“We have put all our energy in the inner field, in the inner science.”

We have put all our energy in the inner field, in the inner science. So I don’t think all our problems are because of our tradition. All our problems are because we did not keep our tradition alive. Whatever problems we are facing is not because of our tradition, because we did not keep it alive. We have missed. Wherever we missed, that’s where we have problem. So I don’t...I am not able to understand or accept that West has excelled in some field and we have not excelled, we have been lazy or something like that. No! I don’t feel. Maybe the reproduction technology was lost, something like that somewhere would have happened. Otherwise...yes, please…

Q: It is very fact that we directed all our attention only to our inner development. That itself is a major defect. Only because of this, we could not develop science and technology. Because of that we got subjugated by foreigners for thousands of years. So, is that not a major defect?

Swamiji: May be, maybe you can say it as a defect, you can say it as a defect. I can say one thing. Each society was created to contribute something to the planet earth, to the whole civilisation. Each society created, was created, built...you see, it is like a... you have become an income tax officer. Can you say you did not become a doctor is your defect? You did not become doctor is your defect? You have only that much of energy. You put on that department and you excelled. So human beings had only that much of energy and they put the whole thing on that department. So I cannot say they did not put their energy in the other department is their defect.

Each civilisation evolved to contribute something to the whole humanity. So we evolved but we don’t have to criticize ourself, we don’t have to say we have done some big mistake or major default. Let us contribute this to the world. And I am not saying let us not learn the science and technology from the other side. Let us learn science and technology from the other side. Let us have confidence about what we have. We do have something to contribute to them. Let us learn the technology and science from them, nothing wrong but we don’t have to learn their lifestyle. We don’t have to learn their mental setup. We don’t have to learn their mental set up.

One more thing, you see, about depression, when I spoke, sir, you said that 90% of us are in depression, all those things. If you see the family values or the lifestyle, 49% of Americans die without having a friend or a close family person to receive their body. Can you...surely we can’t say. At least 90% of us die, even if we die in platform, we have family and friends to be around, 90%. So the family...you see, law can force people, law can give divorce but law can’t make the people to live together. Only values can make people to live together. Surely we have something to contribute. Surely we have something. You see, just like this one thing. Each civilisation has energy only to excel in one department, one field. We have excelled in this department. So I am saying. That’s the thing I am expressing. I am not against the science or technology. If science and technology is not there, this mike won’t work. You understand? I am not against that but we don’t have to pick up along with the science and technology, their lifestyle or the ideas and we don’t have to feel guilty that we have not done something.

‘We are subjugated’ and all those things what you are saying is right but when I see, look little deep with sympathy towards our ancestors and our tradition and our country, whenever a civilisation evolves beyond certain limit, it becomes gentle and mature, not weak. Maybe last few hundred years, that gentleness is not reproduced, so we become weak. But the original civilisation which did not fight, may be five hundred years ago, the original vedic civilisation was not weak. I can only say the tremendous gentleness which comes out of the maturity and understanding about the world, I feel that was there. I feel that was apart from all these things.

I have personally experienced Bharat. Sir, nine years I have lived by begging and sleeping in the streets, living, wandering the length and breadth of Bharat I wandered. Something like at least two-three thousand villages I have personally visited and slept in the villages. Every time I go out of Bharat and come back, I feel this soil is again and again the land to live. Any other country is a...you can have visa but not green card. This is the place. So you see, one more thing, you can again say it is self confidence, self confidence or nostalgic memory, loving what you know, all these things you can again say. I don’t have justifications but I can say, anybody who goes little deeper inside and creates a kind of an intense personality, you see, around the world I have seen different kinds of personalities. I have done lot of these studies also like telling people to pen down whatever goes on in the mind without editing. This is like a photograph of your mind, photograph of your inner chattering. I have thoroughly studied.

Let Me be honest. I really, honestly share this truth with you. When I study those thoughts, there will be some thoughts self depressing, there will be some thoughts self healing. Self depressing means, it’s like a ...the thoughts which comes and puts you in difficulty. It’s like a..you will be...you will feel like you are being suffocated or hitting the wall-that kind of thoughts, which completely creates boundary or bondage for you. Self healing means, ‘Ah! it’s okay, life is like this only. Whole life is illusion. What is there? Let us live’ means, the thoughts which again gives you inspiration, excitement, intensity to stand up to live. If I see the number of self depressing thoughts and self healing thoughts, I am really honest, the people who are born and brought up with our traditional background, 70% of their thoughts are self healing which you repeat by yourself.

You can see, any Bharatn who is read Ramayan and Mahabharat and this kind of traditional things or little spirituality, even if he is depressed, next time, ‘Ah! Life is like this only. Everything is illusion, what is there? Even if I create everything, one day I am going to leave and die.’ Like this kind of self healing thoughts. So the number of self healing thoughts is more in the software of the traditional mind. See, mind is like a software, the inner software. The traditional inner software, the spiritual inner software has more possibility for self healing. Standing up again than the western mental set up, surely we do have something, we also have done something good job and we have something to appreciate in our tradition. We don’t have to bother, we don’t have to abuse ourself just because we did not create science and technology. See, it is like a, only in one field you can put your energy, you understand? Only In one field you can put your attention. So, they did that; we did this. Let us share and create a total human being. That’s all! But we are not doing that. We lose our confidence in many times.

Q: (not clear)

Swamiji: See, not having Guru is...I don’t think it is a big obstacle because now-a-days, the Guru is replaced. In those days, it was like a ...there is no way to hear this truth and experience this truth without the direct living Master. Now-a-days, you don’t need a direct living master. Maybe in very evolved level, you may need a living Master to do energy work. In the initial level, for a initial introduction and growth and all those things, the material available is more than enough. Books and cassettes and all those things can really guide and inspire you. That’s more than enough. I don’t think that can be the reason. Maybe the lack of need. You may not really need Enlightenment so badly. See, the urge should become urgent; the question should become quest. So that is the thing. You see, sometime really it becomes like a fantasy. Not having spiritual...if you are not a seeker, you are not up to date. Seeking also becomes a fashion. So, if it is really depth, then you see, if it is real seeking, intense seeking, that very suffering will take care of everything. That very urge is powerful enough to lead, nothing else is required.

Q: (not clear)

Swamiji: You don’t have to intensify the urge and all, Ma. Just look around and suffer in your life, that will take care. You see, you understand. Either learn from the Master or life will teach you, that’s all. You don’t have to intensify and all. You don’t have to struggle to intensify all those things.