One for whom nothing exists
In front, behind, and in between,
Who has no clinging, who has nothing,
I call a Brahman.

Whoever is most excellent, a bull,
A hero, a great sage, a conqueror,
Free of craving, cleansed, awakened,
I call a Brahman.

The Buddha is saying that great spiritual advancement requires us to be unattached to worldly things.  This doesn't mean we must live in poverty and have no friends.  We just should not let material things become important to us, especially to the point where they become more important than our spiritual development.  And, like St. Francis, value friends, pets, all life, for the spirit, not the flesh.  You might wonder why the reference to a conqueror.  How is a conqueror spiritual?  I think the conqueror the Buddha is referring to is one who conquers his own lower self, his inner demon.

This is the first time I have used a quote from Buddha in my weekly scripture entry.  So, you may ask, why is a Christian minister referencing sayings of Buddha?  First, while the International Community of Christ is Christian, it is also Universal.  Second, Buddha was every bit as much a Christ as Jesus was.