PROLOGUE: Many Paths To One Goal
One guiding principle behind World Scripture is that all religions
are connected to the same Ultimate Reality and lead people toward a common
goal. This is true even though the various religions make exclusive claims
about themselves, sometimes asserting the uniqueness and incomparability
of their God or ultimate principle. Nevertheless, in affirming the
existence of Ultimate Reality or an ultimate principle, we assume that it
can be only one, regardless of the various beliefs which people hold about
it--be it described as one or many, impersonal or personal, absolute
emptiness or absolute Being, and regardless of the name by which it is
called.
Similarly, the goals of spiritual practice for each religion,
while not identical, have much in common. Since the ideals imbued in
human nature are universal, we may expect to find that people who have
reached the goal, be it enlightenment, salvation, sanctification,
self-realization, or liberation, indeed manifest the highest human
qualities: love, compassion, wisdom, purity, courage, patience,
righteousness, strength of character, calmness of mind, and inner joy.
Regardless of religious belief, people who have realized such a goal
inevitably impress others by their personal virtue. Ultimately, these
goals converge and become one, inasmuch as they express the best of our
common humanity.
This principle is neither a new idea nor the novel result of the
interfaith movement. The scriptures of each religion contain passages
which recognize that there are truths in other paths. They recognize that
the God(s) worshipped by other faiths may be the same as their own God.
They recognize that the teachings and practices of other faiths may be
similar in many respects to their own teachings and practices. They also
teach toleration and respect for righteous and sincere believers of other
faiths. They condemn quarrels over doctrines for displaying egoism and
enmity that have no place in the religious life. Some of these passages
have been brought together in this chapter.
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