There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and consulted him. In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."Nicodemus asked. "Surely anybody cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born." Jesus answered, "Only a man who is born of water and the Spirit can enter the kingdom. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John3:1-8)

However you polish a piece of fired clay, you can not make it into a mirror.(Zen masters often use this words to cheer the learned priests in their meditation halls.) So it is with every sentient being who tries hard to become a Buddha. Every living thing and lifeless thing in this world has its own karma. A cat can not become a dog; a dog can not become a human. Likewise it is impossible that we sentient beings, filled with blind passions, isolate ourselves from our karma and become Buddhas. Indeed flesh only gives birth to flesh.

Jesus also said, "Only the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man can go into heaven. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John3:13-17)

According to the Japanese modern philosopher Tanabe Hajime (1885-1962);compassion of Amida (Buddha of Infinite Light & Life, Lord of the Beyond & the Afterlife, Lord of Gokuraku=Land of ultimate bliss) is an action of Other-power (Amida's power) and could be called 'jinenhoni (naturalness)'. But Amida does not give grace to sentient beings. Other-power is not a person. Actually the compassion of Amida can materialize only through sentient beings' practice and faith in this world. Nevertheless, the essence of faith lays in 'omakase (entrustment)' in Amida. Entrustment is the fruit of absolute mediation of Absolute Other-power.

It is believed that at that time Jesus confessed his decision to be crucified in order to mediate God's power(Other-power)to Nicodemus. Although his disciples deserted Jesus and fled when he was arrested, Nicodemus and Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea, took Jesus' body away after he had been executed and placed it in his own new tomb that Joseph had cut out of the rock. (Mat27:57-60 / John19:38-42)

Interestingly when Jesus confided his decision to go to Jerusalem in order to be crucified, 12 apostles except Judas couldn't get his meaning and tried to prevent him. But it seemed that there were quite lot of followers among the main ruling fractions such as the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jerusalem. It is believed that when Jesus made a whip out of cords and drove out all who were selling cattle, sheep, doves and exchanging money from the temple area, these followers accorded to scriptures of the Old Testament and prepared two donkeys, spread the branches of palm trees on the road and mobilized their children to chorus "Hosanna".

The Acts of the Apostles, which has set a great store on by Christians, also tells that there were quite a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees in the Early Christian church soon after Jesus' death. Therefore it seems that Jesus' followers were not only young Apostles and people from Galilee, but had a complex structure. Incidentally Paul belonged to the Pharisees too and his mentor Gamaliel protected the arrested Apostles in the Sanhedrin after Jesus' death.

The writers of the Gospels did not disclose names of the leading characters who had prepared the donkeys and the place of the Last Supper. It may also be mentioned that when John the Baptist was with two of his disciples near the Jordan River, he saw Jesus passing by and said "Look, the Lamb of God!" When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. These two who became the first disciples of Jesus heard John's testimony regarding Jesus who should be crucified as the Lamb of God and might be directed to help Jesus by John. The writer of the Gospel of John disclosed the name of one of them. He was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother and he was very often mentioned in the New Testament but the other was curiously not mentioned in the scriptures.

Jesus preached that salvation was in the practice itself when one devotes one's whole soul in order to obey God's Will and to fulfill God's Plan, and Jesus did so himself. Whether Zen priests are depending on their own powers to do good or prayers which depended on another's power, the important thing is to grasp this point and keep hold of it. The founder of the Japanese Soto Zen School Dogen Zenji (1200-1253) also said "To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is a delusion.

That myriad things come forth, and the self becoming evident, is awakening. "However be it Buddha or Jesus, they would have to fall into the hell if they misunderstood God's will or Heaven's command. Jesus said "I will build my church on this rock, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."(Mat16:18) I think Jesus is telling us to follow his resolution. "Although I have a limitation as Son of man who was born of flesh in this world and cannot avoid faults, I will listen to my inner voice and execute my mission as Son of God. If it goes wrong, I will acquiesce to be burned with unquenchable fire."

Even when Jesus had such a resolution, he was still sorrowful and troubled to the point of death at Gethsemane and said "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." When he was on the cross at Golgotha, he cried out in a loud voice, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 　(Eko-an Hensho-koji 2006/12/29)