The shape of religion in the future

Ven. Binayananda, The Daily News (Sri Lanka), November 15, 2005

In the nuclear age Buddhists the world over owe a duty to co-operate and co-ordinate their efforts in spreading the principles of Buddhism which teaches love, peace, happiness and right understanding for all mankind. Buddhism invites anyone to come and see for himself and permits him to accept only those facts which agree with reason, logic and truth.

It encourages the seeker of a new way to discard heresies, blind faith, miracles and magic. Principles of Buddhism invite criticism and testing. Buddhism is therefore, the most appealing and most compelling factor that leads the modern minds in the East and the West.

Picture of religions

Let us take a brief look at the picture of religions in the future.

According to recent statistics, the global trend of religious population is undergoing change. The Christian population is on the wane, while that of Islam is on rise. It is especially noteworthy that the number of Buddhist and new religious movements is on continuous upward curve. Another destructive trend is the drastic increase in the religious population in China, Australia, Russia and Europe.

Conflict among religions is set to be another major issue in the future. Prof. Samuel P. Huntington predicts that religious conflicts will be a main factor in the clash of future civilization, as we are indeed presently witnessing, around the globe. Especially, he points out that Islam and Confucian civilization will present a big threat to the Western civilization. It is no exaggeration to say that every war now being waged around the world has a historic background in religious conflicts. This trend will be continued in future.

The rapid progress in the commercialization and secularization of religions will be deepened in the future. Accordingly religious symbolism and institution will lose their power and so-called 'alternative religion' like sports, leisure, tour and tourism industry will gain power and what with the fast development of information technology and the internet, technological instruments as their medium?

Religious pluralism and dialogues will become more active and widespread. Henceforth religious imperialism based formerly on self-righteousness will gradually diminish.

Authoritarian religions will be on the wane while humanitarian religions will prevail in the future, people in the 21st century will prefer religions based on reason and independent awareness to ones that emphasize blind obedience and original guilt.

Revolutionary changes

Revolutionary changes are expected within religious culture. For example, revolutionary change will occur in the areas such as religious precepts and discipline, equality in the place of religious hierarchy, the changing status of woman in religion, the new patterns of propagation accompanied by new media, the change of funeral ceremonies, pluralization of religious ritual, a proliferation of religious syncretism, and appearance of national religions etc.

Can Buddhism be a religion that leads the new spirit of the times in the future religious culture? What alternative can Buddhism provide to a new future religious culture?

The Buddha's intention was to solve the mystery of existence through human wisdom. This wisdom he tried to impart to those who sought higher knowledge, never by force, but by compelling them with his 'come and see' (ehipassiko) method. No blind faith was allowed.

Buddhism provides humanistic values that enrich human life spiritually. The Buddhist outlook on the world is quite similar to that of the modern scientific rationalism. Buddhists try to understand the world and universe in terms of combination of both spiritual and material aspects. Henceforth the ethics of modern science can be established through the Buddhist reflection on mind.

Liberation of mankind

Buddhism can provide a fundamental liberation of mankind from all ideologies. Buddhism teaches us to live without hindrances, by returning to the origin of one mind, 'returning to the origin of one mind' philosophy is quite a relevant teaching to the contemporary world where people live in chaos and delusion as a result of ignorance of their true nature.

Buddhist theory of 'kamma' and 'dependent origination' may contribute positively towards solving contemporary hot issues on ecology and of human rights. The theory means that all things exist in mutual interdependence.

It explains the symbiotic nature of all forms of life. Human beings and nature are not separate entities. Buddhist thought is based on the organic views on life.

Buddhist teaching of reconciliation and harmony can provide a way to solve the conflicts between religions and ideologies, which are now facing, and enrich the value of religious pluralism.

Openness of Buddhist thought

Buddhism suggests a way to let go of holding to notion of the absoluteness of truth and to reconcile each ideology and religion. Accordingly, the openness of Buddhist thought should be the spiritual basis of future civilizations. According to Buddhism followers of any religion or even those who have no particular religious labels also can go to heaven.

This they can do if they have cultivated their humane qualities and if they have not abused their human life and have maintained human dignity and human intelligence.

Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru stated, 'no new path can be found to save mankind through fresh conflicts and wars but by pursuing the old path shown to the world by the greatest pathfinder the Gotama Buddha.

H. G. Wells, distinguished historian, visionary and writer, said these words in praise of Buddhism.

"Buddhism has done more to the advance of world civilization than any other influence in the chronicles of mankind."

Original teachings

He further said, "It is possible that in contact with Western Science, and inspired by the spirit of history, the original teachings of Gotama, may yet play a large part in the direction of human destiny.

The greatest scientist, Albert Einstein stated, "the religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. "It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it is Buddhism."

In a world of darkness and distress, the Buddha Dhamma still shines and it is not yet too late to follow its guiding beams and emerge into a brighter and happier future. The Buddha's contribution to world peace and universal happiness are unparalleled, but for the future, the effort remains ours to achieve these goals.

Let brothers and sisters of the world radiate bondless love towards all living beings and the entire world without illwill and without enmity.

May all beings realize the true teachings of the Buddha.

The Ven. writer is a graduate from University of Chitagong, Bangladesh and presently studying at Pali and Buddhist University Sri Lanka.

source: http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/11/15/fea07.htm