The Buddhist concept of "Bodhisattvas"
beautifully flips the Nirvana/Pure Land,
Heaven/Hell narrative
by positing a shift in perspective
that sees the world as it is,
not as a place of suffering
and meaningless wandering,
with death as a hoped-for escape
from "the everlasting round
of grief, loss and sorrow,"
but as a place of unending opportunity
to practice the art of healing/helpful presence,
by returning--
not to another round of anguish and agony,
but to another chance to develop
our capacity for compassion,
kindness,
grace
and mercy.
Getting better at being loving
through the practice of being Buddha/Christs
by living and dying
to live and die
again and again.
And, it offers much more interesting ways
of spending our time
than being lost in beatific visions
in heaven/Nirvana forever.
I'm all for being a Bodhisattva
when I die--
and I don't have to wait until then
to start living the role!
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Jim Dollar's Photography and Philosophy 