What
Buddhists Believe
Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera
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Part Five -
A Religion For Real Human Progress
Chapter 13 -
Nature, Value And Choice Of Religious Beliefs
Man and
Religion
Man is the only living being in this
world who has discovered religion and performs worship and prayer.
Man developed religion in
order to satisfy his desire to understand the life within him and the
world outside him. The earliest religions had animistic origins, and they
arose out of man's fear of the unknown and his desire to placate the
forces which he thought inhabited inanimate objects. Over time these
religions underwent changes, being shaped by the geographical, historical,
socio-economic, political and intellectual environment existing at that
time.
Many of these religions
have become organized and are flourishing to this day, backed by a strong
following of devotees. Many people are drawn to organized religions
because of the pomp and ceremony, while there are some who prefer to
practice their own personal religion, inwardly venerating their religious
teachers and applying moral principles in their daily life. Because of the
importance of practice, every religion claims to be a way of life, not
merely a faith. In view of their various origins and paths of development
which religions undergo, it is hardly surprising that the religions of man
should differ in their approach, the understanding and interpretation of
their followers, their goal and how it can be achieved, and their concept
of reward and punishment for deeds performed.
In terms of approach,
religious practices may be based on faith, fear, rationality or
harmlessness: Faith forms the basis of many religious practises which were
developed to overcome man's fear and to meet his needs. A religion of
miraculous or mystical powers exploits that fear which arises from
ignorance and makes promises of material gain based on greed. A religion
of devotion is based on emotion and the fear of the supernatural which, it
is so believed, can be appeased through rites and rituals. A religion of
faith is based on the desire for gaining confidence in the face of the
uncertainty of human life and destiny.
Some religious practices
grew as a result of the development of man's knowledge, experience and
wisdom. The rational approach to religion had been adopted in this case,
incorporating the principles of human value and natural or universal laws.
It is based on humanism and concentrates on the cultivation of humane
qualities. A religion of cause and effect or kamma is based on the
principle of self-help and assumes that the individual alone is
responsible for his own happiness and suffering as well as salvation. A
religion of wisdom is based on the application of reason and seeks to
understand life and the reality of worldly conditions through analytical
knowledge.
Harmlessness and goodwill
are common elements found in religion. A religion of peace is based on the
principle of causing no harm to oneself as well as others, and its
followers are to cultivate a harmonious, liberal and peaceful life. A
religion of goodwill or loving-kindness is based on the sacrifice and
service for the welfare and happiness of others.
Religions differ
according to the understanding capacity of their followers and the
interpretation which religious authorities give to the religious doctrines
and practices. In some religions, codes, while in others they only provide
advice on the need and the way to follow these codes. Every religion will
offer reasons to explain the existing human problems and inequalities and
the way to remedy the situation. By way of explanation, some religions
claim that man has to face these problems because he is on trial in this
world. When such an explanation is given, another may ask, 'For what
purpose? How can a man be judged on the basis of just one life when human
beings generally differ in their experiences of physical, intellectual,
social, economic and environmental factors and conditions?'
Every religion has its own
concept of what is regarded to be the goal of spiritual life. For some
religions, eternal life in heaven or paradise with the Lord is the final
goal. For some the ultimate aim in life is the union of universal
consciousness, because it is believed that life is a unit of consciousness
and it must return to the same original consciousness. Some religions
believe that the ending of suffering or repeated birth and death is the
final goal. For others, even heavenly bliss or union with Brahma (creator)
is secondary to the uncertainty of existence, no matter, whatever form it
takes. And there are even some who believe that the present life itself is
more than enough to experience the aim of life.
To attain the desired
goal, every religion offers a method. Some religions ask their followers
to surrender to God or depend on God for everything. Others call for
stringent asceticism as the means of purging oneself of all evil through
self mortification. Some others recommend the performance of animal
sacrifices and many kinds of rites and rituals as well as the recital of
mantras for their purification to gain the final goal. There is yet
another which upholds diverse methods and devotions, intellectual
realization of truth, and concentration of the mind through meditation.
Each religion has a
different concept of punishment for evil deeds. According to some
religions, man is doomed forever by God for his transgressions in this one
life. Some others say that action and reaction(cause and effect)operate
due to natural laws and the effect of a deed will only be experienced for
a certain period. Some religions maintain that this life is only one of so
many, and a person will always have chance to reform himself in stages
until he finally evolves to attain the goal of Supreme Bliss.
Given such a wide variety
of approaches, interpretations and goals of different religions adopted by
mankind, it is useful for people not to hold dogmatic views about their
religion but to be open to and tolerant of other religious views.
The Buddha said: 'One
must not accept my teachings from reverence, but first try them as gold is
tried by fire.'
After emphasizing the
importance of maintaining an open mind towards religious doctrines, it is
useful to remember that a religion should be practised for the welfare ,
freedom and happiness of all living beings. That is, religious principles
should be used positively to improve the quality of life of all beings.
Yet today, humankind is corrupted and has gone astray from basic religious
principles. Immoral and evil practices have become common among many
people, and religious-minded people experience difficulties trying to
maintain certain religious principles in modern life. At the same time,
the standard of basic religious principles is also lowered to pander to
the demands of polluted and selfish minds. Man should not violate
universal moral codes to suit his own greed or indulgence; rather man
should try to adjust himself according to these codes taught by religion.
Religious precepts have been introduced by enlightened religious teachers
who have realized the noble way of life which leads to peace and
happiness. Those who violate these precepts transgress the universal laws,
which, according to Buddhism will bring bad effects through the working of
moral causation.
This does not mean, on the
other hand, that a person should slavishly follow what is found in his
religion, regardless of its applicability to modern times. Religious laws
and precepts should enable people to lead a meaningful life, and are not
to be used to bind them to archaic practices and superstitious rituals and
beliefs. A person who upholds the basic religious principles should give
credit to human intelligence and live respectably with human dignity.
There must be some changes in our religious activities to correspond to
our education and the nature of our changing society, without at the same
time sacrificing the noble universal principles. But it is recognized that
making changes to any religious practices is always difficult because many
conservative people are opposed to changes, even if they are for the
better. Such conservative views are like a stagnant pool of water, while
fresh ideas are like the waterfall where the water is constantly being
renewed and is, therefore, usable.
Distortion of
Religion
Despite the
value of religion in moral upliftment, it is also true to say that
religion is a fertile soil for the development of superstitions and
devotional hypocrisy, wrapped under the cloak of religiosity. Many people
use religion to escape from the realities of life and put on the garb of
religion and religious symbols. They may even pray very often in places of
worship, yet they are not sincerely religious minded and have not
understood what religion stands for. When a religion has been debased by
ignorance, greed for power and selfishness, people quickly point an
accusing finger and say that religion is irrational. But 'Religion'(the
ritualistic external practice of any teaching)must be distinguished from
the teaching itself. Before one criticizes, one must study the original
teachings of the founder and see it there is anything intrinsically wrong
with it.
Religion advise people to
do good and be good, but they are not interested in acting thus. Instead
they prefer to cling to the other practices which have no real religious
values. Had they tried to culture their minds by eradicating jealousy,
pride, cruelty and selfishness, at least they would have found the correct
way to practise a religion. Unfortunately, they develop jealousy, pride,
cruelty and selfishness instead of eradicating them. Many people pretend
to be religious, but commit the greatest atrocities in the name of
religion. They fight, discriminate and create unrest for the sake of
religion, losing sight of its lofty purpose. From the increase in the
performance of various so-called religious activities, we may get the
impression that religion is progressing, but the opposite is really the
case since very little mental purity and understanding are actually being
practised.
Practising a
religion is nothing than the development of one's inner awareness,
goodwill and understanding. Problems would have to be faced squarely by
relying on one's spiritual strength. Running away from one's problems in
the name of spiritualism is not courageous, much less to be regarded as
spiritual. Under today's chaotic conditions, men and women are rapidly
sliding downhill to their own destruction. They irony is that they imagine
they are progressing towards a glorious civilization that is yet to be
realized.
In the midst of
this confusion, imaginary and plastic religious concepts are propagated to
create more temptation and confusion in man's mind. Religion is being
misused for personal gain and power. Certain immoral practices, such as
free sex, have been encouraged by some irresponsible religious groups to
introduce their religion among youths. By arousing lustful feelings, these
groups hope to seduce boys and girls into following their religion. Today
religion has degenerated into a cheap commodity in the religious market
giving scant regard to moral values and what they stand for. Some
missionaries claim that the practice of morals, ethics and precepts are
not important as long as a person has faith and prays to God, which is
believed to be sufficient to grant him salvation. Having witnessed how
some religious authorities have misled and blindfolded their followers in
Europe, Karl Marx made a caustic remark: 'Religion is the sigh of the
oppressed creature, the feelings of a heartless world, just as it is the
soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.'
Man needs a
religion not for the reason of giving him a dream for his next life or
providing him with some dogmatic ideas to follow, in such a way that he
surrenders his human intelligence and becomes a nuisance to his fellow
beings. A religion should be a reliable and reasonable method for people
to live 'here and now' as cultured, understanding beings, while setting a
good example for others to follow. Many religions turn man's thoughts away
from himself towards a supreme being, but Buddhism directs man's search
for peace inward to the potentialities that lie hidden within himself. 'Dhamma'(meaning,
to hold on)is not something a person searches outside himself, because in
the final analysis, man is Dhammaand Dhammais man.
Therefore, true religion, which is Dhamma,is not something outside
us that we acquire, but the cultivation and realization of wisdom,
compassion and purity that we develop within ourselves.
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Source: Buddhist
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Update : 01-11-2002