Sermon - What If Cain Had Met The Dalai Lama? 

           Over recent weeks the 5th and 6th grade Sunday School classes have been exploring the topic of anger:  what it is and what to do about it.  One of the texts for their study has been the story of Cain and Abel. We’re really happy to have them with us for the sermon.

           When our Director of Children and Family Programs, Joan Roe,  asked me to preach a sermon on anger using the Cain and Abel story, the first thing that came to mind was a well known Zen story.  A man was sitting in his boat on the river at dusk. He saw another boat coming down the river toward him.  At first he liked the fact that someone else was also enjoying the beautiful river.  But suddenly he realized that the boat was coming toward him, faster and faster. He yelled out, “Hey you, watch out!” Then he screamed, “Turn your boat aside.”  But the boat kept coming, faster and faster. It was headed right at him. By this time he was standing in his boat, angrily waving his arms, and shaking his fist.  And then the boat smashed right into him. That’s when he saw the boat was empty.  As soon as he saw there was no one to blame, he stopped being angry.  He got angry because he thought that someone was pulling the rug out from under him.  When he realized there was nothing to blame but an empty boat and the river, he stopped taking it personally.  In the story of Cain and Abel, Cain felt that God was pulling the rug out from under him—and Cain took it personally.

           Cain and Abel’s parents were the world-renowned Adam and Eve, the original man and woman.  God created Adam and Eve to live in the Garden of Eden—it was paradise. Daily, they ate fruit from the Tree of Life which kept them young and immortal. Then one day they ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. As punishment for eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve were exiled from the paradise of Eden to a wilderness of suffering and death. It was out in the wilderness that Eve gave birth to Cain and Abel.  The boys grew up. Cain became a farmer, Abel a shepherd.  One day God appeared before Cain and Abel, saying, “Bring me your best offering.”  Cain, being a farmer, brought the first fruits from the soil. Let’s say that Cain gave  broccoli to God—true, broccoli is not indigenous to the Middle East—so pick a vegetable. Whatever it was, no doubt it was of the finest specimen available. Cain’s brother Abel, the shepherd, brought a lamb.  God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s. The text doesn’t say why God rejected Cain’s offering of crops, it just says that’s what happened.  Cain was deeply hurt. He felt that God had pulled the rug out from under him.

            He became angry with God. Feeling rejected, he was determined to get back at God.   But how do you get back at God? Since revenge is all about inflicting pain on those who have hurt you, Cain figured since God loved Abel so much, the way to get back at God would be to kill Abel.  So that’s what he did.    But Abel’s body was barely cold when God asked Cain, “Where is your brother?” “My brother?” Cain answered nervously. “How should I know?  Am I my brother’s keeper?”       

           This story is but one example of why so many people have problems with the God of the Bible. Put yourself in Cain’s place. You knock yourself out. You bring the very best offering you

can bring—only to have God dismiss you by telling you your offering doesn’t cut it.  For what possible reason could God have rejected Cain’s gift of vegetables while blessing Abel’s offering of a lamb? Maybe this story is saying that God rejects vegetarianism, in which case I, an avowed vegetarian, would have my own bone to pick with God, so to speak. 

           Why does God reject Cain’s offering?  Maybe God thinks Cain needs a growth experience. There’s nothing like a little adversity to make you stretch. Maybe God is saying, “Cain, this is a test.”  If it is a test, Cain fails miserably.

           The story says that Cain killed his brother because he was very angry.  What exactly is anger?  Recall the times you have experienced anger. When you feel angry, what are you actually feeling? Where does it come from? What’s it about? As a freshman in college, taking Intro to Psychology, I learned that anger is a defense mechanism. If I feel misunderstood or under-appreciated, anger provides a way to say, “I matter and you can’t do that to me. I’m going to defend myself.”    

          Several weeks ago Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said that anyone against the war in Iraq suffers from moral confusion.  Upon hearing this, I swelled with anger. I wanted to punch Donald Rumsfeld’s lights out.  Helpless once again, I muttered obscenities in the direction of the TV.  Once again I got that sinking sensation that no matter what I said, it didn’t seem to matter much. Collectively, our speeches, sermons, demonstrations, acts of civil disobedience had not prevented or stopped this inane war.  In seeing this I touched the truth that my anger was rooted in my feeling of powerlessness. Once again I realized there is a direct correlation between feeling powerless and feeling angry.  According to the story, when God rejected Cain’s gift—Cain felt powerless.

           Anger and loss go hand in hand.  I am pressed to think of one instance when anger is not an expression of grief. Cain felt that God had taken something away from him and given it to Abel. Cain was angry because of what he lost. Anger and grief go hand in hand. 

           Cain could have channeled his anger constructively. Properly harnessed, anger can be a force for the good. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. used their anger to reduce the suffering in the world. Cain however, was used by his anger to increase suffering.  

           Reflecting on this story, it occurred to me that Cain could have benefited from knowing the Buddha. This would require a little time travel as the Cain and Abel story was first recited about 400 years before the Buddha was born.  Nonetheless, it occurred to me that Cain would have been better off had he been a BuJew.   Think about it.         

           The Abrahamic traditions of Judaism and Christianity are to a greater or lesser degree defined by reward and punishment. Nonbelievers are treated as outsiders, heretics or infidels. In the Abrahamic traditions the world is largely seen through the dualistic lens of good or evil. But Buddhism begins with a different premise. The central question in Buddhism is not how can we have might and be right, but rather how can we reduce our suffering and that of the world?

           So join me in this time-travel fantasy. What would have happened had the Dalai Lama materialized before Cain in the Middle Eastern desert?  For beginners, let’s go back to God’s rejection of Cain’s offering.  Let’s say that, wounded, hurt and angry, Cain knows not where to turn except to the counsel of his teacher, the Dalai Lama.  Cain explains to the Dalai Lama that God has rejected his gift. HHDL says, “In my opinion, your real enemy is not God.” Cain then says, “I’m infuriated. I have never felt so terrible. I want to kill my brother.” The Dalai Lama says, “Your real enemy is not your brother.  Your real enemy is your feeling that you are not good enough.  You need to explore this feeling. You need to understand where this feeling of ‘not being good enough’ is coming from. You are suffering and you want to make others suffer. But when you create more suffering it just makes it worse for everybody.”  

            If HH the Dalai Lama had been Cain’s teacher, he would have told Cain to practice

Tonglen. Tonglen is a form of meditation.  In Tonglen, you sit quietly and bring to mind the suffering of another person. With each in-breath, breathe in the suffering of that person—or if your heart is spacious enough you can breathe in the suffering of the whole world. With each out-breath, you exhale lovingkindness. Breathe in suffering—transform it within. Breathe out lovingkindness—transform the world. The Dalai Lama would have counseled Cain to be patient. He would have told him to explore where his anger comes from and what it means. Explore. Meditate. Practice Tonglen. Don’t fear your emotions. Don’t react to the emotions of the moment.

           Take time. Be patient.  Live with your feelings.  Relate to your feelings rather than from your feelings. Don’t let your emotions rule you. Seek to awaken to your true nature which is compassion, peace and kindness. 

           If Cain had the benefit of these teachings and the support of a teacher, I am confident; he would not have killed his brother.  If Cain had the opportunity to develop a skillful spiritual practice, he might have even been able to discover the paradise within himself.       

           Cain’s parents, Adam and Eve, were born in Paradise and cast out into the wilderness.  What Cain needs is to find paradise within himself.      

           The story is told of a small town in Poland many years ago.  The Jews were poor and unlearned.  But there was one man, Reb Isaac, who was learned and wealthy. Reb Isaac one day invited a dozen community leaders to his home.  The invitation said, “You are invited to Reb Isaac’s home next Tuesday at 6 o’clock for a dinner worthy of Paradise.

           They all showed up promptly and were ushered into the dining room where the table was

elegantly set with dishes, glasses and silver.  When all were seated, the servant then set a bowl of soup before the host, but none of the guests.  Reb Isaac ate his soup, commenting on how great the soup was.  He said, “I’ve never had such wonderful soup in my life!”  The guests looked on in astonishment, wondering why they weren’t being served soup as well.  When Reb Isaac was finished with his soup, he motioned to his servant who returned with a plate of meat and vegetables for the host, but again, nothing for the guests.  Reb Isaac continued eating.  As he chewed his dinner he looked up at the guests and said, “You have no idea at what you are missing. Oh, this is so good!” he said.  Finally, one of the invited guests blurted out, “Reb Isaac, I don’t understand!  Have you brought us here to mock us?  We were invited to a dinner worthy only of Paradise, but you alone get the meal and we only get to watch you.  Why are you doing this to us?”  Reb Isaac smiled. “What did you think a meal worthy of Paradise would be? Is Paradise a famous restaurant? Is Paradise somewhere one wants to go for its fine food and wine?  No, Paradise is a place where people love each other enough to take pleasure in another person’s happiness. Paradise is any place where you can see your neighbor being successful and not envy him for it.  I cannot give you Paradise.  You must find it in yourselves.  And now if you have learned that lesson, I will have your dinner brought out to you.” *    

           There is no paradise but the paradise we find within ourselves.  Discovering this paradise

requires practice.  We are conditioned to react to the last thing that has happened to us.  If we want to suffer less we must learn to reprogram our minds.  It is only as we reprogram our minds that we find the way to our hearts.     

           Cain was not bad or evil, he simply didn’t know how to deal skillfully with his own mind. Skillful spiritual living begins with paying attention to our thoughts. Our thoughts become our words, our words become our habits, our habits become our character, our character becomes our way of life and our way of life becomes our destiny.  Are we our brother’s keeper?  No. We are our brother’s brother, our sister’s sister, sister’s brother and our brother’s sister.  Living skillfully with ourselves and each other is how we begin to open the gates of Paradise right here on Earth.

                                                                                                                                                                              Blessed be 

* This story is taken from the book How Good Do We Have to Be? By Rabbi Harold Kushner.