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Datong, city near to the archaeological site known as “the Chinese Petra”

We have been travelling for two months and we already saw different temples of different colours and beliefs. We have been in places that are as sacred for Hindus, Buddhists, or Muslims as Rome is for Christians. During this religious tour, the most shocking part was not the vehemence of the Islamists, or the spiritual peace of the Tibetans, not even the so many times heard spirituality of India. The most impressive part of this journey was the show that they used to disguise the original teachings of each religion until they have drowned into some kind of obscurantism that sheds light on our skepticism.

At what point in time did we mistake form and essence, image and word, ritual and behaviour, messenger and message? How were we able to distort those pure and clear ideas left by exceptional personalities such as Jesus or Buddha? Because we cannot forget that it was others, and not them, the ones who built their “churches”. Although some of them never claimed their celestial nature, all of them were enthroned like gods. The same way many of their little gestures were turned into complicated rituals that lost their meaning hundreds of years ago. While they were trying to show us the way to become better people, we were staring at the finger that pointed at it. We did not want or could not look beyond because, among all the smoke and the offerings, cassocks and paintings, imagery and temples, our eyes had been blinded and our minds narrowed.

Yesterday we went to a Confucius temple, the greatest Chinese thinker and philosopher. The Machiavelli of the Middle East is now adored as a god. When he was alive no leader wanted to implement his methods, but once he was dead, he was lead to the altar. For 500 years, from the first Emperor to the last one, all of them offered up sacrifices to him.  If the teacher saw them he would fail all of them for not understanding any of his teachings. (Confucius was the one who came up with the exam system, used by the Empire bureaucracy to select their public officers. Mateo Ricci, Jesuit missionary, brought it to the West, unfortunately, for future generations of students.)

It is just an example, but all religions have the same flaws. Regarding Buddhism it is even funny, because it was Buda himself who warned them many times. The message from the Enlightened was crystal clear as holly water: each person can only be his own follower. That is, “don’t light any candle for me when my light is out because, once I’m dead, you should not adore me”. They didn’t listen a bit, because they did not follow his teachings but their own; the ones that once and again lead human beings to make gods out of anything that moves differently.  Nowadays, not only the Buddhist temples are full of his images, but we can also find his statuettes everywhere. From a restaurant lobby to collect tips or show the menu, to any toilet as an Ikea soap dish with its hand open.

If god exists, he must be pulling his hair out with frustration. Maybe he will even decide to send his son again, or any body with a little bit of sense to tidy this mess up. What do you think would happen if Jesus or Buddha were born again? Would they dedicate their lives to build churches and monasteries, or build schools and hospitals? Would their temples be cold and distant, or open and cozy?  Would they smell like incense and wax, or fresh air and flowers? Would they be dark and depressing, or oriented to think and reflect? Would they have an altar above the public, or a round table to talk and listen? Perhaps, before coming, they will think twice and prefer to stay there looking how we wake up, on our own, and fix this mess. Besides, they have a lot of time: all of eternity.