Click-a-Sermon 16:   "Human uncertainty"  

The 20th century was often regarded as being the century of technological achievement. The human intellect has conquered frontiers that in earlier centuries were considered mysterious, unknown and impossible to overcome. Not only in the areas of medicine, science, the splitting of the atom, etc. but also through space exploration, humankind is reaching beyond the solar system. As a result, man has become extremely confident of his rational and so called objective scientific mode of thinking. And in many respects, humans have become overconfident in their belief that they are capable of controlling their destiny.

Yet, contrary to such confidence on the one hand, at the same time modern society is also plagued by another phenomena, which reflects the uncertainty regarding human existence. Many people who live all their lives without any religious awareness are in a desperate search for answers as they face constant uncertainty.

Magazines and other forms of mass media clearly portray the public interest and involvement in multiple varieties of fortune telling, divination etc. We have even noted that the White House in the United States has shown interest in astrology? Besides all the classical methods of fortune telling, using horoscopes and calendar signs, many Japanese believe that spirits of their ancestors and ghosts allegedly influence the lives of current family members. Such social phenomena clearly demonstrates how weak and uncertain humankind actually is, how uneasy we are about our existence. And there are some shady business organizations and groups who capitalize on this fear, engaging in extortionist swindles, causing further social problems.

Many individuals attempt to solve their problems by engaging in superstitious rituals or other methods to fulfill their egocentric wishes and obtain this worldly results. That however, is not the way to overcome the human feeling of uncertainty. In this context, Buddhism teaches that the starting point to relieve our uncertainty is to investigate inwardly and discover the clear origin of this deep rooted pain that all humankind posses. Only when we feel that urge and need, can Buddhism then offer a hand to help. Cultivation of inner self is the only way to find the cause of our uncertainty and to attain genuine liberation.

© Reno Buddhist Church, 2003