From Amy/See the very interesting and beautifully written article below regarding the connection between Buddhism and St. Patrick.
[Red Pine (translator) :: Bill Porter (author)]
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In Christian lore, Patrick became the deer when he first returned to Ireland. After lighting the paschal fire in defiance of the tribal chieftain, he sang his protection song, often called "The Deer's Cry," and became a deer, binding himself to all the powers of creation and culminating in Christ:
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left, Christ in the fort, Christ in the chariot-seat, Christ in the mighty stern.
The Buddha's great protection song, the Metta Sutta, has the same encircling power given in a similar context of spiritual conflict. A group of monks settled in a forest for a retreat and the spirits tried to drive them away. The Buddha's encouragement wasn't enough so he bestowed on them a paritta protection chant. They made relatives with the spirits, who accepted and even began to protect them.
Radiating kindness over the entire world: Spreading upwards to the skies, And downwards to the depths; Outwards and unbounded, Freed from hatred and ill-will. Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Catholics might see the Buddha as an "anonymous Christian," someone perfected by God's grace though never having learned of Jesus. Buddhist might see Patrick as a Bodhisattva, one that defers entry into Nirvana to pray for the happiness of all living beings.
I'll leave that debate to the side, for in them both I see the Deer: the essence of the spiritual journey and its connection to land, radiating compassion above, below, and all around.
[Saint Patrick and the Buddha]
