Jai Krist
Frank Wesley, 1923-2002

My dear friends,

The Bodhisattva path begins with an honest look at the heart. Jesus speaks today to those whose minds are driven by judgment, preference, and self-importance, and he invites them into a different way of seeing. His words harmonize with the Buddha's teaching that suffering is sustained by grasping, aversion, and ignorance. When the Awakening Mind—what Christians may know as the mind of Christ—arises within us, we become less concerned with defending ourselves and more eager to recognize the truth wherever compassion, humility, and wisdom are found.

The restless mind always finds a reason to reject what challenges its habits. John's austerity was condemned; Jesus' warmth and fellowship were condemned as well. This is the pattern of ego-clinging. It does not seek truth so much as confirmation of its own opinions. The Bodhisattva therefore trains in patience and self-examination, asking, "What attachment prevents me from recognizing wisdom when it appears in an unexpected form?" As long as we measure teachers by our preferences, we remain like children demanding that reality perform according to our wishes.

Authentic wisdom is recognized through the transformation it produces. A tree is known by its fruit, and true Dharma is known by the peace, compassion, and freedom that arise from practicing it. Whether we speak of bodhicitta or the Holy Spirit, the true measure is the same: Are beings becoming less fearful, more forgiving, more generous, and more capable of loving even those who oppose them? Deeds rooted in selfless compassion reveal genuine realization far more clearly than eloquent words or impressive appearances.

Jesus speaks with unmistakable irony. The "wise and intelligent" are the Scribes and Pharisees, confident in their learning and social authority, yet often unable to recognize the living presence of God before them. The "infants" are largely his unschooled disciples and the ordinary people who follow him with receptive hearts. The issue is neither education nor intelligence. The obstacle is conceit, the belief that one already sees clearly. In the Bodhisattva path, genuine wisdom begins with humility and the willingness to be taught. A mind that clings to its own certainty remains closed to deeper realization, while a mind that is open, honest, and eager to learn becomes fertile ground for the awakening of bodhicitta—the mind of Christ, the heart of boundless compassion and wisdom.

This knowing is far deeper than intellectual agreement. It is the intimacy born of shared life. As disciples gradually embody the compassion, forgiveness, and self-giving love of Jesus, they come to know the Father through direct participation in that same love. The Bodhisattva path likewise teaches that ultimate reality cannot be grasped by concepts alone. It is realized through a mind purified of self-clinging and filled with boundless compassion for all beings.

The heaviest burden we carry is the illusion that we must protect and satisfy a separate self. Jesus invites us to lay down this exhausting labor and to enter the discipline of love. His yoke is the training of compassion, humility, and wisdom. Such training requires diligence, yet it gradually becomes light because it aligns us with reality instead of struggling against it. As attachment loosens and bodhicitta matures, the heart discovers a profound rest that circumstances cannot destroy. We continue serving the suffering world with joyful perseverance, sustained by inexhaustible compassion.

My friends, this Gospel invites us to examine our own hearts before judging others. May we welcome wisdom regardless of the form in which it appears. May we cultivate the humility of beginners, the discernment that recognizes compassion by its fruits, and the courage to accept Christ's gentle discipline. As the mind of Christ awakens within us, may our lives become a refuge for the weary and a source of hope for all beings, until every action expresses great compassion joined with liberating wisdom.