11 September 2002 Press Conference Highlights
Opening Remarks
Maharishi: ‘Jai Guru Dev. It's a joy to greet the world press. The importance of our message has been summarised by Dr Hagelin. As a great scientist of this generation, he sees the possibility for a problem-free world, and a happy world society in every nation.
‘So it will be a joy to see if there are questions, because my message has been very beautifully announced by Dr Hagelin so the thoughts are the same, and we'll be dwelling on different aspects of the message through the questions. So we'll take the questions straight away.’
Dr Michael Dillbeck introduces Dr Robert Wynne, Mayor of Maharishi Vedic City, and Dr Ashley Deans, Director of Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield, Iowa, who are also attending in the press conference. Dr Dillbeck then presents the questions to Maharishi from world press.
Question: On the Significance of a Terrorist Event
Dr Dillbeck: ‘The first question, Maharishi: “One year ago today, September 11th, were the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Even today the government announced a state of alert for possible terrorist action, indicating the continuing vulnerability of the nation. What would you like to say to the American people and the world family about the significance of the terrorist event one year ago and about preventing similar calamities in the future?’
Maharishi: ‘I welcome the citizens of America to completely stop such things, terrorism and violence, forever through my programme of creating a very powerful influence of coherence in the world consciousness. If the people of US come with me, if the government of US comes with me, if any government comes with me, it will be a joy to create a very powerful group to create coherence in world consciousness and forever these negative events will never sprout.
‘The only way to eliminate all these unfortunate events in the world is to prevent them; and for prevention we use the light to prevent darkness. It is no use fighting the darkness. Darkness will never be won over by fighting the darkness. Terrorism will never come to an end through the act of terrorism, through the act of destroying the culprits, destroying the terrorists. No, no.
‘Prevent terrorism by creating a very strong influence of coherence in the world consciousness. My programme is to create a group of 40,000 coherence-creating Vedic Pandits in India who will do Yagya, Vedic performances, and Yogic Flying. It has been proved through hundreds of scientific researches that groups of Yogic Flyers create that much needed coherence in the collective consciousness so that the negativity will not sprout.
‘It is a very proven formula. It is a very ancient formula. It is as ancient as it is modern, and it is as modern as ancient. The formula is that if a big torchlight is created, it will radiate light for miles together. Like that, [we need] a group in the world, a group with the coherence-creating influence of harmony in world consciousness. We must create a worldwide influence—and a worldwide influence of coherence can be generated reliably, in a permanent manner, by a group of 40,000 people, as I said.
‘It needs only about a $l billion endowment fund. I have been asking the people to organize for such a thing. This is the only way—the only way—terrorism or all these negative trends will stop sprouting.
‘Otherwise there have been efforts to punish the offender, or to punish the criminal, but crime has never been arrested by all these different laws of the nation to punish and to destroy the criminals. No. No. Prevention is the word to stop crime. Prevention is the word for stopping crime.
‘And a group like that in India with, with their Vedic performances of Yagyas and Graha Shantis is the solution we are working towards, and any help in this regard will be gratefully appreciated.’
Question: On What Lesson People Should Take from Terrorist Attacks
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This is a related question, Maharishi, because there are many on this topic. From Mr Jose Contreras from the 20 Minutes, a newspaper in Madrid—he is the managing editor there: “Dear Maharishi, the anniversary of the terrorist attacks stirs deep feelings in people everywhere. Here in Madrid and throughout Spain we look at this event with great sorrow, but are confused about what lesson we should take from it. How do you think that people should look at this event?”’
Maharishi: ‘The solution is there. The solution is there. From the day this happened last year in New York, I have been informing all the world press, all the time, that the way to handle this is through prevention measures. And for prevention measures: the example is bring the light, darkness will keep away. Create coherence and negative trends, negative events, will not sprout.
‘Otherwise talking about it or celebrating something—this is not the way to eliminate the thing. One could feel sorry and continue to feel sorry year after year, but what is the use of creating a series of sorrows for all times. Prevent it. You can prevent it today.
‘And the only effective means will be to create a big group, and some small groups here and there, to create coherence. This is the only way. Feeling sorry about it and writing great articles or great speeches, like that, nothing is going to work, except it spreads more sorrow, and more ugly feelings, more negative feelings. If you want to stop it, you can stop it.
‘Come with me and we will create this coherence-creating group and it will be stopped. Otherwise hold on to conferences and condemnation of terrorism and all that, it doesn't mean a thing in the practical world.’
Question: On God's Plan
Dr Dillbeck: ‘Maharishi, [there is] a question from a reporter from KCSB FM radio in the United States referring again to these events of a year ago: “How are these actions part of God's plan? Or if they are not a part of God's plan, then what would they be?”’
Maharishi: ‘They are, exactly. Everything in creation is within God’s plan. As you sow, so shall you reap. If terrorism is in the world, it’s because there is terrorism in the world. “As you sow”: this is the justice of God.
‘If you don’t light the lamp, you remain in darkness. You are free to light the lamp and free to drive away the darkness. “As you sow so shall you reap”—that’s all.’
Question: On the World's Progress Towards Peace
Dr Dillbeck: ‘Maharishi, this question is from an Associated Press reporter: “Has the world made any progress towards peace since that time one year ago?”’
Maharishi: ‘Very little, very little. I raised the voice of prevention, but the response was almost nil. But on my own, I am trying to create that thing, because I believe in bringing the light to eliminate darkness. Those who believe in fighting the darkness, they may fight the darkness.
‘I believe in bringing the light. I believe in creating coherence in order to stop the tradition of these negative trends and events in the world.
‘I invite them, those who want to enjoy life peacefully, take my programme. This is the programme of knowledge, knowledge of Natural Law. All these Yogic Flyers have been in the world for the last 30 or 40 years now. It’s nothing new, but those who don’t want it, they have to suffer like that.’
Question: On the Importance of a Group of Vedic Pandits in the Brahmasthan of India
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question, Maharishi, is from a journalist in Germany: “Maharishi, we understand that you are amassing a very large group of Yogic Flying Vedic Pandits in the centre of India, which you have called the Brahmasthan of the country, and said that it is important. Can you explain more about the importance not only of this group, but the Brahmasthan of the country as a source of creating coherence and peace?”’
Maharishi: ‘According to Vedic Literature, the national administration should be in the centre of the country. It is a universal formula—centre of the country, which is the Brahmasthan. The total value of the country can be influenced from the centre of the country. Therefore, the Vedic theme of establishing the administration of the country is that the capital should be in the Brahmasthan.
‘Now all that we are putting up is in terms of Natural Law; we take to this formula from the ancient Vedic Literature, and there in the centre of India, we want to create those groups of Yogic Flyers.
‘Anything we know of Natural Law, we want to implement it. The knowledge is there, and if it is properly instituted, the result will be as has been proclaimed. The result will be from the centre of the country. An even influence will be radiated in all directions, and the country will always enjoy proper support of the administration—that is why the centre of India.
‘And it needs just a few thousand—30 or 40,000 people is not much, not many people in the midst of six, seven billion people of the world’s population. So only a small, small group. This I call a small group, 30-40,000 people, a small group—only they have to be properly [housed] with their own sanctity of living, and all that. That we have to provide, and the whole world will be the beneficiary of this thing.
‘Those who think that punishing the criminal will put an end to crime, they punish the criminal and see if the crime can be eliminated in the world. But the history of the world has been tradition of crime generation after generation. Punishments have been there in every country.
‘Anyone who disturbs somebody else is put to jail, and all that. So putting the criminals to punishment has been there in administration in every country for ages past, but crime has not been arrested. Even today, those who want to do that thing, fine; kill the criminals, kill the criminals. See what happens tomorrow, next day, next day, next day.
‘We have a formula in terms of knowledge of Natural Law, so we are instituting our knowledge. Those who can make arms, they think that killing the people, wrong people, should be punished and all that. Let them try out their formulas; let them punish, let them destroy. But the fact is destruction will lead to destruction, and killing is always sin.
‘Fine, you want to kill, you can kill. But then the effect of sin will always be—everyone knows what is the effect of doing sin.
‘Our programme is: create coherence in the world consciousness and thereby have an enlightened world psychology, so that the people will not do wrong to other people. This is philosophy of prevention. Those who would like this will come with me, and this, even a small number is good enough. Even a small number will be good enough.
‘I make an appeal to the press people everywhere, they should do everything to inspire the people to follow this philosophy and this practical programme to create coherence in the world consciousness: create Yogic Flyers. Create people who practise Transcendental Meditation and the Advanced Techniques and the Yogic Flying, and the world will be a peaceful world—that’s all.’
Question: On Creating a Better World
Dr Dillbeck: ‘Maharishi, the next question: “Maharishi has recently emphasized that despite the tendency by governments to use destructive approaches to solve problems, that you will create a peaceful world. It seems that the conflicts in some sense are more regional, yet potentially global in their influence; that the balance of power is now spread more widely among nations, and the ability to destroy is within the reach of every nation. At the same time, it seems that we are living in a better world, which can be attributed to Maharishi’s programmes throughout the past 50 years. Will Maharishi please comment on this paradox? How is it, and how can we be sure that we will eliminate problems and suffering in this age?”’
Maharishi: ‘What is in our favour is the nature of life everywhere. Wherever a man is, he would like to be happy, peaceful, affluent. A man would like to be evolving for more and more and more.
‘This nature of life will help the people in order to have that influence created in the world. And the world is going to be a better world because it is in the nature of life not to want to go the other way. Nobody wants to suffer. Nobody wants to suffer.
‘But there have been people, and there will be people to do crime, and to punish others, and to destroy others, to create fear everywhere, like that. There will be ignorant people who will be creating arms and sell the arms in order to make their economy better. They'll open factories to create arms. They'll spread their agents to sell the arms to the people and all that.
‘So the people will have their choice. Those who want to fight and die—fine—they'll fight and die. They have been fighting and dying all the time; they will continue to do so, those who would like.
‘But there will be some people, even a small number of people who will participate in this programme, and they will automatically create a very peaceful atmosphere in the world, a peaceful atmosphere. Those who would like to destroy, they like to destroy, they destroy.’
Question: On How to Foster a Needed Shift in Intellectual Understanding
Dr Dillbeck: ‘Maharishi, this question is from New York: “For hundreds of years now, the intellectual understanding has been that war and peace are issues of politics, economics, and international relations. Now Maharishi is pointing out that we also need to consider deep principles of science and spirituality. Physics is little understood by most people, while spirituality is considered the domain of religion about which people have different and sometimes divisive opinions. How can the press and others who are committed to establishing peace best help foster this needed shift in intellectual understanding?”’
Maharishi: ‘The thing is, it is the differences that make a world. A world of any time—a world of today, tomorrow, any time. The world is a composite of different values. Always there’ll be wrong people, there’ll be right people, there’ll be sinning people, there’ll be virtuous people. This is what the world will always be. Some people will always be like that. But those who light the lamp when the sun is gone, they live in light. Those who don’t light the lamp, they live in darkness, they manage somehow. They break their heads and knees and fall here and fall there.
‘It depends upon the level of intelligence, the level of intelligence. Some rash people: "I’ll kill you, I’ll do this." Fine, kill and be killed; what is there? Action and reaction they are equal, they say.
‘So those science or religion or economic or politics—the purpose of all these different values is a good life. Good life means life free from problems, life free from pains and sufferings, life free from fears, life free from negativity, free from problems.
‘Those who have short sightedness, they’ll say they'll do this and this happens. But the administration of a country has a long-range view of things, a long-range view of things.
‘From children to old age they have to organize this and this. It’s not a short thing. If the administration is given to rash people—rash—who don’t have much mind, just rash, rash, the nation will be destroyed, destroyed.
‘If it is destroyed today or tomorrow or any day, or any day, it will be destroyed. Because the destroyers have come to exist in a country, they’ll destroy the country. They'll destroy the country first; they’ll destroy the other countries also.
‘Destruction is a bad thing. It’s not good politics; it’s not good economics; it’s not good science; it’s not good anything. Everything is bad. A rash administrator makes furious, dirty proclamations: "I'll kill that, I'll destroy that."
‘The world has still to evolve to a better sense of politics, better sense of economy, better sense of religion, a better sense of life as a whole. But it all depends on who is organizing the country, organizing the country.
‘But solution is there, solution is there. Those who will go by this, they'll enjoy. Those who don’t go by it, they'll come to it after some suffering. They'll get a lesson from suffering and come back to it, because no one actually likes to be in a muddle. Everyone likes a clear, neat sense of life, like that, like that.’
Question: On Yogic Flying
Dr Dillbeck: ‘Maharishi, this [question] is from KSCB-FM Radio, again in Santa Barbara, California: “Thank you for asking my original question, and I have two follow-up questions. The first: Can you articulate the concept of Yogic Flying? What do Yogic Flyers do and how do they do it?”’
Maharishi: ‘The programme is to practise Transcendental Meditation and thereby minimize the activity of the mind, and have the mind on a very concentrated level in the Transcendental Consciousness. From there, they have the programme, they generate a formula—they generate a formula in that quiet consciousness—and the body lifts up.
‘So the phenomenon of flying is a mental phenomenon. It is seen in the body lifting up—leaving the ground and floating in the air. But the phenomenon is a mental phenomenon.
‘And it is such a relief of stress from the mind. It’s a big upsurge of peace, harmony, happiness in the practitioner, and that radiates from him in his environment and that purifies collective consciousness.
‘So Yogic Flying is a mental phenomenon based on the practice of Transcendental Meditation which four, five million, maybe six million by now in the whole world are practising—here, there, everywhere. In more than 100 countries, people are practising Transcendental Meditation. And all those who are practising, individually they are enjoying, and they are radiating their influence of harmony and inner peace and happiness. They radiate that influence.
‘It is from there that the concept has grown that if groups are organized like that, the whole world consciousness could be maintained on a very high level of coherence and then that will be the end of problems in the world. That is a wise way of permanently eliminating this negativity, terrorism, and conflict in the world.
‘Now patriotism has to grow to be more sensible to extend its territory of influence in the whole world. You kill a man—whether he is your brother, or whether he is your uncle, or whether he is a foreigner to you—you are killing life. And life is that precious cosmic structure and function, cosmic function, that belongs to the level of existence of the galactic universe.
‘So when you kill a person—whether he is your brother, or he is your neighbour, or he is some other nation’s citizen—you are killing the most precious creation of God. And what will be the consequence of your doing? You should know what is the consequence of your doing. You can do now today, but tomorrow, what will happen to you?’
Question: On the Process to Create Coherence
Dr Dillbeck: ‘The second follow-up question by the radio journalist, Maharishi, was asking: “How does meditation bring this light to society? What exactly is the process by which the thought process in a group creates coherence in the whole society?”’
Maharishi: ‘A stressed man will always have stressful speech, stressful thinking, stressful doing, and he will create a hell in the society. A man who is relaxed, who has no stress, no strain, will do the different kind of activity—pleasing, pleasant, helpful, peaceful, happy.
‘So it depends on how much a man is enveloped with stress, or how much he is free from stress. A man free from stress will not cause stress in the environment. A man full of stress will definitely cause stress in the environment. People practising Transcendental Meditation have less and less stresses in their physiology, in their psychology.
‘There are disintegrated people who have stresses. And their action and their speech and their movements, their behaviour will cause stress and strain in society. Those who practise meditation and Yogic Flying and all those things, and Vedic Pandits doing the Vedic Yagyas and all that, they generate a peaceful influence in their environment. This is how the programme has developed to eliminate negativity in the whole world consciousness. The collective consciousness of the world will be free from stress and strain.
‘You do it, do it today, today it can happen. You don’t do it for a century, and for a whole century you may be flying in flames for yourself and for others. But in this generation now, we are offering to the world safety from poison, safety from flames. Don’t go into flames.’
Question: On Bringing Different Cultures Together
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question, Maharishi is from a journalist at France Antilles, the major newspaper in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint Martin: “Today, on September 11th, the question arises: How is it possible to bring together the different cultures of the world to prevent terrorism and let them live peacefully together?”’
Maharishi: ‘You don’t have to bring the cultures of the world in one place. Just a few thousand people is good enough to maintain harmony in the world. To bring all the cultures in one place: that whole thought is a very wild kind of thinking. It has no substance in it.’
Question: On Wishful Thinking
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question, Maharishi, is from an Associated Press reporter: “Maharishi, you spoke about the power of the press having an intention to inspire people. You said with attention on reporting positive events, journalists shape the opinions and experiences of their readers and can change the course of world events. How are intention and attentions different than wishful thinking, or hoping, or just thinking positive thoughts that may not make any lasting effect on the state of the world today?”’
Maharishi: ‘Imagination will never do anything. Wishful thinking is a waste of life; it’s a waste of time. What we are talking is not wishful thinking, my dear press. . . .
‘This is not wishful thinking. This is positive action. Don’t tell me in the words of wishful thinking. Wishful thinking is the thinking of your country.
‘Associated Press I know, it is an American press. Wishful thinking belongs to this rash man, the President of USA, your country’s President. That is wishful thinking to eliminate crime by killing. Tell him this word “wishful thinking. Don’t tell me....
"I’m not talking wishful thinking. I am talking practical steps to create a peaceful world. Wishful thinking belongs to your President, who thinks he can be a saviour of the world by destroying the world. Tell him this is his wishful thinking.'
Question: On Advice for Heads of State
Dr Dillbeck: ‘Maharishi, this question comes from Ottawa, the capital of Canada: “Although Canada has cordial relations with the United States, a few days ago a poll found that 69% of Canadians believe that the US is partly responsible for the terrorist strikes, due to US foreign policy. In a meeting with President Bush yesterday, Canada's Prime Minister Chrétien, urged Mr. Bush to work through the world body and have an international coalition in order to resolve the US foreign policy complication with Iraq. What foreign policy advice do you have for Heads of State who are trying to maintain peace, but see that other nations may be stockpiling nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons?”’
Maharishi: ‘To create world peace through weapons is a wishful thinking. It will never achieve that thing. . . . All this fuss about the United Nations and all, the whole thing I found to be a fraud. . . . . It’s a very bad state of affairs. It’s very bad. Where these sinful acts of USA will lead the citizens of USA? They should find out where they are going to end up their lives, their future.
‘Conferences are not going to create world peace. The history of the United Nations, a complete failure—as the history of this League of Nations, a complete failure. Who bothers today about the opinion of the United Nations? It’s in a very bad kind of state.
‘The only successful way is my way of eliminating the basis of this terrorism, the basis of conflict, the basis of negativity. The only way is this.
‘Weapons from Britain, weapons from Germany and USA given to both parties; weapons sold to both parties. Where will this act take these citizens of USA and Britain and Germany? Where they will go? God will have to create a bigger hell to accommodate this whole population.
‘. . . . [Microphone is interupted] [It’s not] patriotic to the policy of USA, and this England and Germany, supporting weapons, selling arms, and maintaining their livelihood by selling arms. Where will life in these countries go?’
Question: On Democracy
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question, Maharishi, is from San Francisco, California: “Maharishi, you have expressed your dissatisfaction with democracy, and said that it creates warring parties that weaken the administration of society. History has also shown faults with other forms of government as well. Why is it that democracy should be singled out as a bad form of government?”’
Maharishi: ‘Because we see since [there has been] democracy, every country has been divided into three, four, five, ten parties. Cultural values have been crushed. Traditional dignity has been completely broken in every country. How can one support such a democratic system? How can one support? Has democracy created an ideal nation anywhere? No. Has sovereignty created any ideal nation anywhere? No. None of the systems have created, because nations are being governed by man-made constitutions.
‘Man-made constitutions are not completely reliable. They are with human failings, human problems, and therefore as long as—take notice of my words—as long as human constitutions will administer the nations, nations will always be chaotic, full of fears, full of crime, full of damages, full of sorrows and sickness and suffering.
‘I am establishing administration based on Natural Law—Natural Law that governs the universe with perfect order. That Constitution of the Universe—that Constitution of the Universe has to govern life everywhere, and then there will be order as order is forever maintained in the administration of the universe.
‘Take it today; leave it for tomorrow, and tomorrow may never come. Only the Constitution of Natural Law, which governs the infinite diversity of the universe with perfect order, will be creating an ideal administration in any country, in any country in the world. Otherwise human civilization is barbarism.’
Question: On What Will Determine a Less Violent
Resolution of a Crisis
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question, Maharishi, is from Minneapolis, Minnesota: “The state of mind of the people of America is now in a very delicate balance between, on the one side, increasing fear of Saddam Hussein and therefore approval of the thought of military intervention in Iraq, and on the other side, disapproval of further violence to Iraq and its citizens, and therefore disapproval of military intervention in Iraq. From your perspective, what is the underlying factor that will determine whether the US moves toward war or moves toward less violent and destructive resolution of this crisis?”’
Maharishi: ‘The group that I want to create—the group of coherence-creating people—that will change the mind of the world. The world consciousness has to be transformed into peaceful character, and that my formula will do. There is no other way.
‘The other way is destruction; and destruction after destruction, and destruction after destruction, and destruction after destruction. . . .
‘Wisdom will always be wisdom; stupidity will always be stupidity. Sin will always be sin; virtue will always be virtue.’
Question: On Heaven on Earth
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question, Maharishi, is from the journalist of the Ottumwa Courier: “Maharishi, it seems that the forces of darkness and light battle eternally in the world, and neither one wins in the world all the time. If it’s God’s will for man to live his full potential and live Heaven on Earth, why doesn’t light triumph once and for all?”
Maharishi: ‘It will happen if it will happen. It will happen. Once and for all the world will be under the light of Natural Law. That’s what we want to create. That’s what we want to create. It is not [based] on gossips that we are spending our time. It is on something realistic, something realistic.’
Question: On Source of Maharishi's Vedic Health Approach
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question, Maharishi, is from the editor of the health magazine, Herba Vita, in Yugoslavia: “What is the origin of Veda, and specifically, where does Ayur-Veda and Maharishi's Vedic Health approach come from?”’
Maharishi: ‘The Vedic health approach comes from Veda. Veda is Total Knowledge, and Total Knowledge has a record: it’s a script, there’s a tradition, oral tradition that is maintained from father to son. And that is the oral record of the laws of nature, Veda.
‘The Vedic Tradition of Masters preserves it, and they have this kind of perpetual harmony based on the administration of Natural Law, which we want to institute in our world, seeing that the world is suffering, and seeing that the world does not have to suffer because the nature of life is bliss.
‘We are promoting Vedic Education for full development of the brain physiology of every individual, so that he may enjoy what life really is. Life of the individual is really cosmic. Life of the individual is cosmic. Consciousness is the instrument which creates and administers and evolves everything of the physical world.
‘So in this scientific age, those who don’t know science, they are rash people: "I’ll kill this." It is such a hideous kind of thing, we don’t want to spend much time on all this, expressing our dissatisfaction in this state. But the future of the world, through our knowledge of Natural Law, through our programme of creating coherence in the world consciousness, the world can be better.
‘If people take it, it will be better today, tomorrow, in this lifetime. If they don’t take it, they will continue to suffer; there'll be invaders after invaders, generations after generations. . . . . So this will continue, this will continue.
‘But we are alert. We are like those who know how to fit the bulb in a dark room. We'll be providing bulbs here, there, everywhere. Everywhere. Those who will take, those who will take us to light their house, they will live in light. That is all right.
‘Inform the people that the world is bigger than what they live in. The world is much bigger world than what they live in. . . . Don’t waste time on these very dirty fields of operations. Go for something higher, and more laudable fields of performances. Sing the glory of God!’
Question: On What is Meant by Inner Intelligence
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This follow-up question is from the same journalist, Maharishi: “It has been said that the programmes of Maharishi's Vedic health approach ‘awaken the inner intelligence of the human physiology’. What is meant by ‘inner intelligence’, and how is this achieved?”’
Maharishi: ‘Transcendental Meditation just enlivens the inner intelligence so that a man, whatever his outer intelligence—outer intelligence means what he sees through the eyes, through the nose, all these senses of perception, giving him this experience, this experience. When he is stressed, then he doesn’t see things properly; he doesn’t interpret things properly under stress and strain.
‘Through Transcendental Meditation, the stresses dissolve, and he is a better man next time. So there are ways of living. Those who know better ways of living, higher ways of living, they take to Transcendental Meditation. Those who don’t know, they just gossip around and make themselves fall into stress and strain and all that, all that. They are a problem to others.
‘The administration of any country should be a matter of expert intelligence, and it should not be given over to popular vote. Votes can be manipulated. But higher intelligence should rule the world, and the rule will be more successful. It will prevent the problems; it will not create enemies. It will create friends. It will radiate love, rather than radiate destruction.’
Question: On Government
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This is a question, Maharishi, from Providence, Rhode Island. It says: “In the past few years, our city and state have seen much political turbulence and upheaval. Rhode Island has many good qualities, but has often been perceived, both by its citizens and by those outside, as being rife with political corruption. However, in recent times, such wrong-doing doesn't seem to remain hidden or tolerated very long—it comes to light quickly, and those responsible are swiftly brought to justice. How would a Peace Palace and group of one or two hundred Yogic Flyers in Providence influence this positive direction for change? Would it offer hope to the people for more integrity and trust in the government?”’
Maharishi: ‘It’s not people’s trust in the government that will help. If the government is sincere, simple, successful, a government with preventive ability for problems, that will help. . . . It’s very dirty for any nation to invade any other nation.’
Question: On Eliminating Crime
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question a journalist asks, Maharishi: “Is it possible to have absolutely no crime in society at all, considering that the destructive actions of the citizens may return to them in the form of various crimes?”’
Maharishi: ‘It’s completely possible that people don’t do wrong things. It only depends on how strong these groups we can make in our lifetime. If really 40,000 Pandits can be created very quickly, the world can have a society completely free from wrong things. Why not? If the powerhouse is there, you have only to bring light to your house and every corner of your house must be lit up brightly.
‘Why not? It’s completely within our reach today with this Vedic knowledge, with our programme for creating these lighthouses of peace everywhere throughout—a hundred, two hundred people in each Peace Palace, along with one big powerhouse of peace in the world, these Vedic Pandits. Whether people know or not, the world can be created on a very high level of peace, prosperity, and fulfilment. It is possible to do so, possible to do so.’
Question: On Poverty Removal and Native Americans
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question is from North Dakota in the United States: “In our part of the United States, it is already quite peaceful. We do not have the common problems of violent crime that plague states with large cities, but the problems we feel are primarily associated with poverty, especially for our Native American population. Is it actually possible to restore the mental and physical and emotional wellbeing of the native people?”’
Maharishi: ‘I have heard the laws in America are more favourable to help these reservations. The laws in America are very helpful to do it. Only they [Native Americans] are being introduced into wrong and low habits of not doing right things. That is a different thing.
‘But laws in the countries are favourable, economically favourable. We have been asking some of these tribal chiefs there to improve their economy because the country’s laws are favourable to support them. Maybe some day they will rise to the responsibility and become more peaceful, more happy, more prosperous, economically better countries.
‘We have these poverty removal programmes from this organic agriculture. That is a different aspect of our undertaking. Because it was thought that as long as poverty remains in the world, world peace could always remain fragile. There can’t be peace in poverty.
‘Therefore, we are out for world peace through creating these harmony-creating groups in different parts of the world and one big group in India. Then, this poverty removal thing through agriculture is a part of our programme.’
Question: On Police and Military
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question, Maharishi, is: “You have said that raising the society's consciousness is the only answer to the problems of war, violence, and crime. Does this mean that police and the military will no longer be needed when you have your meditation groups established? Or do you mean to say that society just shouldn't count on the military and police to solve the problems of violence and crime?”’
Maharishi: ‘The police and military are not the answer to eliminate crime. No, no. They should be there as a showpiece kind of thing, because it's a part of the administration, they should be there. But to punish, and to kill the enemy, that’s not the way.
‘Prevent the birth of an enemy, prevent the birth of crime: this should be the part of police and military. That the military practises Yogic Flying; the police practises Yogic Flying; and then wherever they’ll be, they'll be radiating that harmony and peace.
‘Because wherever a policeman is now, he creates fear in the people. Where there are police, they create fear in the children who run away, like that, like that. But the police and military may be there, but they should have a peace-creating technology as their professional performance. Morning and evening for two, three hours, they create harmonious atmosphere and this should be their duty.
‘The whole thing is very bright for the future of the world; the whole thing is very bright. It’s completely within our reach; it's completely within our reach.
‘And soon the time may come when the press will not have to report ugly things, dirty things, sinful things. The writers will not have to write from their pens all these wrong things, wrong reports. Good time—we can proclaim for the world a good time, based on all the success that we have had all these years.’
Question: On the Press and News
Dr Dillbeck: ‘This question, Maharishi, is from Massachusetts: “In several of your previous news conferences, you have spoken about the responsibility of the media to consider the impact of their reporting on the minds and emotions of their readers. Would you advise that the citizens, the readers, should avoid negative news reports, even if the result was that they are less informed as citizens?’
Maharishi: ‘There is so much good also happening in the world. And I think good intelligent readers, fortunate readers, may be reading only good reports.
‘Ugly thing—that’s not right for the writer to put out something which will create agitation in the minds of the people, frustration, fear and all that. So it’s the responsibility of the press to be kind on the readers.’
Question: On Why People Create Obstacles in Their Lives
Dr Dillbeck: ‘A reporter asks, Maharishi: “If life is bliss as you've said, and it's natural for people to go towards increasing happiness, then why do people create obstacles in their lives?”’
Maharishi: ‘Lack of proper education. Lack of proper education. Everything depends on education, and in education the main thing is intelligence or consciousness. Physiology is one thing, but it is the intelligence that drives the physiology. So education should be on the driver—the intelligence or consciousness that governs the physiology.
‘Education throughout the world, all this university education, it’s more geared to bring the knowledge of physical sciences, physical sciences. The emphasis should be on that element which drives the physical.
‘It is the hand that slaps a man, but it is mind that raises the hand and slaps him. So the education should be to regulate the mind, to culture the mind. For that we have to train the whole brain physiology to act in a way that the consciousness or intelligence is a higher level of intelligence, not a low level of intelligence. So it is the education which is not good today.
‘That’s why Vedic Education. “Vedic Education” means “education of Veda”. “Veda” means “Total Knowledge”—education of total, practical knowledge. So the education lacks intelligence. Education lacks intelligence. Intelligence has to be the driving force of education.
‘In the same way, Vedic Health Care—all these great laws to prevent, to take care of health, but the health is going down the drain all the time, all the time. [There should be] Vedic Health Care, Vedic Agriculture, Vedic Defence—Vedic Defence means prevent the birth of an enemy. Prevent the birth of an enemy. It's being kind to the people; it’s being kind to the people.
‘I think we are satisfied with the application of knowledge that we have of Natural Law, Total Natural Law. Total Knowledge is in the Vedic Literature and in the programmes of education, of health. All this is going to be transforming the quality of life in every part of the world, based on the influence that one big group and several small groups throughout the world will generate. With this life on earth will be a happy life, a peaceful life.
‘So thank the press and we'll meet next week. Jai Guru Dev.’
