What is a religion?

We often say that our religion is right, yours is wrong. Ours is the best, yours is the worst. But the Buddha forbade us not to tell or blame other religions. I remember the great speech delivered by S.N. Goyenka, a pioneer of Vipassana meditation in this modern India, saying this:

"Religion is religion only when it unites, religion is no more religion when it divides. Religion is not for dividing people, it is for uniting people. 

So much I have been said about conversion. For conversion, against conversion. I am for conversion, I am not against conversion. But conversion, not from one organized religion to another organized religion. No. Conversion from misery to happiness. Conversion from bondage to liberation. Conversion from cruelty to compassion. That is the conversion needed today.

To think of peace in the human society, we cannot ignore individuals. If there is no peace in the mind of individuals, I cannot understand how can there be real peace in the human world.

If I have agitated mind, If I have all the time anger, hatred, animosity, how can I give peace to the world? Because I have no peace within myself! I am an agitated person. Therefore first have peace within yourself.

So one has to observe whether there is really peace in me or not. When you start experiencing the truth about yourself, within yourself, many of the problems get solved. "

So I think, why do I keep complaining about others. I better change my attitude and behavior and have peace within my mind. Only then I will be able to help others to get the real peace. And to have peace within my mind, surely there is no alternative of meditation of loving-kindness. This is the thing that I should think of all the time: "Be happy".!!!