With so many religions, spiritual traditions, philosophies, and faith-based systems and so much conflict in the world, one naturally questions: Which religion has it right? Which one can really take away our pain and suffering? Which can create happiness in our lives? Does complete belief and surrender work? Don’t our actions, thoughts, choices, and behaviors matter too?

These are questions many of us face at different points in our lives, or at least during mid-life awakening. We see religion used as the means to minimize its followers, create confusion and wars, and or exclude others with other faiths. Throughout time, many people have become so disappointed with their gods, hurt by religious institutions, or belief systems that they’ve abandoned them completely. Yet the pain that led them to search for answers in the first place does not necessarily disappear. While giving up, they look for other ways to cope. Some are helpful. Others are not so skillful.

A Statement I Never Forgot

During my undergraduate psychology program at CSU Channel Islands, I took a course on Asian thoughts with Professor Volkin. He introduced us to several religions and philosophical traditions and their basic tenets. When we got to the chapter on Buddhism, he made a statement that surprised me.

He said one can use the Buddha’s teachings to practice their own religion better. I remember thinking, You mean no need to believe in Buddhism? No requirement to convert?

I didn’t know how that worked, but as I delved deeper I learned simple explanations and instructions for understanding suffering, reducing it, avoiding the unnecessary creation of more suffering, and experiencing happiness in the absence of suffering. I pondered how one could remain a Muslim, a Christian, Jewish or Hindu, etc., and learn to do and be them with more connection, more authenticity, reduce the negative outcome of their doing, and gain more peace and well-being in their lives.

I was and still am stoked by this advanced capacity.

What If Human Development Advanced Religion?

Imagine how different religious life might become if people were not dependent on the tenets of their faith alone to make them happy and were more responsible (response-able) for it.

What if followers also developed the capacity to understand their minds, recognize biases and harmful patterns, cultivate compassion by greater life intelligence, regulate their reactions, and make wiser choices? Perhaps gods, prophets, messengers, teachers, and preachers would have an easier job of guiding, if the people following them also understood more about how their own minds and behaviors contribute to their suffering or happiness.

The way our brain works makes it easier to blame someone else for our discontentment. We belive our own thoughts, blame our parents, our siblings, partners, neighbors, culture, the system, the government, and even God.

Certainly, external conditions matter. Systems can create tremendous suffering, inequality, fear, and harm. That too is rooted in insufficient development in human development and the capacity for properly operating one’s own human software. A significant portion of the difficulties we experience in life can also be reduced when we truly understand how life works—and why our own perceptions, reactions, biased expectations, attachments, habits, and choices have a role in what we experience.

What If We Taught People How Suffering and Happiness Come to Be?

As kids in schools and later in colleges we were taught mathematics, history, science, art, and language. But how many of us were systematically taught: How attachment can become suffering. How unrealistic expectations create disappointment. How thoughts influence emotions. How craving for what we do not have—and aversion toward what we do have—can keep the mind continually dissatisfied. How repeatedly resisting reality will not lead to happiness, rather intensify distress. How our every thought, word, and action create results and consequences. How to observe thoughts without automatically believing or acting on them. How to enjoy being empathetic without becoming overwhelmed. How we cannot stop change, but we can use it wisely.

Lacking these and other fundamental capabilities can make anyone from any religion do wrong and harm oneself and others.

A Set of Fundamental Knowledge And Skills To Advance All Religions

I have spent over two decades studying and practicing Buddhist teachings while also working in psychology, leadership, human development, planetary and constructed systems thinking. The great value for me is the possibility in advancing religious beliefs and human consciousness.

Everyone may believe in whoever they want, but also to be capable of examining whether a thought or an insight is true or is it biased and assumed. To be capable to observe one’s intentions and choices in one’s own experience. To know whether applying them create unnecessary suffering or confidence and joy. If those intentions and choices help one act kinder, more responsible, and more capable of living well.

This is an important principle within my Mindful Life & Human Software Optimization Methodology (MLO, HSO).

Just like the Buddha cliamed that a teaching should not simply be accepted because he or other authority figures said it, we can learn to examine all phenomena for ourselves. Test any teaching against experience, understand its logic, and then learn how to actually apply them in life, observe their results and modify them without judgment but objectively. Having these essential capacities helps us live with greater clarity, responsibility, and well-being, and reduce wars, conflict, hate, and separation, making any religion more advanced and valuable for its followers.

Faith may offer meaning, community, devotion, hope, and a relationship with something greater than oneself. Psychology may help us understand patterns of thought, emotion, behavior, and development. Contemplative traditions may help us understand the nature of mind and experience. Science may help us test assumptions about how humans and systems function.

Aadvancing the fundamental shared human knowledge and development can advance our capability to live with less suffering, less harm, greater understanding, and develop systems with greater care and satisfaction for all of life.

That, to me, is where belief can advance into wisdom that is practical for modern life.

To learn more about my work in Mindful Life Optimization and human development, visit Perfectly Here at https://perfectlyhere.org

I also speak and facilitate workshops on human development, mindfulness, leadership, AI, systems thinking, and applying enduring human qualities to the challenges of modern life.