The ancient tale of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, spread from his homeland to Europe, where he became a Christian saint with the name of "Iosaphat."

Parables are Expressions of the Buddha's Compassion... One of my favourit parables is the following. It is the famous parable of the skilled physician and his sick children.

Church vestments were not inherited from any other religion but gradually evolved out of the ordinary dress of the people of the Roman Empire. In those first days of Christianity the clergy presided in their ordinary clothing although undoubtedly costlier and more beautiful garments were used. The Church, therefore, did not invent something of the gracious and ample vesture once worn by all Mediterranean peoples. Beyond conservatism it seems that a deep human instinct prefers special clothing for ceremonial occasions and thus many of the ancient world religions have evolved ritual garments for their priests.

The history of Chan begins in India. In Buddha's lifetime, yoga as a practice in the concentration of the spirit was widespread. It is in the nature of yoga to concentrate the spirit on one point: the achievement of serenity through seated meditation.

In fact, the yoga methods of the day were limited at this time to restrictions on what was to be eaten, fasts, and certain vows such as the vow to remain standing on one leg for a prolonged period of time. Through such ascesis and a whole array of exercises, the yogi trained…