Q) Can We, The Untouchables, Ever Find Enlightenment?

A) As long as you have an idea that you are untouchable, you can't find enlightenment. The moment you drop that idea, you can find enlightenment. Nobody is untouchable. The very idea is wrong, and may be due to some inferiority complex. If somebody claims, 'I am holier than you,' then don't touch him; only he is untouchable. Aside from him, everyone else can become enlightened.

Q) Comment on the state of the world, environmental destruction, population explosion, wars, etc. Should we not do something about it?

A) A social answer would be, you must work for global peace; work for revolution, etc. My honest answer is, transform yourself; you can't do much else. If you could do anything else, you would have done it by now. Over years, people would have done it. So let us at least be honest that we are not able to do anything socially. If each individual, first, became conscious of the violence within and this caused him to transform the base energies within to higher level energies of love and compassion, automatically, we would have mass transformation and peace. There is a lot more attached to this question.

We always feel the world is totally spoiled now, and that, in ancient times, the world was beautiful. If you look deeply into history, into the so-called golden past, you will see that, from the Harappa-Mohenjadaro culture that is thousands of years old, they found writings that state that there was so much war in those times, that society was deteriorating and, that in olden times, society was much better! Even at that time, they said what you are saying today of your past!

There was no such time when only good prevailed! The idea of a golden past is used only to postpone accepting reality. It is used as an escapism technique. Maybe the news about the bad things in the past did not reach as many people, so they did not know about it but good and bad existed in the past and will always exist. If you awaken yourself, you can go beyond it. If you become enlightened, you can take yourself out of the collective negative consciousness, thereby reducing it. That's all.

Everybody wants to spread peace according to his or her perception, not according to others. I was in an inter-religion conference the other day, where one guy was preaching, 'All of you accept and convert to my religion so that there will not be any fighting. Let us all take the sword to spread peace.'

First of all, why should anyone convert to any religion for peace? This concept itself is wrong. All these claims are with vested interest, nothing else. I tell you, don't fall for any religion conversion. And no revolution will help; it will only make matters worse with mass repulsion. Only individual evolution will help. Individual evolution in a mass way is the only solution. First, make a conscious decision to look into yourself and see where you are contributing to the overall violence and negativity. Then, transform yourself; that is enough.