8 December 2004 Press Conference Highlights

Opening Remarks

Maharishi: ‘Jai Guru Dev. If the world population is to have peaceful times, then Dr. Hagelin’s simple remarks on the possibility of enlightenment for every individual and invincibility to every nation are at hand now. The world should listen to this message, and the heads of state who are always thinking, “What more can I do for my people?” This is the time, today, their parental role could be beautifully, beautifully achieved for all generations to come. 

‘Individuals’ enlightenment and, in the same stroke, invincibility to the nation are the gifts of the Vedic Tradition of Total Knowledge—the Vedic Tradition of the Constitution of the Universe which manages the infinite order in the ever-expanding galactic universe. That knowledge is there. We finally offer this knowledge to those who would like to have fulfilment in their life of leadership for their countries.  

‘The technique is simple because the practice of it is blissful—so blissful on the way—with full enlightenment at its goal and invincibility for the nation. Never, ever, could anyone find a better opportunity to make his personal life fulfilled in every way, and bring invincibility to his nation at large. Better enjoy personal enlightenment, and in this same stroke, enjoy and give a gift of invincibility to the nation—fulfilment on the individual level, and very grand fulfilment on the national level and on the world level. . . .  

‘Science has discovered unity, divinity, within every man. Man is made in the image of God. . . .   

‘Enjoy enlightenment—in one word, enlightenment—personal enlightenment and national invincibility in the same stroke. In the same stroke, you are most personal and you are most public. You are a very selfish individual when you are sitting for enlightenment for yourself, but in the same stroke, you are bringing the fruit of invincibility for all around you.  

‘Go for it individually, whether you are a student or parent, wherever you are, whatever you are. It is your birthright to enjoy bliss. That is there in the quiet recess of your brain or heart or mind. Everywhere there is total Natural Law functioning for you. It is a matter of closing the eyes and taking our attention to that, so that our awareness is completely in alliance with that, which we call “the light of God within” or “total law within” or “the Constitution of the Universe within”.’

Question: Plan for a Stress-Free World

Dr Hagelin: ‘There is a fascination in the press with this word “enlightenment” and the experience of enlightenment. There are very practical questions about transforming governments.

‘Is twenty minutes of Transcendental Meditation enough to win the battle against stress? Can it really inoculate, vaccinate, and safeguard our students and children against the deleterious effects of stress? Or are other changes required in society as well, such as a reorganization of cities, the workplace, and the schools to reduce the outside pressures that cause the experience of stress? If so, does Maharishi have a plan to create a stress-free world that extends beyond daily meditation?’ 

Maharishi: ‘Any plan or any programme depends upon the level of intelligence of the people. When people are drowsy and not clear, then they are dull, stressed, and cannot think rightly. This is the time. Fortunately, some people started, during all these decades, the practice of the Transcendental Meditation Programme. Some started in small groups. And they have shown that if a large group of 8,000, or a few groups here and there, can practise exploring their own inner Self, then there will be enlightenment for the individual person, and there will be invincibility in the collective consciousness of the country.  
‘Twenty minutes of Transcendental Meditation was the time that I started fifty years ago. Now, we have the practice of the advanced techniques of Transcendental Meditation—the Yogic Flying technique which makes the body lift up in the air with the experience of bliss. If groups of a few thousand people practise together in one place, the whole surrounding area is charged with harmony, coherence, goodwill, and friendliness. In this atmosphere, all the negativity does not arise. 

‘The whole thing is so simple. And those who do not want to spend twenty minutes themselves, can hire a person. I would invite them to hire a Vedic Pandit to fly for them. People can apply, and we can organize Vedic Pandits to practise this Yogic Flying technique for them. This will create coherent world consciousness. Vedic Pandits are very inexpensive. All the people, if they want to practise, can practise themselves. Otherwise, everyone can take it to be his responsibility to contribute some part of invincibility for the nation. Engage the people to do it for you so that you also participate by at least having a representative for you creating that coherence in world consciousness.  

‘Everyone can have a Vedic Pandit. Dr Hagelin can organize that. Do it today. . . . Make hay when the sun shines. Today is the day.  

‘Start doing it—at least that much. You earn bliss for yourself, and that bliss will translate itself into invincibility for the nation—invincibility for every nation in the world. This is a contribution from everyone to the whole population of the world. Do it.’  

Question: The Best System of Administration

Dr Hagelin: ‘What system can countries adopt which will serve them best?’

Maharishi: ‘Administration should be the responsibility of the intelligent people—of the wise, peaceful people. . . .  

‘Administration should be in the hands of those who can prevent problems. Vedic Knowledge—knowledge of total Natural Law—is the only knowledge that is administering the infinite diversity of the universe. The universe is an ever-expanding universe. Infinite diversity, infinite expanding diversity, can only be handled by infinite peace. . . . Indian Vedic wisdom has the capacity of perpetuating peace on earth.  

‘We are trying our best to privately gather the Vedic Pandits. . . . Vedic Pandits in India are completely enough. Their wisdom is strong enough to maintain lasting world peace—to maintain peace on earth and in heaven. Vedic Civilization connects the earth and heaven. . . .
 
‘We have the knowledge, and as far as we are concerned, we are putting out showers of peace everywhere. John Hagelin is such a genius in this generation. . . .

‘A few Vedic Pandits—just a few thousand—are good enough. If they are allowed to breathe a comfortable life, with their daily routine, their Yagyas, and Vedic performances, the whole world consciousness could be kept in harmony and every country will enjoy invincibility with every other country.  

‘Invincibility is not a fanciful word. It is the reality which is completely within the hands of the Vedic Pandits. But they should be given that way of life in order that they perform their daily programme and daily Vedic practices. Then coherent world consciousness will be an automatic feature. . . .’

Question: Mistake-Free Education

Dr Hagelin: ‘Maharishi, the subsequent questions are on deeper areas of knowledge of education and of enlightenment. The first question has to do with addressing the educational decline in the world. According to a major international survey reported in yesterday’s Washington Post, American high school students have fallen far behind in basic math skills compared to high school students in other leading industrialized nations. The study ranked the United States 24th out of 29 countries. I know Maharishi says that fact-based education is useless, but still, parents, educators, and businesses use test scores and grades as a measure of intelligence and academic success. Will Consciousness-Based Education help students become smarter and do better in math? Or do test scores and conventional academic achievements simply not matter?’

Maharishi: ‘The difference is between watering the root of a tree and watering the branches of a tree. You educate a man on what he sees around—the world of sensory perception—or you educate him at the source of all thought, the self-referral field of consciousness, the Unified Field of all the laws of nature. You can educate them from the basis of all life within themselves, from where the thought begins, or you can tell all the story about what one sees on the surface. The difference is between watering the root of a tree and watering the branches of a tree. 

‘In present, modern civilization, physical sciences deal with the physical values. Consciousness deals with the basis of all physical values at the basis of all life. From there, you can think, and your thought will be upheld and promoted and made successful without your doing anything. By being on the level of the Unified Field, you allow the Unified Field to work for you. The Unified Field is that infinitely powerful field of intelligence which is at the basis of the orderly functioning of the enormously diversified universe. So there is a big difference between the thought of the ruler and the thought of the ruled. The thought of the ruled can only be dictated; the thought of the ruler dictates.  

‘When we say “enlightenment for the individual”, we mean that level of intelligence where the whole of Natural Law works for him. Rig Veda and the other Vedas pronounce this: when you are on that self-referral, unified level of consciousness, on that Yoga level, on that Vedanta level, then Natural Law functions for you.  

‘That is the difference in the two different systems of education. You know accuracy from mathematics. But you know that a drowsy man, when he solves a problem, creates a different solution when he is fully awake. So whether a drowsy man makes a decision, a fully awake man makes a decision, a drug-influenced mind makes a decision, or a clear, pure, simple mind makes a decision, the mathematics of one person can be wrong, but the mathematics of total Natural Law will always be right. It will always be right.  

‘Education should be on a level where one cannot make a mistake. That will be the right type of education. . . . Go to the source of all the laws, and from there, let Natural Law conduct your values. It will always be beneficial; it will always be fulfilling; it will always be cordial to the individual and to his environment. . . .  

‘Vedic Wisdom is completely open to knowledge. It is Total Knowledge, and based on that, action will always be right and instant. . . . Veda is knowledge of total Natural Law—the knowledge that administers the infinite diversity of the ever-expanding universe. . . .’

Question: The Experience of Unity Consciousness 

Dr Hagelin: ‘Maharishi, in a recent news conference, you described life in Unity Consciousness as behaving in diversity but with the experience of unity predominating. And you said that life without Unity Consciousness is a desert and that the experience of Unity Consciousness is like coming upon an oasis in the desert. What will truly distinguish that experience from all other experiences along the path to enlightenment?’

Maharishi: ‘The difference will be that the hardships and struggle for success will be nonexistent. Whatever one would think, Natural Law will achieve it for one. Thoughts will be fulfilled without stress and without strain.  

‘It is a very positive thing. One does not have to be told by anyone else; one knows more and more in this state of possessing the support of Natural Law. Life is easier. One does not have to know it from anyone else.  

‘It is the same thing. Every man thinks before he acts. There is a source of thought within the consciousness of everyone. We say the source of thought is in the transcendental field. The transcendental field is a Unified Field of all the Laws of Nature. There is no difference. It becomes lively in one’s own awareness. When it becomes lively in one’s awareness, then every thought has the support of total Natural Law.  

‘Total Natural Law is that which supports the evolution of everything. Every grain of creation, every point of creation, is upheld by Natural Law for its evolutionary reality. Everything evolves all the time—trees, birds, animals, man. Every point evolves in the direction of unboundedness; the point evolves into infinity. There is a constant reinforcement of the evolutionary process, and this is Unity Consciousness. No matter what one thinks, that support of Natural Law is constantly available.  

‘This is just the technique that Guru Dev, the custodian of the Vedic Tradition, gave us, whereby we could easily explore the point of intelligence which is all over—omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. That is why life becomes a joy. It ceases to be a struggle. It ceases to be a suffering. Life becomes bliss—and for that, just a few dives into the transcendental reality.  

‘The whole thing is so simple. Perfection can belong to everyone—absolutely everyone. The human brain physiology is competent to experience that value which is holistically vacuum fluctuations. It is nothingness. Like the example of the hollowness of a banyan seed, it is all hollow. There is nothing, but the total tree is contained within it. That hollowness has the memory of all the branches and leaves and fruits and flowers within the tree.  

‘The field of the unmanifest is Yoga, the transcendental field, the Unified Field. Experience of that field enlivens it. The theory of measurement says, measuring it enlivens it in our awareness. Then the awareness has the support of total Natural Law. It is just a technique of engaging total Natural Law to work for us, simply, naturally. Bliss is the experience. When it becomes more lively in our awareness, life is more blissful, more blissful. More total life is lived.  

‘It is a great thing. We wish our children could soon have all this experience everywhere. . . .

‘We hope that the governments will rise to their opportunity, which is available now. . . . We wish all governments good luck.’