Nectar #31 Offering a Garland of Universal Religions

It remains somewhat of a mystery, even after all the advantages of contemporary times have been lavishly bestowed upon present day humanity, that the ills of pervasive suffering still persist on the world scene. Of course, we know from the Buddha’s declaration of His Four Noble Truths, that suffering here on Earth will never go away entirely. Still, unnecessary suffering, a type of misery that has viable solutions, also remains constant — despite the fact that humanity has had plenty of time to apply these readily available stopgaps. When looking at this perplexing situation, the conscious observer cannot but notice, often painfully so, that narrowness of mind lies at the root of both the problem of suffering itself, and its tardy removal. In view of all this, when one considers ultimate solutions, there is nothing that compares with that of Universality. Universal religious outlook, universal philosophical perspective, universal compassion, universal service of mankind, a more universal mindset — even a more universally-based business and politics — all would be welcome alternatives to the ponderous and ineffective arsenal of methodical weapons that nations and peoples are presently utilizing to try to stem the tide of pervasive human suffering. True, religion nowadays has become an obvious caricature of itself, and philosophy has turned into a job and a career instead of a means for the revelation of truth. Even altruistic service, after the many attempts it has made towards drying up the ocean of human misery, has shown us its limitations and its downside.