Joy

I am not generally one to frequent Buddhist book clubs, but I know a good quote when I hear one:
"Whatever joy there is in this world,
All comes from desiring others to be happy;
And whatever suffering there is in this world,
All comes from desiring myself to be happy." (Buddhist Indian saint Shantideva )

Oddly enough, I found this quote on a message board where a battle has been raging on for over a week now. It concerns "The Role of Religion in the Potterverse", and some are taking the side that JKR's faith influenced the telling of this story and the quality of the characters. Others believe that there is no religious influence, only moral. And some (well, one long-winded man) want to fight for the right to claim those religious beliefs are from other or all religions, not Christianity.

It is actually a very interesting conversation to follow, even if I find my eyebrows raised frequently.