The Truth of the Great Teachers (Krishna, Moses, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Jesus and Mohammed) is limitless like the great ocean. In accordance with the diverse intellects, beliefs, customs, understanding and ignorance of the people in their time and place they teach one Truth in a variety of ways.

Sometimes the truth is taught through being and sometimes through non-being, sometimes through gods and devils, through heavens and hells and other times through noting but unconditional love, sometimes through permanence and some other times through impermanence.

In Buddhism it is sometimes taught that one should acquire merit through the three virtues: kindness, compassion and sympathetic joy in other people's good fortune. At other times it is taught that all things are devoid of construction and therefore merit cannot be acquired. So we can see that the Truth has been taught in many ways.

My Abbot's Abbot, the Venerable Ajahn Cha, taught in a monastery in North-East Thailand. One day two youths who had just been conscripted for military service sought him out.

They knew nothing of life outside their village and were wild with excitement at the prospect of being sent to Bangkok for training.

Nevertheless they felt it prudent to ask for Ajahn Cha's blessing and any spiritual advice he might care to give.

Ajahn Cha knew that the youths were far from being Born-again Buddhists and that they were far more interested in getting a blessing from him (he is regarded as a very holy man in Thailand) then in obtaining any spiritual teaching, so he blessed them and gave them this advice....

"Don't fire your guns at any living thing, and be kind to the prostitutes."

The youths, bringing the palms of their hands together, raised them to their foreheads and bowed their smiling way out of the Ajahn's presence.

The abbot's advice to those young men was indeed, deeply spiritual if you think about it. He read their hearts without judgement. My goodness me, as we say in Queensland, it's no wonder that Thai people loved him. He was the living essence of loving one's neighbour as oneself.

I am constantly shocked by the arrogance of some religious followers who think they have exclusive rights to "God" or the truth is found only in their "Holy" books. Those who continually make judgements of others for their beliefs. They see only the difference in religions and not the common denominator. All rivers lead to the great ocean. Do not fail to experience the ocean by clinging to the river.

I believe one of the great Masters said: "In my Father's house are many mansions..." But who wants listen to him? We're so busy constructing our own mansions we have neither time nor tolerance for our neighbour's dwelling.

Well, thank God for Mother Teresa. And thank God Ajahn Cha. They can see The House.