I was born 50% British and 50% Cambodian when i was born in America. Obviously there were going to be a lot of differences between my parents who were both immigrants. One of those differences was religion.
My dad is a practicing Catholic, and my mom, a practicing Buddhist; religions that come from very different parts of the world, yet share some very similar ideas.
My parents never forced their religion on me. It was going to be my choice what I grew up believing. And I am thankful everyday for that.
As a young child, my mom was very close with her Cambodian friends. It seemed that we were in Lowell, Massachusetts every week visiting the Cambodian community and celebrating life at the Temple. Back then, I didn't understand what was really going on. I kneeled and put my hands together in a praying fashion, like everyone else, while people around me chanted in Khmer. As I grew up, I learned more about the religon. And about how the Buddha they worshipped. Buddha is a leader; a leader of love and compassion. He is leading us all to enlightenment. The Buddhist religion, I came to learn about, is really a beautiful community that I love being a part of.
In elementary school, I was curious about church. A lot of the children in my classes attended church and I had no idea what it was. In 3rd grade, I attended Mass for the first time, and somehow fell in love with the belief in Christ. Jesus, too, is a leader. A leader of love. His goal is to all give us the Kingdom of Heaven and everlasting life.
Both religions share the same message, and it's not only Catholicism and Buddhism. Every religion of the world wants the best for their communities. They all teach us to "love your neighbor" and to never treat your surroundings badly, whether that is your environment or the people around you. You must pave your life into a life of faith and love. If you do good, good will happen.
If people ask me what my religion is, I say that I'm both. Both Jesus and Buddha have shaped me into who I am today.
Sometimes religions can contradict ideas, but I accept that. No one should ever think their beliefs are more important than anothers. The core commandment all religions are based off of are you should "love your neighbor." You should love everyone with the same love, no matter what religion, race, or beliefs they hold. By loving everyone the same, we are not being rushed to judge others from their beliefs.
Always remember to think of love, and how all of our religions share the same goal of a life and afterlife full of happiness and love.
If only everyone thought of love first, before judging someone for their beliefs, maybe our world would be a better place today.
