(You are well-known for promoting peace. Here in the United States and here in this city, there is so much violence all of the United States.) Yes.
(So much violence. How would you address this violence, especially with the teenagers?) Yes. Well, it comes from different sources from our society that we have easy access to guns and we have easy access to violent films and kinds of video programs and things like that. And then one encourages the other. So the thing is we have to take care of it from the root. Like, for example, in many other countries where they don’t have so many guns, the violence is less a little. You see what I mean? And where they don’t have so much TV, exposing violence, then maybe they have less. Well, you have to study what the difference is between America and other countries. Then you see why.
(We aren’t doing it.) Yes. (The people who are making the decisions are not doing it... we lost gun control.) Yes. (We haven’t passed through Congress. We can’t eliminate television.) Right. (It’s at the core of our lives.) No, don’t eliminate television. (We can’t control television. It’s at the core of our lives.) Well, you cannot do that. But we just... (You said television and guns, but those are two...)
No, we just change the program. For example, not only television, honey – it’s just everything, like newspapers or everything (else). We tend to look too much on the negative side of life. Americans are not all that negative. Now, when you look at the newspaper, you’re so scared to go to America. But when I’m in America, I’m safe. I’m OK. It’s just that the way we pay attention to all the negative things, then repeat it, repeat it in the minds of our children. And the children are helpless. They don’t have a choice. They don’t have the discrimination talent like the adults. You see, when you read newspapers as an adult, you have protection from your own intellectual discrimination. But children can’t. That’s it. But Americans are OK. America’s all right. I walk on the street at night – I’m OK. No problem. But when you read newspapers, you’re scared. Yes. It’s alright.
(Tell me about Your goal in life.) My goal? (Your goal, Your purpose.) I have no more goal. I just do now what is needed at that moment. (Such as?) Such as, for example, today you requested me to be here. So I am here when I can help. That’s it. And whatever next would come next. I don’t think; I don’t have any goal.
(Why are You in Houston?) Because I’m invited repeatedly and persistently by these people. (You have a lot of Aulacese [Vietnamese] interests...) Not only Aulacese (Vietnamese). For example, he’s not Aulacese (Vietnamese). He’s a Jewish American, and he’s one of the successful businessmen in your country. And he persistently draws me here. And of course, because his invitations are also good for other people; therefore, I come.
(How do You teach people to get in touch with God?) How do I teach? OK. There’re two kinds. One is verbally. Like I will... If they ask me, or if I’m invited to a lecture, and I’ll tell them: why you suffer, why you need this and that, why you desire, why you’re never satisfied – because you don’t know God. So if you know God, you’ll feel better. So now, I teach them how to know God, and that is non-verbal. When they accept it, that they should know God, then I will teach them, but in silence. At that time, I don’t need to teach them. God will teach them; they will teach themselves.
(Is that from initiation?) Yes, yes, yes. (It’s not something You can verbalize.) No. I just sit in silence. They sit in silence. I don’t even have to be there. Because Enlightenment is your own nature. God is in you. You don’t actually need a Master to know God. Because you forgot it, so the Master has to remind you. And it’s easier when somebody already knows. That’s all. I cannot give you God. You are God. You have God. I cannot give you Enlightenment. You have Enlightenment. (I haven’t.) You do, it’s just you don’t know. Therefore, you need somebody to point it out to you. I cannot give you something that you don’t have. So you must know you have Enlightenment already.
(Tell me how the people, the enlightened people, will change when they have... when they decided they have.) Oh, that you have to ask my disciples. (Oh, OK.) How you changed your life? (Alright, I’ll ask them. I’ll ask them.) Yeah, it would be better. Some of them told me they wouldn’t trade it for anything in this world after that. They wouldn’t trade it for any treasure – for anything in this world.
(How did You find it?) How did I find it? I got a Master in the Himalayas, so I got Enlightenment. And I know God is always there with me. That’s how I know God. Yeah. (And to make other people enlightened.) Yes, yes, yes – that’s important. I make people more happy than I make myself happy. I have to sacrifice sometimes of my happiness. I have to tell you the truth. But in the deeper sense, I’m always happy, because I’m always at Home anywhere, with anybody, with myself.
(You know, people here in this part of the world don’t really have the Guru, Master or Spiritual Teacher-disciple relationship.) Right. (Maybe You can explain that?) They don’t have to. (They don’t have to.) Yeah, you don’t have to. My disciples never bow to me. They call me “Master” because it’s just the kind of title we use in this world. Just like we call “sister” or “brother.” It’s OK, no problem. But we don’t have the so-called “relationship” – I mean, verbally explained. But they just love me. (Alright, but they’re here, and they’re Your disciples, They follow You, they respect You. (Yes, they do.) So tell me why it’s necessary for them.) I don’t know. They just find it necessary for themselves. I don’t prescribe it.
(Because You can teach them the way to connect to God, and no one else can. Isn’t that so?) Maybe that’s that. Oh, yeah, you know better than… (Yes, but I said it. That’s not the point.) Yeah. OK. That I’ve been wondering why also. (Ah, You... Oh, that’s not true.) That’s true.
(Let’s see... where’s… Joe, Joe, do you have a question? Alright, do you have a question? Does anybody else have a question that they want me to ask Her? Nobody? I was looking for…)
(Actually, I’ve got a question about being vegetarian [vegan]. Why is it important?) Oh, yes. (Why is it important?) You ask me... OK, alright. (Why is it important? To be a...) To be a vegan? Because God is Love. We love life. We want to be nearer to God, so we want to be as loving as possible to all lives. It hurts when we kill. If we eat (animal-people) meat, then other people have to kill for us – kill animal(-people). And aren’t they lovely, the anima(-people)? Yeah. I think we should give them the equal privilege to enjoy life the way we do. That’s all.
(You don’t feel that God has made some animal[-people] so that we can) Eat? (eat them?) Well, then the tiger(-person) can say the same with us – that God made humans for him to eat. The tiger(-person). (The tiger[-person].) Yeah, all the other very vicious animal(-people) – they would say they’re entitled to eat us as well. So we should come and feed them?
(But we are...) What? (Because we are in control...) Of what? (...and we have more of a possibility physically, to go and kill the animal[-people], so that humans can eat.) I understand. But that’s not even fair to abuse those weaker, less intelligent, and more helpless. They are just like children. Don’t you think? It’s OK to fight with your equal, but if you fight with the less, that’s already below our dignity. Don’t talk about eating or anything else.
(So it only has to do with the harming of the animal[-people], and not that it harms our bodies?) It does also, honey. Everybody knows that. OK. So now, lately, research from many scientists have proved that (animal-people) meat-eating is the cause of many of our incurable diseases, for example, cancer. And everyone knows that the Americans have the highest rate of cancer in the world, because we eat a lot more (animal-people) meat than in other countries. For example, like in China or Russia – probably their political situation doesn’t allow people to eat as much (animal-people) meat as us. And their cancer rate is very, very low compared to us – compared to American people. That is from scientific research. It’s not from me.
And also, everyone knows that we are born with teeth that are for vegans, not the [kind of] teeth like the meat-eating animal(-people) have. And also, our intestines are longer. They are made for a vegan diet. And the meat-eating animal(-people) have shorter intestines, so that it can pass out quickly. Therefore, if we eat (animal-people) meat, it resides too long in our intestines. That causes a lot of our cancers and all kinds of poisonous problems.
(Is there any way there’ll be a day in this world when we have peace?) Well, let’s pray for that. If everyone follows the way of God, the way of Love, and thinks of God more than other material things, or at least a part of it...
Actually, in our spiritual practice, we don’t expect people to run away from the world and go to the Himalayas. Just one-tenth of your time for God, and nine-tenth for the world is already too much. For example, we meditate only two hours, or three hours a day, and we have 24 hours a day. We work for the world 10 hours, eight hours a day, and we meditate only two hours or three hours even. And we (still) complain. We think of God only three hours a day – and people say, “Too much!” So what to do? We cannot have peace as long as we don’t realize that God is more important than all these material things. As long as we have God, we will have material things – because Hes is the Giver of all things. And we only pay attention to the gift and not to the Donor. That’s the upside-down thing of the picture. That’s why we have problems.
(Are You a Buddhist?) Yes, yes. I’m a Buddhist, I’m Catholic, I’m a Protestant, I’m a Christian. I’m a Muslim, I’m a Hindu. I explained that all the religions came from the Masters from the past. For example, [Lord] Christ – after Christ died, people called themselves Christians. After Buddha died, they called themselves Buddhists. And after [Prophet] Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, died, they called themselves Muhammedans. But these Teachers taught the same thing, like Yogananda did. And after They died, only the theoretical part was left behind. And that then slowly formed into a religious sect, and they forgot the essentials. The essential is that the Masters teach without language, and that is the most important thing. That’s why you need a living Master. Otherwise, you can just read His books and be enlightened.
(Why do you need a living Master?) Well, because it’s just like electricity – you need a wire. You need a good wire to channel the electricity into the household things to use. A dead wire, a kaput (broken) wire, a damaged wire cannot channel electricity.
(So is a priest a master?) Ah, yeah. (Is he like a living Master or a servant?) If he is in God, if he is contacted with God, then he is also a Master. “Priest” or “Pharisee” is only a title – just like a doctor or a teacher. Without Enlightenment, no one is anyone.
(Tell me where You’ve been.) Where I have been? (Like today, what are You going to do today?) Oh, I guess they have another program for me. (But, aren’t You going to do ... Do You have like a...) Press conference, something like that. (And then are You going to …?) Well, it depends... if they want it or not. (I want it.) You do? (Yes.)
People have many kinds of illusions about Enlightenment. I have to clarify. People have their own intellectual expectations about Enlightenment. Actually Enlightenment is something you only know, but you cannot talk about. Now, when the so-called “initiation” takes place, you will know it – but not the person next to you, not your spouse or anybody. And it is not that all your problems will go away after Enlightenment – but they might go to some degree. It depends on what the Master sees, what you have to do – because sometimes you have to see also our problems are also a learning (process). If we don’t resist the problem, then the problem will become less already. And we have to call on the Master inside – I mean, our own wisdom, our own Enlightenment, to get up and solve this problem for us. Then you will feel different.
Photo Caption: Offering Not Just a Pretty Sign, but Also Beneficial Quality
