Breaking Down the House

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Here's an interesting and compelling comparison of sayings from the Buddha Dharma and the Christian Gospels.

 

From the Dhammapada we have the two verses 153-154 from Chapter 11 – Old Age:

 

153/11:8.

Wandering through countless births, transmigrating without cessation,

searching for the house-builder, suffering birth again and again.

154/11:9.

You are seen, house builder, nowhere to dwell again.

All the rafters are broken and the ridge of the house is destroyed.

Mind has come to the unconditioned, experiencing the extinction of thirst.

 

 

And from the Gospel According to Thomas we have these two sayings:

 

Saying 71: Jesus said this, "I will first destroy the house, and nothing can build it another time."

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Saying 98: Jesus said, “The kingdom of the father compares to a man wanting to kill a powerful man.  He drew the sword in his house -- he stabbed it into the wall so that he might realize whether his hand had the inner strength.  Then he slew the powerful one.”

 

I suggest for your consideration that there is a truth here that deserves inquiry as being transcendent of cultural clothing and pointing directly to the human mind and how we build houses of illusion to live in that require us to destroy them for our liberation.

And then we have this too,