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Whenever we meet, it is a blessing. Yet, understanding this blessing is not easy. Whoever fails to understand the blessing, even if they find themselves in heaven, will wish to return. They fail to comprehend the blessing. There was a farmer who had a habit of smoking a pipe. He was a good person, so he arrived at heaven's door. At the threshold, he was told, "You are at the door of heaven; the choice to enter is now yours." He was brought into the first room, where everything was beautiful. He then said, "But I want to have my tobacco pipe." They told him, "In heaven, there is no tobacco pipe." He was disappointed and declared, "I quit heaven and will go back to Naraka." This is because he did not understand the blessing of being there. Consequently, it becomes a source of suffering across lifetimes—janam janam dukpai—every life you will suffer for this little weakness. Thus, to understand the blessing is itself a blessing. Without divine blessing, you cannot understand the blessing. Therefore, blessed are those who can enjoy the satsaṅg and abide in it. We must lead life in such a spiritual way, characterized by understanding, love, tolerance, and respect towards all. If not, then it is merely dogma. It is said that what is within you should also be manifest outside of you. Otherwise, we say the real face appears later. In the Holy Rāmāyaṇa, it is said: "Dharma dhīraj." Dhīraj means you have a lot of impatience. Sometimes you say, "Okay, I don't mind," but in certain situations you explode like a bomb. And dharma, too—in a critical situation, if your dharma does not support you, then what is its use? Dharma means righteousness. Dharma dhīraj mitra arunari. Mitra means the friend. Friends are those who support you in critical situations. There is a small story within the story. There was a person who had many, many friends. These friends always admired and loved him. Once, something happened in his life, and not everyone accepted it. All were disappointed. The friend received a life sentence. They were all walking on a rocky mountain, on hills where there was only one tree. Under the tree was a large rock, and he sat there. For him, life had become deeply sorrowful, a most critical situation where no one was for him. One after another, all his friends left. As each person stood up and walked away, for him it was like having the limbs of his body removed, because the friends were very close; they were like oneness. Now all had left. The one person who departed last went about fifty meters away, stopped, turned back, went to the friend, and gave him a big hug. He said, "My dear friend, I cannot leave you free and alone. I will sit with you, I will walk with you, and I will die with you. It does not matter whatever you have done; that was our bad luck, but my love remains ever as pure as before." That was true friendship. There are many friends, and it is said that people love your money, not your skin. Some people love you because they have some kind of expectation. It is very rare to find people who love you without any conditions. We may have many friends, but at the most critical time of your life, who will be on your side? That is the best friend. Nari means your partner, your wife. But I would say partner, whether man or woman. For example, in Christianity, when you go to the church for a wedding, you have to say that in happiness and unhappiness, in illness and in health, in every situation, I will be with you. Then you have to say in front of the Holy Rāma, "Yes, from today onwards, mine belongs to you and yours to me." Yet after three years, that person can become one of your greatest enemies, and you seek a divorce. Where is the friendship? It happened in the Czech Republic. There was a very beautiful young couple. The man was very handsome, very nice, very clever, very intelligent, and had a very good job. But unfortunately, he contracted an illness and became paralyzed. Day by day, his health declined. His dear wife said to him directly to his face, "You have to leave the house because I have a friend and you disturb us. If you want, you can get divorced, but I don't want to see you anymore." This person spoke with me; he wrote me a letter. Can you imagine the inner feeling of that person? He knows it was destiny, what happened to his physical body. But now, within two years, the person who was a great loving person to him says he cannot stay in the house because her friend is coming and he disturbs them. That can happen to anyone. But that picture shows there was no friendship. The person loved your body only, not your soul, not your ātmā. So when we speak about a friend, what do you think of this? The friend is equal to mother and father. The friend is a part of your body. The friend is your skin which covers the body. When the friend is lost, it is as if your skin is lost. Where is the friend? We search for the friend, not the selfish one, not the one always complaining against you and talking negatively behind you. They didn't understand. So, "dharma dhīraj mitra arunari" in the Holy Rāmāyaṇa. Therefore, you shall examine them, test them at the critical time. That is why it is said that rare are those who understand you and support you, who do not work against you, who do not work mentally against you. Many people are working mentally against me, but I have my mantra, which is like a bulletproof shield. Whoever thinks negatively comes like a fly and falls down with great speed. That's it. So, a great mantra: Oṃ Prabhudīp Nirañjan Sabdukha Banjan. That's it. To have a friend, to have such a beautiful gathering—we are different nations, different religions, different cultures, different languages. How beautiful that we are all sitting in harmony. This is the way to world peace. This is the way for human to human, and this is how to create heaven on earth again. At present, it is hell on earth, with fighting for position and power. Every day we hear of fighting, wars, bombs exploding. How many millions of children are killed? How many millions of mothers are crying for their children? How many millions of young women have lost their husbands? How many children have lost their parents? How many war victims exist in this world? And they have psychotrauma. This is not good. Therefore, we all should work for this. That is why you will understand why Swāmījī, in recent years, started attending and organizing World Peace Conferences. We have to do this, and we have to support this. That is a part of our spiritual development; that is a part of our love. We need the voice. The United Nations Declaration says that even one voice will be counted, even one voice will be recorded. There are no majorities and no minorities, but individual persons will be heard. So we may not have political power, but at least we have the heart and positive feelings to save our planet and work above all these religious and political conflicts, for which many are suffering. I am very happy to see you this evening and welcome you for this weekend. How nice to see you! What I am telling you is something very painful. You know, we cannot see someone suffering beside us; our heart would not allow it. That is why we have to work to bring into the world love, harmony, understanding, and tolerance. We are those friends; we will not leave each other alone, we will be together. That's it. At least I can say from my side: the whole world can turn against you, but I will be with you. And that's it; that is important, very important. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Weekend seminar