Epiphany 6(b)

Blessing of First Fruits
Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Tokyo, 2008

My dear friends,

In our journey of spiritual awakening, let us reflect on the teachings of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, where the resurrection of Christ can serve not only as a testament to the divine but also as a profound symbol for the awakening of Bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment, within us all.

Now if Christ is proclaimed
as raised from the dead,
how can some of you say
there is no resurrection of the dead?
For if the dead are not raised,
then Christ has not been raised.
- 1 Corinthians 15:12,16

In the same way that the resurrection is central to Christian faith, the realization of bodhicitta is essential in the Bodhisattva path. Just as the resurrection demonstrates the transcendence of physical death, the awakening of bodhicitta represents a liberation from the spiritual death of ignorance and self-centeredness.

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Then those also who have died in Christ have perished.
- 1 Corinthians 15:17-18

If the principle of bodhicitta were absent, our spiritual practice would remain barren. Without the compassionate aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, our spiritual efforts would falter, akin to faith without the resurrection—lacking potency and transformative power.

If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
- 1 Corinthians 15:19

Similarly, if our hopes in the spiritual path are confined to this life alone, we miss the broader vision of ultimate liberation. The cultivation of bodhicitta is an ongoing journey beyond the immediate, aiming for the ultimate benefit of oneself and all sentient beings, transcending the limited scope of one lifetime.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.
- 1 Corinthians 15:20

The resurrection of Christ, as the "first fruits of those who have died," parallels the pioneering spirit of the bodhisattva — an embarking on the path to full awakening, leading the way for all sentient beings to follow towards enlightenment.

Let us therefore embrace the spirit of the resurrection not merely as a historical event but as a living principle within us all, awakening us to our true potential for compassion, wisdom, and boundless love. In doing so, we embody the living Christ, the bodhicitta, in our thoughts, actions, and life's work.