Religion has been around for a long ass time. Literally -- almost for as long as humanity has memory (3000 B.C.E.-present, to be exact) and this is not a surprise. Religion still exists with us for several reasons.
It brings hope, faith, and makes people feel comfortable about themselves. Religion gives humanity profound reasons to live. Religion gives us, humans, a specific guide on how to behave, and to what certain point; we can argue that maybe our world could be worst without it.
Whichever doctrine people choose to follow (as long as that individual is truly passionate about it) we can be sure that his/her life is meaningful in a way that non-believers can’t fully understand. I’m not saying that being an atheist is wrong whatsoever, but religion is what truly separates us from animals and can change an individual straight to their core. Not only that; the dedicated study of different creeds enhances a person’s life experience and opens his/her mind to different cultures. Whether is Daoism, Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Christianism, Hinduism or ancient Zoroastrianism. A person can benefit from the close study of universal religions, personally and academically. Let’s get to the point. Let’s see how learning about things said over 2000 years ago can help students raise their GPA.
The great master Confucius (do not confuse him with aGod because he is not considered one) taught in ancient china about morality. He traveled around the country gathering students and preaching about high moral standards. His teachings define Chinese philosophy for the next two centuries. Confucius also paid importance to the close study and mastery of every art that a person practiced. As a matter of fact; Confucius placed so much emphasis in studying that a great part of his teachings were about dedicating one’s life to learning, or on the very least -- his followers were supposed to dedicate part of their time to educate themselves. Unfortunately, Confucius died without holding any important position in the Chinese government. However, his teachings did stay and we can learn from him that education should be something to be proud of and that education leads to better lives.
Now, what does Buddhism teaches us about school? Well first of all; the Enlighted one didn’t mention school (at least not on our modern sense of the word) but he did mention the importance of dedicating one’s life to meditation. I find meditation to be very calming, and has been proven to help fight anxiety, depression, stress and addictions. Buddhism has been around for longer than Christianism, -- it is easy to see why it’s still a major religion. People can feel relaxed and joyful after a few days of studying it. The Buddha spoke about the de-attachment of passions, material things and the ultimate elimination of desires. Students can greatly benefit from learning Buddhist meditation because one -- it helps cope with stress (which most students suffer before exams) and two -- it makes people feel comfortable in a world that is constantly running and changing. Just don’t pray to Buddha before an exam, he reached the nirvana ("heaven") already so he can’t help you.
Hinduism is one of the oldest continuous religions and believe it or not. It can help you attain higher grades. In the longest religious poem ever (trust me, it is the longest one by far) called “The Bhagavad Gita,” Lord Krishna teaches warrior Arjuna not to worry about the side effects of life but only to focus on his “duties”. How many times have we, students, felt overwhelmed by deadlines, parties, social life, our partner, and/or work. If you are an average student, then your answer will probably be “a lot”. However, we can learn from God Krishna that our only responsibilities are those things that are truly important. In this case, it means we should ignore everything else but school and work. It may sound a little harsh but the strict following of Krishna’s advice (just focus on your duty) will get anybody a 4.0 GPA.
Religion is highly disregarded in the 21st century. A young devotee might seem boring and one might even be mocked for their religion, but studying any holy scripture with an open heart and a clear mind, can go a long way when it comes to being a better student as well as a better person. Whichever holy book comes your way; the Quran, the Bible, the Dhammapada, the Gita or simply the Confucius analects. Be sure you can learn from them and the secrets on becoming a better person and student.
