G-d Said Abraham would become a great nation and his offspring would be numerous like the dust of the earth and the stars of the sky. This in fact happened as Israel became a great nation with many people for its time, and it will remain a great nation with many people for all time. And this was Said to Abraham when he didn't have any children, so you can understand the significance of this Promise at the time. But Abraham has become more than a nation--he has become many nations. His fist born, Ishmael, fathered many peoples. His successor, Isaac, fathered two nations. And even after Ishmael and Isaac, Abraham had many more children. After his wife, Sarah, died, Abraham took another woman and with her had more children...

As it says, in Genesis 25:1-6, "Abraham proceeded and took a woman whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan, and the children of Dedan were Ashurim, Letushim, and Leummim. And the children of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Elda'ah; all these were the descendants of Keturah. Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. But to the concubine-children who were Abraham's, Abraham gave gifts; then he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he was still alive, eastward to the land of the east."

This passage is very interesting. The names of these children are similar to the names of the descendants of Noah: Jockshan is like Joktan, a descendent of Shem, who bore many children including Sheba. And Sheba is a common name. For example, Ra'amah, a descendent of Ham, begot Sheba and Dedan--as Jokshan, the son of Keturah, also begot a Sheba and Dedan. And the children of Dedan: Ashurim, Letushim, and Leummin, correspond with Ashur, the son of Shem, and nations of their own. In fact, the descendants of Noah are the founders of nations, and the descendants of Keturah either joined the nations of their names or formed their own nations by their names, just as the descendants of Hagar, the children of Abraham, became nations; as it says..."These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their open cities and by their strongholds, twelve chieftains for their nations." (Genesis 25:16).

When it says, "Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. But to the concubine-children who were Abraham's, Abraham gave gifts...," this means Isaac inherited all of Abraham's possessions and all that was Promised to him, but Abraham had given gifts to his other children. These "gifts" can be material possessions, but they can also be gifts of wisdom, character, and knowledge--as these are the best gifts that fathers pass down to their children. I understand this to mean that Abraham raised his children with wisdom and taught them knowledge, giving them the gifts of abilities, and thus preparing them for their journey eastwards. It is of no coincidence that the descendants of Keturah bear a resemblance to the names of the eastern gods, for it is reasonable to think they had an influence upon the eastern peoples. And thus I include the eastern religions along with other Abrahamic religions--for these are the descendants of Abraham, as they are the products of his children.

I use the title Buddhism only as a label for the eastern religions, for all the eastern religions are the same to me, just as all the religions are the same to me. They are all from Abraham, and although they are much better than the religions before Abraham, they are all the same in that they were all sent away from Isaac, from the inheritance of Israel, they all drifted away from the ways of Abraham, and even Israel has departed from its ground and removed itself from G-d. Out of Abraham came the three major types of religions, and after these, Israel has followed. Yet there are some aspects of the eastern religions that are commendable, just as each religion has retained some aspect of value, making use of the gifts of Abraham.

The eastern societies have made good use of their religions, as is apparent by their fertility and their success in numbers. It might be that they are so numerous only because they dwell upon such fertile land, however it seems this fact owes itself in part to the religions and thus the culture of the eastern peoples, for they place great emphasis upon the importance of the spirit and upon living a peaceful and spiritual life, in balance with the world and with one another. It's true that ideals are not always the reality, and the eastern peoples have experienced war and injustice, as have any other, but for the most part their societies have been ordered and their people have lived respectably--more so than others. On the flip side of this, you can say the eastern societies have been too ordered, and the people have been like slaves following the orders of their masters. Yet it has been this way everywhere, while most societies have not achieved what the eastern peoples have in the past two thousand years, except for the success the western world can claim today. Even then, the western world has not succeeded based upon its religion, nor has islam done well for its people, although both are built upon admirable ideals. For it is only by reason that people have succeeded and done well for themselves, doing good for their neighbors.

It is for this reason that I do not speak harshly against the eastern religions, for they have done relatively well, although they are idolaters and do not know G-d. For even though they bow down to dust, they do not live as dust, since they base themselves upon their spirits and have an awareness of life and reason. The Asian people are simple people, and most of them live simple lives, yet they are unique because within simplicity many of them have found the Value of life.

However, the eastern peoples have a rather unstable order, for they base their thoughts upon dust. On numerous occasions, they have easily stumbled into corruption and been led into injustice, because they do not know G-d and they lack the Order of His Laws. But this is the problem of all the religions, and the eastern peoples are not unique in this issue. By rejecting G-d and not knowing and upholding His Laws, people become the victims of confusion and instability--as they confuse the knowledge of good and bad, deceiving themselves based upon their thoughts, and debasing themselves according to the desires of their hearts.