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Religion and Sustainable Development

October 13, 2013

Joe Carter and He Hong Yu

Abstract

This paper focuses on the spiritual challenges threatening China’s social sustainability and

the need for a modern belief system. These challenges have come to light through the

recent decades of emphasis on material development, and from China’s integration into a

rapidly globalizing world.

The paper argues that spiritual and social, capacities and resources potentially exist which

humanity must utilize and develop in order to enter the next stage in its collective

development, a peaceful, united world. In this next stage, these capacities and resources

must be acquired by individuals, the community, and leaders to play their new roles as,

respectively, responsible social protagonists, a venue and a protagonist of mature social

development, and encouragers and facilitators of individual and community initiative.

The paper identifies some of these spiritual capacities and resources, and explores the

question of the relationship between development and religion. The paper demonstrates

that many of these spiritual capacities and development principles are described in China’s

sacred literature. China’s spiritual heritage and centuries of social experience, combined

with painful signs that a materialistic conception of life is not leading to prosperity and

tranquility make China a valuable potential contributor to a global discourse concerning a

common faith for our One World.

Key Words: Religion, Education, Sustainability, Development, Protagonist, Religion, Discourse

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1. Social and Spiritual Dimension of Sustainable Development

As the process of globalization continues, the peoples of the world are increasingly aware

that biological sustainability is essential to our survival. Environmental deterioration has

been training us to understand the concept of sustainability and the importance of the

preservation of diversity in a unified eco-system. The failure, so far, to halt environmental

degradation prompts us to look more deeply, until we see that environmental problems are

the fruit of a materialistic, short-sited view of development. Care and respect for our planet,

and regard for the needs of future generations, are among the obvious spiritual remedies

that need to be applied.

This awareness of the spiritual dimensions of development issues is daily increasing in China,

partly from environmental deterioration, but more from the widening gap between the rich

and poor and instances of amoral behavior by individuals, corporations, and leaders that

undermine social cohesion and erode trust and hope. The decline in moral order and want of

social justice indicates our ability to “love and benefit one another”1 has waned, and the link

with Heaven has been severed. If we are unable to act for the common good, but think only

of ourselves or our immediate group, it is a sign that self-discipline and the knowledge of

right and wrong is weak or even absent; that our “outer” material development has

outpaced our “inner” spiritual development. Under these social and spiritual conditions,

development is not sustainable.

All the peoples of the world are coming to the same realization; problems of war, terrorism,

income disparity, environmental degradation, economic crisis, lethargy, cynicism, greed, etc;

all these dark shadows are an inverse prescription of the spiritual remedies we need. A

sustainable, united, prosperous, efficient, and just society must utilize and nurture deeper

sources of human aspiration and expression than just the pursuit of wealth. The pain derived

from moral decay and social disorder force us to investigate more carefully the question of

spiritual development.

“It is no longer possible to maintain the belief that the approach to social and economic

progress to which the materialistic conception of life has given rise is capable of leading

humanity to the tranquility and prosperity which it seeks.”2

With every step in social evolution - family, tribe, city, nation, and now One World - there has

been an advance in the release of human awareness and capacity. The advance in our time,

associated with globalization, has seen a huge and rapid increase in knowledge across an

ever-expanding range of disciplines; a world-wide internet system that allows both an

exponential increase in information exchange and an emerging tool for collective discourse,

decision-making, and action; increasingly, individuals with easy access to all the knowledge

of the world; a large increase in private world travel; and, more than ever before, the masses

of humankind increasingly able to articulate their aspirations and needs”. These are among

1 Mozi, Book 7, Will of Heaven 2:3 2 Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, Science, Religion and Development: Some Initial Considerations, paragraph 2.

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the conditions that suggest new models of life ‘far reaching in their capacity to release

human potential’ are within the grasp of a rapidly evolving global community. 3

To achieve sustainable development, the protagonists of our time - the individual, society

and its leaders - need spiritual education that addresses these new capacities and

opportunities, and enables our efforts to create a peaceful, united world.

2. The Individual

The complexities of the age in which we live require the maximum utilization and conscious

contributions of these ampler releases of human capacity. We can no longer manage the

world in exclusive top-down fashion. The question is how can we have “a system giving free

play to individual creativity and initiative but based on co-operation and reciprocity.”?4

Spiritual development of the individual is needed to ensure he uses his new awareness,

knowledge, power, and freedom, to contribute to, not damage, the society around him.

The individual and society have a reciprocal relationship. The sustainable balance between

them will more likely be achieved if the individual has twin goals; to develop his or her

intellectual and spiritual capacity, and to help in the transformation of society. Tested and

utilized in the enterprise of social transformation and construction, the individual’s strengths,

talents and capacities emerge; the individual finds his place and his satisfaction in the larger

endeavor, creating a just and peaceful world. The individual, imbued with new potential and

equipped with new resources, needs to become a social protagonist; a new character on the

world stage. Initiating and sustaining such a process is not possible without spiritual

education and capacity-building.

The Great Learning (See Appendix) describes the process well, a simultaneous pursuit of

twin, inter-related activities, namely, self-cultivation and social transformation; the

cultivation of personal knowledge and virtue, and the application of that learning in service

to family and state. The two processes are seen as a mutually interdependent, reciprocal

relationship. The goal of the individual is not limited to his or her own salvation but, rather,

it is tied to, and derives its attainment, through the collective progress of the whole.

“The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom,

first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first

regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated

their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts.

Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts.

Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their

knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things. Things

3 Most of elements of this l ist are from Science, Religion, and Development: Some Initial Considerations, Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, 2009. 4 The Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace, 1985

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being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete,

their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then

rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons

being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their

states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole

kingdom was made tranquil and happy.”

The signs of mature inner life are “sincere thoughts, rectified hearts, and cultivated persons”.

These spiritual characteristics rest on a foundation of knowledge. This strong connection

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between the rational and the spiritual is a Chinese characteristic; i t inhibits superstition and

increases the likelihood of tangible and useful results. How is knowledge extended? Here we

arrive at the pivot of the Great Learning, “extension of knowledge” lies “in the investigation

of things”. Spiritual life is based on reason, on the extension of knowledge, derived through

the individual investigation of reality.

The structure of the Great Learning passage implies the process loops continuously, and

moves from inner to outer and back again. It is easy to image a dynamic action-reflection

feedback relationship between the individual and society.

This cannot be done safely or wisely without the individual knowing Heaven’s will - what is

right and wrong - and desiring to follow Heaven’s Path.

“Only the one with the utmost sincerity under Heaven can know exhaustively his own

nature. Knowing this, he will be able to know exhaustively the nature of man. Knowing

this, he will be able to know exhaustively the nature of things. Knowing this, he will be

able to support the creative acts of Heaven and Earth, thus he will be in a position to

participate with Heaven and Earth”5

Spiritual education is needed to deepen the appreciation of the balance between the

individual and society; and to help individuals develop their capacity as socially responsible

protagonists.

“The man of virtue attends to his duties, while a man of no virtue attends to his rights.”6

“Now the man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to

establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others."7

Freedom, for example, must become a responsible freedom, where individuals become

mature enough to choose only from those things that are good, and not choose what is bad.

“At fifteen my heart was set on learning; at thirty, I stood firm in the society; at forty I

had no more doubts; at fifty, I knew the Mandate of Heaven; at sixty, my ear can tell the

good from the bad, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth; at seventy

I could follow my heart’s desire without transgressing the norm, I could follow the

5 Doctrine of the Mean (Zhong Yong), 22 6 Reference to Laozi, John C.H. Wu, Chinese Legal and Political Philosophy, The Chinese Mind, Edited

by Charles A. Moore, University of Hawaii press, Honolulu, 1968, p. 227.

7 Confucius, Analects, Yong Ye, 30: 论语,雍也:子贡曰：“如有博施于民而能济众，何如？可谓仁

乎？”子曰：“何事于仁，必也圣乎！尧舜其犹病诸！夫仁者，己欲立而立人，己欲达而达人。能

近取譬，可谓仁之方也已。”

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dictates of my own heart for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of

right.”8

3. The Community

The society, or the community, is both a venue for the individual protagonist and can be,

itself, a protagonist of social change.

Community as a Venue

Virtues and principles can only be realized in the context of social relationships. I am

trustworthy to “others”. I am patient with “others”. I am generous with “others”, I am kind to “others”, I serve “others”, and so on. Similarly with the application of principles; without a

family, a community, or a society to live in, unity, justice, reciprocity, non-violence,

moderation, the equality of men and women, etc., would have no meaning. We need the society around us in order to practice virtues and to apply principles. We are students in the

school of society.

Outside the extended family, where can the individual “protagonist” go? In the Great

Learning the next social layer, after the family, is the nation. As active protagonists

strengthen their capacity, they need a social layer closer to hand to absorb their initiatives.

They need a nearby “laboratory” where group learning can evolve in simpler, smaller cells.

We need to add "community life" to the spectrum of steps in the social ladder.

The Society-Individual Relationship

8 Confucius, Analects, Wei Zheng 4, James Legge translation.

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What is a community? There are different types, for example: classmates, friends,

work-mates, professional associations, discourse communities, corporations,

non-government organizations, on-line common interest groups, the vestiges of China’s work

unit, religious communities, and the physical neighborhood. Most community types, except

the work place and the neighborhood, are self-selecting, and it is possible to opt out.

There is skepticism and caution about touching the physical neighborhood “community”.

Those who are content with other community types are not interested. Even people of

"good will" hesitate from fear of un-ending, unmanageable requests from people they don’t

know; once you start helping someone there may be no end to the demand. This fear is

justified; currently, at least in urban China, there is no coordinating administrative layer at

the neighborhood level to manage socially active protagonists.

Community as a Protagonist

Just as the spiritually mature individual can be a beneficial social protagonist, so too can the

community. Sustainable development can be greatly strengthened, and the culture of

society enriched, by increasing the ability of communities to absorb the initiatives of

individuals, and to spread beneficial knowledge and experience generated by its members to

the community and to the larger society. To play this role communities require spiritual and

social attitudes, skills, qualities and capacities. Some of these include the ability:

“to take initiative in a creative and disciplined manner; to think systematically in

understanding problems and searching for solutions; to use methods of

decision-making that are non-adversarial and inclusive; to contribute to the

effective design and management of community projects; to replace relationships

based on dominance and competition with relationships based on reciprocity,

collaboration, and service to others; and to interact with other cultures in a way

that leads to the advancement of one's own culture and not to its degradation.9

As with the individual, in order to serve both as a venue and as a protagonist, the

community requires spiritual, capacity-building education.

4. Leaders

The sustainable utilization of the spiritual and intellectual resources of the individual

protagonists, and of the community, calls for new capacities and roles of leaders. We need a

9 Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, Science, Religion and Development: Some Initial Considerations, selections from paragraph 27.

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creative and safe way to incorporate the initiative and inputs of pro-active individuals and

communities, all in complex patterns of mutual communication and action.

The authoritarian social form, with its linear hierarchy was more appropriate for humanity’s

earlier stages of development. It is and will be challenged by the rapidly expanding individual

and community capacity at the grass-roots level.

The complexity of modern issues, the richness of the resources available, and the

much-increased capacity of the modern individual call for a more dynamic and flexible

system. In the illustration below, the black dots are the leaders, and the individual remaining

dots belong to various “communities”. Individuals are increasingly connected to each other.

This system is at the same time hierarchal, and very open. Such a social “eco”-system is at a

higher level of integration and is more resilient in the face of the complexities and

challenges. It is not just a “bottom-up” or “top-down” system; the protagonists are all in

reciprocal relationship.

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Under these conditions and in this social framework, leaders aim to create prosperity

through the release of human intellectual and spiritual potential. They use their power not

to control but to protect, nurture, inspire, and coordinate initiative from wherever it may

come. They encourage self-reliance.

If individual intellectual and spiritual development, and social transformation, and are in

reciprocal relationship, and the process pivots on extending knowledge through the

independent investigation of reality by individuals; then knowledge will be the most valuable

commodity generated and shared. Leaders would have a responsibility to foster this

individual-society reciprocal relationship, and ensure the knowledge generation process is

encouraged, established, and protected.

“By contrast, relations among the three corresponding actors in the world at large —the

citizen, the body politic, and the institutions of society—reflect the discord that

characterizes humanity's turbulent stage of transition. Unwilling to act as

interdependent parts of an organic whole, they are locked in a struggle for power which

ultimately proves futile.10

Spiritual education and capacity building are needed here as well to help leaders play this

new role, and achieve a new level of maturity.

* * *

10 The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan Message, 2012

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From this brief look at the new roles the individual, the community, and leaders must rise to,

if they are to fulfill their destiny as protagonists in the creation of a New World Order, we

could infer that education is the process by which the protagonists acquire the skills,

attitudes, qualities, and capacities to carry out their respective missions. What spiritual

education is appropriate for our new roles as protagonists of an emerging global civilization?

In the past, religion has been the inaugurator of civilization and its spiritual guide. If a link

with Heaven is necessary for sustainable development, and we wish to affect a reunion, we

need to examine the phenomenon of religion. Below is a brief look at religion in the past and

some thoughts about the search for a modern belief system suitable for our One World.

5. Religion and Civilization

In recent years there are new understandings about the nature of evolution. There is more

evidence that the fittest to survive is not just the strongest, but also the atoms, cells, and

organisms most able to cooperate11. If we accept that mutual helpfulness and reciprocity are

the basis of civilization, we could argue that, through the influence of the world’s religious

systems, the innate moral and spiritual faculties of humanity gradually developed and the

advancement of civilization was made possible. The religions of the world provided the

ethical order - the spiritual roots - that allowed the creation of a tree of social order, from

which were born the fruits of civilization; the whole process propelled by the light of the

“sun”, the spiritual vision of the Founder.

The periods of our history we associate with prosperity, maturity, and the flowering of

civilization can all trace their root to world-views initiated by the Founders of religions.

Through the efforts of these Prophet-Founders, “human nature became progressively

imbued with the attributes of the Divine world”, inducing quantum leaps in human capacity.

Scanning the evolution of humanity (See Map of Human Maturation) we see the great

revolutions of inner life, social structure, art, science, and codes of law the Founders of

religions have set in motion. In many cases, the name of the religion or its Founder and the

name of the civilization are synonymous.

11 Carter Phipps, Evolutionaries, Chapter 4, A Sociable Cosmos, Harper Perennial, 2012.

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Map of Human Maturation

Numbers represent the beginnings of religions or the time of their Founders: 1.Krishna,

2.Abraham, 3.Moses, 4.Buddha, 5.Zoroaster, 6.Christ, 7.Mohammed, 8.The Bab,

9.Baha'u'llah.

This phenomenon - a revelation, and a civilization in its wake – is the call and response that

has made our history. No other force has exerted such an impact on our collective

development. This repeated pattern, and the evident power of the teachings of the Founders

of religions is a strong argument that Heaven exists. It is evidence, too, that Heaven is not a

passive bystander; it is also a protagonist. It is proactive, moving us toward higher and higher

levels of understanding and unity until we have reached the stage of a global family, a new

World Order. We are not alone in this universe; the Founders are Messengers sent by an

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Unseen Force.

Each of these rivers of Heaven-inspired civilization had a life-span. Each one displayed an

internal, organic cycle beginning with youthful vigor, followed by maturation, and decline.

Initially, a belief system provided the moral foundation for the civilization’s infancy and

childhood. The stability, prosperity, and blossoming of civilizations occurred when the

vitality of the belief system was at its peak.

In its old age, that vitality weakened; the ability of religion to govern the actions of the

people or discipline them eroded. When the clarity of inner vision and motive power

declined, the civilization crumbled from within. One sign of decay was the gradual

construction of walls around what religious leaders perceived to be their version of the

truth.

With globalization, we see religions going through two simultaneous processes. First, the

winter-time decline mentioned above and, second, difficulty responding to increased

contact with modernity and with other faiths. As the boundary of contact between faiths

increases, many religious leaders have resisted acknowledging the underling unity of the

message in each religion. Groups have been, and some still are, hostile to each other. The

followers of some Founder split into rival sects. Religious hierarchies have been ostracized or

estranged from the very states they helped create. They are now in a polarized relationship

with science, seem to be out of step with the world, and are increasingly considered

obsolescent. Some have engendered passivity. Some of their leaders have clung to power

and earthly trappings even at the expense of the well-being of their followers. Some have

added thoughts and behaviors that conflict with the original teachings of their faith.

These failings of religion, however, are not the failure of Heaven; they are inherent in the

seasonal nature of each religion-civilization cycle, and they indicate shortcomings in our

ability to apprehend and respond to Heaven’s larger purpose, to create peace and harmony.

The common aim of all religions is to create peace and harmony. Violence and prejudice in

the name of belief systems are distortions of their original intent and do not invalidate their

worth and contributions to humanity’s development. Religion is like fire. In the hand of a

child or of the ignorant, it can be dangerous; in the hand of the wise, it provides heat and

light. The abuses of religion should not make us lose site of the possibility that it could play a

constructive role in contemporary and future society.

Instead of seeing religion as antiquated competing sects, we need to acknowledge its former role

as “the principal force impelling the development of consciousness”.12 We need to explore how

religion can have society-building power. We need a common vision that transcends rigid

dogmas, divisive identities, and conflicting sects and denominations.

12 A Common Faith, Baha’i World Center, 2005 edition, p.23.

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6. A Future Global Belief System

Humanity’s common goal is to construct a universal civilization “shaped by principles of

social justice and enriched by achievements of the human mind and spirit beyond anything

the present age can conceive”.13 We need spiritual education appropriate for our new roles

as protagonists; and principles and guidance for our emerging One World.

Paradoxically, just when we face this need, and material paradigms of development are

revealing their shortcomings, religion, the spiritual resource we should turn to for moral

courage and enlightenment, to cultivate moral consciousness and help shape society, is in

disrepute, trivialized, and marginalized.

If the religions of the past are all part of one on-going, ascending system of humanity’s

“inner” education, then what we need is not to abandon the process but rather to have an

update, a new course of instruction appropriate to our one-planet world. Previously,

humanity was not mature enough for a universal system, nor was there sufficient

transportation and communication infrastructure. In all of these religions, however,

universalism was latent, anticipating and preparing us for the awaited day of consummation.

A renewed, universal belief system must fulfill the aspirations of peoples everywhere, and

be capable of inspiring a global flowering of civilization where cultures can “interact with

one another in ever-changing patterns”14. It must give “the human mind and heart…..more

complex and efficient means to express….its…inherent moral and intellectual capacities”15.

The ethics of this belief system should be a renewal of the basic “love for others” theme

common to all religions; and its social principles must relate to the organization of world

citizens on a globalizing planet.

The following description of religion, taken from a statement prepared by the Institute for

Global Civilization, is one attempt to define a “modern” religion, our common faith. Religion

is described as a system of knowledge free of non-essential rituals and dogmas, a well-spring

of motivation, and a source of universal principles:

“….we understand religion to designate the process through which humanity acquires

consciousness of the spiritual dimension of existence and orients its individual and

collective life in relation to it, forming an evolving system of knowledge and practice.

“Religion awakens us to our spiritual nature, gives us an understanding of our place in

the universe, and provides us with a moral purpose. It inspires us to acquire and put into

13 A Common Faith, Baha’i World Center, 2005 edition, p.54. 14 Baha'i International Community, Office of Public Information, The Prosperity of Humankind, 1994, p.7.

15 Bahá’í International Community’s Office of Public Information , Who Is Writing the Future?

Reflections on the Twentieth Century, 1999, p.1

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practice qualities such as love, fairness, compassion, honesty, truthfulness, and

trustworthiness which, when applied in individual and community life, express the

goodness and nobility of human nature.

“At the core of religion is a set of spiritual principles which link all the cultural and

religious traditions of the world, forming the common heritage of humankind, enriched

by the unique contributions of each. These principles unite individuals, communities

and institutions into life-giving systems of social organization. They facilitate a spirit of

cooperation, service and harmony among the peoples of the world, and galvanize and

refine mankind's capacity to achieve spiritual growth together with social and material

progress. At each stage of human history and development, however, and again in the

present phase of planetary integration, religion acquires new meanings, significance,

functions and expressions.”16

Social principles and ethical standards are of little use if we only acknowledge them. We

must have a deep commitment to their realization; kneading them into our own life and that

of society until they are part of our culture. There is a common saying in China “the doings of

men are watched by Heaven”. Our common faith must regenerate and modernize this

relationship between Heaven and man. When this link is strong, it impels the offering of

transcendent and unselfish contributions to the welfare of society.

16 Institute for Global Civilization, Hong Kong, Draft Statement, 2012. http://www.igc.hk/zh

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In China’s sacred literature, this relationship with Heaven is clearly described17 as necessary

in order to release and realize human capacity and potential. Those who interact with

Heaven , and make efforts to establish the Great Unity (See Appendix), receive “lasting and

untiring guidance”.

If our moral spirit is not developed, not only are we “in a state of starvation”, the mutual,

reciprocal growth process of the individual and society is starved as well. The rewards for

following - and punishments for not following - the will of Heaven are the dynamics of a

covenant relationship, or “contract”, with Heaven. It is also found in all the world’s religions,

where the joy of connection to Truth and Beauty overcomes “the promptings of base and

selfish desires”18. We obey the law less from fear of Heaven’s curse, and more from fear of

being cut off from Heaven’s love and confirmations.

There are two elements to this covenant. The first is acknowledgement and understanding of

our spiritual nature, spiritual qualities and social principles. The second is the growth of our

spiritual nature through our efforts to acquire spiritual qualities and skill at applying spiritual

principles. The first without the second is of no use.

In our search for a common faith, some may ask, “Couldn’t we just use one of the existing

religions as a religion for today?” An existing religion, in order to meet the challenge of our

time, would have to go through a serious sorting of the essential - the eternal truths

embodied in its teachings; and the non-essential - man-made additions and exclusive

institutional authority. Globalization has placed all the world’s religions in juxtaposition,

“Chou pursued, 'I venture to ask what you mean by your vast, flowing moral spirit!

The reply was, 'It is difficult to describe it. This is the moral spirit: It is exceedingly great, and

exceedingly strong. Being nourished by rectitude, and sustaining no injury, it fills up all

between heaven and earth. This is the moral spirit: It is the mate and assistant of

righteousness and reason. Without it, man is in a state of starvation. It is produced by the

accumulation of righteous deeds; it is not to be obtained by incidental acts of

righteousness.... Mencius, Gong Sun Chou I:2 (Mengzi 公孙丑上, 2)

“Be always studious to be in harmony with the ordinances of God, so you will certainly get

for yourself much happiness;” Mengzi Gong Sun Chou 1:公孙丑上 4:

“If the gentlemen of the world really desire to follow the way and benefit the people they

must carefully investigate the principle that the will of Heaven is the origin of magnanimity

and righteousness. Mozi, Book 7, Will of Heaven 2:3

“…….those who love and benefit others Heaven will bless. Those who hate and harm others

Heaven will curse….. Thus we are certain that Heaven desires to have men love and benefit

one another and abominates to have them hate and harm one another.” Mozi, Book 7, Will of

Heaven 2:3 18 Baha’u’llah, Kitab’I’Aqdas, p.29

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rubbing them against each other. If our One World needs one faith, then the non-essential

walls need to come down, especially any that inhibit discourse.

After the sorting, however, would there not still be a shortfall? In the past, the teachings of

each religion propelled us to higher levels of understanding and social organization. They all

made great contributions, in their day, to get us where we are now, a global community.

Having arrived at this penultimate stage in our collective development, we need new

principles, laws, guidance, skills and behavior suitable for our modern “planetized” world.

Some of these principles that will advance the integration of the earth’s peoples, its

prosperity and sustainability include: oneness of humanity, the equality of men and women,

collective security, universal education, freedom of thought, the protection of human rights,

and so on. These are the precepts of a modern religion.

A system of knowledge such as science evolves. Explanations, understandings, and laws of

older times have been discarded and replaced by newer ones. Truth is relative to our

capacity to understand; it is not fixed. So far, religion, as a system of knowledge has escaped

the test of evolutionary thinking and is either slow in adapting to, or in some cases resisting,

the needs of this age. The application of religions eternal truths varies as we mature; and the

social principles were in tune with the age in which they appeared. In our present state of

One World, an older system of religious knowledge, a text book for an earlier stage of our

spiritual education, inevitably, will have shortcomings as a guide to modern life.

Others may say, “Our divided world needs unity. Religious organizations are divided. They

claim to be the bearers of truth and they protect their independence. Could we not create

unity by dissolving all these groups, by not having formal organization? Can we have a

common belief system without the non-essential forms and rituals associated with many world

religions? Could we not just appeal to agreed universal values which would help us think

beyond our own narrow self-interest? Without recourse to the out-dated organizations,

could we not “translate high-minded ideals and principles into constructive, sustained

actions for our own well-being and the betterment of our communities?”19 “Could religion

just be an ‘attitude to life, a sense of relationship with a Reality that transcends material

existence’20?”

This greatest task that we have ever undertaken, the unification of the human race, will not

be possible without common spiritual education. This education should deepen our

appreciation of the oneness of humanity and the balance between the individual and society.

It should help individuals develop their capacity to play their new roles as socially

responsible protagonists.

The search for a common faith will necessarily result in organization. Those dedicated to

creating global unity and applying spiritual knowledge to practical affairs will be eager to

19 Baha’i International Community, United Nations, Comments on the Draft Declaration and Draft Programme of Action for Social Development (A/CONF.166/PC/L.13) presented at the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit for Social Development, 22 August, 1994, New York. 20 A Common Faith, Baha’i World Center, 2005 edition, p.18.

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share, exchange, and learn together. Association with like-minded persons, can sustain focus,

inform, and inspire a deeper commitment to implement society-building principles. This

activity will require new forms of organization, and increasingly systematic, shared learning.

Organization is inevitable. The question is not whether we should abandon organization but how

to have inclusive organization, with out non-essential walls of separation.

7. Discourse

All of the above questions should be brought to the discourse table. This table or platform is

a place where people strive to remove the walls that separate us, and engage in meaningful

consultation, research, and learning about a common faith for our common future.

Participation should be open to those committed to a given religion or not, who are

concerned about the application of spiritual knowledge to material development; about the

release of human intellectual and spiritual capacity to establish our One World; about the

“Great Learning” that must be undertaken for the protagonists of development to assume

their new roles.

This discourse needs to mesh with our other system of knowledge, science. Both faith and

reason help us understand spiritual and physical reality. Religion “defines goals that serve the

evolutionary process” and science “assists in their attainment”. Science is not without faith

and beauty; religion is not without logic and reason. Religion and science are complementary

in function; not polarized. It takes the systematic, rigorous logic and experimental process of

scientific method to ascertain and confirm the validity and application of social principles. It

takes creative, truth-seeking, leaps of faith by scientists to imagine and trust a new

perception of the physical universe has validity worth testing. Together, they constitute the

dual knowledge system impelling the advance of civilization.”21

Could China not initiate such a discourse? It is potentially a good participant.

China’s appetite to investigate the application of spiritual knowledge to the needs of our age

has been greatly heightened by the inner and social suffering endured in the past decades

following the God of wealth.

China is unusual in that it has grown spiritually without building high walls around different

versions of religious truth.

“Traced to the source, the three sages are no different.”22

“In the world there are many different roads but the destination is the same. There are

a hundred deliberations but the result is one.”23

21 A Common Faith, Baha’i World Center, 2005 edition, p.33. 22 Chang Tsai, (1020-1077), an inscription on the Western wall of his lecture hall, cited in Chan, Source Book, p.497. 23 The Book of Changes, ci ted in Legge, The Four Books, pt. 2, ch. 5.

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China’s tendency toward fundamentalism is inhibited by its sense of moderation, balance,

harmony, and complementarity. China has many spiritual insights and capacities, such as: an

ability to see wholes more than parts; a deep awareness of the dynamic between the

material and the spiritual, a love of truth, a comfort with paradox, a lack of prejudice,

capacity to work hard, moderation, and so forth.

China’s sacred literature contains, not just fragments of wisdom, but a whole vision or

pattern of life - tested through millennia of experience - that recognizes the spiritual nature

and moral capacity of human beings and the realization of that nature and capacity through

responsible and thoughtful responses to the will of Heaven. These responses, expressed in

initiatives by individuals, families and government, are carried out in service to society. This

orientation and development methodology is described in the Great Learning, and the

efforts made are part of an ever-advancing march of human progress that will lead

eventually to an era of global peace and justice, the Great Unity.24

“.....through the last forty centuries China must have matured her thought and learned many lessons in the art of living. Maybe China has something to contribute. Surely there

must be a better way, a more humane way of settling international disputes than just

by cutting each other's throats. Surely, with China's four hundred million people (in 1930), four thousand years of culture and vast resources, she must have something to

contribute to the peace and progress of mankind.25

25 James Yen, Intellectual Shock of China, Star of the West, 19, Mass Education Movement in China, October, 1925, 16:7.

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Appendix: The Great Unity and the Great Learning

The Great Unity

The key passage in China’s sacred literature concerning the overall goal of our collective

development is “The Great Unity”. The dream of the Great Unity comes from Confucius

(551-479) a teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period. In

the Confucian Book of Rites, in the chapter called "Li Yun Pian," he envisioned the final phase

of human development, namely, Datong ("the Great Unity").26 It describes individuals with

high moral attainment, living in a just and well-organized social order.

Below is Confucius’ statement about the Great Unity. It is my amalgamation of four

translations presented in the introduction to the “Da Tong Shu”, translated by Laurence

Thomson. One of the four is by James Legge, an early and renowned foreign translator.

“The period of the Great Unity (Da Tong) is characterized by:

Universal openness and fairness;

All the world will be a common possession;

The whole world is bent upon the common good.

Leaders of society will combine talent, virtue, and ability.

The wise and able are elected (selected).

The cultivation of sincerity and harmony; and

Love extends beyond the family to the society at large.

All men will be bound by equal ties of intimacy.”

[The passage continues by describing the practical implementation and signs of the

above.]

Sufficient provision shall be secured for the aged till their death and competent

employment for the able-bodied and

Adequate means of upbringing for the young.

Kindness and compassion shall be shown to widows, orphans, childless people, and

those who are disabled by disease, so that they will have the wherewithal for

support.

Men will have their proper works and women will have their homes.

They shall hate to see the wealth of natural resources under-developed, but also

dislike to see the hoarding of wealth for their own pleasures.

They shall regret of not exerting themselves (of their given talents) but also hate to

exert themselves only for their own benefit. Thus, the selfish schemes shall be

repressed and found no development.

Robbers, filchers, and the rebellious traitors shall not appear, and hence the outer

doors shall be left open.”27

26Written about the same time as the publication of Plato’s Republic (380 BC). 27 Ta T’ungShu, The One World Philosophy of Kang You Wei, Translated by Laurence

Thompson, George Allen and Unwin, 1958, p. 49. Kang You Wei 康有爲 (1858-1927)

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Confucius believed that,

“This sort of society was found in the Xia, Shang and early Zhou dynasties, when

the great Tao was operating, through the outstanding leaders of those times.

Confucius described himself as being incapable of achieving the Great Unity and

aspired to do so; he was living in a Small Tranquility (小康) society, Xiaokang where

the great Tao had been hidden, the states were ruled by different families and the

people loved their own parents and children only.”28

Confucius’ mission was to rescue the knowledge of the past, to apply it as much as possible

in his time, and to establish it more fully in the future. This may explain why some of the

translations mentioned above used the past tense, and others used the future tense.

The Great Learning

If we take The Great Unity as the goal, the policy, and direction of development for the

protagonists, we can take The Great Learning as the approach and methodology.

Although only a short chapter from the Confucian work, the Classics of Rites, The Great

Learning is one of the four cornerstone texts of Confucianism.

“In the Northern Song Dynasty, Confucian scholars separated it from Classics of Rite s and

the Southern Song Dynasty Confucian master Zhu Xi rearranged the work and included it

into The Four Books, along with The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and

The Mencius. The Great Learning has since been a classic work on Confucianism.

In the book, the thoughts on "self cultivation, family regulation, state governing and

peace seeking in the whole world" were seen by ancient Chinese people as a golden rule

for a person's moral cultivation. Even today, the thoughts have a profound influence on

Chinese people's way of thinking.

After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, The Great Learning became a required textbook in

schools and a must-read for imperial examinations, causing a far-reaching impact on

ancient education of China.”29

The first part of The Great Learning is as follows:

“What the Great Learning teaches, is to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the

people; and to rest in the highest excellence. The point where to rest being known, the

28 Wikipedia

29 http://history.cultural-china.com/en/173History568.html

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object of pursuit is then determined; and, that being determined, a calm

unperturbedness may be attained to. To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil

repose. In that repose there may be careful deliberation, and that deliberation will be

followed by the attainment of the desired end.

Things have their root and their branches. Affairs have their end and their beginning. To

know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great

Learning.30

The attainment of the desired result requires “careful deliberation”. The dictionary defines

deliberation as “long and careful consideration or discussion by a group of persons (as a jury

or legislature) of the reasons for and against a measure”. It requires mature consultation.

The second part, which most of the educated older generation in China can almost recite by

heart, is as follows:

“The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom31, first

ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated

their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons.

Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify

their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be since re in

their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of

knowledge lay in the investigation of things. Things being investigated, knowledge

became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their

thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified,

their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were

regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their

states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy. From

the Son of Heaven down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of

the person the root of everything besides. It cannot be, when the root is neglected, that

what should spring from it will be well ordered. It never has been the case that what

was of great importance has been slightly cared for, and, at the same time, that what

was of slight importance has been greatly cared for.”32

30Confucianism, Li Ji, Da Xue 1:孔子礼记大学 1:大学之道，在明明德，在亲民，在止于至善。

知止而后有定，定而后能静，静而后能安，安而后能虑，虑而后能得。物有本末，事有终始，知

所先后，则近道矣。

31The translation of 天下 is “kingdom”. Literally, it means “under heaven”. It could also

apply to the whole earth.

32Confucianism, LiJi, DaXue 2:大学 2:古之欲明明德于天下者，先治其国；欲治其国者，先齐其

家；欲齐其家者，先修其身；欲修其身者，先正其心；欲正其心者，先诚其意；欲诚其意者，先

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From the first part, we learn the goal of leaders for development is “to illustrate virtue

throughout the kingdom”. What are the “illustrious” virtues? A neo-Confucian guide to

behavior by Zhu Xi described them as five virtues and five behaviors: Benevolence (ren) 仁,

Loyalty (yi) 倚, Courtesy (li) 礼, Knowledge (zhi) 知, Trust (xin) 信, and, Gentle (wen) 温,

Sincere (liang) 善, Respectful (gong) 宫, Unassuming, simplicity (jian) 俭, Deferential (rang)

让. The more virtue is established, and the more society is based on spiritual principles, the

more it will prosper.

致其知，致知在格物。物格而后知至，知至而后意诚，意诚而后心正，心正而后身修，身修而后

家齐，家齐而后国治，国治而后天下平。自天子以至于庶人，壹是皆以修身为本。其本乱而末治

者否矣，其所厚者薄，而其所薄者厚，未之有也！此谓知本，此谓知之至也。"Cultivate oneself

修身"， "Regulate the family 齐家"，"Govern the nation 治国"，"Renovate the World 平天下

".