De Novo

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.

Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

– Song of Solomon 1:2, 5, 15-16

The above image, from the Buddhist tantric tradition, is allegorical in exactly the same way that Song of Solomon is allegorical: while superficially erotic, the image illustrates the yearning of the temporal and finite (female) for the eternal and infinite (male).  The Christian tradition views mankind as the Bride of Christ; the Buddhist tradition views the seeker as the temporal incarnation of an eternal force.  Each one expresses the same root tension inherent in our condition.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 6:57 pm and is filed under Buddhism, Mysticism, Christianity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.