22 September 2004 Press Conference Highlights

Opening Remarks

Maharishi: ‘Jai Guru Dev. Dr Hagelin’s introductory remarks are really advanced remarks in the field of Total Knowledge and have the ability to take the human race to a level beyond problems and suffering. What a beautiful summary you have given to the people from the field of physical sciences, from the field of the science of consciousness, which is Vedic Science, and from every possible angle.  

‘The projection is of a supreme field of knowledge with an almighty, all-powerful, all-accomplishing ability of action whereby the world will never be the same troubled or problematic world. Every country and government will realize its cherished goal in invincibility. As every government rises to invincibility, no government will be able to create anything wrong for anyone. Every government will share the strength of every other government. That is called the “Government of Peace” and will unify all governments. That will be the world where angels come and live—Heaven on Earth.  

‘It is not going to be long, because it is now easy for everyone to open their mind and awareness to their inner consciousness, their inner self-referral Unified Field, the inner light of God, the field of total Natural Law.  

‘We have been teaching Transcendental Meditation in the world for fifty years. It is something that is all over, innocently everywhere, and easily achievable for everyone. It is so easy. To achieve anything, you have to keep your eyes open. However, to achieve this enormous capability of total Natural Law—the light of God, the Unified Field—you don’t even have to open the eyes. In a very restful manner, it is your conscious awareness.  

‘The great Vedic Tradition of knowledge is a great gift of God. “Vedic Tradition” means the tradition of Veda—tradition of Total Knowledge, tradition of Brahm. Another name for it is Total Knowledge of Raam. Raam Raj is the ideal system of administration. Why is it ideal? Because it is the guiding light of everyone. It belongs to everyone’s own inner nature, and it is not difficult to achieve.

‘In this scientific age a scientist comes to proclaim the Peace Government. The Peace Government is going to be the ideal of government. In Vedic terminology this ideal of government is named Raam Raj; in scientific terminology it is the rule of the Unified Field, the rule of Natural Law; in the religious field it is named the light of the omniscient, omnipresent, invincible, almighty God. It is beautiful knowledge and a beautiful possibility for everyone.  

‘The message is: why suffer? Why suffer when you can enjoy? This is a scientific age, and lack of knowledge is the ground of suffering. The field of knowledge is a field of no mistakes, a field of no suffering. Here is a beautiful opportunity for everyone.  

‘We are opening Vedic Universities which will teach in terms of the language of physical sciences, along with the language of the science of consciousness, and the language of religions. That means a man, whatever his ability—whether he has green glasses, red glasses, or yellow glasses—is going to see the reality.  

‘In this scientific age we are establishing homes of Total Knowledge. Peace Palaces are going to be the homes of Total Knowledge and the seats of the administration of the Peace Government, from where peace will radiate. Individuals sitting together, rising in the awareness of their own Self, will radiate coherence from their group. Dr Hagelin has explained this scientifically and logically. Just as a lighted lamp radiates light, Peace Palaces will radiate peace. In peace, everyone will live life practically in the Unified Field, Para Chetana, Transcendental Consciousness, bliss consciousness. In the light, there is no question of darkness.  

‘This is going to be the achievement of the children in the schools. We are going to open Vedic Schools, Vedic Colleges, Vedic Universities, Vedic Medical Colleges, and Vedic Administrative Centres everywhere. Yogic Flying is a phenomenon that creates coherence in national consciousness. Children have to be educated, such that when they are gaining knowledge, they are taught Yogic Flying and their bodies rise in the air. They enliven the force of gravity which is the intelligence of total Natural Law. The force of gravity dominates as a characteristic quality of the administration of the ever-expanding galactic universe. The picture is very clear.
 
‘We are thinking with the thinkers and writers of the world. Let’s have some exchange of thoughts. If anyone has any doubt, this is the time to clear it, clear the fog, and be in the bright sunshine of Total Knowledge. Let’s do that. Then, for ourselves individually, we will rise in enlightenment. That means no mistakes in our thinking, speaking, and action—always right. There will then be educated citizens of a country and of the world. Very naturally, there is no fuss about it. 

‘Let us join hands to create these colleges and universities. I fondly invite the builders of the world, those whose profession it is to build, to build Peace Palaces in their own home areas. They will earn as much money as they earn anywhere else, but they will also earn that credit which comes from creating a suitable, proper house for peace-loving people in the world.  

‘Everywhere, houses have to be built according to the tradition of Total Knowledge. It is called Vastu building, Sthapatya Veda. These buildings have their own dimensions and layouts. All these things are already available and are circulated from our Global Construction Department. It is very necessary that the people live in Vastu houses. Vastu houses promote the evolutionary sense of reality. When houses are not built properly according to Vastu, whatever people do, they will not be in peace—their minds will be clouded, relationships will not be on good terms, and fighting will go on.  

‘There are departments of the government that sanction housing. I invite the press to inform their governments. All governments are unhappy, unsuccessful, and are being criticized. They should examine whether the residences of the government officers and the working offices are properly laid out according to Vedic Architecture, Vastu Vidya.
 
‘According to Vedic Architecture the entrance should be in the east, and big, large-scaled buildings should run north-south with the entrance to the east. Wherever the layout of the building is not right and the entrance is in the south or west, there will be quarrels, fighting, unrest, and failures. Examine it, and know it from experience. This is one secret.  

‘As soon as possible, all government buildings, school buildings, factory buildings, residences, and working places should be redone. As a general rule, they have to be redone. Otherwise, negative thinking will continue. Examine it, and see if this is the case, then advise them to follow the building codes of Vedic Architecture, Sthapatya Veda.  

‘This is one very vital aspect of administration. It is not a matter of faith. Examine those buildings, where knowingly or unknowingly, the builders have built the entrance facing east. There will be more peace, prosperity, cordiality, friendship, and good values. In the other case, there will be negative values. Examine it.  

‘Negativity is only due to the lack of knowledge of the field of consciousness from the Vedic terminology; and lack of knowledge about the light of God from the religious point of view. The press should inform its readers, “The choice is yours. Light the house, light the lamp, and you will be in light. If you don’t light the lamp? Remain in darkness.” 

‘Are there questions on this area or all the new areas? They are not new; they are only new because we have not been educated about them. Otherwise, they are old, ancient, eternal values. Since they are not brought to us through education, we are suffering in many ways. But now we will establish Vedic Universities and Vedic Medical Colleges.

‘I invite all the six billion people of the world to be rehabilitated. The six billion people of the world have to be rehabilitated. They have to be provided with proper residences for living and working. They have to be provided with proper laws to guide them. Man-made law is not wise enough, nor far-reaching enough, for a man’s life to be blissful and harmonious.

‘Not man-made, but God-made. The Unified Field is God-made; the self-referral field of consciousness is God-made. Man himself is not man-made; he is God-made. A very popular saying is, “Man is made in the image of God.” When the image is there, why shouldn’t the spirit, the light of God, be lived practically in daily life? Why not, when man is made for that?  

‘It is just a matter of knowledge, and knowing that Total Knowledge is very easy to live. Our world family is dear to us. We want to provide schools, colleges, and higher education universities for everyone.  

‘There are two things in our favour. One basic thing is that we have Total Knowledge. The second thing is that nobody wants to suffer. We have the key to not suffer, and no one wants to suffer. Therefore, it will not take much time. It has taken me fifty years to ring the bell constantly here, there, and everywhere, but now we feel it is time to take off on a global level. 

‘So we have a global organization—the Global Country of World Peace—and global knowledge of Natural Law. Natural Law is global already, only we have to know it for ourselves so we may always be on the evolutionary side and not on the suffering side. Education has to be changed: we are opening schools and colleges.  

‘We are inviting the builders everywhere, and I am requesting the world press to inform the builders. New education is needed everywhere. It is just a matter of building, and the builders will get money, as they get money for building anything. Do it simultaneously everywhere. Big and small builders, whatever the territory of influence, please rise to it.

‘I want to emphasize, do not wait for anyone to order you to build. Build and your buildings will be occupied. Take the dimensions from us, build, and tell us the cost. The neighbouring people will share your cost and share your hospitality. When you build you thrust good fortune on the people. They don’t know, but you know, that you will all be better off. 

‘The Peace Government will be throughout the world in one day, in one week, in one month, in one year. The builders just have to take the responsibility and expand the business on their own. Do not wait for anyone to order it. Build, and let me know that you have built here and there. Before building, take the dimensions of a school, college, university, or Peace Palace.

‘Money is enough in the world; the need is more than enough, and you can fulfil the need. The builders can fulfil the need anywhere–in any broad street or corner of any country.
 
‘Today the invitation is for the builders to build very quickly. The world press can inform their readers. There must be quite a lot of builders among their readers. Let us give the job to those whose profession it is to provide the buildings.  

‘I will train teachers of this, and medical professionals for health purposes. I can start training because there are thousands of teachers already. We call the trained teachers “Governors”. They are everywhere, in almost every country, and they will train the local people in their local languages. Simultaneously they want to do it; it is their joy. And the builders should build. Then everyone will begin to enjoy and the world will be free from suffering. That will be the joy of the world press, the joy of every government, and the joy of every citizen of our dear world. 

‘If there are any questions on this, it will be our joy to go into questions.’

Question: Qualities of a Great Leader

Dr Hagelin: ‘Maharishi, there is a growing sense of concern in many countries that there are not enough wise, independent, visionary people to lead their countries. What makes a great leader, and how can we find leaders that embody these qualities?’ 

Maharishi: ‘A great leader should be able to guide the people without making mistakes. The leader’s awareness should be in terms of total Natural Law. The leader must practise Transcendental Meditation, and his awareness should be in tune with the field of total Natural Law, the Unified Field. Theoretical knowledge of the Unified Field will help experience, but the effectiveness will come from experience. 

‘Every leader has to be lively in the custody of total Natural Law, which is the Unified Field, the self-referral consciousness within himself. He will be in tune with the light of God, total Natural Law, the Unified Field. Therefore, he will be able to guide others properly without making mistakes. 

‘If a leader depends on his own intellect, then his thinking may be garbled. It is like the blind leading the blind. Sometimes he may be able to say something which may appear to be right, but other times he will be making mistakes. Partial knowledge is dangerous; Total Knowledge is fortunate. 

‘Total Knowledge should be mastered right in the early days of everyone’s life—in the schools, colleges, and universities. The specialty of this Vedic Education is that it gives the theoretical understanding and experience of Total Knowledge, so the intellect and the mind are saturated with that reality which never makes a mistake. Total Natural Law governs the universe. The infinite number of galaxies in the universe are governed without conflicting with each other, and without their existence and progress being hampered by anyone. 

‘Leadership requires more knowledge of the Self—the Unified Field. Proper education is not there. Some of the schools of divinity and schools of physics or chemistry talk about the Unified Field, but the practical technology of it—the system of experiencing that reality of God—is not being brought out enough to the people.  

‘Brilliant guidance depends on knowledge. Vedic Universities will create guides in society who will be able to guide the younger generation successfully, without making mistakes. The practice of Transcendental Meditation—the direct experience of the Unified Field or Transcendental Consciousness—is a must for everyone, for oneself, one’s children, friends, society, and nation. Otherwise, it is only guesswork. And guesswork means the blind leading the blind. So much of what is going on in the political world is a waste of life.’

Question: Message for Peace Conference

Dr Hagelin: ‘Maharishi, this Sunday, hundreds of students and other peace-loving people from all over Iowa and throughout the Midwest are coming to Maharishi University of Management to attend a Creating Peace Conference and to learn about Maharishi’s programme to create permanent world peace. Does Maharishi have a message for these well-meaning well-wishers of peace who are deeply concerned about the fate and future of our world?’

Maharishi: ‘Their desire to have life free from mistakes is absolutely adorable. Fulfilment of this will come from the daily practice of Transcendental Meditation, its advanced techniques, and Yogic Flying.  
‘One thing we have to remember is that this system of eight hours of work is such a waste of life. There should be a maximum of four, five, or six hours of work and two or three hours morning and evening experiencing one’s own divine essence of life—one’s own Transcendental Consciousness. Then life will be balanced. Otherwise, only the surface is lived and talked about. The whole thing is not doing justice to the total value of life, because what the senses can enjoy—what the eyes or ears can enjoy—is an iota of the bliss one can enjoy when experiencing one’s own consciousness. A very great deal of life is missed.
 
‘Fortunate are those who are coming to this conference to listen to Dr John Hagelin. He will whisper to them that peace is on the level of the Unified Field, which is everyone’s own inner basis. Peace will not be on the level of talking, but on the level of Being for two or three hours morning and evening, with four, five, or six hours working in the market or earning some money.
 
‘The focus should not be on money. A thousand times, listen to this: one’s focus does not have to be on money. The focus has to be on the mind. Both start with “m”. Eight hours of work is like engaging slaves, “I give you something to eat, and you work eight hours for me.” Those days should be over.

‘Four, five, or six hours should be completely enough because money is not the goal of life. It is the mind that is the goal of life, and the mind should be mine. The mind will be mine when I take my mind to my Self, to the transcendental field. Then it is my mind. Otherwise, it is a lost mind.
 
‘Vedic Education means total education. The specialty of Vedic Education is that it gives Total Knowledge in one syllable, and expands it into two syllables, three syllables, four syllables, five syllables, six syllables, on to millions and trillions of expanded versions of unity.
 
‘Absolutely in every country, it is the meditators at home morning and evening that can maintain a high level of integrity in national life. What they do in their own home is enough to make the national consciousness very integrated and coherent. The emphasis is on coherence, on the unifying nature of consciousness, which is the Unified Field. The experience of that will glorify life for the individual, his environment, his nation, and his world. It is very necessary.
 
‘One can maintain one’s life in two, three, four, or five hours of work daily. It is enough. It should be the pattern of life, because the joy through all the senses and through action is an iota of life. Bliss is in the inner experience. Do not lose bliss for the sake of drops of happiness through the senses. The ocean of happiness is through the transcendental level of Being.
 
‘It is very necessary that people in America and everywhere go by Dr Hagelin’s advice. Discuss with him—you don’t have to take him on faith. Experience Transcendental Meditation and learn from him, then discuss with him. You will be more and more satisfied day by day. You are entering into a new field of life—bliss, heaven regained. . . . 

‘Wrong can be corrected, but it can only be corrected on a very real, lasting basis where correction will no longer be needed. We will do it in this generation. . . .
 
‘The world press can help by bringing the knowledge of something nice, neat, and bright. Join hands to do it.’

Question: Total Knowledge in One Word

Dr Hagelin: ‘We are broadcasting today from Constitution Hall at the International Headquarters of the Central Bank of the Global Country of World Peace on Capital Boulevard in Maharishi Vedic City, USA. Constitution Hall is filled today with students—senior men from the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment and management students at Maharishi University of Management. In the context of all these students, there are a couple of questions on education that have come from the press, one addressing a point that Maharishi just made. 

‘Maharishi recently spoke about how his Vedic Education will provide a student with Total Knowledge in one word, and how that knowledge would then be systematically expanded into environmental values. Maharishi, what is that one word that reveals Total Knowledge, and how, in fact, is it possible for Total Knowledge to be contained in just one word?’

Maharishi: ‘It is very interesting. That one word is the word with which a child is born. The word with which child is born is “A”. “A” is the word. “A” is the first syllable of Atma. Atma is the Self—bliss, Transcendental Consciousness, the Unified Field. Unbounded “A” is the first syllable of Veda. From “A” flows the stream of Total Knowledge. “A” is the flow—“A”. It is the flow of Total Knowledge.
 
‘And within “A”, when one goes through the letters of the Vedic Literature, the vowels and consonants, then one goes through “A”. From “A”, one goes to “I”, to “U”, to “R”—one within the other. This one within the other starts from infinity—“A”—and comes down eight steps. Then “A”, infinity, becomes “mmmma”, point. From infinity to point is the range of the total field of life, the range of Total Knowledge, the range of total existence, total intelligence, total creativity. All the total creativity, from “A” to “I” to “U,” is between “A” and “I”. “A” is the first letter of Veda; “I” is the last letter of Veda. So between “A” and “I” is the total Veda.
 
‘When you go from one letter to the second letter, you have passed through the whole stream of Total Knowledge—the Veda. That is why Veda is all over—in one syllable, two syllables, three syllables, four syllables. “A” is the word; “Atma” is the word. “Atma” is defined as Brahm—Totality.
 
‘ “Totality” means silence and dynamism both together—the unified state of silence and dynamism. Between “A” and “I” is the elaboration of the first letter, which is total Veda. “A” to “I” means total Veda. And from there, from “A” to “I”, you expand to Agnimile Purohitam—the Veda expands.
 
‘The system of Veda, Total Knowledge, is from syllable to syllable to syllable. Very naturally it comes with life, conducts through life, moves through life, goes to another life, the next life, and continues to the next life and the next life. This is the flow of infinity to its point always.
 
‘Point to infinity, infinity to point: this is the analysis of the language of the Veda which is not a human concept. It is not humanly conceived. That “A” contains everything is not a human concept; that “A” to “I” is all activity is not a human concept. That is why we go by this royal road, where there is no hurdle on the ground, no doubt, nothing, no obstacle to it. The Bhagavad Gita says, “No obstacle to it”. The whole theme of Vedic Knowledge is completely natural, completely full, completely total. This has to be the awareness of every individual—always naturally, completely total.
 
‘This is the education that we are going to establish through all these Vedic Universities. It presents a different world. It is like creating the lotus from a muddy pond. It is very fortunate to have this Vedic Knowledge continuously coming from some part of the world, some tribe. All these different, ancient, Vedic tribes have been coming with total possibility for man—absolutely total possibility for man.
 
‘We want to start with about three hundred Peace Palaces. Associated with these will be three hundred university campuses which will have colleges and schools—high schools, middle schools, whatever is the system of classification with the growing age.’