Barlaam and Josaphat: A Christian Tale of the Buddha

by Gui de Cambrai

  “‘You have judged well according to what you see,’ the king responded. ‘But you see with your bodily eyes, and the eyes of your heart are blind. Similarly, a man may be judged to be poor and lowly when indeed he has more wealth than can be found in all of Rome.’ To show them their mistake, the king had the golden caskets opened. ‘Now you can see that what is beautiful and noble on the outside is rotten on the inside,’ he said. ‘Likewise, the man dressed in rich clothes and adorned with gold is full of filth inside. His body is covered in fine things, but his soul lies in great sin.’

  “The king had the other two caskets opened to show them their mistake. ‘My lords,’ he said, ‘look inside. You disdained these two caskets because they were wretched outside, but there was great wealth inside them. Look at this treasure—these caskets are full of gold. They are like people who do not care about this world and its vanities. Poor outside and rich inside, they are not afraid to be beggars, and they abandon the body to save the soul from danger. You who accuse me, consider this and judge whether I should honor and bow to the men of my Lord, the Son of God, and my Creator.’

  “Friend,” Barlaam continued, “the king whose story I tell you led his lords to faith with his wisdom and admonitions and through this good demonstration. You have done likewise. I have told this story for you, because when I came before you, you honored me, in your mercy, not for any value you saw in me, but because you understood that it was right. You have some understanding of what is good, and so you are not lost.”

  Josaphat seeks knowledge of God

  Josaphat perceived that Barlaam spoke wisely and used stories to teach him a good lesson. “Master,” the young man said, “instruct me. Who is the man who went to sow the seed?”

  “He is a Lord of great power, Lord of all lords,” the hermit responded. “He is God, who holds everything in his hands. He is immortal, but he took human form for our sake. He is divided into three persons, but he does not lose his unity because of this division. The persons do not share a single substance but remain One.

  “It is he who created all the world out of nothing. We must worship this God who made the heavens, the earth, and the seas. He made all creatures and designed all nature. Genesis tells us that God made man in his likeness and in his image, and he gave him understanding. He also gave him nobility of character so he might experience both joy and sorrow. Man can sin if he wishes. And when he chooses, he can avoid sin. God made him from the earth. Then he formed woman. He put them both in a paradise full of joy and pleasures, and he gave them happiness and knowledge. He commanded them to be obedient and forbade them to taste but a single fruit (this fruit contained the knowledge of good and evil). He told them that if they ate it, they would die. He showed them the tree and the fruit, when he put them in the garden of delights, and told them, ‘If you do not touch this tree, you will never die. You may take what you like from the other trees, but you must leave this one alone.’ However, the devil tricked the man and made him bite the apple, and man was condemned because he transgressed God’s law. We are wretched and destitute because of our father Adam’s sin. We are all descended from the first father, who changed our day into night.

  “Some believe that it was his Creator’s fault that Adam sinned. They say, ‘If God had made him to be good, he would not have done wrong, but since he made him evil, it is no wonder that he sinned.’ For this reason they say that God was wrong to condemn men to death. But these claims will not save them: God is perfect goodness and nothing ever came from him that was not good. Moreover, if man were not able to sin, he would have rewards that he did not earn. Why should he have a reward if he does not earn it? The scriptures tell us that God made man in his own image so he would know his Creator and serve him as his Lord, and so he could earn the reward promised him.

  “God made only the first man in this way, and not others, it is true. But those who were born to the first man betrayed God when they turned their faith to other gods. Some worshipped the elements, and others made gods out of wood and stone, and sacrificed to those gods in opulent temples they built for them. They no longer believed in a single God, for they made the sun and the moon their gods, and believed in them. Good faith was corrupted, and anger and envy were born, along with murder, felony, theft, deception, and many other sins. Men lost the knowledge of God because they served idols. There was hardly a single wise man who knew God or his name. But there were prophets, and God spoke to them about the evils that were so abundantly present then in all men and about the evil their sins spread throughout the world.

  “At that time, when people died they went to hell, to dwell with devils, whether they were good or evil, and this is a fate that no wise man should seek. The world was like that until God was born to a virgin, Saint Mary, and saved us from death. We learn from the scriptures that he was born on earth from a virgin, without a man’s seed. He received baptism to show that all should be baptized, for good works cannot earn salvation without baptism. He lived and preached among the people for thirty years. Then he was betrayed, sold, arrested and beaten, and hung on a cross, where he was taken by death. Then he went to break hell open, and he freed those who deserved it. They had waited for forgiveness and the One who had allowed himself to be hung on the cross wished to give it to them.

  “The Jews judged him wrongly, for he never did any wrong. Indeed, he could never do wrong, because his divinity prevented him from sinning as a man. Those who crucified him found nothing but good in him. On the third day, he was resurrected and appeared to his apostles. Then he went up into heaven, from where he had descended. He bestowed the Holy Spirit on his apostles, just as he had promised.

  “Now I have told you who my Lord is, but I cannot adequately describe his nobility and his lordship or the extent of his power and his dominion. If you receive his favor, you will understand. You will never be disappointed if you fill yourself with his mercy, and you can receive his mercy if you become his servant.”

  The king’s son marveled at what he heard, and Barlaam’s gentle words penetrated his soul and his understanding. He embraced Barlaam. “Dear friend,” he said, “you have shown me your precious stone, and I now understand that only those who seek to know God may see it. Your words have illuminated my thoughts. They have thrown off the hard and bitter darkness and brought me clarity. Sadness no longer dwells in my thoughts, good master. A new day dawns inside me, and it will light my darkened heart. If you know more, show it to me, for I have great confidence in you.”

  “Listen, then, my lord, to what I wish to tell you: you will fail in all your good intentions if you are not baptized. Whoever believes in baptism may be saved if he receives it, but he cannot be saved any other way. Our Sovereign Lord sent us a Savior to show us that whoever believes with all his heart, if he is baptized, will surely be saved. Our ancestors saw their salvation from afar, and they desired greatly his coming. We know no other salvation.”

  “Dear friend, I have understood you,” said Josaphat. “You have given me good hope and my doubt has disappeared. But what is baptism? Explain it to me—I want to learn. And then show me why those who love God should be baptized and why they cannot be saved otherwise.”

  “I will teach you,” Barlaam replied. “Baptism is the root of our faith and the firm foundation of Christian belief. Baptism removes the stain of sin. This holy cleansing returns men to their former state of honor. The scriptures say truly that baptism is the solder and the joint that join and solder us to our Creator. Through baptism we are recognized as heirs to our Father in heaven, who sent his Son to us. He does not mislead us, for he himself received baptism. Without baptism a man possesses nothing, and nothing he does can save him without baptism. If a man is not baptized in good faith, the devil destroys everything he builds. For this reason, I counsel you not to wait another moment—seek to be baptized with all your heart, in understanding and good faith. Make haste and allow no delay. To tarry would be unwise. Indeed, it wo
uld be dangerous, because no one can know when death will come, and you will die.”

  “Good master, tell me, how can this be?” Josaphat asked. “What hope is lost without baptism? Where does what you call a heavenly kingdom come from? What will happen at that unknown time when death arrives to kill me and eat my flesh and bones? I fear it, but I cannot say how my flesh will come to nothing. Master, I know well that I will die. I am sure of death, but I do not know if I can live again after my death, nor do I know how I should live.”

  “Good friend,” said Barlaam, “in life there are a multitude of torments, and whoever can die and then come back to life after death is most fortunate. Whoever leaves his flesh behind for God’s sake does not die. He will live beyond death, and the reward prepared for him is better than any eye can see, any heart can understand, and any ear can hear. Those who receive this reward will rejoice. The scriptures tell us truly that the gifts of divine glory are valuable beyond description, and God’s gifts would not be so hard to understand if we could know them according to his understanding.

  “Although the body is corrupted through death and loses the flesh that continuously burned and tormented it, the soul looks to eternal life and thinks of nothing else. It waits only for the sovereign day when our Lord will come to judge all the world, and on that day even the apostles will tremble from fear. There will be no long debate or false promises of rewards, and the support of friends will be of no value. Each man will have his reward according to discernment and reason. Whoever deserves a crown will receive it, and his reward will be good.

  “God the Creator tells us in the Gospels that there will be no appeal after death—none will escape judgment. Let all people know that they will die and on the sovereign day they will be raised up and judged according to their works. There will be no appeals on that day. Everything hidden will be seen, and pleas for mercy will not be heard. Bad deeds will be revealed and counted, and neither tithes nor sins will be hidden. Everything will be seen and all will be judged. Do not imagine that day according to what you know of this life, and do not doubt that God can resuscitate you after death. He made man from nothing and he will return him to nothing. And since he can forge man from nothing, you should not marvel that he can bring him back to life—no one should question it. He made every creature and he will come in his own person to judge the right and wrong that each one has done in the world.

  “The judgment will be just. No count or king will be spared because of his high position. All men will be judged, high and low. God’s friends will be in glory and their exaltation will endure, for their crown will be everlasting. They will be seated on his right, but those on his left will suffer as our Lord and Father promised. They will have great distress, many ills, and infernal pains without relief. He will not take pity on them, and none will be able to make amends for crimes committed against God. No ransom will be accepted, and justice will be done. Sinners will be removed from before the face of our Lord, and they will suffer pain and sorrow forever. Such is hell, and such are its captives. But those who dwell on high will have joy and pleasure forever.”

  “I understand that all men should be afraid,” said Josaphat. “It is no wonder if they are frightened, for they should fear the great sorrows and pains of hell that I have heard you describe. But, good master, how do you know that after a man dies the soul will retake its body and be delivered either to joy or to sorrow after it is judged? Tell me how you can know with such certainty what is to come. Explain it to me—I wish to learn.”

  “Friend, we can know with certainty that which is still to come because of what has already happened,” the holy man replied. “God suffered death on the cross for us, and he was resurrected—this is true. His resurrection teaches us that all who die will be resurrected in the end, and they will be judged. And I can truly say that they will be rewarded on that day according to what they deserve. Each one will have his recompense, either for gain or for loss. Death will lose its strength, and its victory will be vanquished. None will ever die after that day, and the fear of death will diminish, for death will no longer hold its power. The resurrected ones will be cloaked in immortality and will never change, nor will their bodies decay. This day will surely come, and it will be filled with anguish and sorrow. Those who do not receive mercy will suffer forever.”

  Barlaam teaches Josaphat about Judgment Day

  “The Gospels use a parable to teach us about Judgment Day. There was once a wealthy man who dressed in silken clothes and lived a luxurious life full of pleasure and joy. A poor man lived outside his gate. This man was dying of hunger, but he took courage in his poverty. The rich man was most wealthy, but he never gave anything to the poor man. He despised him because of his poverty, and would not give him even the scraps from his table. Then it happened that they both died at the same time. The rich man’s soul was lost. It went straight to hell, where it joined the company of the devils it had always served. The poor man’s soul was saved and carried up into heaven, where holy angels received it with joy. The rich man’s soul saw that the poor man’s enjoyed every happiness. It cried loudly for forgiveness and Abraham responded, ‘You had many advantages in the world. Your body was richly fed, and you were lord of a great house, but this man had only misery, and you never took pity on him. The great difference between your life and his explains why he is happy while you sorrow, and why he has joy and you have pain. Any man who is not charitable wastes his life and loses both body and soul.’ With this parable, I have shown you that whoever does evil is damned and whoever does good receives the rich reward of forgiveness.

  “Elsewhere the Gospels recount that a rich king organized a lavish celebration for his beloved son’s wedding. He invited many noblemen to come to the feast, for he wanted to honor his son on the day he would take a wife. He had a banquet prepared and sent messengers to summon his guests. None of them wished to come to the wedding. They claimed they had other things to do, but their excuses revealed that they chose not to attend the feast.

  “When the king understood that none of them would come, he invited others and filled his well-provisioned house with guests. According to the scriptures, the king looked at all those who had come to the wedding banquet and noticed one man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. ‘Wait there, friend!’ the king said to him. ‘How did you enter without wedding attire?’ The guest had no response, and the king immediately had him thrown out of the palace, into a dark and sorrowful place.

  “The king represents God, who will make a wedding party for his Son, represented by the holy church, but it will be at the Day of Judgment. Those summoned first were called by God’s messengers, the prophets. They are the Jews and the pagans who despise the true faith because they are blinded by their beliefs and do not care about good deeds.1 The next to be called were those who proved their good faith by their remembrance of God, and he shared his glory with them. One was present who had sinned against God by polluting his body, and this is the one who was sent away from the celebration. Why, then, was he called ‘friend’ when he had demonstrated enmity by abandoning God? God loves everyone—he claims both the good and the bad as his friends. He even called Judas his friend. Even though God knew Judas would betray him, he did not fail to call him ‘friend.’

  “The parable describes a heavenly celebration. I draw it from my memory and offer it to you according to my own understanding so I can show you that our Lord prepares a wondrous paradise for all his friends. One of the Gospels gives us another parable that demonstrates the same truth. There were once ten virgins. Five recognized the true faith, and they had good oil in their lamps. The other five did not believe, and they did not purchase oil to fill their lamps. Since they did not have the light of their lamps, they illuminated their way with the light of the world that kills the soul and corrupts the body. (The wounded soul and the sullied body lament and long for the holy church.)

  “The virgins were called to a great wedding celebrati
on, and they went, taking their lamps. Five carried full lamps, and five carried empty ones. Five were full of wisdom, and five were filled with evil and had no good in them. The five virgins who had enough oil to illuminate their hearts came without hesitation before the spouse and his bride. They arrived at midnight (the invitation was made for this hour, I believe), but they were distressed that the other five were left behind because they had no light. The bridegroom’s gates were closed, and the five virgins who had no oil were shut out. ‘My lord, my lord, open for us, open the gate!” they cried out at the bridegroom’s door. He responded, ‘The law requires that you remain outside the door because of the works you have done. You may not enter this door where the good are received, for you have misused the intelligence that I gave to enlighten you.’

  “Listen and understand and then you will know without doubt what virginity is,” Barlaam continued. (Those who do not value loyalty should listen well so they might learn.) “There are three kinds of virginity. The first and best is pure chastity, as when one says, ‘This maiden is a virgin.’ The second is the virginity of the married couple that keeps its own domain so well that a foreign lord cannot claim that any adultery inhabits it. The third kind of virgins are widows who give themselves to God and do not consent to another marriage. They are beautiful and good, and they will receive a crown in heaven.