RSS Feed
Twitter
It is not a lie that human beings want happiness and peace. Even people having great wealth want "peace". This is the reason why people are seeking the true path which leads them away from suffering. We in the world find may kinds of religions namely:-
a. Hinduism
b. Judaism
c. Buddhism
d. Christianity
e. Islam
f. Sikhism
g. Taoism
Religion arises because religions ideally are guides for us towards peace. People seek guidance for happy successful lives, so religion is a means to obtain that guidance leading a happy and successful life. The one without religion can become danger to society endangering our purpose in life. No one can say, even the scientists or psychologists have been able to tell us our purpose in life, but perhaps proper religious wisdom can do this.
There is freedom in people to choose their own religion, according to their wishes. No one has the right to force another to accept any religion. People should choose meaningful religion for themselves without depending on mere beliefs, rituals and customs. Religion should be a free choice. But; choice must be made very carefully. To follow a religion in its spiritual value and live its ideals is our human dignity. We humans indeed can differentiate between right and wrong. Therefore people must choose the right religion that is suitable to them and one that meets with their human intelligence.
The religion that is being introduced here is a practical educational system for mental culture which came to this world more than 2500 years ago, which was revealed by a Fully Enlightened one. "The Buddha" the compassionate Teacher. The religion is also known as "middle-way", the correct path of life. This religion teaches us to do three main things:-
"Keep away from bad deeds
Do good and to purify the mind."
Though this message seems so simple and it is very meaningful and practical and simple it is when we first read it we soon discover its practice is difficult and affected by inherent human weakness. The moral conduct of man plays a very important role in this religion. Once the Enlightened one said, "My teaching is not to come and believe, but to come, see and practice." No one is asked to come and embrace this religion. It encourages people to study and practice in their daily life and to decide own whether to accept or not on their own. According to the founder of this religion, one should not believe anything merely because of hearsay, or because it is traditionally accepted, but one should use one's common sense, awareness and accept if it only brings harmony and peace.
The Middle Way is neither a metaphysical path nor a ritualistic path; neither self-indulgence nor self-mortification, neither pessimism nor optimism, it is the ultimate peace. This religion does not accept that human beings are suffering today because of the sins committed by their ancestors; on the contrary every person commits his or her merits or demerits individually. A person is responsible for her or his own pain and pleasure.
One who follows the Middle Path of moderation should find real peace and can lead life without being slave of her or his own senses.
Lord Buddha has shown the path to peace happiness and salvation with a way of teaching that is so understandable and scientific. Today, in this world when human beings are intoxicated with anger, greed, jealously, pride and strive for would domination, the teaching of Lord Buddha becomes important. To dispel the darkness of ignorance and to save this world from ill we need the teachings of the Enlightened one.
This teaching can have a most profound effect on all people. His message was given to this world in peace without any Violence, and illuminates the way by which mankind can cross from dissatisfaction to new world of satisfaction, love, light and peace. The teaching considers virtue as being one of the important prerequisites for the attainment of salvation. Another prerequisite is wisdom. Virtue and wisdom are entirely linked up to the door of salvation but the actual key that opens the gate is wisdom.
Thus, the Dhamma shows that mind is the forerunner of us as the creators and destroys of humanity and the architects of the fate of humanity. So, the human should be capable of controlling her or his own mind properly so as to use it properly. Here religion plays a significant role for guiding mankind towards peace. Today's world is riddled with racial, political and ideological misunderstandings. To solve these problems people must-develop in themselves the spirit of benevolence and tolerance. To cultivate these we need guidance of some religion. We must understand that spiritual development is more important than the attainment of material development is more important than the attainment of material development for making this world a better place to live when we practice truth, charity and love.
The Buddha through His enlightenment declared that :-
1) The greatest virtue is that gained in the cultivation of universal love;
2) Supreme happiness is the happiness desired from mental tranquility;
3) The absolute truth is the truth acquired through the understanding of the cause of human suffering;
4) The highest religion is the religion that teaches intercultural development mentality and mental purification;
5) The greatest philosophy is the philosophy that introduces a practical way of life that can be followed without depending on theories and mere beliefs.
This religion teaches us how to render selfless service to others. Followers of this religion refrain from evil not because of fear or retribution from some unseen being but because of the realization that evil only brings suffering to living beings. The motivation for the person is not the expectation of some earthy or heavenly rewards but comes from compassion and the non-problematic desire to release people and other sentient beings from "dukkha". Here, dukkha means suffering, the stressful, and the unsatisfactory.
You can find the way to perfect goodness and wisdom any aid from any external power. You can achieve the highest wisdom through self-realization. You can gain salvation with in this lifetime with the exercise of your own. This religion teaches that man is not for religion but the religion is for man. That means without becoming a slave to any religion, man must try to make use of a religion for his liberation.
This is not a theory or a religion just to believe in but a practically. This is one of the oldest religions in that historical that brought culture and betterment to mankind yet modern in every aspect. It advise one not to become a slave to any eternal power but to cultivate one's own hidden potential and use one's own effort and intelligence to resolve one's problems. It has quality required to fit in present and future world too. It will be beneficial for anyone to study and realize the value of this religion in the modern world. We must lead a respectable religions life without abusing his human dignity.
