Part VI — Professor Sumner B. Twiss

PCG 7. Chair Department of Religious Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI

Professor Sumner B. Twiss: Can we experience God in such a way that we can embrace as equals the authentic spirituality of all the world's religious traditions? Here I am looking for not only a viable theory but also a viable practice.

Sri Chinmoy: My esteemed Professor, after one has realised the Highest Absolute Supreme, one can easily embrace all religions with equal love and concern. It is like climbing up a tree that has many branches. An expert climber finds no difficulty in climbing from one branch to another. An Indian spiritual Master of the highest order named Sri Ramakrishna first realised God in India's traditional way. Then he realised God in the Christian way, and then in the Islamic way. He taught his followers that all religions are equal. Their source is a oneness-God.

The life-tree is one, but the branches are many. If a tree has no branches, then we are not inclined to call it a tree. God is the trunk of the world-religion-tree.

The spiritual Masters of the highest order have all come to the same realisation: there is only one true religion, and that religion is love of God in God's own Way to manifest God's Light here on earth for the complete satisfaction of Divinity in humanity and humanity in Divinity.

If one reaches a certain height, one can easily embrace all the religions in this way. Unfortunately an ordinary person cannot do so. But everyone, regardless of what height he or she has reached, should have respect for all religions.