Theme Note Series: "Lumbini"

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In a nutshell, Lumbini is the birthplace of the Buddha.
Naturally, it is a sacred site.
Kindergartens and nursery schools often name themselves "Lumbini" in hopes that children will learn about life through Buddhist teachings, drawing inspiration from the name.
I tried Googling "Lumbini" just to see, and while half the results were indeed institutions like kindergartens and nursery schools, the other half were Indian curry restaurants or Asian variety shops. Such are our earthly desires.

Now, regarding whether Buddhism should be incorporated into primary education, opinions are likely to be deeply divided.
In Japan, there are many Jodo Shinshu followers, so I think there are many cases where parents recommend Lumbini.
That said, Christian families would naturally dislike Lumbini.
I feel like people should just be more flexible in accepting things.
There are many religions in the world, and I believe they are all correct in their own way. Why? Because they have survived.
For example, Islam prohibits alcohol, and it is said that this is to avoid the unnecessary consumption of precious water, as drinking alcohol requires more water intake.
This commandment is highly compatible with the arid regions where Islam spread, and as a result, I believe only those peoples who adhered to Islamic teachings were able to escape hunger and thirst and survive to the present day.
Therefore, one could say that Islam is the "correct answer" for arid regions.
On the other hand, in regions like Japan, where streams flow year-round and vegetation is lush, the amount of available water is vastly different from that in arid regions.
Because we can survive without such extreme water conservation, Islamic commandments might seem like they are saying something strange or overly strict to us Japanese.
In other words, from the perspective of human history, which religion (or the wisdom for living rooted in it) is correct varies entirely depending on the location.
So, returning to the topic of Lumbini, I believe that whether you are a Buddhist, a Christian, or a Muslim, you can—and should—learn wisdom by listening to Buddhist teachings and thinking, "Oh, so there are people who think that way."
However, I have heard that religions like Islam preach that "our God is absolute and others are fake," so I imagine that for people who believe in such concepts, studying other religions might be nauseating.
Nevertheless, in modern society, I wonder about blindly following teachings from thousands of years ago.
After all, even though infrastructure has developed and we can easily transport hundreds of gallons of water to arid regions, continuing to sacrifice our lives to follow teachings just as they were thousands of years ago seems like a cessation of thought.
If you hold the mindset that "we have survived for thousands of years with this, so we only need to follow these teachings," when a wave of major change eventually comes, you will likely be swallowed up along with those teachings and disappear.
What is important in religion is to delve into the historical background of how those teachings spread and the meaning behind the commandments, and to incorporate them into your own wisdom; one must always be careful not to let it devolve into mere idol worship where you only praise your own god.
In that sense, I believe that learning about various religions, not just Buddhism, is important both for enriching your own life and for ensuring your descendants are sent into the future for even one generation longer.

Well, recently the religion of "science" is so strong that in reality, there are many phenomena that can be sufficiently explained just by learning that.
*Regarding the question of whether science is a religion, Gemini clearly denied it, so I am including that here for reference.