In a word - Awareness

Karl Marx is quoted as having said "Religion is ... the opium of the people."

Francis Bacon, however, was of the view that "A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion."

and Mahatma Ghandi said "I came to the conclusion long ago ... that all religions were true and also that all had some error in them"

... on the whole, I think I like the simplicity of George Harrison´s "All religions are branches of one big tree".

Harrison found what he was looking for in India - and Krishna Consciousness - and remained true to his philosophy despite all the distractions of incredible talent, wealth and fame.

- so, if all religions are branches of the same tree - well, what is the commonality?

In the philosophy that I have come to, there is "universal" consciousness and we, each with our individual consciousness, form a part of that whole.

So you can call it God, you can say we have "souls", you can be a Muslim, Jew, Christian, Buddhist, or any one of the countless other religions with their adherents, but when you replace their specific words for "God" with "consciousness", you pretty much get the same conclusion.

Science is exploring the quantum world and discovering that matter is really comprised of energy. In this vein, the eastern philosophies have always suggested that matter is a product of consciousness. Fundamentally there is only the energy of consciousness.

It is sometimes possible to get an insight into the totality of it all, and most religions have methodologies (originally) aimed at doing that, but coming to the realisation of it yourself is the ultimate door to awareness.

I had written "key", but then realised that what almost all religions purport to do is provide that key. Unfortunately the rituals adopted by most "faiths" end up obscuring truth (and the power that comes with having adherents, and their property, has corrupted the leaders of most of them, whilst the rituals they developed to mesmerise their flocks are just that - empty ritual).

Zen implies that you do not need all the trappings of religion and learning, but that enlightenment can be attained in a moment. "That moment" is what all philosophers are seeking, especially through eastern philosophies (as few are religions in the western sense).

Whatever the way of getting there, the aim is to actually become aware of that overall consciousness. To get rid of the distractions which obscure reality, to get rid of the concepts that bind us by filling our minds with the past and the future, of desires and fears.

All the writers I have been following stress the same thing, that there is only this present moment. If you can empty your mind of everything, even stopping the passing thoughts and not allowing the senses to invade the mind with alerts about sounds, smells, sights or feeling, then you are almost there.

The focal point for concentration such that you can block out all the (other) senses is usually recognised as your breathing. When you pass through that focus of the breath, you are just left with awareness, awareness of what is - and the awareness that you are part of it all.