Almost 40 years ago, I wrote an enthusiastic letter to the editor of our local newspaper after I had seen, "Siddhartha" the movie. Since my father had spent his formative years in China, I have always had a profound respect for the Buddha. I was brought up as a Christian. Here is my letter published on November 10th 1974:
"Allow me to express my thoughts on the soul inspiring film, 'Siddhartha'. The essence of the show had filled me with such a magnanimous feeling that I wish to share it with others. Like Siddhartha, I myself had been searching for peace. Through trial and error, I rediscovered myself in the peace and tranquility of my own Christian religion. Questions arose and I took action. I sought to re-establish my relationship with Christ when I was at school. After months of unrest, I found him nestled in the awesome beauty of the sunset. Everything comes back to the source of life like the river. What Siddhartha discovered is amply brought out in Romans 8, verse 6: "To have your mind controlled by human nature results in death; to have your mind controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace." Indeed as one philosopher remarked: "he who seeks God has already found him." The problem lies not in seeking; but in learning to love."
So many thoughts run through my mind as I re-read these words! The following year I joined the local Benedictine monastery. I was a monk for 12 years. What have I learnt in these 40 years of searching for meaning/purpose in life? Live life fully. Live life deliberately. To live deliberately means to live each moment with enough intensity to last and not 'to burn' oneself away! Perhaps this is what Siddhartha, Jesus and so many wise people have unearthed. That young man age 20 knew something.
Today I am still learning to love and to live every moment well.
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