Dear Meno:
You wrote,
"Concerning religion, I had to admit, personally, I am not very familiar with it.During the former distance class I joined, religion was talked one time. Some western students that they have religion, they believe what their family believe,as for the family, they believe what their forefather believe." *********A great many Canadians and Americans are religious. Many more are becoming so at the present time in Canada. They are searching for what they themselves believe.
Canada and the USA are different in this. The USA right now seems to be more interested in fundamentalist type Christianity. However, I'm not in the USA so I hope Tim Dean will soon be home and able to tell you about that. In the USA the people who are fundamentalist Christians were often not born into a fundamentalist Christian family. However, their families and forebears probably did belong to some branch of Christianity in the past.
For some reason there seems to be an awakening again of interest in relgion here in Canada. You will probably be very surprised to learn that there are numbers of Canadians who have taken an interest in Buddhism. These people aren't from Buddhist families, or the East. Many people change from one sect of Christianity to another. Many people read and think, and then try to formulate what they believe. They call it "having their own spirituality." These are religious, but not interested in any organized religion. They try to live their lives according to what they have discovered in their search.
As for my own parents and forebears, they always belonged to some branch of the Christian church, but I am one of those who thinks for herself. Therefore, I set out to find what might be able to do away with war and hunger forever, and could change people's hearts now so that they overcame their poorer qualities. In my search I found what makes sense to me, and I follow it. *********Meno: "For myself, I was born in a no-religion family, which was very common in China. We don抰 believe God. The criteria we decide to do something or not are mostly, it was said, from Confucianism. Our ancestors got the basic rules from practice. Then their posterities follow." *********Mary: The Buddha came very long ago. He was a great Teacher from God and a new spirit came into the world from Him so that things could begin to grow and improve again. Confucianism is a philosophy, but it came almost at the same time as the Buddha, and was, at least, indirectly influenced by the spirit brought by the Buddha.
Of Buddhism there is nothing left now of the original Teachings. However there are hundreds of books of commentary, some of which is good such as The Eightfold Path and the Fivefold Path, and some of which is superstition and error. Confucianism became a hardened philosophy that didn't fit conditions any more, although it had served your people well in the past, so it was discarded by your government. From what I have learned, and learned here on the forum, there still are some excellent remnants of the former religion and philosophy in action among your people that have been passed down by example, but are not necessarily thought of as coming from religion or philosophy. For example, the respect of parents and elders, and so on. As the generations go on without a living religion, or a good philosophy inspired by one, there is deterioration, because the coming generations are getting further and further away from the direct source their forefathers once had. *********Meno: "In fact many people begin to worry about this phenomenon. They said this money-oriented society is essentially changing the people抯 thinking way, which could result in many unpredictable problems, like the lost of culture, the decrease of people抯 moral lever, etc."
"They said in fact many people are getting lost due to the competition and pressure given by the society. When asked, many don抰 know what they believe, what they want to pursue, and what抯 the meaning of life." *********Mary: Lots of people here are also worried about the money-oriented society here, and what it is doing to the world. The things that you mentioned last are reasons why there are people here trying to find their way, either by looking at past religions, going back to some fundamentalist type church, or joining new philosophies or other groups, or living by "their own spirituality." *********Meno: "For money? definitely not as we all know that money will come and go. For pursuing the better-off living standard? For realizing the dreaming or the endless desire? No one knows, Thinking it is just like a continuously repeated circle, it is difficult for people to get through." *********Mary: You and your fellows are wise to know that money can come and go, and not fixing your lives on it. A better living standard is a good thing, until it damages the planet. Right now the whole world needs to stop doing that. I know that the West hasn't generally faced that yet, but it is coming. Endless material desire is a useless and greedy thing. These worries are beginning to cause some of your people, and also some of our people to question the current situation. It is an important step on the road of search. *********Meno: So then what would be needed to do? Personally, I think, at least, religin comes a way, if not the only way. We get something to believe, then when facing something depressing or some we doomed to face, we got some comfort. It is not like a kind of escaping. If we believe, it should be worth our believing."
Despite I don抰 know how many religions this world have, and how they are, one thing is I am for sure, namely, they must have something in common, something worthwhile for believer to believe, to worship, to respect.." *********Mary: I would like to tell you what I think about what you said in the above two paragraphs. There are about eight or nine living religions in the world at present. They came at various times in history.
First, if I were you, I wouldn't have anything to do with any religion that has killed or persecuted anybody, either in the past, or in the present. If they did before, they can change back and do it again.
It shouldn't have aligned itself with political rulers because that can lead to bloodshed, too.
It should practise what it preaches, it shouldn't have religious leaders who live in luxury while the poor are told to accept their lot.
It should give guidance with regard to personal life that will be a means of raising the human spirit, and not laws that become instruments of oppression. By this I mean that the laws on birth-control, inter-faith marriages, divorce, medical care, burials, and other personal matters shouldn't be harshly enforced without regards to the circumstances of peoples' lives, or to the ultimate purpose of religion which is to guide us to better lives and conditions and to peace and unity.
Second, you can begin to search for what you decide is needed, for yourself. This can be a personal search. You don't need to join a group. Just keep your eyes and ears open and your heart detached, so that love for anything can't block your eyes, and hate for anything can't block your eyes. You need to be able to recognize Truth when you find it. You need to be sincere and pure about it and make it your holy quest. You can ask the One God for help with your search.
This is a little prayer I like. Anybody can say it, as you will see.
O God, guide me and protect me, illumine the lamp of my heart and make me a brilliant star. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful.
You know, a shining star can be seen from a great distance in the dark night. A guiding star has guided sailors on the night seas since time began. If we are a lighted lamp and a brilliant star it means our lives will help others on their journey due to the light in our lives that gives them an example and lights their way.
Warm regards and best wishes, Mary
