The compassion and grace of God know no bounds. In some passages from scripture, the extent of God's saving work is predicted eventually to embrace all humankind. Thus does the Divine Parent's heart yearn for all His children. In Buddhist terms, the essential purpose of absolute Truth is to liberate all sentient beings, and Mahayana Buddhist scriptures express the universality of grace in the vow of the Buddha Amitabha. His vow is similar to the Bodhisattva Vow to save all beings, and in popular Buddhism the great Bodhisattvas who attend the Buddha are revered as manifesting gracious aspects of Ultimate Reality.
Universal salvation is compatible with the belief that there is only one valid and true religion.
For those who believe in one religion as the only way, the divine mandate to save all humankind is a powerful impetus to missionary activity. We conclude with several passages which offer salvation to souls in hell. If salvation is to be available universally, to every soul who has ever lived regardless of his or her earthly life, the doctrine may appear at odds with beliefs about hell and the Last Judgment. Compassion and justice must go together. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism reconcile these aspects of Ultimate Reality by regarding all states of hell as purgatories, designed to mete out punishments for a limited period of time, that evil karma might be burned up and the soul have a future opportunity to find the Path.