Sit Under The Tree

I think it is not so simple. It is not so much that one must identify with their personal traditions in order to be more connected to the universal. It greatly depends upon what one has learned from one's tradition. If the lessons have been about the universality at the heart of all traditions, then great. If not, the particular becomes a crutch for holding up a weak ego, often in today's world with the expectation that others must validate one's identity. With the intention to learn the deepest lessons that most traditions have at their heart, then maybe one can find the joy in one's own tradition, as well as the joy in others' traditions, for the shared connections through compassion, kindness and generosity.