Barlaam and Josaphat: A Christian Tale of the Buddha (19 page)

Josaphat's soul and his body were engaged in a fierce battle. The body's attachment to the pleasures of the world threatened to destroy the soul. The body remembered the noble and beautiful crown it had lost, but the soul claimed that the earthly crown was worthless compared to the one that comes from on high. The body replied that the second could be gained while wearing the first. “The crown was your birthright and you abandoned it,” the body reproached the soul. “Now you know that you were wrong, for this life is too cruel.

“It is a sin to mistreat me,” the body continued. “You deprive and deceive me. You have become my enemy and you try to kill me. What wrong have I done you that you would wish to murder me so violently? I am your host and I lodge you, but only the wood and pegs remain of my house. The rafters are bare, and you have abandoned me. I was once very beautiful, but you have destroyed me. You hate me and love yourself. You were once married to me, but you destroy our union. You harm me when you rob me of my nobility, my power, and my wealth. You have taken away my pleasures and my delights, my comforts, my privileges, my soft bed, my rich table and my good food, and the servants and valets who served me. All these belong to a king, but where are the food, the wine, and my cups of fine gold now? Where are the silver and the gold that used to fill my treasury? Where are the rich silken fabrics I used to wear? Where are the servants who served me day and night? Everything is lost and I am naked and sorrowful. Alas, I do not know where to turn. I have to stay awake all night and fast all day, and I cannot do anything about it. Alas! I have nothing to cover myself with and nothing to eat.”

“Stop it, sad creature,” the soul responded. “What were you, what are you, and what will you be? You were nothing, you are nothing, and you will become nothing! What is a great household worth to you, what can wealth, power, or a kingdom bring you, when you have to die in the end? As for your house, the posts and the rafters have fallen because of a little suffering, and yet there is no weight on them! See how miserable your limbs are, but I know you do not think about them and you do not care what I become! Miserable thing, remember that the joy of this world lasts only a short time—think on the enduring happiness that the scriptures describe. I believe there is more sorrow than pleasure in the joy of this world. It begins in sorrow and ends in sorrow. But the joy of heaven is so precious and fine that no one can describe it, however well he speaks. What is the joy of this world worth? What good is silken cloth? Everything grows old and everything fades away. There is no delight in the world equal to the pleasure of serving God.”

The body did not accept this reasoning. “You are wrong, dear companion. My father, Avenir, was a king and emperor, and he lived happily in the world, enjoying honors, rich clothing, and noble surroundings. He had everything he desired, and he did as he wished with his wealth and knowledge, and for a long time he did not believe. Then at the end of his life, he believed in God and did many good deeds, just as the Christians do. He was not lost, I believe, and he enjoyed many pleasures in the world!

“Do you believe that God would destroy us with his teaching?” the body continued. “Why did he make this world so beautiful if all those who live in it will be damned? Do you say that those who serve and worship God while well shod and well dressed will be lost? You are foolish to torment me. God made beautiful things to delight men, for no one can spend every minute in worship. You have betrayed me by taking me away from the world. I was in the world, and now I am parted from it. I had a part of the world, you parted me from it, and now my part is very poor. I am naked, barefoot, and impoverished. You allow me to suffer.”

“By God,” said the soul, “you are wrong. You are earning life through death. Because of your poverty and nudity, and through your hunger, thirst, and discomfort, you will become a lord in heaven. You know well that here below we decline and perish without any certainty of when we will die. Do you know when your life will end? When I leave you, you will be a vile cadaver to be shunned and avoided.

“What are you saying about King Avenir? It is true that he was a powerful ruler. He had honor and esteem as long as he lived, but in the end he repented and undertook a harsh penance to reconcile himself to God and make peace with him. In the end he proved himself worthy to be saved, but you do not want to carry the burden King Avenir took up. You want to sin with hope, and whoever sins without fear should be judged to die. This is why I keep you poor and naked and give you so little to eat—if your house were covered with a roof you would find comfort, but you would risk being lost. I admonish you with hunger, and I am distressed that you reproach me, for I do it in good faith.”

“By faith,” said the body, “there is no good faith here, since you are killing me. You are a traitor when you kill your companion, and you will never come to God while you make me live in such shame. I was most unfortunate to be joined to you. You sin and betray yourself when you kill me, and you know it well. You do not care about me any more than you would a dog. Why do you want to kill me? You do not act nobly, and I do not see how you can profit from this, for sin cancels out charity. My companion attacks me. I am dying of thirst and hunger. I see fruit hanging on the tree and I want it, but I cannot taste it. You let me die of hunger. This is why I accuse you of disloyalty: you are wrong to wrong me, when you could treat me well. Do other Christians act this way?”

“Yes, by faith, they do. They sacrifice the body to save the soul.”

“By faith, there is no reason in this. I pay too dearly for your salvation when I am tortured like this.”

“What logic you use!” replied the soul. “If I were to be saved without you and you did not share in my rejoicing, then it would be unjust that you should suffer for me. But I believe that you cannot be saved without me, nor I without you. You know this too. I suffer pain and sorrow for your salvation, but you would seek only shame for me if I made you my lord. I leave you in need so that you will not be sullied by the filth of sin.

“I am your lady and you are my servant,” the soul continued.
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“You can be sure that I will never make you my lord, and I will tell you why. If I made you my lord, I would lose our Lord, and so I will not give you power over me. I know you and your pride well enough to know that you would turn my pure thoughts to great shame. It is not worth it to me. I speak to correct you, for you are excessively proud of your lineage. You think about your earthly legacy and that is why you hate this hermitage. You accuse me of treason, but you do wrong, for I am not a traitor and it is right that I chastise you.”

“You admonish me too harshly,” the body complained. “Give me at least a little relief, for I cannot bear this. My suffering increases every day. You know I speak the truth, for you can see how weak I have become. If I do not find water and salt, I will no longer be able to speak. I will never be able to move from here if you do not have a little mercy on me.”

“Mercy for what?”

“I am starving!”

“If you were full and satisfied, you would think of even more foolish things than you do now. Your hunger makes you think of nothing other than pleasing yourself. You remember your pleasures, but I do not care, for I know that they will not do you any good and you cannot have them. Make peace with it, for they will never return. You should be happy to lose them, for a fattened body cannot live in this world without sin, and I save you from fattening yourself. You will never have another rich meal, and you must bear it. You gain nothing from feeding your body if you do not feed your thoughts with the memory of sin. You cannot put your trust anywhere else, for I have taken you away from your old life out of pity and compassion.”

“As I see it, you don't have any pity for me at all since you allow me to suffer,” said the body. “I would prefer that you leave me rather than stay with me like this. My flesh is pale and weak. My face is discolored. If you are my lady, you are a bad one when you neglect me like this!”

“I neglect you? By God, I do not, my friend. On the contrary, I care for you constantly. I suffer a harsh penance to save you from judgment, but rather than help, you hinder me. You seek your own death and you would destroy me too. You give me bad advice while I suffer pain and misery to pay for your pleasures. I make a distressful pilgrimage through the hermitage to win you a crown, and you should rejoice in it! Friend, what would happen to you without me? I feed and look after you, and you lust after sin. I do not know what I can say to you since you try to kill me. You cannot last long here, and you will have to die. Think about this, I do not jest! This life is but a brief passage, and you will die forever if God does not redeem you. Remember the coming judgment, the joy of heaven, and the torments of hell!”

“What?” the body exclaimed. “Are those who enjoy pleasure in this world tormented when they die?”

“Yes, truly, it is so. They are justly tormented, for the world deceives them and they do not repent.”

“When a man repents before he dies, will he be saved?”

“Yes, truly, of all his sins. But such a repentance is a fearful salvation.”

“How so? I will repent and then afterward I will fear?”

“To fear and repent is fitting for one who wishes to pay for his sins. If he has sinned against his Lord, should he not then fear?”

“If he would pay for his sins, then it follows that he repents and regrets his wrongdoing.”

“What you say is true, but there are some who are so taken by the world that they sin unreasonably.”

“So if I sin using reason, will I be condemned for it?”

“Sin using reason? By God, it is a great sin when you link reason with wrongdoing, for no one can sin by reason.”

“Yes they can.”

“How?”

“One can sin reasonably.”

“By God, this is not true and cannot be. Our ancestors tell us that reason is always against sin. You know that reason can only include the good. Sin is evil, not good, and anyone who would think it possible to sin reasonably is not a Christian.”

“Reason is essential, then, for it is true that if reason did not oppose sin, no man would ever stop sinning,” said the body.

“Friend, that is true. God and reason always forbid sin. When a man sins, he lacks reason, moderation, and knowledge, but these come to the sinner through the sweet pity and mercy of the Creator.”

“Now I believe that I am a sinner,” said the body. “Many sins dwell in me as long as I am called a sinner. But tell me: how can anyone find reason in me without sin? I was a sinner and sin will remain with me as long as I do wrong, it seems to me. Reason, knowledge, rectitude, and moderation should rightly raise me out of my sin. But you said that in your opinion, reason would never be found with sin? But reason could be found with sin in a sinner.”

“This is true—you have said it well, for when a man is sinning, reason is nowhere to be found, but then it comes quickly to chastise and blame the sinner for his foolishness. So reason comes to the sinner and chastises him for what he has done, but reason is not present while he is sinning.”

“Now I understand,” said the body. “But tell me truly why you keep me in such shame. You could make my life easier if you had more consideration for me.”

“Yes, I could let you sin, but that would be your damnation. You will be judged for your sins. You want to damn us both, but I want to save you.”

“I don't want to damn us.”

“Oh yes, you do.”

“Is one damned if one commits a wrong?”

“Yes, certainly, if he does not repent.”

“Is it wrong to dress well or eat one's fill?”

“Yes, for there is pride in dressing well—and now I regret that I used to dress you so well—and banquets lead to gluttony, excessive boasting, and debauchery.”

“True, that can happen to those who eat too well. But if one eats reasonably, is that a sin? Teach me.”

“By God, no, or so I believe. I see no wrong in anything done with reason. But you are so unbridled that if you saw the opportunity to eat and drink well, you would not be able to resist.”

“You have restrained me well, for I have had no such opportunity. I am nothing but bones and skin.”

“Yes, and, by God, I am pleased about that. And you still have more than you deserve.”

“By God, I do not. I have been brought too low—I wish you had some other body.”

“Yes, you would like that. Wretched thing, you are deceived by the devil who dwells in you!”

“There is nothing in me but unhappiness and anger.”

“That is exactly what I mean. What I said is true. There would be no anger without the devil.”

“Yes, there is anger in me, but you know very well that I can be angry without the devil's help.”

“You know that anger is a sin, and as my master taught me, sin cannot exist without the devil.”

“And how can I not be angry? You took away my great empire, my privileges, and my wealth. I am thin and my flesh is stained—you have enslaved me. I am wasting away in this hermitage. You have imprisoned me, and you reward me badly.”

“On the contrary, I reward you well. You put your crown and your wealth in my control, and I spent them well.”

“Tell me where you spent them.”

“I will gladly tell you. I gave them to God, I do not deny it, for he is my companion and lord.”

“You gave them to your companion? How can that be? Does God need to take from me? Is he not rich enough? He has enough—he doesn't need my wealth.”

“You are wrong. He needs it. Do you know how? When one gives to the poor, that is giving to God, as he commands. All the world is under his law. I took your wealth to save you and so God would have mercy on you.”