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Spirituality is our inner growth, inner evolution, inner achievement and inner fulfilment. The day we left the mineral kingdom, we started our spiritual journey. After passing through the plant kingdom, we entered into the animal kingdom and our evolution went faster. Then, from the animal kingdom, we entered into the human kingdom, and our evolution became conscious. Now, from the human kingdom, we are consciously, soulfully, devotedly, divinely and unconditionally trying to enter into the divine kingdom.

All of us here are seekers; we are all spiritual people. On the strength of my own realisation, I wish to say that all of us without exception are studying spirituality. There is no human being on earth who is not studying this subject at least a little. From this subject, everybody learns something according to his capacity or receptivity. There is nobody who has not learned anything. Your learning will not be the same as mine, but that does not mean that you have not studied the subject as well as I have.

What have I learned from spirituality? I have learned only three things. Love of God is the first thing I learned. The second thing is self-discovery. And the third thing is the importance of doing first things first. Love of God. Self-discovery. First things first.

Love of God. Is there anybody who does not love God? No, not even an atheist. The atheist negates God. But to me his very negation is an act of God. And whatever he does love is God, because everything comes from God and is of God. Atheists and agnostics are all in the one boat that leads to the destined Goal, though perhaps in spite of themselves. Love of God is oneness with the Universal Consciousness. Conscious oneness with the Universal Consciousness is conscious love of God. God is one; God is many. He is the tree. He is the branches, the leaves and the flowers. He is unity and multiplicity. When we look within, He is one; when we look without, He is many.

Self-discovery. What do we mean by self-discovery? Self-discovery is our recovery from ignorance-illness. When we are ill, we suffer for a while and then we get better, only to fall sick again. But self-discovery is our permanent recovery from the illness that is called ignorance.

Self-discovery is God-discovery. There is no difference between self-discovery and God-discovery. When you discover yourself, you feel in the inmost recesses of your heart your oneness with God — your inner Divinity, your inner Immortality, your inner Infinity, your inner Eternity, which are nothing other than God Himself. This realisation is not the sole monopoly of a spiritual Master. Everybody without exception can discover it. But when we make a conscious effort, when we pray consciously and devotedly, we come to realise God's Light, Peace and Bliss infinitely faster than those who wallow in the pleasures of ignorance.

First things first. What is the first thing? The first thing in our lives should be God. Our first thought should be: "Let Thy Will be done." When the finite consciously accepts the Infinite as its very own, the finite is blessed with liberation and perfection. When I say, "Let Thy Will be done," it means I am consciously surrendering my lower existence to my higher existence. I can say that my feet are my lower existence and my heart is my higher existence. Both my heart and my feet are mine; they are both part and parcel of my existence. But my feet are in ignorance and my heart is bathing in the Sea of Light and Wisdom. My heart can easily help and guide my feet if my feet are willing to surrender to their higher part, the heart. The feet must feel that now they are in ignorance, but when they enter into the heart, at that time they will be illumined.

I have to know that I embody the lowest and the highest. When I am in the highest, I am consciously one, inseparably one with the Supreme Pilot. In that consciousness I represent Him, and one day I will become what He eternally is. My lowest part is ignorant, imperfect, undivine, hostile, but if I can remember that the highest part also is mine, then I will see nothing wrong in carrying the highest part to the lowest part with the message of Liberation.

So to do the first thing first means to surrender our individual will to the Will of the Supreme, and then to feel that this surrender is the surrender of our lower existence to our higher existence. When we surrender our lower existence to our higher existence, we become the chosen instruments of the Absolute Supreme.

When it comes to studying the spiritual life, we find there are two students in us: the head and the heart. These two students have come to us to learn the higher wisdom, and we have to teach them both. But we have to know which of the two students has more learning capacity and which has less, which is more progressive and which is less progressive, which deserves more attention and which deserves less attention for the time being. Two students, the mind and the heart, have come to learn. The mind is the inferior student and the heart is the superior student. But unfortunately, the inferior one often creates problems for the superior one.

Our inner being is the teacher. It tells the mind-student, "You have learned much. But your knowledge is only information and it is actually standing in your way. We always say that knowledge is our hope, but in your case, knowledge has become a veritable obstruction. You have absorbed too much knowledge. You do not know how to utilise it and you cannot digest it. So please, for God's sake, unlearn. If you can unlearn it, then you will be in a position to learn something really useful from me, your inner being."

Then our inner being tells the heart-student, "You have to learn only one thing: to give. Offer yourself, offer what you have and what you are. Empty yourself." The heart immediately says, "I am ready. What I have right now is insecurity and ignorance. What I am is uncertainty. But I am ready to offer it all immediately. I will offer up all my insecurity, uncertainty and ignorance."

The heart is ready and eager to surrender what it has and what it is, but the mind finds it very difficult to unlearn. What it has learned is how to doubt. This is the most important thing to the mind. If the mind can doubt others, then it really feels that it has some wisdom. The moment I doubt you, I feel I have done something great. Here I have made my doubt a spiritual authority. But this kind of spiritual authority is nothing but slow poison. It kills our spiritual life. The heart, however, is just the opposite. Today it receives, tomorrow it achieves, the day after tomorrow it becomes and finally it realises what it eternally is.

There comes a time when the heart, out of its own inner spontaneous love for its brother, the mind, comes and knocks at the mind's door. With tremendous reluctance, the mind opens its door and, to its wide astonishment, sees that the heart, its own brother, is fully illumined. There is not even an iota of darkness inside the heart. Then the mind asks the heart how it has accomplished this. It says, "You are also a part of the family. How is it that I see in you all illumination, all divinity? What is wrong with me that I am still ignorant and unillumined?"

The heart replies, "I listened to the dictates of the Inner Pilot. I did what the Inner Pilot asked me to do. In your case, the Inner Pilot asked you to unlearn. What you have learned is not illumination. What you have discovered is not realisation. You have learned and discovered information, and on the basis of this information you have built a palace of obscurity and divided consciousness. You have always separated yourself from the rest of the world. You are not accepting my realisation as your very own. You don't claim me as your very own, but I accept you as my very own. I accept each and everyone as my very own. In your case, there is no oneness, but only separation. You do not run to the Light. Your goal is still a far cry. I listened to the Inner Pilot when He asked me to do something, and now I am all illumination."

The mind thinks for some time, and then says, "All right. I will listen to you," and it starts unlearning. First it unlearns doubt, then it unlearns fear, then it unlearns jealousy, then it unlearns the feeling of superiority and inferiority. All the things that divide and separate the mind from the whole, the mind consciously tries to unlearn. The mind chases away doubt; immediately faith grows. It chases away insecurity; immediately confidence dawns. It rejects all feelings of inferiority and embraces the feeling of oneness. Impurity leaves the mind and purity enters. The mind now accepts the Light and thinks of its ultimate goal. The ultimate goal of the mind is Illumination. The ultimate goal of the heart is Liberation. When the two meet together on the way to their destination, they become inseparably one. Then Perfection dawns, and man the seeker becomes the conscious representative of the Absolute Supreme on earth.

Spirituality
Can enter into politics.
Spirituality
Does not dismiss politics.

Politics can claim spirituality.
Likewise,
Spirituality can claim politics.
Politics and spirituality
Are branches of the same life-tree,
And this life-tree
Is all oneness-peace.

Spirituality is the heart.
Politics is the body.
These two are at once
Interdependent
And indispensable to each other.

The body is the flower.
The heart is the fragrance.
The flower charmingly reminds us
Of our universal beauty.
The fragrance breathlessly reminds us
Of our transcendental divinity.

Gorbachev the flower
Our outer world unsurpassably loves.
Gorbachev the fragrance
Our inner world unreservedly treasures.

With your kind permission I wish to tell a few stories about Jamaica, West Indies. These are my personal experiences. I have been to Kingston, Jamaica, five or six times.

When I went to Kingston for the first time, all kinds of arrangements had been made for me to give a talk at the Unity Church. There were about nine hundred people in the audience. I happen to be a seeker, and I shall remain so forever. According to some people, I am a spiritual Master as well. By that time we had established a small Centre in Kingston. A woman who was Vice-President of Unity became my disciple, and the main minister of that church became my great admirer.

After my talk there were over eight hundred people who wanted to become my students, out of nine hundred in the audience! They all passed by me, and I had to choose. The ones that I accepted would be on my left, and the ones that I could not accept would be on my right. I chose about eighty from those who said they wanted to follow our path.

The following day they were supposed to come and meet with me, and we were going to discuss our path. Out of eighty, about forty came. I gave each of them a very, very short interview.

One striking thing happened. A young man sat right in front of me. I asked him, as usual, what his occupation was. He said, “I am a policeman.”

His name was Joseph. I said, “Oh, Joseph! You are the person to arrest me if I steal something.”

He said to me, “I cannot arrest you, even if you steal.”

“Why not?”

“Because you have already stolen my heart. You have already stolen my heart, so how can I arrest you?”

That was my first experience!

Now, the second experience: A student of mine who was the leader of our Centre wanted me to give a talk on Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation, at a university in Kingston. My student said, “It is Gandhi’s centenary!” He was well connected with one of the professors at that university, and the professor happened to be an Indian. The professor also insisted on my coming. I did give a very, very nice talk about Mahatma Gandhi, and they all liked it.

Now, my third experience: There happened to be another spiritual Master in Kingston at that time. In India, it is said that spiritual Masters grow like mushrooms. The way mushrooms grow everywhere, spiritual Masters also spread out all over the world from India! This other spiritual Master also had a few disciples. The spiritual Master used to smoke the Indian hookah, with a long pipe. When he talked to someone, he would speak in a normal way. Then immediately he would wash his face and wipe the hookah, because he felt that the other person had contaminated him. He said that he had become impure because he had talked to someone, so he had to bring back his purity.

My students said that this particular spiritual Master wanted to see me. He was ready even to come to me. I said that I would speak to him on the phone, and he agreed. One of my students was with him. My student said that, after he talked to me over the phone, this Master did not wash his face or his hookah. The Master begged me to come and see him. He begged me, and I did go to see him. Alas, alas — he wanted me to be a partner in his business! He was running a molasses business, and he wanted me to be a partner in his business from New York. He said that we would import and export things.

I had many, many experiences. This is the fourth one that I am going to tell. It was a deplorable experience. The leader of our Centre in Jamaica, West Indies was named Betty. I gave her an Indian name, a spiritual name. She was tall, and very, very nice. She brought me to the airport when it was time for me to leave, and at the last moment she gave me a beautiful rose with some little, little leaves. I put it in my pocket very nicely.

When I came back to Kennedy Airport in New York, the immigration officer suspected me. Then he took me into a tiny room with a red light. That red light meant that an individual had done something criminal. He wanted me to carry my suitcase. There was no problem. At that time I was physically strong; I was a great athlete and I did not have any problem, so I carried the suitcase into the tiny room. He opened the zipper. There was nothing there — only my clothes. He shrugged his shoulders. Then he noticed that, from my pocket, a few dry leaves had fallen into my suitcase. He said, “You see? This is marijuana!”

I said, “What is it, what is it?” I knew nothing about drugs!

Then he screamed, “You will be arrested!”

At the top of my voice I screamed, “Police, police, police!” Then, what did he do? He closed my suitcase and went away. Then I was able to come out of that tiny room.

This was my last experience here at Kennedy Airport after returning from Jamaica, West Indies. I had only a rose, a beautiful rose.
These are some of my Jamaica experiences! I had many, many experiences in Jamaica — funny and serious. I had a few Chinese students there. They used to prepare Chinese meals. Here in New York I have been to many Chinese restaurants, but even now I would like to say that my students’ preparations were far better! Those students of mine came from China.

Many of my students from Jamaica, West Indies now live in Miami. My heart is full of gratitude to Jamaica. I had many, many friends, many students, many well-wishers. They all loved me, and I loved them.

I shall tell two more funny stories about Jamaica, West Indies.

A young man came to New York. His uncle had become my disciple,
so the uncle spoke to his nephew about me. The nephew came to see me in New York, about thirty-four years ago. This young man was practically blind; his vision was very limited. He came with two pictures, and these were his girlfriends. One girl was black and one was white. As far as the outer beauty goes, the white one was more beautiful, but I always care for the inner beauty. The black girl was not outwardly beautiful, but her heart was very beautiful. I gave her a spiritual name that means “inner beauty.” The father’s name was Anthony, but I gave him a spiritual name that means “the light of the soul.”

In those days I was perhaps not as wise. Over the years God has injected a little wisdom into me. Nowadays when people present me with a choice, I am very clever. I say, “Whichever one you choose, I am one hundred per cent for that choice. You choose, and I shall be one hundred per cent for you. I shall pray to God and do everything to help you, but you have to make the choice.” In those days I did not have that kind of wisdom, so I chose the girl who was not outwardly beautiful for this boy. You can imagine what kind of trouble I received from the other girl when the boy told her that I had not chosen her!

That couple did get married.

Many years ago, when I needed a driver’s licence, I passed the examination the very first time. A few years ago I again wanted to have a licence. This time I made three attempts, but I could not succeed. It was a long, long story. Luckily, I finally got my licence. Since her husband was blind and unable to drive, this girl took the driving test six times. Each time she failed. She was so miserable. I said, “The seventh time God has to listen to my prayer. This time you have to pass. I will pray to God most sincerely.” When I deal with my students, I use my will power, occult power and spiritual power. But in this case I also used wisdom: I left the matter with God. I said, “I will pray to God most ardently. I am sure you will pass.” To my great joy and satisfaction, she did pass the driving examination, and she was very, very happy.

This couple wanted me to advise them about what kind of business they should have. I said, “You can run a restaurant.” Nowadays I advise all my students who want to run a restaurant that it has to be vegetarian. In Jamaica, West Indies, since everybody eats meat, I said that they could serve meat and fish.

A few years later, this couple was blessed with a child, a baby girl. When the child was two or three months old, I went to their place in Kingston. In those days I was all ready to go to disciples’ homes, wherever they were, but nowadays I do not do that. In those days I used to go everywhere. When people invited me, I went.
The father said to me that on the previous night Sri Ramakrishna, the great spiritual Master of the highest order, had come to him and said that he had taken birth in the body of this little girl. The father only wanted confirmation from me.

I said to myself, “O God!” Sri Ramakrishna I know. I have inner contact with him, and I have such adoration and devotion for him. I could not agree with the father. I said, “Definitely not!” First of all, there is the gender. In world history, only five or six times, not even ten times, the gender has changed. Once the soul takes a masculine form, it goes on in a masculine body. Again, if the soul takes a feminine form, it goes on in a feminine body. Only five or six instances I know inwardly where the soul has changed its form. Outwardly we know only that it happened on one occasion in India’s Mahabharata.

The husband and wife were quite displeased with me. They left our path because I was unwilling to say that Sri Ramakrishna had descended into the body of their daughter.

Again, it was this fellow, our first disciple in Jamaica, West Indies, who made the fervent request for me to give a talk on Mahatma Gandhi at Kingston University.

Some funny stories never end! I did not know anything about this couple after they left our path. We were not in contact. Then, about ten or fifteen years ago, I went to Toronto, Canada to give a Peace Concert. A few thousand people were gathered together. At the end of the concert, one of my disciples said to me, “The previous leader of your Centre in Jamaica, West Indies, is here. He would very much like to see you.” I knew who he was, so I said, “Do invite him to come.”

The fellow brought his child; the wife did not come. The daughter was now grown up. She was at least ten or twelve years old, and she was quite stout. Inwardly I blessed him, and I said how happy I was to see him. Then I was looking at the girl, whom I had not seen since she was two or three months old. My mind does not function in the usual way right after I have given this kind of spiritual concert; it takes a little time for me to come back to the ordinary life. I said, “Who is this girl?”

The fellow said, “You cannot recognise her?”

I said, “No, I cannot recognise her.”

“This is Sri Ramakrishna.”

I bent my head. Then I requested my attendants, “Please, please bring the next seeker.”

This is how the story ends!