douglas Kindschi Christians decided not to fight the festival Hindu temple celebrate Buddha’s Enlightenment Director, Kaufman Interfaith Institute, GVSU spirit but just join in and celebrate Jesus’ On Dec. 25 this year, due day is Dec. 8. There is no doubt that we are in the nativity as well. After all, Jesus said “I am the to this particular lunar cycle, This is the day when Siddhartha holiday season. It’s all around us, in television light of the world. Whoever follows me will Hindus will join their Christian Gautama became an enlightened programs,storeadvertisements, holiday lights never walk in darkness but will have the light friends to celebrate the being and teacher, whom wenow throughout the city and frequently on homes of life.” (John 8:12) appearance of divinity in flesh. call The Buddha. and while shopping for presents. In the Sermon on the Mount, he even said to Their celebrations will retell Many think Buddhists believe Even those who do not send out Christmas his followers,,g “You are the light of the world.” the story of Dattatreya, whose The Buddha cards, ofteen send “Happy“Happy HoHolidaliday”y”cards. cards. (Ma(Matthewtthew 5:5:1414)) birth was, to say the least,an is a god to be The dominant holiday holiday in On tthis,his, the darkest period ooff the yeyear,ar, a interesting worshipped. This December, celebration of lightlight is one. is not the case. obviously,obviously,is is most appropriate.appropriate. Dattatreya First known as Christmas, but it LookingLooking forward to the was believed Prince Siddhartha, is not thetheon onlyly reli-reli- greengreen of springspring was like look-look- to be “divinity The Buddha was a giousgious holidayholiday beingbeing inging forward to the festival of descended.” seeker. celebratedcelebrated thisthis Easter. GivingGivingg giftsifts to each otherother According Mintzmyer At the age of 29, month.month. represented God’s giftgift to the he embarked on Kindschii OurOur ofof the Christ child Bhagavad Stella a quest, a journey of introspection Jewish to the world.world. Gita, “when that sought to answer two ques- neighborss celebrate Hanukkah, Christians are oftenoften righteousness declines, when tions: What is the meaning of life Buddhistss celebratecelebrate BodhiBodhi Day,Day, critical that ChristmasChristmas time has wickedness is strong, I rise, and of death? And, why do humans Muslims celebrate the birthdaybirthday ofof becomebecometooco too commercialmmercial andand from age to age, and take suffer? Muhammad,mad, andandH Hindusindus alsoalso havehave has lost the “true spiritspirit of visible shape, and move, a After six years of fasting and a holiday theythey recognize.recognize. Each ofof Christmas.”Christmas.” man with men, succoring the meditation as an aesthetic, these is describedescribed in thethe accom-accom- But maybemaybe our secular good, thrusting the evil back Siddhartha realized he was not panying articles.articles. society is justjust returning toto and setting virtue on her seat getting any closer to understand- It shouldld also be noted that manymany ofof these the paganpagan stylestyle ofof tryingtrying to bringbring lightlight again.” ing the human condition. He was traditionss use a lunar calendar forfor reli-reli- and hope to the shortest dayday ofof the While it is possible that on the verge of starvation, when a gious eventsnts that differsdiffers fromfrom the standard year.year. Dattatreya did exist as a histor- young woman brought him milk Gregoriann calendar. Hence the celebrations We celebrate the season ooff lightlight ical person, most Hindus have and rice. He ate the meal and then are not alwayslways on the same daydayf fromrom yearyear withwith our otherother religiousreligious neighbors.neighbors. no problem with acknowledg- sat under a , committed to year. At this time ooff seemingseeming darknessdarkness ing his birth story as a sacred to not moving until he found the The Christianhristian celebration of Easter, in thethewor worldld andand in our nation, myth, revealing a glimpse answers to these questions. in a similarar manner,manner, is not on the same where fear,fear, conflict and even into the relationship between Fanciful stories surround this date eachhy year,ear, since it also follows a violence are too prevalent,prevalent, let uuss humanity and God. time under the Bodhi tree. Birds lunar calendarendar tied to the JewishJewish holi-holi- come togethertogether seekingseeking under-under- Hindus hold that there made a comfortable seat for day of Passover.ssover. standingstanding andand peace. is only one God, known as Siddhartha to sit and a seven- The celebrationlebration ofof ChristmasChristmas alsoalso KnowledgeKnowledge of other traditradi-- Brahman, but that divinity has headed serpent protected him from is not the samesame forfor thosethose in thethe tions andandg gettingetting to knowknow many expressions. rain. On the seventh day, Eastern OrthodoxOrthodox tradition, where othersothers whowhoce celebratelebrate dif-dif- While the scriptures indi- visited and tempted him with the it is celebratedrated Jan.Jan. 7. ferentlyferently helps us come cate the existence of millions princely treasures he left behind. Actually,ly, Christmas was togethertogether as community.community. of devas (gods & goddesses), She then sent him nightmares of not a partt of the earlyearly church InterfaithInterfaithun understand-derstand there is special veneration fighting demons. calendar, since there was no inging does not mean given to the Trimurthi, or the Mara (which means destruction mention inin the BibleBible aboutabout thatthat allall religionsreligions are “Hindu Trinity.” in ) is often depicted as the the time ofof Jesus’ birth. the samesameo orr that the This includes Brahma (cre- Buddhist devil or some equivalent The officialficial date ofof differencesdifferences do not ator), Vishnu (preserver), and — an evil force outside of us. Dec. 25 waswas not designateddesignated matter,matter,b butut it doesdoes Shiva (dissolver/restorer). In reality, Mara represents our for Christmastmas until mean thatthat we In ancient times, there was ego that sometimes gets in our way 350 C.E. by Pope Julius I. recognizerecognizeour a very pious, childless couple, of doing what’s best for us. After the Protestant common human-human Atri and his wife, Anusuya. In response to Mara, Siddhartha Reformation,tion, the ity andand pursue The story goes that one day touched his hand to the ground, day, whichh refers to “peace“peace on earthearth the gods attempted to test the and said “I have the right to sit “Christ Mass,”Mass,” was andandg goodwilloodwill virtue of Anusuya. They took here. I have the right to understand banned fororman manyy to all.”all.” human form and appeared at the meaning of birth and death.” years in ScotlandScotland LetLet thisthis be her house when Atri was away. He then looked up and saw and also bybyt thehe ourour com- They wished to be fed. the morning star as it rose and Puritans inin mitment.mitment. Naturally, the holy woman he became enlightened. At that America. Email:Email: welcomed them. But then they moment, he became The Buddha, Pickingg inter-inter- asked that she serve them the enlightened one. Central pre- the date inn faith@faith@ naked. Not wishing to deny the cepts of Buddhist teachings, The Decemberer gvsu.gvsu. request of guests, she obliged. and The Four Noble is probablybly edu Because her consciousness Truths, came from this awakening. related too was elevated, she did so with To commemorate the day of the Winterer the thought, “What is the dif- The Buddha’s enlightenment, Solstice ference? I do not see three those who practice as well men here, but three babies.” spend extra time in meditation as the And because her thought was for the first week in December. Roman so powerful, the gods turned On Dec. 8, Buddhists around the holiday off Saturnalia, which was into infants. world have a joyful celebration. The very popularular in ancient times. Seeing her devotion and Grand Rapids Buddhist Temple Candless and torches representedrepresented piety, they explained to her and hosted a celebration of our children the fadingg sun, whose return would Atri, who had now returned, so that they may embark on the path begin to bringbring new light.light. EvergreenEvergreen by passing this test they would of wisdom and compassion. This is plants andd wreaths reminded peoplepeople be rewarded. The three infants our celebration of lights, freedom of the comingming spring, when green would MLive.com illustration merged into one, incarnating from suffering and the connection again predominate.edominate. all three divine aspects and with all beings in this world. Gift-givingving was a part of the festivities. became their son, Dattatreya.

JUDAISM ISLAM Hanukkah is the rededication of the Temple Mawlad marks birth of Prophet Muhammad By Sheldon Kopperl like to think of America as being a By Aslam Modak different ways. Professor at GVSU bastion of religious diversity and respect. Member of local Muslim community Poetry is recited, charity and food are When Jews worldwide lit their But unlike Christmas, which always Say: “In the bounty of God, and in distributed. The celebrations, also called Menorahs at sundown Dec. 6, comes Dec. 25, the date of the His Mercy — therein let them Mawlid-an-Nabi, are purely they joined in the commemora- first day of Hanukkah varies rejoice.” Quran (10:58) spiritual in nature. The Mawlid tion of a victory against tyranny from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Muslims consider that the is conducted only out of love and and religious oppression car- The answer lies in the complex greatest bounty, favor and mercy reverence for the Prophet, as a ried out by the Seleucid autocrat lunar-solar calendar used by of God for mankind is the arrival reminder that he has arrived to Antiochus IV in 165 (or 164) BCE. Jews for religious festivals. of the Prophet Muhammad provide hope. This festival of Hanukkah Traditionally, the Jewish year (peace be upon him). Some legalistic Muslims marked the rededication of the is a lunar year with 12 months of He was born on the 12th of the oppose this celebration on the Temple in Jerusalem after it had Kopperl 29 or 30 days each correspond- Islamic month of Rabi Awwal. Modak grounds that it was not done by been defiled by Antiochus’ follow- ing to the lunar cycle. This gives Because the Islamic religious the Prophet himself. ers and re-purified by the Jewish priestly us a year of 354 days — 11 days shorter calendar is lunar, the dates fall differ- However, Mawlid-an-Nabi is a national class. While the details vary according than the solar year. ently each year. This year, the date of the holiday in almost all Muslim countries. to the narrator, Jewish pride of the vic- The Bible (Ex. 12) tells us to celebrate Prophet’s birth is Dec. 24, the day before The Mawlid is celebrated at the Islamic tory and thanks for God’s miracles shine the Passover festival in spring. This Christmas. The Quran declares that Jesus Center and Masjid on Burton Street, the through. means that with a loss of 11 days per year, Christ said “Peace be upon me the day I Bosnian Cultural Center, and in many The holiday today has different mean- it won’t be long before Passover occurs at was born, the day I die, and the day I shall Muslim homes in Grand Rapids. ings to different people. the end of winter. be raised alive!” Quran (19:33) A true Mawlid, however, is to reflect For children, the celebration gives So Jews add a “leap month” to the end Jesus and Prophet Muhammad are the Prophet’s qualities of inclusiveness, Jewish kids a chance to compete with of the Biblical year. These Jewish leap considered close and are greatly loved, God-consciousness, and mercy in all Christian friends for coveted December years occur seven times in a 19-year cycle. and Muslims feel fortunate that the two moments and all aspects of our lives. gifts. For most American Jewish adults, This current Jewish year (5776) is a leap celebrations follow one another this year. In the words of a Sufi Muslim friend: the celebration recalls a religious victory year, meaning next year, the additional Muslims come together joyfully to com- “Whatever brings you closer to God, for tolerance and freedom, much as we month will push the start back to Dec. 25. memorate the birthday of the Prophet in Christmas or Mawlid, may it be blessed.”