Pure Land
Education
Buddhism, rather than being a religion, is a virtuous and perfect education for all mankind, committed to the growth of the mind and the human spirit. It is an excellent and comprehensive education for members of the human race. This kind of education is important for developing and elevating oneself as a human being.
Our human experience is very complicated. To educate people well, it takes the right approach.
The core teachings of Buddhism help us to turn away from negative thoughts and behaviours, and to move towards a more positive and beneficial mindset.
People usually have too many desires and long to acquire more and more possessions. They are driven by their greed, while forgetting that they could be happy with what they already have. People never cease to chase material success, causing them stress and disappointment and making them forget the happiness that they once enjoyed. At Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Temple, we would like to show you the way towards freeing yourself from this cycle– you just need to regain your sense of self by following in the Buddha’s footsteps. This will lead you to the purifying light of Amitabha, which will give you the power to grow into a new and better life.
Worldly desires tempt us. All sorts of attractions confuse our six senses (of seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, hearing, and thinking). Driven by their curiosity, children grow up not just under the influence of formal education but also of the world outside of the campus and the family. Who can resist the influences of the outside world? Their pure minds are therefore polluted. Once polluted, it is hard to regain the clarity of the mind. In this information age in which we live, it is difficult to control the flow of information, and children are exposed to many unhealthy influences. This transformation of the world, just like the decline of morality, has been so drastic that it is impossible to simply “return to the good old days.” Our only hope is that the all-compassionate Amitabha Buddha will come to our rescue. This is why I am urging every one of you to help protect and promote the Dharma, which teaches us to recover our Buddha-nature (our true self). Once we’ve found our own Buddha nature, we’re endowed with infinite compassion, wisdom, and virtue. We no longer need to look outward and can live a peaceful life under any circumstances. Everything we need to live in peace and with ease is already within us. It is a precious true self that we should work hard to retrieve.
"If we don't spend money on education today, we will certainly spend it on building prisons in the future."
How should we update our education for the younger generation?
It is common in our society to see confused and directionless young people who have no sense of purpose. Media reports of social disturbances are on the rise. Technological conveniences have entranced and distracted our children. Why does our children’s nature remain uncultivated, even as they receive more and more education? Because not many educators, in their minds and actions, teach children to find their true selves. Our educators have missed a chance to properly develop the internal fortitude of the younger generation. Could we improve and expand the education our children receive, to include skills and tools for them to better manage and navigate our modern world? Teachers are important, but it is doubly important that our children receive a quality education from true role models willing to give them the most comprehensive education possible.
Without the help of knowledgeable and competent educators, our current education system will keep churning out unprepared graduates who will be a burden to society.