VATICAN CITY (CNS) In a world of unbridled consumerism and materialism, Christians can find inspiration in the Buddhist witness of happiness in non-attachment to material goods, said the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. In a message for the feast of Vesakh, a commemoration of the major events in the life of the Buddha, the Vatican office urged Christians and Buddhists to work together to contribute to the well-being of the world community.
The Vatican released the message April 3 as many Buddhist communities were preparing to celebrate Vesakh May 2.
The message, signed by the council’s president, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, and secretary, Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, said Christian and Buddhist communities are aware of the challenges of "the ever more extensive phenomenon of poverty in its various forms" and "the unbridled pursuit of material possessions and the pervasive shadow of consumerism."
While very different, there are two types of poverty, the message said.
One is a poverty that can be chosen in the form of emptying oneself in order to listen to and be more open to God and other people, the message said.
The other kind of poverty is a material deprivation that "prevents people and families from living as befits their dignity," it said.
God does not wish for this latter form of poverty, which also offends justice and equality, and threatens peaceful co-existence, it said.
The Catholic community wishes to thank its Buddhist friends "for your inspiring witness of nonattachment and contentment," said the message.
Buddhist monks, nuns and lay faithful freely embrace a poverty "that spiritually nourishes the human heart, substantially enriching life with a deeper insight into the meaning of existence, and sustaining commitment to promoting the good will of the whole human community," it said.
