Saturday, May 15, 2010
McClatchy Newspapers
Voices of faith: Can one live a good life without involvement in any religion?
The Rev. R.L. Baynham, pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church, Kansas City, Kan.: This question poses a difficult response, because we assume that everyone accepts the meaning of good. Good is relative and allows each individual to draw his or her own conclusion.
If we then accept that everyone will understand what is good from their background and/or morals, then we will understand that some will feel that there is no need for any teaching from any religion.
The possibility to achieve a good life without a standard or system of moral values and/or religion will be difficult to realize. Religion has been the foundation for mankind since the beginning of time. I may not agree with every religious persuasion, but I do recognize that they exist and impact what people believe and practice.
Christians believe that God has provided the standard that identifies the role of man and the role God has in living the good life here on earth. The teachings of the Bible help establish the principles that lead to a healthy and wholesome life.
The good we seek to achieve has to go beyond the practice; it has to do with “to be.” When we accept the teachings of God and develop a personal relation with him, then the inner man changes and seeks the good in life and strives to be an example.
Lama Chuck Stanford, Rime Buddhist Center & Monastery: We all know “good” people who are not religious. So it is obvious that involvement in religion is not the only prerequisite for being a good person. H.H. Dalai Lama said, “There is ... no reason why the individual should not develop love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness ... even to a high degree, without recourse to any religious or metaphysical belief system.”
But where do these spiritual qualities come from, if not from religion? From the Buddhist perspective, we are all born with basic goodness. In fact, our fundamental nature is already enlightened just waiting to be uncovered.
This potential for enlightenment is called “Buddha-nature,” and it is something all of us possess equally. So why do some people cause so much suffering to themselves or others if they possess this basic goodness?
We act in less than enlightened ways out of ignorance. Because we are not able to see the nature of reality as it really is, we fail to see that we are all part of one vast web of interconnectedness. However, we are not able to see this due to the obscurations of our mind.
Our minds are infinitely malleable, and change is always possible. By meditating, we can begin to gain some insight into why we keep making the same mistakes, and through this insight we are able to change.
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