Richard Seebohm
In our 17 January Zoom Meeting, a Friend quoted from the first Epistle of John the words “perfect love casteth out fear”. Now I’ve been reading Nine Lives by William Dalrymple, in which he describes the worlds of Indians he has met who practice a startling range of religious faiths. One of these, a Buddhist monk exiled to Pakistan, told him a very relevant story.
The monk had, with permission, laid aside his vows to fight the Chinese invasion and annexation of Tibet. His mother was tortured and killed but he escaped. He found it uncomfortable, as a Buddhist, to be consumed with hate for the Chinese. He resolved never to eat in a Chinese restaurant. Visiting India, however, he found himself with only a Chinese restaurant within reach. He admitted enjoying his meal, and afterwards talked to the owners. They were a mother and daughter. It turned out that they were refugees too. The owner’s father had been killed during Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution. They hugged and comforted each other, and he now understood that he had no need to hate the Chinese but only their political system.
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Forty-Three Newsletter • Number 502 • February 2021
Oxford Friends Meeting
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