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This conference is focused on world peace. Dear brothers and sisters, in recent years, numerous conferences on this subject have been held all around the world. All countries, NGOs, organizers, religious societies, and politicians are concerned and concentrated on how to realize world peace. Some think war is created by poverty, but I do not think so. If America, for instance, is involved in conflict, there must be some disturbing forces within human consciousness that prevent people from living together. We should not blame religion. Religion itself has not become a destructive force; rather, people begin to abuse religion. Mahātmā Gandhī said, "Those who think religion and politics are separate do not understand what religion is and what politics is." But when people try to abuse religion, as terrorists do, we must understand that terrorists have no religion, no country, and no time. We cannot include them as spiritual or religious groups. They are simply abusing a name. In Islam, it is written that if you kill one human, it is as if you have killed all of humanity. In Christianity, it is said, "Thou shalt not kill." The great Pitāmaha Bhīṣma said to Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira at the time of the Mahābhārata, "Ahiṃsā Paramo Dharma" (Non-violence is the supreme duty). This principle was later adopted by Bhagavān Mahāvīra, who dedicated his entire life to this one sentence: "Ahiṃsā Paramo Dharma." No religion instructs its followers to fight. What we do is driven by force and the desire for power. In this conference, yoga is mentioned extensively. I believe that if people begin to practice yoga, their consciousness will be purified. "Yogaḥ citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ" (Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind). They will realize their mistakes, and world peace will definitely follow. Yoga is not part of any religion, and no religion on this globe is older than yoga. In fact, all religions emerge from yoga. The most ancient scriptures we know are the Vedas, and the Vedas speak about yoga. Yoga is not merely āsanas and prāṇāyāma. Yoga is a way of life; it is the science of body, mind, and consciousness. Yoga is that divine Śakti which balances the entire universe—the visible and invisible elements, all planets and stars. Everything is balanced by that Śakti, that divine power, the Mother. That balancing force is yoga. The techniques and technology we discuss today, as the minister of technology spoke about earlier regarding power and energy, are now beginning to be developed. But these techniques were developed long, long ago. Over 10,000 years ago, at the time of the Rāmāyaṇa, there were vehicles like Puṣpa Vāhana and Dairu Plāna—what we call yogic techniques. However, power needs control. It is a path to pass through, but that same power can destroy us. If it is a wrong technology, it can destroy us. Yoga has become part of human life throughout the world. During this conference, we will speak more about yoga and research work. In India, I am very happy that they have begun to work with yoga now, especially since Europeans and Westerners have started practicing it. It was very hard work. Some Swāmīs went outside India, worked diligently, and introduced yoga to the Western mind. So, it is not that we are westernizing; dear friends, brothers, and sisters, now we must easternize ourselves once again. Centers like Kevalya Dhām in Lonāvalā, Swāmī Śivānanda of Ṛṣikeśa, Swāmī Vivekānanda, and Swāmī Yogānanda Paramahaṃsa kept yoga alive. These centers sent their noble Swāmīs around the world to teach scientifically, both within and outside India, to demonstrate what yoga is with scientific proof. India then said, "Oh yes, that is something great." Now, there are many institutions running yoga centers in India as well. Without yoga, I believe human life is incomplete. Yoga is a way to health, a way to happiness, a way to world peace, and a way to God—or a way to the Self. But this should not be misunderstood as yoga being part of Hinduism. I myself have been living outside India for four decades. India is now coming forward, so I do not know everything happening here, but I am learning little by little. In these last thirty years, I have witnessed the development of yoga, Indian philosophy, and Indian culture outside India, which is now coming back to India. Gujarāt has always been one of the peaceful and spiritual states in India, and it remains so today. India is vast, but you find predominantly vegetarian regions in Gujarāt, Rājasthān, and parts of Uttar Pradesh. Many yogīs and saints have lived here. We will have some meditations and practical sessions. I wish every spiritual leader of different religions ... but I want to share that for the last 30 years, I have been living within the heart of Catholicism. It is not easy. If some Catholics came to India to do missionary work and told Hindus to become Christian, you would also feel, "My God, he is doing missionary work." He may not convert you but only teach the good things from the Bible, yet you would still feel uneasy. I have lived 35 years in the very heart of Catholicism and faced many problems. The system I created, Yoga in Daily Life, was introduced into the school system in Slovakia. The Catholic Church strongly opposed it. Similarly, in Croatia, when Yoga in Daily Life entered the education system, the church attacked it in ways you cannot imagine. They believe yoga belongs to Hinduism and that through it, we are promoting Hinduism. As long as such thoughts persist, world peace cannot be achieved. We must be like the bee that takes honey even from poisonous flowers. We should accept good things from everywhere. We do not believe in converting anyone. We believe in convincing, not converting. Hinduism never believed in missionary work. Hindus never convert anyone to Hinduism. Missionary activity is the biggest problem creating suffering in the world today; it is why there is war in the eastern part of this globe—all because of missionary conflict. Look at what happened in Orissa. After the big hurricane, you see how many churches were built there. People were forcibly converted to Christianity. That is not the path to peace, nor is it the way to teach, love, or help people. It is not right. We should help others, but we should not impose conditions on them. Extend to them, give to them, and do not accept anything in return. That is the correct way. Dear brothers and sisters, I will not take more of your time. There are many speakers here, and His Excellency is, I think, in a hurry. His time is very precious. I wish you all the best and a successful conference. God bless you. Recording location: India, Ahmedabad, International Conference on World Peace, Ahmedabad/India