Esau selling his birthright
Hendrick ter Brugghen, 1627

Jacob struggles with the angel
Gutenberg Bible, 1558

My dear friends,

Today, I would like to speak to you about a story from the Hebrew Bible, as told in Genesis 32:22-31. This story narrates the transformative experience of a man named Jacob, who wrestled with a mysterious figure until dawn and received a new name, Israel.

Before discussing the central event of Jacob wrestling with God, it is important to reflect on the life journey that led him to this moment. Jacob and his twin brother Esau had a complex relationship, fraught with competition, deceit, and conflict. Esau, motivated by the suffering of immediate hunger, traded his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew. Jacob, driven by the desire for his father's blessing and favor, manipulated his way into receiving what was traditionally meant for the firstborn.

In the Buddhist tradition, tanha (desire) is recognized as the root of all suffering. It is not the physical hunger or the yearning for blessings that is problematic; rather, it is the uncontrolled attachment to these desires. Jacob and Esau suffered, each entangled in their own web of wants and needs.

In today's text, Jacob finds himself alone at night, wrestling with a mysterious figure. This divine encounter is a symbolic manifestation of Jacob's inner struggles, his ethical dilemmas, and his quest for meaning. The name he receives, Israel, meaning "he struggles with God," is not just a new identity but a recognition of his transformation. He is no longer simply Jacob, the deceiver; he becomes Israel, the one who has wrestled with the divine and human complexities and emerged transformed.

In Buddhism, the term samsara signifies the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, fraught with suffering and challenges. It is through wrestling with these difficulties that we can attain peace and release (nirvana) from samsara. Like Jacob, many of us go through periods of spiritual wrestling, and it is through this wrestling that genuine transformation can occur.

After his transformative experience, Jacob meets Esau, his brother from whom he had been estranged for years. To Jacob's surprise, Esau runs to meet him and embraces him. This moment of reconciliation is profoundly instructive. Esau had every reason to be bitter and vengeful, but he chose compassion and forgiveness.

In Buddhist teachings, compassion (karuna) is an essential quality to cultivate. It not only transforms the individual who practices it but also has the potential to transform those around them. Had Esau chosen vengeance, the cycle of suffering would continue. But compassion disrupts this cycle.

The story of Jacob and Esau offers us universal lessons. Whether we identify with Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, or any other spiritual tradition, the themes of desire, suffering, struggle, and transformation are universal human experiences.

In this age, where divisions seem to multiply, let us take a lesson from this story. Let us strive to wrestle with our inner complexities and ethical challenges, not to defeat them, but to transform them into wisdom and compassion. By doing so, we contribute not just to our own enlightenment but to the collective well-being of all sentient beings.

Thank you for lending me your ears and your hearts. May peace and compassion be with you all.