Prayer for Uber driver

I had a strange conversation today with an Uber cab driver named Anh. He was a Vietnamese man. He wanted to know why Christians persecuted Buddhists in Vietnam, if Jesus taught love. Also, he seemed to think Jesus must have been a Buddhist (I don't agree, of course) because he talked about love. I told him I studied under the lineage of the Ven. Thitch Nhat Hanh for several years, and was familiar with Vietnamese Buddhism. I just pointed out that being a Christian doesn't mean you have to believe there are no wise people in other religions, and maybe that was a better explanation: the Bible itself contains a great deal of wisdom. I didn't have alot of time to explain much else. He was basically unloading alot of grievances about being a Buddhist, particularly upset about Catholics, and talking very fast and in an animated manner (something I have noted occasionally happens around me, ever since I had my spiritual experience). And my approach around people that are upset is always to listen more than talk, so I didn't get to say much before the ride was over.

On the way out of the ride, I didn't want to be a religious controversialist, so I just said "May you be blessed", something I know would be acceptable to both Christians and Buddhists.

Let's pray for Anh... that he would be able to let go of bitterness and that his questions about Jesus would be answered, if that's really what he's looking for, that he would be lead into truth.

Maria Billingsley said:

Christians do not persecute the harvest. Jesus Christ of Nazareth prophesied that there are very few who have enough love to preach the Gospel to the lost without persecuting them. My prayer goes to those who persecute God's harvest.
Be blessed

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Unfortunately in the 1960's, South Vietnam had a strongman president who was a Catholic. The government shelled temples and pagodas with mortars, and persecuted the Buddhist majority. That was what Anh was referring to.

I occasionally travel to Orlando's Little Saigon. It's not uncommon to find Catholic and Buddhist religious items, like statues, together in a shop. Most Vietnamese people are religiously tolerant, many have multi-religious families, and not very doctrinaire or interested in discussing religious differences (typical of many Asian people). In their hearts, many Vietnamese peoples practice a blend of Confucianism and Taoism, with only a minority actively practicing Buddhism, though it has a great deal of social credibility and patronage.