Go Deep: The origin of humanity's beliefs
Human evolution has occurred alongside the development of beliefs influenced by various factors. The most evident among these are fear, grief over the loss of loved ones, the pursuit of power, the creation of an identity to gain acceptance, and submission, among others.
Beliefs that arise from fear For example, fear of the supernatural, unseen forces, or dangerous animals capable of taking human lives led people to establish spiritual anchors as representatives for rituals and worship. The fear of sacred animals believed to possess power beyond humans—such as the giant serpent in the past that frightened villagers—resulted in the construction of shrines and symbolic statues for veneration or offerings. This was done with the belief that the giant serpent would not harm themselves or members of their tribe.
Beliefs that originate from the sorrow of losing loved ones It is the love of family members that leads to the worship of ancestral spirits after their passing. It is believed that ancestors do not truly leave but continue to linger and watch over their descendants at all times. They exist as spirits or energies that can inspire happiness and fulfillment for the children who honor and pay respect to them. From a scientific perspective, this belief may arise from subconscious guidance or imagination. However, regardless of the reason, such beliefs have formed and remain real within the collective memory of those people.
Beliefs that originate from the desire to seek power As tribes formed communities, there was a need for a medium to provide cohesion or serve as a tool for making decisions. This medium acted as a definitive guide based on the belief that performing certain actions would bring about specific results, or that committing certain wrongdoings would result in corresponding punishments.
Consequently, representatives or symbols were created to be worshipped as anchors of faith. These symbols might have been real or imaginary, but to exert supreme control over human beliefs, legends or representatives of those beliefs were fabricated. Examples include tribal deities’ statues or using fear to convince villagers to believe in these deities purposely created to wield power—commanding, directing, influencing, or persuading the minds of the people.
Beliefs aimed at establishing or creating one’s identity In other words, once faith is established among people, one can control and transmit their beliefs to others. This resembles the role of a sect leader or cult leader, who seeks followers sharing similar ideas and spreads teachings in their own way. It involves creating a belief system that portrays oneself as a supernatural being capable of extraordinary deeds, positioning oneself as an important figure. Such personal beliefs can command respect and reverence even from regional rulers. The creator of this belief must prove themselves to be special or right in their ideas to win over people’s hearts.
Beliefs that originate from surrendering to some form of power These powers may or may not be provable, but they are often forces of nature such as thunder, lightning, heavy rain, drought, storms, or other phenomena. They inspire faith in the origins of these powers as supernatural forces, and humans must worship them to prevent disasters from befalling their tribes. Representatives or symbols are created for worship, believed to embody each type of natural power
When we consider this, it becomes clear that the transmission of various beliefs in the world originates entirely from people. There must be individuals who initiate and convey these beliefs, causing many others to believe in the way they want. These individuals inevitably have customs that differ from those within their groups and serve as the spiritual anchors for the people in those groups. Therefore, in many texts and records, it cannot be definitively determined that what is documented about mysterious matters is always true—until these beliefs evolve into religions with varying doctrines and practices worldwide. However, as Buddhists, we primarily follow the teachings of the Buddha but cannot avoid the influence of Hinduism or Brahmanism-Hinduism, which has accompanied us. This Brahmanism-Hinduism is considered one of the oldest religions in the world.
What the author wants readers to consider is that in various legends, myths, and transmitted beliefs, there may be elements of truth, falsehood, fictional creations, or stories passed down from someone’s past experiences. Therefore, those who study these matters should not blindly trust any single text or rely solely on the teachings of their own religious leaders. Such beliefs may have been distorted over time. However, one important lesson we Buddhists learn from the Buddha’s teachings is to maintain a neutral mind, avoiding attachment, obsession, or delusion that leads to defilements and suffering, which ultimately do not bring true happiness.
For those interested, the book is available for download on Amazon and Google Play Books here.
Comments
Post a Comment