The Catholic Church has defined a variety of Mysteries of the Rosary, which we would call koans, about the nature of divinity. The Resurrection at Easter is chief among them. Buddhists decline to speak of what happens to a Buddha after Parinirvana, so we have a number of koans on the subject.
- You must raise the eyebrows and blink the eyes of old Shakyamuni Buddha.
- This mind is Buddha.
- No mind and no Buddha.
- If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.
and so on. There are also numerous Bodhisattva vows, the Ten Perfections, the Four Brahma-Viharas, and so on.
Let us not fall into the opposites when discussing the rescuing of those suffering from the consequences of their karma but get on with it.
Joyful Mysteries
- The Annunciation. Fruit of the Mystery: Humility
- The Visitation. Fruit of the Mystery: Love of Neighbour
- The Birth of Jesus. Fruit of the Mystery: Poverty, Detachment from the things of the world, Contempt of Riches, Love of the Poor
- The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Fruit of the Mystery: Gift of Wisdom and Purity of mind and body (Obedience)
- The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Fruit of the Mystery: True Conversion (Piety, Joy of Finding Jesus)
Luminous Mysteries
- The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. Fruit of the Mystery: Openness to the Holy Spirit, the Healer.
- The Wedding at Cana. Fruit of the Mystery: To Jesus through Mary, Understanding of the ability to manifest-through faith.
- Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Fruit of the Mystery: Trust in God (Call of Conversion to God)
- The Transfiguration. Fruit of the Mystery: Desire for Holiness.
- The Institution of the Eucharist. Fruit of the Mystery: Adoration.
Sorrowful Mysteries
- The Agony in the Garden. Fruit of the Mystery: Sorrow for Sin, Uniformity with the Will of God
- The Scourging at the Pillar. Fruit of the Mystery: Mortification (Purity)
- The Crowning with Thorns. Fruit of the Mystery: Contempt of the World (Moral Courage)
- The Carrying of the Cross. Fruit of the Mystery: Patience
- The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord. Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance in Faith, Grace for a Holy Death, Forgiveness.
Glorious Mysteries
- The Resurrection. Fruit of the Mystery: Faith
- The Ascension. Fruit of the Mystery: Hope, Desire to Ascend to Heaven
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit. Fruit of the Mystery: Love of God, Holy Wisdom to know the truth and share it with everyone, Divine Charity, Worship of the Holy Spirit
- The Assumption of Mary. Fruit of the Mystery: Union with Mary and True Devotion to Mary
- The Coronation of the Virgin. Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance and an Increase in Virtue (Trust in Mary's Intercession)
That’s more than I can unpack today, so I will leave you with the exercise of connecting these Mysteries with Buddhist koans. Then you can ask me about any of them.