Religion can develop humane qualities in many ways. What are
these qualities? We must have understanding to maintain
human dignity and behave as human beings. We must
learn how to live without disturbing or harming others which is
more important than many other qualities. Cultivate goodwill and
understanding. Whether we pray or not, we have to cultivate
patience, tolerance, compassion and sincerity.
How many human beings are there in this world today who truly have
honesty in them? A real religion can cultivate these qualities.
Science, technology or nuclear energy can manage to change the
whole world but such energy also cannot change the human mind. Who
can change it? We know that it is difficult even for a god to
change our mind. No other external force can do that. We
have to change our own minds. According to the Buddha, if there is
anybody in this world who can change the mind, it is the individual
himself, no one else.
We can be given ideas on how to do it. We can be told how to train
the mind. We have to cultivate the mind through under-standing and
determination. That is why knowledge is important. By following the
religious disciplines many changes take place in the mind for our
betterment. Therefore, religious principles are important no matter
where they are preached. Whether it is Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam makes no difference.
If people can cultivate good qualities, everyone should be able to
enjoy heaven without any discrimination. Heaven is not
reserved for or monopolized by one particular religious group. It
should be open to everybody who has good qualities.
The Buddhist concept of heaven is where one is happy,
prosperous, fortunate and satisfactory for a long period. In one
way we can say that the pleasures of heaven are simply an extension
of the pleasures we seek on earth. But spiritual development or a
sublime state of mind is more important than worldly
pleasures.
We should not wait until divine qualities come down from heaven to
purify us. We have to cultivate them by eradicating any
animal nature we have in us. By developing our human
nature we gain the divine nature or sublime state. It is a gradual
development. Divine nature means leading a noble, pure life. The
normal human behavior is un-certain and unpredictable and it is
difficult to trust another human being. Almost everyday, we
experience more fear, suspicion, tension because of human beings,
rather than animals, devils or ghosts.
Religion is important to cultivate those qualities against
unreliable and selfish human attitudes. What constitutes the
sublime nature? The Buddha taught that there are four
mental states we must develop: Metta, Karuna,
Mudita, Upekkha. These four qualities must be there to
gain that highest achievement in the mind. It simply means we must
cultivate goodwill and virtue without any discrimination towards
anybody or anything.
Buddhism teaches Metta (goodwill). Christianity
teaches love. Islam teaches
brotherhood. Hinduism teaches oneness in
every human being. Many people have these qualities but
they reserve them only for their own kind, those who belong to
their club, so to speak. They extend goodwill, friendship and
brotherhood towards their own community or towards the followers of
their own religion, but not for others.
That is not how the Buddha taught us to extend goodwill and
compassion. He said we must radiate goodwill, harmony and
sympathy towards every living being without any discrimination and
not only towards those who are close to us. In fact the
Buddha says we must earnestly develop a heart full of love - like
that a mother feels for her only child towards everything that
exists.
-Dr K Sri Dhammananda
