D&C 88

This is a message from God to world religions.  It is attitude Mormons should have towards other faiths:  that the "true light that is in you" is Christ's light, and even if that manifests in different theologies and practices, it is still a part of the work of salvation (see Alma 24: 27).

The servants of the man are different world religions and their leaders/forerunners. 

49 ...the day shall come when you shall ^bcomprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him.
50 Then shall ye know that ye have ^aseen me, that I am, and that I am the true ^blight that is in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could not abound.
51 Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field, and he sent forth his servants into the field to dig in the field.
52 And he said unto the first: Go ye and labor in the field, and in the first hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the joy of my countenance.
53 And he said unto the second: Go ye also into the field, and in the second hour I will visit you with the joy of my countenance.
54 And also unto the third, saying: I will visit you;
55 And unto the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.
56 And the lord of the field went unto the first in the first hour, and tarried with him all that hour, and he was made glad with the light of the countenance of his lord.
57 And then he withdrew from the first that he might visit the second also, and the third, and the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.
58 And thus they all received the light of the countenance of their lord, every man in his hour, and in his time, and in his season—
59 Beginning at the first, and so on unto the ^alast, and from the last unto the first, and from the first unto the last;
60 Every man in his own ^aorder, until his hour was finished, even according as his lord had commanded him, that his lord might be glorified in him, and he in his lord, that they all might be glorified.

Fourteen Precepts Of Engaged Buddhism

http://prince.org/msg/105/285635?&pg=1

Click here for a list of Thich Naht Hanh's "Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism."

Because I accept Buddha as inspired of God, as well as Thich Naht Hanh, I will clarify the first of his views for Latter-Day Saints.

A better understanding of Thich Naht Hanh view comes like this: word definitions are comprehensible in the human mind, but just because it logically makes sense, doesn’t mean it's an absolute truth. The universe is infinite: I understand the sentence. But do I even grasp infinity? Another example, he is a just man. I understand “man” and “just”, but do I understand perfect justice? Because Plato shows there are different levels of justice, there must be a greater justice. Thus, I have a guide to justice, but I still have yet to know absolute justice. If God exists, absolute truth exists; humans will simply never have the capacity to grasp it. That is why a smart, wise man will say to himself, “I am nothing, and I know very little.”

Also, Thich Naht Hanh doesn’t include any of the mystical elements of Buddhism in his biography on Buddha’s life Old Path White Clouds. There are a few exceptions, like the Brahmin monk prophesying Buddha’s life as a great monk. However, he excludes the traditional part of the story where Maha, an evil spirit similar to the devil, tries to destroy Buddha before his enlightenment. Why would he make a more "realistic" story? Thich Naht Hans has studied Buddhist scriptures and even translated some original texts into english, including the "New Heart Sutra", and based on those basic texts, legends aside, he wrote his biography.

When we assert as truth something that actually unsure of, we become clouded in our judgement of accepting what is real or unreal; even if it is based on things we do think we know. Would an atheist agree? What about a theist? So what are some of the things that we sometimes accept as true, which are still unsure? What are some things a Mormon accept as true, which are still unsure? How much do we understand about our own beliefs?

A few ideas are the theory of evolution, or the doctrine of the three kingdoms of glory. Both of these we assume to understand sometimes. But do we know that all of the BYU biology teachers accept evolution? Do we really understand who is going to which kingdom? Do we sometimes in our misconceptions assume a place in the celestial kingdom while another lacks certain “rights of passages”. Do we ourselves have more steps to take towards our salvation? Aren’t we all along the same trajectory, and judged according to our forward motion, rather than how many steps we’ve taken?
"Ask yourself, 'am I sure?'" -Thich Naht Hanh

A Guide to World Religions

This comes from the perspective that there is an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent being that is good, justice, and mercy.  He communicates with his creations, and inspires scriptures according to a person’s cultural understanding.  Certainly, if God is good, we assume that there is some purpose to revelation. This purpose is progression towards the Platonic Forms. The process of identifying and analyzing a religion is broken down into three main parts:

1. Origin (Beginning story and culture)
2. The scriptures
3. Modern interpretation of scripture

This structure can help determine whether a religion was inspired of God. The overall goal of a religion, its practices and absolute truths, are found in its scriptures. Whether they are interpreted correctly is the cause for concern, so some guidelines are needed. Since religious belief changes with each individual, this guide is an attempt to find consistent truth across religions for an increase of understanding, tolerance, and also bettering one’s spiritual practices.

A religion ought to develop the character and attributes of the individual. The Platonic Forms, which were supported by Plato and Socrates as the only things that we as rational beings can know are unchanging and non-material. These include both mathematical truths and the virtues. Geometry and algebra fit into this category, though they aren’t the base of a religious life. So we look at the established virtues which are more clearly defined in Lectures on Faith1, which uses the bible to ascertain attributes that can trust in, particularly, in deity. These virtues will be used in filtering through religions and their individual practices and scripture:

The virtues defined: “That [God] is merciful, and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness, and that he was so from everlasting, and will be to everlasting...that he changes not, neither is there variableness with him; but that he is the same from everlasting to everlasting, being the same yesterday to-day and forever; and that his course is one eternal round, without variation...That he is a God of truth and cannot lie. ...That he is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that fears God and works righteousness is accepted of him...That he is love.2

“We have, in the revelations which he has given to the human family, the following account of his attributes... Knowledge... Faith, or power...Justice...Judgment...Mercy...Truth.”3

Whether a practical religion, such as Buddhism, or a religion based on absolute truth, such as Islam, one can determine the validity of said religion based on how one living the practice would develop these virtues. Let it also be noted that here that the above two paragraphs differ in that the first describes the character of God, while the second describes his attributes. By little reflection, one can see that in order to exercise faith in any religion, a free and rational being must see these principles in the path, or he will not exercise belief in it.

I will further explain how each of the stated attributes ought to be developed and why they should be our religious goals. (talk about here how we eventually hope to be unchanging, but adapting. This is a sweet truth that comes from asking the right questions. This is the power of attaining understanding and knowledge that comes from world religions.)

Of course, there are other attributes to mention: patience, temperance, kindness, diligence, virtue itself, and others. These virtues are a part of the previously stated attributes. Patience is slow to anger. Temperance changes not. Diligence is abundant in goodness, and so on.

Sources

1) Joseph Smith, “Lectures on Faith”

2) http://lecturesonfaith.com/3/ , verses 14-18

3) http://lecturesonfaith.com/4/ verses 5-10.