One Dharma...

Hi.

There's only one world out there; one universe.
It's the same for all beings.
Of course, beings see it differently, and Buddhist practice, as I understand it, is geared toward seeing it as it is.

I'm not really interested in Buddhist dogma, doctrine (even though I do study Buddhist texts), or knowledge, but in seeing (or experiencing directly), and understanding.

I've found, however, that seers, or mystics, or whatever you want to call them, of many different religious persuasions, and even some scientists nowadays, see things in the same way as Zen Masters and other Buddhist adepts, and also in the same way as I see them.
Some examples are: Eckhart Tolle(Catholic), Rumi (Sufi Muslim), and Kabir (Hindu).
There are many, many more.

As I mentioned, experience is more important than book-learning, especially in Zen Buddhism, for Zen is "beyond words and letters".
But to think that "practice" alone is enough, is not right, you also need "theory", they "compliment" each other.
When people experience things as they are directly, they name what they've experienced according to their own vocabulary.
A Christian might say, "I have experienced God."
A Sufi Muslim might say, "The dark one has come into my life."
A Native American might say, "The great spirit has entered me."
A jedi might say " i have felt the force within me."
And so on.
The experiences people have are frequently quite similar, but their ways of verbalizing them are quite different, for they stem from what's current in their own cultures.

Some of these cultures have practices that cultivate awareness and insight; some don't, and awareness and insight come haphazardly, for there are no meditative techniques or systems that cultivate it.
I chose Buddhism, Zen Buddhism specifically, because it resonated with me, and it provided me with the practices I needed to cultivate awareness and understanding.
More or less all I can say about Zen Buddhism is that it is right for me.
Other spiritual traditions can be right for others and can cultivate awareness and understanding.
This is obvious to me.

I am more interested in what unites people than what divides them, and I feel (or hope) that human beings are moving away from separateness to unity.
Things are moving at a more and more accelerated pace these days.
The world is getting smaller and smaller.
Communication is quicker and more comprehensive.
So maybe we're coming closer and closer to where we were in the first place -- no separation; no gap.
Actually, the only gap is in the mind, which individual human beings created in the first place.
The only way to erase this gap is for each person to wake up ( In buddhist-lingo), and this is done person-by-person.

May the force be with you
Fugen.