Q: Dear Master, I am a senior high school student. After reading your books, I have found that we do not learn the method of liberation from life and death by attending school. So, should we negate the value of receiving an education at school?

M: No, you should not. If I hadn't studied at school before, I would not have been able to speak fluently here today. Receiving an education does help. It is just that our educational system does not offer courses on spiritual enhancement. They teach things that are not very useful and they don't give children a good moral education. In many countries, education emphasizes degrees and diplomas. Children go to school only to earn a diploma, so they study under great pressure. Sometimes, they even have to study through the entire night. They stay at school all day long, leaving them little time with their parents. After they graduate, they use very few of the things they learned at school. Thus, children are really pitiful. However, our world is like that. I can't change it that much.

India has a better educational system. Its education is more natural and liberal, and the schools can decide how to educate the children. For instance, members of the Quan Yin sect in India educate their own children. They select useful courses for the children, such as mathematics, science, music, morality, ancient scriptures, spiritual knowledge, filial obedience and devotion to parents, etc. In addition to these useful courses, they also teach the children to meditate and be vegetarian. Consequently, all these children are well-behaved. They are going to be a great benefit to their country when they grow up, and they will be very moral people in society. It is a pity that very few countries follow their example. Even in India, this kind of school is not found everywhere.