An open mind is the way to universal truth.

Many people find it difficult to accept the knowledge that are not similar to theirs. This is especially true where religion is concerned.

Yet, if we were to allow ourselves to open up to the teachings of every religion in this world, there is actually no conflict of knowledge. That is a fact because all teachings are based on truth. The only difference is the road the followers follow, be it through one who found enlightenment, the various deities or God.

Buddhism teaches us wisdom and our nature, our thoughts and action towards responsible fulfillment and self improvement. Buddha never professed to be God.

The way I look at Buddha's teaching, it is that the life we have is the present. Live it right and well, and the next step must follow. The next step is the future. There is no need to think about it. Just as what is being baked will turn out to be a delicious cake in the few minutes in the future if we concentrate on putting in the right ingredients and kneading the dough well at the present moment.

Taoism is the belief in a universal life force. Thus every follower tries to harmonise himself/herself with the forces of nature. In Taoism, the deities are manifestations of this universal force. Taoism has a strong belief in spirits, some of them good while others are bad. Thus, to achieve harmony, there is the need to turn to the good deities for guidance to a good life as well as appease the bad spirits to avoid unnecessary conflict or problems from them.

That sounds very much like the society we live in. Sometimes we have to pay corrupt officials to avoid problems from them. For example, to obtain a citizenship, some people cannot get theirs approved despite the number of years they have tried and their proficiency in the national language language while people who know how to appease such officials get their approvals very quickly. Help also comes faster if you know the way to get things done, such as knowing the right people in authority.

Hinduism has no founder and it consist of many different religious groups that has evolved many, many years ago. This is the case because there are many deities in Hinduism, perhaps more than can be found in Taoism. Like Taoism, Hinduism has its belief in what is called eternal truth which is similar to Taoism's universal life force. The deities give their worshippers guidance through life with actions of the said deities.

For example, there was the victory of good over evil as celebrated in deepavali. According to Hinduism, the deities reincarnate from time to time to vanquish the forces of evil and bring order back into the world, just as Jesus said he would return from time to time to help the humans God created.

The two religions that are clear-cut about One God is Christianity and Islam. Actually, as far as my knowledge and understanding is concerned, both religions have the same origin. There is merely that little difference that Jesus was the son of God in Christianity while Jesus was believed to be the first while Muhammad is the last of the prophets in Islam. If we go into the teachings of both these religions, they teach us wisdom and our nature, rightful thoughts and actions towards responsible fulfillment and self improvement besides belief in One God.

It is unfortunate that the only two religions that teach us of the same One God have a number of its followers finding fault with each other, sometimes even derogatory towards each other's God, breathing venom on the other's God as though that other God is a different God.

The religions are good but some of the people in them think they are even holier than God. Therein lies the problem of this world. When Man craze for power and prestige, they even use God to serve their purpose.

Once I told a friend,"People who kill others in the name of God, are those who do not truly believe in God." Why? Firstly, do these people believe that God is all powerful. With such power, if God wants someone dead, there is no need for bloodshed; the person would just not wake up from his sleep and that's that." Then, what about God being compassionate. Since God is compassionate, should not there be a strong feeling of sympathy and sadness for the suffering or bad luck of others and a desire to help them to turn good if it is believed that there are bad. So, by taking God's will into their hands, are these people thinking that God should not be compassionate? Are they saying they are wiser than God?

To these people, I will say, "Trust me. There is no one greater, better or wiser than God."

It is time humans open up their minds and let religious truths of whatever religion they belong to find space in their minds.