With mankind's disconnection from God and addiction to greed and pleasure,
it feels like we are on the brink of self destruction and planetary disaster.
How are we supposed to live in the world with this reality;
carry on, balance our duty to God, self, family and making a living?
So, one who has written this question, I agree with you.
Agree with you, there are two things.
You just look our body, sahasrara and muladhara.
Muladhara is bottom is money.
And sahasrara is God.
So, ordinarily people are busy with: money, pleasure and food.
Bottom, second and third.
So three chakras.
Most of the people.
And some they do try to go up, go up, go up, go up.
This greed has increased.
I don`t know there is a competition among rich people who will be richer.
A few weeks ago somebody became little down and other person became the richest person in the world
and then again he went up like this.
It is going on.
I don't understand what is going on.
I am not able to understand although I am a student of economics.
In the past the kings and emperors were having all the wealth and treasury and they were spending,
if the king was good he was doing good for the society.
Otherwise, hoarding and hoarding and hoarding.
And nowadays the kings are gone.
Emperors are just by name.
Or some kings by name.
So there is democracy or dictatorship.
And the economy has become more capitalistic.
And when we are beginners in economics study, we are students of economics
it was written, it was told: One capitalist kills many.
One capitalist kills many.
This is a statement in economics.
So our need is not to much, our greed has no limit.
Our need is not to much.
You just think, how much...
Do you know, many times I have told.
Today I was packing my bag, so I was looking at my bag I was looking at my greed.
My greed means, why my bag is so heavy?
Greed is book.
I am coming for nearly seven weeks I have come out of India.
So in seven weeks: I will read this book, I will read that book,
I will carry this book, I will carry that book, I will do this book work, I will do that book work...
so, I put all this books in my bag.
Hardly I have read few hundred pages.
But I have thousands of pages of books.
Thousands.
Need is less, greed is more.
I carry the load.
Not only you carry the load, the airline is carrying the load,
and those who are lifting up the bag, their back is... you know, they write: bend your... they write something...
What do they write?
write when the bag is heavy?
Bend your knee.
¨Bend your knee¨, they are writing.
Sometimes writing heavy, sometimes they put as picture ¨bend your knee¨.
Or sometimes it is written: ¨bend your knee¨.
Greed.
Need is very less, greed is more.
And this greed has created all the trouble.
Today I read in the newspaper, every year, this year, last year it was
810 million people died out of starvation, no food.
This year, 850 million people.
So it is increasing.
And on the other hand the quantity of food people eat,
more than what they need,
and sometimes when I serve I want to finish it, I really do not want to serve more.
Because to keep food, food will be again re eaten, and all this.
When I went to Yoganandaji´s ashram in Hidden Valley.
There was a disciple of Yoganandaji, Bimalananda, very beautiful monk.
He..
I wanted to bow to him.
So we greeted each other and then I told: ”Do you know in India how we greet?”
He looked at me and immediately to demonstrate I bowed to him.
Very beautiful monk, I loved him.
So he was telling: How do they cook.
They said, do you know, the lunchtime we have a full meal.
So, whatever is left over a little soup, we make for the evening.
And soup is less than... do you know, people we have.
However,
every individual can change his life or lifestyle.
Freedom is in our own hand.
If you really want to change your life, nobody can stop it.
Nobody can stop it if you really want to change your life.
If you do not want to change your life, hundreds of teachings it may not help you.
So everything is in your own hand, in my own hand.
For this one needs commitment.
I will do this, I will.
When I was schoolboy,
writings of Gandhi, writings of Swami Shivananda, really changed my life a lot.
And from that I learned: fasting, silence, minimum things, use….
You can't imagine Gandhi used the pencil until it was completely finished.
You will tell: so small pencil, you can not hold it.
What he will do with its small pencil?
He will fix it with some old pen, so pencil is used.
Till it is finished.
Everything.
Small piece of paper, just like this paper.
So now, what will happen, the half is there, so this much is used,
this should be reused, again writing.
Everything, even a small piece of paper, you should not waste it.