NEW THIS WEEK: Maharishi Speaks to the Global Press: Autumn 2002

In July 2002, Maharishi began addressing the world press in a series of weekly Global News Conferences. Following are excerpts from the September 11 and September 18 conferences.

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We Are One at Our Source

Question from a TV reporter in Maryland: “Maharishi, wise people everywhere know that ‘As you sow so shall you reap.’ And mystics are fond of saying that we are all one.

“If there is literal truth to these sayings, then whatever you do to another person you must be doing to yourself. Therefore, as you have said, violence has no value to solve problems.

“My question is, how literally can we take these sayings that we are all one? We seem to be separate, but is there some higher reality that we are not perceiving? Are we like individual cells in one body?”

Maharishi: “Exactly like that. I think your inference is grand. All are one. The example will be of a tree—so many thousand leaves, thousand branches, thousand flowers, fruits and all. They are all different on one level—they are one on another level. They are one on the level of the sap—they are different on the level of the expressions of the sap.

“All are one on the level of consciousness, intelligence. The Will of God, we say—all are one on that level—and all are different on the level of their own actions, individual actions. So we are all one, and we are also different.

“As different ones—‘As you sow so shall you reap.’ And as one—we are from one family. God, the Merciful Father, one great grand Father for all the children. So we are one, we are different—both are realities. And everyone is behaving on the level of his own consciousness.

“That is why we advise the people to practice Transcendental Meditation and experience that Transcendental Consciousness which is one level of reality inside everyone’s physiology, inside everyone’s mind, inside everyone’s intellect. It is the Self of everyone, which is one.

“Man is made in the image of God. All this supreme intelligence is there to guide a man to his supreme level of reality. That is the teaching of every religion. That is aimed at by every system of administration in the world.

“To develop that consciousness is the goal of all education. All social values lead everyone to that grand family behavior. ‘The world is my family; the nation is my family.’ Like that, all these good things are known to all the people.

“Basically all people are religious people, but circumstantially they are led to some wrong things here and there, for which they have to share the responsibility. ‘As you sow so shall you reap’—there is no hiding behind the curtain in this case. We all want to be very good for ourself, for our friends, for our family, for our nation, for our world.

“We are going to create these peace-creating groups everywhere. We are inviting the people to join a few minutes every day—half-an-hour, one hour every day—they should practice Transcendental Meditation, and then very naturally they will radiate that harmony which will be positive for everyone.

“We want to create a very strong positive influence in our world consciousness, contributed to by everyone, everyone, everyone. And then we’ll have a very beautiful world family in all good harmony, lasting peace, affluence, fulfillment of everyone’s desires, help thy neighbor—all those beautiful things will become the natural practice of our daily life.”

Wishful Thinking vs. Practical Steps for Peace

Question from an Associated Press reporter: “Maharishi, you spoke about the power of the press having an intention to inspire people. You said that 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 attention different than wishful thinking, hoping or just thinking positive thoughts that don’t seem to make a 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 about is not wishful thinking, my dear press. Associated or disintegrated press, whosoever it may be. This is not wishful thinking. This is positive action.

“Don’t tell me the words ‘wishful thinking’. Wishful thinking is the thinking of your country. Associated Press, I know, is an American press. Wishful thinking belongs to this rash man, the president of USA, your country’s president. This is wishful thinking—to eliminate crime by killing.

“Tell him these words ‘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 savior of the world by destroying the world. Tell him this is his wishful thinking.”

Be On the Right Side of Life

Question from New Haven, Connecticut: “Can the peace loving, virtuous people in a country escape the negative destiny created by a rash, violence-promoting leader of the nation in which they live. Or does residing in a country establish a link to the bad actions of its leaders?”

Maharishi: “Leaders are the football of common destiny of the people. If someone is a leader, he represents the collective consciousness of the area. So the only way for the people to save themselves is not to worry about what the leaders are doing.

“Leaders are driven by the collective destiny of the nation or of society. My message will be: ‘Take care of yourself. Take care of your thoughts. Remain on the pious level. Remain on the kind level of behavior. Remain on the non-injurious level of behavior. Help thy neighbor. All these beautiful concepts of religion—remain within those.’

“Don’t worry about or try to amend your leaders. Your time is your precious time. The individual should save his time and be on the righteous path, because he will have to bear the consequences of his own doing.

“Save yourself. Save your life. Be on the right side of life.”

Consciousness Governs the Physical World

Question: “If life is bliss, then why do people create obstacles in their lives?”

Maharishi: “Lack of proper education—just that. Everything depends on education. In education the main thing is intelligence or consciousness. Physiology is one thing, but it is the intelligence that drives the physiology. So the emphasis of education should be on the driver—the intelligence or consciousness that governs the physiology.

“Education throughout the world—all this university education—is more geared to bring the knowledge of physical sciences. The emphasis should be on that element which drives the physical.

“It is the hand that slaps a man, but it is the mind that raises the hand and slaps him. So the education should be to regulate the mind, 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 we need Vedic Education. Vedic means education of Veda. Veda means Total Knowledge—education of total, practical knowledge. Today education lacks intelligence. Intelligence has to be the driving force of education.

“In the same way, we need Vedic Health Care. There are all these great laws to prevent disease, to take care of health, but the health is going down the drain all the time.

“We need Vedic Health Care, Vedic Agriculture, Vedic Defense. Vedic Defense means prevent the birth of an enemy. Preventing the birth of an enemy is being kind to the people.

“All this is going to be transforming the quality of life in every part of the world, based on the influence that one big coherence-creating group and several small groups throughout the world will generate. And with this, life on earth will be a happy life, a peaceful life.”

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How to Connect:

Enjoy Maharishi's Global News Conferences live every Wednesday morning:

1. ON THE MAHARISHI CHANNEL via the Telstar 5 satellite

2. BY INTERNET webcast at www.globalcountry.org

3. BY TELEPHONE (call 512-305-4600 and enter code 55689#)

Replays of Past News Conferences are available at www.globalcountry.org