I've read most of this thread, I don't have the time to read through it all, but time and time again I read the same beginning,"To me religion is...", "To me Hinduism is..." To me Buddism is "etc. Everyone has a unique way or unique interpretation of a religion particularly in the Hindu/Buddist world hence why over the years you've got Sri Lankan monks, Tibetean monks, Hindu Brahmins etc all living in peace. And why do you think that is? because like everyone in this thread has stated that ,"To me religion is...", "To me Hinduism is..." To me Buddism is "etc. It's this understanding of religion that is something unique to one person and one person only and that you shouldn't really care too much how the next person inteprets your religion. Look at Nepal, a country that is so diverse and yet still manages to live in peace. It's nation like Nepal that be set as an example to more troubled nations were religion is the root of war or destruction.