Meeting of Religions

Abstract

Ever since the beginning of human history man in his search for the satisfaction of his needs has gone beyond the immediate problems and sought the ultimate meaning of life, the unsoundale mystery of his existence, trying to bridge the gulf between being and truth, existence and realization. Consciously or unconsciously, he wanted to relate his timely existence to something that is unconditional. This search for the Unconditional was in fact the essence of his religion. In defining the unconditional, however, man differed considerably. The Unconditional was considered by some as the pleroma of all existence whereas others thought it as absolute sunyata or void. Thus the religious man, though ever in search for reality, light and immortality, was nevertheless not the same everywhere. The very approach to reality characterized the angle of his vision and changed his grasp of it. Since reality itself is incomprehensible, every authentic approach, however defective it be, helps only unveil certain new aspects of it. Religions are, therefore, complementary and not contradictory. Dialogue is essential for them, for their own mutual growth and maturity.