Vesak Day

Today is Vesak Day. It celebrates the birth (誕生), enlightenment (成道) and death (涅槃) of the Buddha. Like all famous men, he had birth, something significant, then death.

Vesak Day is the right time to talk about men, especially men who claimed to be more than human, but yet is born of a father and a mother, like every one of us, and die, like every one of us.

Many people like us to believe that they are more than human. The latest such person is Sai Baba. He was born of a father and a mother, like you and me, and he died on Easter Sunday 24th April 2011. His disciples buried him three days later, hoping that he would emulate Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead after three days. He did not and was buried. Someone in future can claim to be his reincarnation, but it cannot be proven objectively or legally.

Death is the leveller. You can be a great conqueror, a very wise man, a fool, a rich man or a beggar. One thing will happen to you. You will die. You can claim to be a god or a buddha, but if you die, to me, you are the same as me, same as all human beings who was born of a father and a mother and died. You failed to conquer the greatest enemy of all – death. I cannot believe you.

Jesus is another man who claimed to be God. What is the difference between Him and all the others?

First, He is not born of a father and a mother. He was born of a virgin.
Next, He died, but after three days He rose from the dead.
Finally, His birth, death, resurrection and second coming was prophesised.

Christianity is not a one man religion, unlike many religions, which have only one founder.

So the life of Jesus can be summed up as following:
Pre-birth prophecies, born of a virgin, death, resurrection, and future coming.