Confucius on the Crisis of Modern Education

This is a record of an interview with the spirit of Confucius, who now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. He reflects upon the state of modern education and the spiritual challenges facing humanity today. Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe, on April 6, 2025.

Confucius speaks:

"Thanks to the kindness of Practitioner Su, I, Kong Qiu, am able to speak once more. The current state of society and our nations makes the education of our people—especially the foundational education of children—critically important. Confucian thought has always placed great emphasis on this; the saying that 'a child's character is set by the age of three' holds a profound truth.

The Grey Mist of Modernity

However, observing the human world from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I see a grey, hazy phenomenon. When one peels back this mist, it reveals that the hearts of people in the world have been covered by a layer of darkness. Why? Because people have lost their original, pure, kind, bright, and compassionate hearts. Looking further, I see the havoc wreaked by technology, especially the 'mobile phone.' This is a modern term, and it seems quite out of place for me to say it, but I have learned it. This is a requirement for any educator: to use the language of the time, to use terms that people can understand, in order to convey the meaning one intends. It is not just mobile phones, but also computers and other transmission tools that are now ubiquitous. Do you realise how many of these things can harm the delicate, young minds of children?

Early childhood education should be an education of purity. The sheer volume of sounds and information being transmitted is, in fact, inappropriate if it does not cultivate the heart and character. Children learn incredibly quickly, and because of this, the crises present in modern society are visible everywhere. This has not happened overnight; it has been building for a very long time. Consequently, this grey, hazy energy has effectively covered the entire Earth.

A Window into the Future

If those who read this are surprised to hear me, Kong Qiu, use such words, please do not be. In the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, Namo Amituofo, in His great compassion, has bestowed upon us such a vast and rich environment that anyone who wishes to see can, at any moment, observe any change in the past, present, or future of the Earth. Many beings in the Western Land, however, have set their sights beyond this place.

Looking at it now, Buddhist education is urgently needed. The more polluted a society becomes, the more it requires the clear, flowing stream of the Buddha's teachings to cleanse the hearts of people and children. For Western nations, the lack of familiarity with Buddhist teachings—or even a total lack of knowledge—is understandable. But for Eastern nations, it should not be unfamiliar; even if one has not studied it deeply, one must have heard of it. The six-character name 'Namo Amituofo' is capable of cleansing the grey, hazy energy currently manifesting on Earth. Therefore, if children are immersed in the chanting of the Buddha-name from a young age within the family, it will naturally have a tremendous purifying effect on their body, mind, and spirit.

The Dangers of Rigid Information

At the same time, while society and school education require children to come into contact with these technological products, one must never simply force-feed them. Give them in appropriate amounts. Do not let the pure, kind hearts of children be filled with this rigid information, for within it exists a form of unwholesome vitality.

Today, Practitioner Su has subdued so many demons of the Dharma Realm, including the technology demon, the mobile phone demon, and the computer demon. Indeed, these demon crowds have caused a massive impact on the hearts and minds of people across the Earth, nations, and society. From childhood through adulthood, learning occupies the majority of one's time. Today, one cannot escape computers and mobile phones in family life or school education, and even as adults working in society, they are required. In this process, the education of human character through nature is neglected.

The Lost Connection to Nature

A heart of compassion needs to be developed through contact with nature. By seeing all things and observing the natural state of living creatures, a heart of compassion—which seeks to help beings leave suffering and attain happiness—can unfold from within. In the simple societies of the past, people had plenty of time to contact nature, to live with the earth, and even to run barefoot upon the ground. This scene is no longer to be seen today. Yet, that was truly how children felt the existence of life and realised that nature and themselves are one. A person with a sense of 'oneness' has a positive character, which is of great help to their growth.

Today, however, people are constantly with rigid technological products. Where is their vitality? One can also see that there are many beings from the spirit realms within these devices. Every spirit is a life, but it is too complex! There is good, there is evil, there is the crooked, there is the righteous, there is the Buddha, and there is the demon. How can a child distinguish between them? Therefore, accepting everything indiscriminately leads to great pollution, distorts the mind, and limits the normal development of character. Some even develop their own set of habits and perspectives, becoming disconnected from their families, schools, and society. This is a tremendous injury!

Returning to the Righteous Path

Everyone must understand that if you allow your personality to lead you through every day, the consequences will be unimaginable! Many modern people consider traditional education to be rigid, restrictive, or superstitious. They do not know that the wisdom and compassion of our ancestors followed the Truth and the Right Way—that is, education developed according to the vitality of the earth and the laws of karma and reincarnation. It was designed to suppress the malicious development of personality and help the kind nature within to emerge: compassion, gratitude, filial piety, being a polite child, and being an obedient child who listens to their parents. It is only under such education that one can see children who are truly honest and kind by nature.

Children raised by modern technological education often seek speed and the development of the 'self,' while ignoring the importance of mutual aid. They lack a heart of benevolence, compassion, and gratitude. Mutual aid is an indispensable element for human survival, yet today it is cast aside, replaced by a dazzling array of desires to satisfy physical sensations. Can you imagine the children growing up like this? They will be eager for quick success and profit, seeking self-protection while forgetting how to interact with others. It is important to know how to care, how to help, and how to treat others with kindness. This is the situation I, Kong Qiu, see from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This situation is not just in China, but is a profound problem for the entire Earth. Do not ignore it! Children are the pillars of the nation's future; their physical, mental, and spiritual development has a significant impact on the nation.

The Truth of Buddhist Education

Viewed in this light, the closest thing to Confucian thought—the closest to Chinese ethics and morality, and even surpassing them in allowing people to find their natural, kind nature and true self—is Buddhist education. In the words of Practitioner Su, when listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma, one can hear that 'the body is the technology of technologies.' We in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss can hear this, and it is the truth, the words of Truth. It is just that the word 'technology' might keep elderly or conservative people at a distance, but if one speaks of Buddhist education, it is acceptable. Today, merging Buddhist education with the 'technology of technologies' is the reality of the truth! Practitioners have a responsibility to tell everyone about this situation. Since people do not have the opportunity to know this fact, the facts verified by practice must be placed before them. Once people see, hear, or feel it, they will believe.

Today, Practitioner Su, with an awakened body, educates the fourfold assembly of disciples at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. The fourfold assembly is in the human world, listening to Practitioner Su lecture on the sutras and Dharma in human form. In fact, there are many spirit realm beings in the Dharma Realm listening, and that includes the beings of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. It is indeed so. I believe that anyone who listens to Practitioner Su's ability to lecture on the sutras and Dharma will be deeply impressed. If one can listen again and again, one will surely gain benefits. Those who know how to listen will gain; those who do not know how to listen, even if they listen a hundred or a thousand times, will still gain nothing. That is because of the existence of the 'self.' The principle of 'no-self' in Buddhism is very correct; it conforms to the universal principle, the Truth, and the Right Way—that is, it conforms to the reality of the truth. Only under the guidance of the reality of the truth can one find the true self, which is the self-nature.

A Call to Find the Way Home

At this moment, I, Kong Qiu, am listening to the sutras and Dharma before Namo Amituofo, hoping that through the blessing of the Buddha's power, my spirit can be further elevated. The Buddha's teachings are boundless; it would be a great pity if there were no one to teach them!

With the limited intelligence of human beings, one still cannot touch the profound benefits that the true Buddha's teachings bring to everyone—that is, the self-nature. This is the source that many who explore the purpose of life, those who have studied philosophy deeply, or those who are living in search of something, wish to investigate. The source is in the hearts of people, in the self-nature. The Buddha's teachings explain this thoroughly and clearly.

Therefore, of the three teachings—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism—Buddhism integrates Confucianism and Taoism. This is the preciousness of the Buddha's teachings, but it also depends on how the one spreading the Dharma passes it on. As for those who have truly received the benefits of the Dharma, today, the one I, Kong Qiu, know of is Practitioner Su. In the world, among practitioners, how many people can lead the spirits of others into the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss to become members of the Western Land? That is Practitioner Su—a very rare person appearing in the world, a very precious person appearing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. People must listen, understand, make good use of this, and cherish it! Listen to the Dharma more to open your wisdom. The profound and boundless treasure of wisdom is in everyone's heart. Seek inward, not outward. I hope the public can understand this principle, especially those who have had contact with Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

I have taken this opportunity to be interviewed today to tell everyone about the current situation of children. This is truly a great cause for concern! Buddhist education must be given from birth, not waited until after they have grown up; by then, it is already too late! Although it is late, if they can hear it, there is still hope. Although it is late, save as many as you can. If it is too late, and they still cannot hear the Buddha's teachings, have no opportunity to change their ways or come into contact with it, and then face aging, sickness, death, and enter the cycle of reincarnation again, that would be a great pity!

The human body is very precious. It is not that if you want to be a human again, you can simply be one; it is very easy to enter the animal realm. If you carefully reflect on your words, deeds, and conversation throughout the day, you will know how much you have lost your manners and your sense of proportion. Can it be made up? Let me tell you: time once passed never returns. The things you have done in the past will take a great deal of effort to make up for later, and you may not even achieve the same effect as before.

I hope that what I, Kong Qiu, have said today will give those with karmic affinity a chance to hear it. The important thing is to find your way home—that is, the road back to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, the road back to your old home.

At this time, the location of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre can be found on the computer. Everyone should be able to make good use of the computer for positive needs. The information visible on the computer can help you find the contact details for this place or follow the path to come here.

This is a precious land; those who can enter have tremendous blessings. Those who can naturally generate a heart of respect from within for Namo Amituofo and the many ancestral masters and venerable masters here, who are sincere and respectful, are those whose kind nature is manifesting.

Namo Amituofo."