Chinese Easter

I have a great friend named Sakshi who taught me an important lesson on spirituality.

Sakshi is a Christian who lived in India as a monk and who now travels around doing different video documentaries on various faith traditions here on his vlog.

He told me one time, “Paul, when I look at different belief systems or faiths, I try to tap into their essence.”

Wow. What a great thought.

As I’ve tried to remember this advice, I’ve found myself, at times, being able to look past the surface differences in people and groups and instead, find something in their core to admire.

At it’s essence, religion and faith tradition seems to me to be an upward striving of the soul in an effort to touch the divine.

And just because people use many different stories, symbols, rituals, words, and beliefs to practice this essence, for the most part – the spiritual longing underneath all of the covers, the essence, is something many of us can identify with, find common ground in and even admire.

I think that if we can learn to see past the differences in others, and instead find something to admire rather than criticize, we’ve really done something great.

And on that note, with so many people celebrating Easter throughout the world today, I thought I would share with you some Easter essence I picked up while living in Kaohsiung Taiwan a few years back as a missionary.

In Mandarain Chinese, Easter is pronounced Fuhuo Jie (复活节) which literally translates to “Resurrection Day.”

Part of the essence of resurrection, to me, seems to signify hope and new life.

I’m reminded of how each night, we lay our bodies down for rest, and with them the cares of the day, the worries of the past, the times we’ve tried and failed.

And when we rise up in the morning – all of that can be gone as we embrace a new day, with new hope, new opportunity and new life.

Fu Juo Jie (复活节), Resurrection day, some essence, from another culture.

A day of new opportunity, New Life and New Hope.

Happy Chinese Easter. 🙂