..續本文上一頁After emphasizing the importance of maintaining an open mind towards religious doctrines, it is useful to remember that a religion should be practised for the welfare , freedom and happiness of all living beings. That is, religious principles should be used positively to improve the quality of life of all beings. Yet today, humankind is corrupted and has gone astray from basic religious principles. Immoral and evil practices have become common among many people, and religious-minded people experience difficulties trying to maintain certain religious principles in modern life. At the same time, the standard of basic religious principles is also lowered to pander to the demands of polluted and selfish minds. Man should not violate universal moral codes to suit his own greed or indulgence; rather man should try to adjust himself according to these codes taught by religion. Religious precepts have been introduced by enlightened religious teachers who have realized the noble way of life which leads to peace and happiness. Those who violate these precepts transgress the universal laws, which, according to Buddhism will bring bad effects through the working of moral causation.
This does not mean, on the other hand, that a person should slavishly follow what is found in his religion, regardless of its applicability to modern times. Religious laws and precepts should enable people to lead a meaningful life, and are not to be used to bind them to archaic practices and superstitious rituals and beliefs. A person who upholds the basic religious principles should give credit to human intelligence and live respectably with human dignity. There must be some changes in our religious activities to correspond to our education and the nature of our changing society, without at the same time sacrificing the noble universal principles. But it is recognized that making changes to any religious practices is always difficult because many conservative people are opposed to changes, even if they are for the better. Such conservative views are like a stagnant pool of water, while fresh ideas are like the waterfall where the water is constantly being renewed and is, therefore, usable.
對各種宗教教義要有開放的思想，宗教的修持是爲了自由、幸福和利樂一切衆生。宗教的宗旨就爲了要提升一切衆生的本質。今天人類因爲貪婪而遠離宗教的基本宗旨。不道德和邪惡的行爲，充斥了整個現代社會，有些宗教信仰者，對維持正常的宗教行爲感到越來越困難了。同時，某些宗教也降低了自己的基本原則，來迎合那些汙穢和自私的人群。人類不應該侵犯道德標准來符合自己的貪婪和放縱，而是持守道德規範來改進自己。宗教的道德規範是由宗教導師所製定的，因爲他們覺悟到神聖的宗教生活是達到清淨和快樂的唯一途徑。那些不道德行爲的人，觸犯了宇宙的法則(因果法)，這會給他們帶來惡的果報。
Distortion of Religion
宗教的曲解：
Despite the value of religion in moral upliftment, it is also true to say that religion is a fertile soil for the development of superstitions and devotional hypocrisy, wrapped under the cloak of religiosity. Many people use religion to escape from the realities of life and put on the garb of religion and religious symbols. They may even pray very often in places of worship, yet they are not sincerely religious minded and have not understood what religion stands for. When a religion has been debased by ignorance, greed for power and selfishness, people quickly point an accusing finger and say that religion is irrational. But ”Religion”(the ritualistic external practice of any teaching)must be distinguished from the teaching itself. Before one criticizes, one must study the original teachings of the founder and see it there is anything intrinsically wrong with it.
雖然宗教有它一定的道德價值。但是宗教也是一塊肥沃的土地，滋長了迷信和虛妄的崇拜，這些迷信與虛妄都潛藏在宗教的外衣下。很多人以宗教來逃避現實生活，很多人雖然熱心的在從事宗教活動，可是他們並非出自虔誠的心或真正了解宗教的意義。在貪婪、無知、權力和自私心的作用下，很多宗教被摧毀，這時，人們開始指責這宗教是不正信、非理性的宗教。一個宗教在受他人指責之前，就必須提升自己，學習和發揚創始者的教義，並找出其中錯誤的成份。
Religion advise people to do good and be good, but they are not interested in acting thus. Instead they prefer to cling to the other practices which have no real religious values. Had they tried to cult…
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