The research team has published previously a “Preliminary Study of Buddhist Life Education at Primary Schools in Hong Kong”. Since most of one’s early life is spent in formal education, the team has gone on to investigate life education in the next phase in 21 Buddhist secondary schools. During this process, the team has kept questioning themselves: “Should we discourage students to grow up if complexity in life is the main cause of their deteriorating life quality? Can we refuse hindrances to wisdom-knowledge (jñeyāvaraṇa)? What roles should schools and teachers play? What comprise a life mentor?” Every question asked is relevant to life quality.

A secondary school student has a life more complicated (less pure) than a primary school student’s. Knowledge is gained by everyday learning. However, the moral education western scholars have proposed separates moral knowledge and moral actions, one cannot be aware of both. Jñeyāvaraṇa occurs when problems from will-, action-, and judgment-levels combine. Improving life quality does not only involve an increase in knowledge. This is also the blind spot of outcome-based learning, which is emphasized in the modern education direction, focusing on knowledge and skills.