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What is being done now, where the foot-and-mouth disease is, is that millions of these poor, poor creatures are killed and burned alive. They are burned and killed. This is the greatest sin humans have ever committed. The consequences of this they will suffer; they are suffering already, and I tell you they will suffer. But they do not listen. They do not listen to persons like me. They listen to those who have dollars. But one wise American Indian said, "When the last tree is cut down and the last fish dies, then, oh man, you will realize that you cannot eat your dollars." I hope we will not come so far. Therefore, tolerance, forgiveness, and understanding—these three things we now need very, very much to create world peace and love in the human heart. As long as animals are tortured, as long as there are people who are so cruel to animals, I do not believe there can be peace in the world. Why are new diseases coming? Why do wars go on? Why are there so many natural disasters? Because of human behavior. Do you have a cat at home? Does someone have a cat? Please raise your hand. Thank you. Oh, so many. Could you kill your cat tonight and make breakfast from it tomorrow? No? Why not? Does someone have a dog at home? Could you offer your dog for tomorrow's lunch for people? Yes or no? Why? You love them. You love your cat. You love your dog like a family member. When your dog or cat, your house pet, is ill, you go to the doctor. You get medicine, and you buy them expensive medicine. And if a dog or cat dies, for many, many days you are sad and feel an emptiness in the house. The corner where your dog sat is missing, is empty, as if a family member died. That is right, that is very good that you feel this way. But why do we not feel this for other animals? That is our ignorance, that we do not feel for others, though God said, "Love others, love your neighbor." And what Australia is doing now is a great mistake. I am telling you, you should tomorrow send this to your press, your newspaper, and your government. Australia is making a great mistake. They are killing kangaroos and supplying the meat to Europeans. Because now they cannot eat the chickens and ducks and bacon and cows and sows, they have begun to eat snakes and crocodiles and kangaroos from Australia. I tell you, Australia will suffer the consequences. One day you will remember my words, what I am telling you today. Therefore, there must be action. Collect signatures. Tell the government to stop killing the kangaroos and exporting their meat. You can do it. People in Australia are very health-conscious. People in Australia must love animals. And there are many people here who are conscious of such humanitarian, veterinarian, and environmental protection. Do it. Someone begin. I am not making a joke. It is a very serious matter. Otherwise, I tell you, one day you will write me a letter: "Swāmījī, you see, it happened." The consequences will be suffered. Who loves, who cries for these poor animals? Dear friends, your spirituality, your prayers, your meditation will make no progress—zero, null—if you have not loved God. And what is God? The embodiment of God is His children, His creation. The best divine work one could ever do—you see on this table there, you know, you must read these literatures and articles. There is one postcard or little book I will mention. There is one, what you call the bear—bear, yes, bear. And what do they do? They cut the nails away, they take all the teeth out, they chain him, put him on a chain, and then they set dogs on him. How he fights with the dogs, how the dogs torture this animal and kill it, and others stand laughing and smiling. It is a game—what a terrible game. Can you imagine yourself instead of that bear? Likewise, there are thousands of examples in the world where people torture animals in such ways. So the whole earth is trembling. Mother Earth is trembling; she has no more strength to stand because humans want to eat something which is not natural, and they feel joy when they can kill. You know, God gave humans many abilities, but He gave to nature something as well. For example, your dog can feel some hours before an earthquake comes, but you do not feel it. Your ants can feel 24 hours before that rain will come or the weather will change. They take all their little eggs from the nest somewhere up, high up, and they even know how high the water level will be. Similarly, it does not matter which animal it is—cow or chicken or dog or rabbit or deer or kangaroo or any animal—before they bring him or her to be killed, he or she feels it. Now the example is this: if you knew that tomorrow somebody would take you and kill you, for sure, what would be your psychic condition? What would you think? What would you do? You would be afraid. Scared, fear, fear, and pain—maybe you would have a heart attack even before they did it. The whole body begins to produce; all glands begin to produce fearful hormones in the body, and that fear and those hormones go into the flesh. The animal is killed, the flesh is taken, and now you will eat that meat. Physically you will not feel it, but that fear, that pain, will enter your body; it will enter your subconsciousness, into your psyche. The result is that you will only be stuck on the physical level. There will be no spiritual progress. There could be spiritual progress, but you are too afraid to go further. If you meditate and your astral body goes out of the physical body, two, three, four meters high up, and you are fluttering somewhere, and you see everyone sitting, quickly you will come back, take your handbag, and go home. The next day, frightened: "Please, can I talk to Swāmījī? My God, I suddenly was out of my body. What should I do?" I said, "Don't do any more meditation; sit down." We are afraid to go out of the body. That is why people are afraid of religion, afraid to meditate, afraid to come somewhere far. So those who consume meat cannot go far in meditation. Liberation for them—forget it; no liberation. They may have intellectual knowledge, but that liberation is not there. There is no love; there is no mercy. God is love, and love is God. So you have to awaken in your heart that mercy of the Lord: tolerance and love for all. You are the incarnation of love. Humans are the incarnation of love. Humans are the incarnation of light. Humans are the incarnation of mercy. See, a human is nearly God, but has forgotten human nature and awakened animal nature. So we used to say in India, there is one bhajan by one great saint, and he said: "There are many people in the world, but rare humans." There are many people in the world, but very rare humans. Who is the human? They are human who have human qualities. And what are the human qualities? No fighting, no cheating, no killing, no tricking; love, compassion, forgiveness, understanding for all humans and creatures. Then there is no war in this world, no war. So when you go home, you shall think: What makes us human? Think. And what makes us a devil? And what makes us a thief? What makes us a cruel person? And what makes us God? What makes us holy? The qualities. Quality decides. Which quality? The human quality makes a human. Spiritual quality makes a spiritual person. God quality makes God. And a thief's quality makes the thief. A criminal's quality makes a criminal. You know, everything is within you. Just dive within and take out your pearls, the most precious pearls. That will liberate you. That will bless you. That will give you divine power so you can bless others. You will be the leading power. You will be the leading consciousness. You will be holy. You were born holy. But perhaps our actions have done something, so we are not holy anymore. It is a beautiful thing; someone has thrown dirt on it. Now we must purify the dirt through prayer, meditation, mantras, and forgiveness, forgiveness, ... forgiveness. And love, love; give freedom, give freedom. Those who are free, they come to heaven. But those who are not free will not be happy even in their dreams. Emotionally free, financially free, socially free, politically free—in every way you should feel free: spiritually, religiously, and everything. When you are in a temple, pray to the temple God. When you are in a church, pray to the church God. When you are in a mosque, pray to the mosque God. When you are in an āshram, pray to the āshram God. All are the same. The difference is only in the names and the forms, nothing else. Recording location: Australia, Brisbane, Australian Tour