From The Buddha To Christ

by Johan Trisanjaya

From the Buddha to Christ—A Young Man’s Journey to the Ancient Christian Church My name is Johan Trisanjaya. I am of Javanese ethnicity  in Indonesia. I was born in 1982 in the village of Prigi in Central Java. I was raised in a Buddhist family; my father  is a government servant and my mother is a house wife. Most people in our village are Muslim, but many adhere  to Buddhism. As a Buddhist, I was so active that I was appointed as the President of the Buddhist Youth Association.

The essence of Buddhist teaching is “to love without limit”,  where the law of deeds (“karma”) is emphasized, in which  all our deeds in this life will bear fruit in our next re-incar- nation. The love is not limited to only humans either, but in  loving plants and animals too, since they could have formerly  been human. When you die with a good karma you will be  born in the next body in a high state of being. When you die  with bad karma, you will be born either in a lower status of  life in society, or even as an animal or in the demonic realm.

As I was about to start high school my cousin, Fr Alexios, came to my village and told me to go with him to Solo and to go to school there. He had been a Buddhist before becoming an Orthodox priest. I agreed. I felt that it was okay to be exposed to Christianity only for three years, because it would help to widen my horizon. I had always attended Church worship and gatherings, but I always sat at the  back row since I felt guilty about being  a Buddhist but praying as a Christian.

Finally, out of my confusion, I left Fr.  Alexios’s house and returned back  home for two weeks without even a  leave of absence from school. During  these two weeks, I lost all direction in  my life and felt confused. I began to  act in a mindless way. I started to do things that I have never done before to the surprise and embarrassment of my father since he is considered a pillar in society.

One day I felt as though someone whispered to me and  commanded me to go back to Fr Alexios in Solo, so I went  back. After some days in Solo, I began to learn about Orthodoxy again. I felt the urge to be baptized, and Fr. Alexios  agreed. I was surprised that even though I did not go to  school for two weeks I was not even reprimanded or punished by the school, as would be expected. After I was baptized with the baptismal name of “Johanes” (John), I have  been helping the ministry of Fr. Alexios. In the year 2006,  I was elevated by Metropolitan HILARION to “Reader.”

What I found liberating in Christianity is that Christ had  defeated the power of death through His resurrection so  that there are no more endless cycles of birth and death  in re-incarnation, and it is no longer the law of karma that has power over you, but the power of grace though  Christ’s victory over sin, death and the devil. The Buddhists are so frightened by karma, because they are  frightened by the prospect of re-incarnation into a  lower realm, but there is no fear of God, since God  does not exist. But in order to achieve good karma there are so many difficult regulations and requirements to be achieved; it is as if there was no grace of God.

Having understood the beauty of the teaching  of Orthodoxy, I now have a very strong desire to  serve Christ, either as a priest or as a layperson.  I am preparing myself to go to seminary either  in Russia or in the United States in order to realize this dream. I have been spending time with Fr.  Daniel during his last visit, driving him across Java and up to Bali. Please pray for me. Thank you.

Source: Friends of Indonesia