Today I’m going to watch a video in my house, with some friends (hopefully) that looks at community development projects Baha’is are involved in all over the world. These programmes take the form of devotional gatherings where wise sacred writings are shared, classes for children, groups for youth and study groups for people of all ages.
Each focuses on spiritual concepts that affect ourselves and the world around us. I am often nervous to say I’m religious or share my beliefs, because organised religion has a bad public image today. I’m a Baha’i because I see it as the purest and most productive way of bettering, or learning to better our world for everyone’s sake. It is spiritual, personal and individual, because the goodness of our character comes from that ‘inner’ place, however we choose to view it. But it is also world-encompassing, because each little positive action, from whatever place in you it comes from, is significant and vitally important.
On preparing to watch a video that aims to inspire each of us to take steps for positive change within ourselves and within our community, I came across a message from the Dalai Lama that seemed very apt. So I’m sharing an excerpt from it here because it expresses beautifully the reasons I choose to be religious. The video i’ll watch this evening is an equally wonderful expression of why the Baha’i Faith is my religion of choice and you can see that here.
“When we rise in the morning and listen to the radio or read the newspaper, we are confronted with the same sad news: violence, crime, wars, and disasters. I cannot recall a single day without a report of something terrible happening somewhere. Even in these modern times it is clear that one’s precious life is not safe. No former generation has had to experience so much bad news as we face today; this constant awareness of fear and tension should make any sensitive and compassionate person question seriously the progress of our modern world. It is ironic that the more serious problems emanate from the more industrially advanced societies.
Science and technology have worked wonders in many fields, but the basic human problems remain. There is unprecedented literacy, yet this universal education does not seem to have fostered goodness, but only mental restlessness and discontent instead. There is no doubt about the increase in our material progress and technology, but somehow this is not sufficient as we have not yet succeeded in bringing about peace and happiness or in overcoming suffering. We can only conclude that there must be something seriously wrong with our progress and development, and if we do not check it in time there could be disastrous consequences for the future of humanity.
I am not at all against science and technology – they have contributed immensely to the overall experience of humankind; to our material comfort and well-being and to our greater understanding of the world we live in. But if we give too much emphasis to science and technology we are in danger of losing touch with those aspects of human knowledge and understanding that aspire towards honesty and altruism. Science and technology, though capable of creating immeasurable material comfort, cannot replace the age-old spiritual and humanitarian values that have largely shaped world civilization, in all its national forms, as we know it today.
No one can deny the unprecedented material benefit of science and technology, but our basic human problems remain; we are still faced with the same, if not more, suffering, fear, and tension. Thus it is only logical to try to strike a balance between material developments on the one hand and the development of spiritual, human values on the other. In order to bring about this great adjustment, we need to revive our humanitarian values. I am sure that many people share my concern about the present worldwide moral crisis and will join in my appeal to all humanitarians and religious practitioners who also share this concern to help make our societies more compassionate, just, and equitable.
I do not speak as a Buddhist or even as a Tibetan. Nor do I speak as an expert on international politics (though I unavoidably comment on these matters). Rather, I speak simply as a human being, as an upholder of the humanitarian values that are the bedrock not only of Mahayana Buddhism but of all the great world religions. From this perspective I share with you my personal outlook – that:
- Universal humanitarianism is essential to solve global problems;
- Compassion is the pillar of world peace;
- All world religions are already for world peace in this way, as are all humanitarians of whatever ideology;
- Each individual has a universal responsibility to shape institutions to serve human needs.”
And to finish, a wonderful quote from Galileo (apparently.)
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”
thanks for listening,
elva.x