Ecclesiastes 1

 1 The words of the Teacher, [a] son of David, king in Jerusalem:
 2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher.
       "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
 3 What do people gain from all their labor at which they toil under the sun?
 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.
 6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north;
       round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.
 7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full.
       To the place the streams come from, there they return again.
 8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say.
       The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
 9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;
       there is nothing new under the sun.
 10 Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"?
       It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.
 11 There is no remembrance of people of old, and even those who are yet to come
       will not be remembered by those who follow

The Buddha Under the Tree

The brahman, Dona, saw the Buddha sitting under a tree and was impressed by his peaceful air of alertness and his good looks. He asked the Buddha:
"Are you a god?"
"No, brahman, I am not a god."
"Then an angel?"
"No, indeed, brahman."
"A spirit, then?"
"No, I am not a spirit."
"Then what are you?"
"I am awake."

Matthew 17

 1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." 8When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.