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.

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.