Exclusive: Hanne Nabintu Herland points out aim of religion is to handle life's difficulties
Reflection on how the spiritual dimension affects our practical lives is more important than ever. There are natural laws, spiritual principles that influence our mental health, whether we believe in them or not.
For example, when Jesus said "you will reap what you sow," he spoke of a law of nature that works regardless of what we think of it. If you sow bitterness, you will reap strife. If you sow generosity, you will reap its fruits. "Give and you shall be given," is another principle. A remedy for loneliness then may be: Give to others what you wished they gave to you, and soon you will reap the fruits of your generosity. Another religious principle and probably the greatest advice ever to a better life, is: "Love one another like I (Jesus Christ) have loved you."
Since the contemporary Western society is devoid ofthis type of spiritual knowledge, many are unable to heal from inner wounds and often become victims of mental health issues. The very aim of world religions is, precisely to give constructive advice on how to handle the difficulties of life and prepare for the afterlife. The focus on humility and inner harmony is tensely opposed to the current materialist, atheist culture that relentlessly focuses on the hedonist pleasures in the now.
For example, in Buddhism the ultimate goal is "nirvana," which means "the great awakening." It is achievable as the result of the extinction of self-destructive behavior and human ignorance, the very root of human suffering. Man is advised to discipline his actions and enter an ethically fruitful track. A life without spirituality is considered to lead to actions that poison the mind – such as envy, greed and a lack of compassion towards living things. Suffering may be avoided by emphasizing a spiritual path that cultivates love, self-control, endurance, patience, taking care of the family, the weak and the elderly.
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Buddhism is a non-theistic religion that tries to provide advice in order to help people find a state of cosmic balance. It explains that craving excess sexual pleasures is a major cause of suffering. One should avoid sexual misconduct and generally follow accepted norms of sexual morality. For ordained monks and nuns, there is strict celibacy in Buddhism. The goal is to find a state of stability, a mental equilibrium, not unlike the concept of the golden mean.
In "Daily Advice from the Heart," Dalai Lama points out that it's not necessary to ponder for long hours in order to recognize that all living creatures naturally wish to avoid suffering. Harmony is, to him, associated with an inner satisfaction. It has its source in generosity, honesty and respect for others.
Buddhism's guidelines for an ethical lifestyle indicate that when you remedy the causes of suffering in your own mind – vices like lying and deceiving others, hatred, bitterness and greed – inner harmony becomes the natural result. Therefore, man must remove the so-called "toxins of the mind": greed, envy, hate, theft, violence, intoxication, arrogance, and being dominated by sexual desires.
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There is often a sharp divide between right and wrong in the world religions, as opposed to the nihilistic relativism that characterizes modern Western societies. Dalai Lama summarizes this philosophy in a noteworthy manner by stating that man can't help himself if he can't help others. We are all tied to one another. The way to nirvana therefore comes through an ethical lifestyle.
"The deception and negativity in life, that obstructs the fulfilment of our complete potential for bliss and creativity, originate from the three poisons. These pollutants are thought to demoralize our capacity for contentment, hinder our human connections, and very much limit the ability for our highest creative potential. They become the root of the conflict, domination, ecological devastation and revolting disparities amid societies," writes Alec Campbell
It is a paradox that Westerners seem to be quicker to accept the rationality of moral behavior when the advice comes from Confucius, Buddha or other "exotic" religions, rather than the advice from their own cultural roots, Christianity. Yet, the Christian faith which has dominated traditional Western philosophy for over a thousand years, speaks about the exact same phenomenon. The deadly sins, or toxins of the mind cause the venom of dissatisfaction to grow in man's heart. The roadmap to acquire a peaceful mind and good mental health is to reconnect to God, who is the source of peace, and follow his recipe to relieve oneself from the toxins of the mind and the burden of a prideful heart.
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