I do not belong to Buddhism or Catholicism. I belong to the Truth and I preach the Truth. You may call it Buddhism, Catholicism, Taoism or whatever you like, I welcome all of them. Many Masters have problems fighting preconceived ideas about all religions. I have none. I will tell you that all religions are good. All religious Masters are good, speaking the Truth and leading you to it. Stick to your religion and have faith in your own religious Master. If you happen to find a religious Master in this present time and in your own religion then you are lucky. If not, then search in other religions to see if there is any living Master available. But meanwhile have faith in your own religion, do not change to that Master's religion. Because all religions came from God and all religious leaders also came from God to convey their message in different times and places. All enlightened beings whether they are Catholic, Buddhist or from any other religion have all discovered the same thing, the same wisdom, the same ecstasy. I also found the same universe, and it is actually more a state of mind, of consciousness, of intelligence and higher understanding.

I came across a very meaningful sentence in the Koran. It says: "Be a good guest on Earth. And live a very rich life." This statement in the Islamic Koran really impressed me. We used to think that only Buddhism stresses the ephemerality of this world in which we live for a while and will soon depart. We do not know that the Koran mentions exactly the same idea. So, why are we still engaged in heated debate about which religion is better? We read this one sentence and find it very meaningful. It is short but perfect! While we are here, we should live a very meaningful life that is free and enriching.

The Koran also mentions the Sound. Their Master Mohammed mentioned it, and so did His disciples. When they heard the sound of the flute, their wisdom opened and they knew everything. They became very relaxed, happy, free, and liberated! They were not referring to the sound of the flute in the outside world. We Quan Yin practitioners know that it is a reference to a superior level. However, suppose we are Moslems but have not heard the sound of the flute inside, then we cannot understand what the Koran is referring to.

In the Bible, Jesus Christ said: "You listen to the wind. You don't know from where the wind comes, and where it goes!" This sound represents the omnipresent quality. When we hear this omnipresent sound of the Divine, we are perceiving part of the Omnipresent (Tathagata). Another part is Hiers light; we don't know where it comes from and where it goes either. This light is also an omnipresent quality. Being omnipresent means that we don't know where it comes from and where it goes.

Beholding the Omnipresent (Tathagata) does not mean that we have to actually see someone - the Amitabha Buddha or Shakyamuni Buddha. It is true that Shakyamuni Buddha called Himself the "Tathagata", but He also explained that He was only the finger pointing to the Truth. Tathagata is an inner experience, the quality of being omnipresent. When we behold the Omnipresent quality, our wisdom is opened, our karma is all gone, we are absolutely free, and we can understand the Universal System and the secret of the entire Creation. Finally, we will realize what it is really like to be one with the Creation. We will know the level of Lao Tzu, and we can really praise Him. It is because then we have the same experience, and can testify to the truth behind His statement, "All of Creation is one"!

Buddhism is like Catholicism. I do not think that the teachings are different. When you compare the Christian's ten commandments to the Buddhist's commandments, it's the same: don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, don't drink alcohol or drugs, don't take another's wife or husband. And the rest of the teachings are only details and explanations, or historical events recorded by the disciples when their Master was still alive. In the Bible, for example, there are many accounts of wars, and tribes fighting each other. This doesn't belong to the teaching but because these events took place when that Master was alive, they wrote them down.

Jesus was a man, but Christ is a power. That power can be transmitted any time, any place, through anyone who is qualified. Just like electricity, it can go through any wire, if the wire is in good condition and there is a plug. You see, Jesus Christ is the Buddha, and Buddha means Christ. Christ is a Hebrew word for Buddha, and Buddha is a Sanskrit word for Christ. How about that! People never translated these terms in their own languages, they just used the original language and fought over it. There is always trouble because of the incompetence of the human language.

At the outset all scriptures encourage people to lead a pure life. 'Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt love thy neighbour and thine enemy, not steal,'' etc. The Christian commandments, the Muslim, the Sikh, the Hindu, and the Buddhist commandments are all the same. We shall be good people, loving to one another and purify the inner self. Now, the outer virtues we all know, and most of us can keep the commandments from the holy scriptures, but what about the inner purification and inner realisations which are mentioned? How can we hear God with our own being, without someone else telling us a second-hand story? These are more important questions than just our ethical conduct. Of course, an ethical life is a great help, and a must for one who strives to become one with God, to go back to the Tao, or to become Buddha. These all mean the same thing; to be united with the great source of all things.

Religion only points to the Truth, but we must find it with a living Master. Without a real Master, we don't even understand religion.

If everyone truly practices what the Bible or the Buddhist Sutra teaches, they will never quarrel with each other, and all religions will be happy with each other and celebrate in the same church. The Pope will come to the temple, the monks will go to the church, and there will be no problems.

There's only one religion - that is the religion of God, of love, of understanding. There's only one church, one temple - that is the temple of enlightenment. Come to that temple, and then we will know all religions of the world.

The church, the outside church, mosque, and temple, are symbols of the kingdom of God within us, which are built to remind us of our own temple, of which Jesus said, Know you not that you are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives within you.

I think that the church and the temple are very holy, sacred symbols of our devotion to God. Every time we pass through a church, a mosque, or the temple of any religion, we should truly remind ourselves of the reverence we have for these symbols of worship. It probably would be better if the people who come to these temples, churches or mosques truly could find their God within, within their temples also, not only in the brick temple but also in the true temple of God.