Ulan Bator, Mongolia
The vision of The Art of Living is to create a global family. The whole world has to unite in the sense of one family. I see this happening more and more in Mongolia now.
When we have too many things to do, too little time, and no energy, stress is natural. In today’s world, we cannot reduce our needs, what we have to do is increase our energy level. Energy level increases when we change our habits. When we eat proper and healthy food, take good rest, and think positive.
Mongolia’s economic status has become much better, it is developing very fast. Along with this economic development, we need to take care that our human values remain intact.
Mongolia has a long spiritual tradition; we should see that spirituality is maintained in the country.
The modern days’ challenges of stress, tension and violence should be done away with. We should not allow that to grow in this part of the world.
As society becomes stronger and economically prosperous, the challenges and the rate of crime goes up. Do you see what is happening in America? The most developed country in the world has so many incidences of violence. Ten million incidences of violence were recorded in America in the last one year.
The Art of Living has started a non-violence campaign around the world, and especially in the United States. We need to bring those values of non-violence and compassion more and more in our society, and in Mongolia as well.
When we have too many things to do, too little time, and no energy, stress is natural.
In today’s world, we cannot reduce our needs, what we have to do is increase our energy level. Energy level increases when we change our habits. When we eat proper and healthy food, take good rest, and think positive. If you sit and only think negative for half an hour, or even ten minutes, it is good enough to tire you for the whole day.
The Art of Living is, changing from negative to positive thinking, from a complaining mindset to a compassionate mindset, from a stressful face to a smiling face, from stress to serenity. This can be done by attending to your breath and meditation.
Today, scientists have proven that meditation and Sudarshan Kriya can improve health beyond one’s comprehension.
Recently, a scientist in the University of Oslo, Norway, conducted a research. He found that if someone practices these techniques even for two days, it has an impact on the DNA, the genes of a person. He said that about 300 genes in our system are responsible for diseases like cancer, etc., these genes get suppressed when one meditates. Of course, it is also the everyday experience of millions of people around the world who report how they are physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually benefited. And how their health has improved, their relationships with people have improved, and so much more.
So, we need to deepen our roots and broaden our vision. And for the short span of life that we are on this planet, we must smile more and spread happiness.
Three years ago when I came here, I said that the GDP of this country will definitely go up. Now, I am so glad to hear that it has really gone up.
Today, there is another word that is being used by the United Nation, GDH, that is, Gross Domestic Happiness; even that has to go up in Mongolia.
It is possible to educate people in spiritual values in this country as the number of educated people is so high. Today, Bhutan is the happiest country in the world. I wish Mongolia would compete with Bhutan. It can definitely compete and reach a high level of GDH. Let us keep this as our goal.
I would like to ask all of us here to take one commitment; we should see that the prisons and hospitals in this country are empty. Let us have that ideal, and work towards it.
To achieve this, we all need to do some social work. I would like you to be ambitious, but not greedy. When people become greedy, corruption increases.
Corruption begins where belongingness ends. No law can stop corruption. What can really stop corruption is spirituality. When people have a sense of belongingness, then corruption will be finished. There is one real culprit for crime and corruption, that is, addiction to drugs and alcohol. We should see that our young people are not addicted to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs as this destroys human life.
People who are lazy, they cannot be happy. And people who are dynamic, it is not necessary that they will be happy also. Dynamism should be combined with inner silence.
When people are under the influence of intoxicants, they don’t know what they are doing, that is why they commit crime. So, as mothers and sisters, as men of wisdom, you should all stop our younger generation from getting addicted to any of these intoxicants that are harmful for health, wealth and the mind.
Pollution is another area that needs attention. Pollution is increasing in various parts of the world. Mongolia is still very virgin; the land, water, everything here is pure. Please see that the purity of the air, land, water, and the atmosphere is maintained here.
Let us keep this land as an ecological heaven on earth. Let us take care that we don’t put harmful chemicals in the soil to grow food. No pesticides, no chemical fertilizers; we should grow food naturally through organic farming or natural farming.
The Art of Living will do whatever is needed to bring this knowledge, this technology, to Mongolia. In India and other places of the world, we are doing organic farming. We have done a lot of research work on this, and we would like to share it with the farmers of Mongolia.
The Art of Living has more than 200 educational institutions in India. We have a University and two colleges that offer Master of Business Administration (MBA) courses. I would request our Vice-Chancellor in India to reserve ten MBA seats for students from Mongolia who would like to come and study in India (we have very limited seats, only 180 seats in this college).
You can tell your friends and students who wish to study in our college; they are most welcome to apply.
I met the Honorable Prime Minister of Mongolia this morning; I mentioned to him that we are willing to start a college or school here, whatever is necessary. I invite all of you who would be interested in opening the school and being part of this project in Mongolia to give your names and numbers. We will form a committee and we will start one, or a couple of schools in different provinces, which give the best of the East and the West, best of the North and the South, and create a global educational hub.
Life is like a tree. Just like how the roots are old and the branches are new, in the same way, life needs ancient wisdom and modern scientific knowledge, both together.
Also, I discovered that there is a special technique in Mongolia of giving head massage, which makes people feel well. This is not very well-known in the world. I would like to take this knowledge to India, America, and all over the globe, to make it more popular. Just like what we have done with Ayurveda, Acupuncture and Osteopathy. This would be a very good thing to do.
The traditional Mongolian medicine and techniques of medicines that benefit mankind should be spread and taken everywhere. So, I would like to invite such doctors to come to India. We would like to do something in The Art of Living, in this traditional system of therapies.
People who are lazy, they cannot be happy. And people who are dynamic, it is not necessary that they will be happy also. Dynamism should be combined with inner silence. So, time to time, one should take a few days off, learn how to go deep inside and meditate.
If you ask anyone who did very good work, or those who have done the worst crime, they say somehow they did not do it, it just happened through them. This is the experience of many people.
There is something inside you, which is just a witness of all the things that are happening around you. If you would like to read more on this topic, read the book Ashtavakra Gita or Yoga Vasistha. These will give you a much deeper understanding.
