World Leaders

Governor Macias: I think world leaders all over basically want peace—peace within their countries and peace in the world.

Sri Chinmoy: They want peace, but on their own terms. I want peace. But do I want peace by dominating you and keeping you at my feet, or by loving you and keeping you inside my heart? If I keep you inside my heart and make you part and parcel of my own being, then only can I truly have peace. But I don't want peace in that way. I want to show that I am still the best, that I am still the strongest. Then, if you agree with me, there can be peace. But as soon as you have the opportunity, you will try to harm me.

Today the whole world is hungry for peace. But what is happening? America and Iraq are fighting again. We may not participate, but it does affect us. So the consciousness of the Philippines is also being affected. If a cyclone takes place, my house may not be totally destroyed. But the vibration of the cyclone will affect my mind, my nerves, my inner existence.

Governor Macias: Knowing human nature, do you foresee that the kind of peace that comes from the heart will happen soon, or will it take centuries? Will we be around when it happens?

Sri Chinmoy: For the last 10 years people have been talking more about peace. They are talking, talking, talking, but they don't realise that they are using the wrong instrument. They are still using the mind. Until the heart comes forward, everything will end in vain. Because of human nature, as long as we use the mind, we will never have peace.

Governor Macias: So you don't see peace in the very near future?

Sri Chinmoy: It will happen in the very near future if we enter more into the life of prayer and meditation. Each human being should have more faith in prayer and meditation. The prayer-life has to start in kindergarten and increase in high school, in college, in universities. We have to pray to God to give us a pure mind, a serene mind, a good mind. If there is no prayer inside our life, inside our thoughts, inside our day-to-day activities, then we shall continue making the same mistakes again and again. Without prayer and meditation, the peace process will be a joke; it will only be talk in the mind. It will start in the mind and stop there. But if we pray to God to give us purity in our minds, then our hearts can come forward and we can have peace.