Question: Is mutual understanding and respect possible between the different religions of the world?

Sri Chinmoy: It is not only possible but practicable and inevitable. If there is no mutual understanding, then there can be no respect; if there is no mutual respect, then there can be no mutual understanding. Mutual understanding and mutual respect go together. If there is mutual understanding and mutual respect, then only can the different religions live together in abiding harmony. Each religion has to realise that in order to be complete, perfect and whole, it has to feel its presence in the heart of all the other religions. Likewise, the other religions also have to feel the presence of that particular religion. Each religion must feel its presence in the heart of other religions. Also, each religion has to feel that it is only a branch and not the whole tree. The tree is God or Truth. Some religions do not believe in God or find it difficult to reveal the existence of God, but they do believe in the existence of Truth. There is no religion on earth that does not believe in the existence of Truth. So if a religion believes in the existence of Truth, that is more than enough. This Truth-existence is the Reality-tree of life on earth. If Reality is a tree, then naturally it will have a few branches, and each branch is a different religion.

From:Sri Chinmoy,My meditation-service at the United Nations for twenty-five years, Agni Press, 1995
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