My life has been strongly impacted by the lives and teachings of three Master Teachers: Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), Socrates, and Jesus. One could argue that these three are the most influential teachers of all time. Although none of the three ever yielded political power, traveled far from his homeland, or wrote any books, they each played a major role in the development of the beliefs and practices of literally millions of people. Also, each separated himself from formal religion.
I have always been fascinated by the methods by means of which these three teachers managed to inspire so many people and guide entire cultures. Although there are similarities in their respective teaching methods, each one stands on his own in unique ways. None of them ever taught at a university or stood in lecture halls. Basically, each followed a very personal and dialogical approach to the task of sharing their respective insights.
Siddhartha was raised in the teachings of Hinduism, but after exploring many of its various practices and teachings he decided that he would have to find his own way to intellectual and spiritual integrity. As the story goes, when his disillusionment reached its peak, he sat down under a Bo tree and vowed to stay put until he was “enlightened”. After finally “getting it”, he went around teaching informally throughout the countryside.
The essence of his teaching was that since all suffering is caused by undue striving, the key to enlightenment is to rid oneself of striving. We must learn to simply “accept” the world and our personal experience the way it comes to us.
This is done by developing a life of integrity in which one makes sure to have proper motives, thoughts, and actions. A simple, accepting posture toward life is the key to “happiness”, according to the Buddha.
Socrates did not develop a formal lesson in the way that Siddhartha did. Rather, he was committed to the value of asking questions about everything and of everybody. He is famous for the dictum: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” He claimed that the oracle at Delphi had said he was the wisest man in the world, and Socrates knew that this only meant he was only one who admitted up front that he did not know the answers to life’s big questions.
Socrates’ disciple Plato wrote a lot of books using Socrates as the mouthpiece for his own theories. In Republic Socrates is asked if all his theories are true, he replies: “I do not know. I do know that if we keep asking questions, we shall be wiser and better people.” Eventually he was tried and put to death for teaching “false religion and corrupting young people.” As he predicted, “ignorance runs faster than death.”
Jesus, like both Siddhartha and Socrates, was a simple itinerant teacher. He founded no school, no religious sect, wrote nothing, was ostracized by the Jewish authorities, and finally crucified by the Romans. He taught people to “love their enemies”, trust only in God, and live simply. After reaching adulthood he spent about three years walking around in Palestine, teaching those who would listen and healing those who were sick.
The most authentic record we have of Jesus’ teachings is found in what is called the “Gospel of Q”. This source is named ‘Q” by New Testament scholars after the German term for “source”, Quella. Although no such document has been found, it can easily be reconstructed by assembling the passages where the Gospels of Luke and Matthew agree without containing any of the Gospel of Mark. It is believed that both Mark and Q were used by the authors of both Luke and Matthew.
Q has been reconstructed by Professor Marcus Borg in The Lost Gospel Q, and represents the closest thing we have to the authentic teachings of Jesus. The other universally recognized body of teachings of Jesus is what is called “The Sermon on the Mount” found in Matthew chapters five through seven. These are admitted by all to be very radical teachings that turn nearly all traditional values upside down. Love of God and other people, even “sinners” and “evil doers”, is seen to be Jesus’ main concern.
So, these three “Master Teachers”, perhaps the most influential teachers of all time, clearly seem to be working from the same page. Personal integrity, the search for truth, and the love of others were their basic values. Perhaps most of all, they each embodied a kind of humility rarely encountered in the world today.