The Prayer of Union

Sometimes folks compare Saint John of the Cross to the Lord Buddha and speak of his spirituality as being like Buddhism. In many ways, on the surface it seems similiar.

Buddhism, and many other Eastern religions speak of 'Maya' illusion. At the core of all things there is unity and oneness {I suppose you might stretch this and say maybe they mean God, though they do not say this}. People are separated from becoming one with the all through 'Maya' the illusion that everything {especially ourselves} are separate from the unity of all things. When the individual cuts through this illusion of being separate he or she attains 'Enlightenment' or Siddharta , or becomes 'Self-realised' and becomes one with the one. Thats why when you see the Buddha sitting under the Banyan tree in pictures he has a big sappy grin on his face. For he has cut through the nonsense and realised that suffering, pain death, whatever is illusory. {One of the best books I ever read on this was by the German Herman Hesse called, 'Sidharrta'.

Going back to the '60's there has been great dialogue between Catholic Contemplatives such as the American Cistercian and writer Thomas Merton and they often equated Catholic prayer stages with Eastern experiences. So that Enlightenment in Eastern terms might be considered the same as Spiritual Marriage, the highest prayer state in Catholic understanding.

These Catholic thinkers were well experienced in prayer and very well read in Eastern religions so manybe they are right. However I myself do not think so. In order to compare the two ways of prayer we must I think look at what Saint john of the Cross and other Catholic saints and writers meant be detachment and also look at scripture.

Jesus , for instance says,

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6)

to be contd