... gift of God, but only those who can be absolutely silent are worthy of receiving it. It is not impossible, but we make it impossible by desiring it. That is the only problem that one has to solve. You can desire money: without desiring you will not get it, it is not a gift. You can desire power, prestige: they will not come on their own. You will have not only to desire, you will have to fight for...

... who has been crowned by God. They all mean the same in different ways. Svatmo Sietze. Svatmo means self; sietze means conqueror - one who has conquered himself. That's the whole pilgrimage of religious consciousness. There are two kinds of victories possible in the world. One is extrovert. You can accumulate money, you can have a big kingdom, you can become an Alexander, a world conqueror. That is...

..., and she became aware of that before I made the change. She thought it would be better to escape with as much money as possible while she still had all the power. So she stole enough money, put it into Swiss bank accounts, purchased land in Nepal, opened a bank account in Nepal, and I don't know... whatever else she did. Hasya is just the opposite of Sheela. She has no materialistic approach, just...

... he deposits his fifty dollars, they give him only four hundred and fifty Hong Kong dollars. "Money fluctuations..." explains the bank clerk, "it goes up and down all the time." When Wu returns the next week, he puts down his fifty dollars and is told that he will get four hundred Hong Kong dollars in exchange. "Hmmm!" says Wu. "Flucked again!" Fiona Feelgood...

... Marilyn, two retired schoolteachers from Chicago, save up all their money to go on safari in Africa. They are having a wonderful time going through the jungle, when suddenly a huge gorilla swings down out of the trees, sweeps Marilyn into his arms, and disappears. He takes her back to his cave, and for a week makes love to her all day and night. Finally, Audrey organizes a rescue party, and Marilyn is...

... example, if in the dark night of your soul you have an idea that when the morning comes, money will shower from the sky: when the sun rises, everybody will become rich. And then in the morning when the sun rises, how can you accept that this is the sun? - because the money is not falling and everybody has not become rich, people are still poor. And you go on looking at the sky and no money is coming...

.... And because you are too concerned with the money, you don't see what is coming from the sun - the light, the life, the ecstasy. You cannot see that because your eyes are completely covered with your prejudice, with your idea. And then you ask 'Who is this Jesus Christ?' You already know how the Messiah should be. That is hindering, that is an obstruction. That's why the Jews missed. It was for this...

... human. He was very human, utterly human. He was a total man. He was not a perfectionist. When it was needed to be angry he became really angry. He threw the money-changers out of the temple and he said to them 'What are you doing here in my Father's home, in my Father's temple? Get out from here!' And he was in such a rage, that alone, single-handed, he threw many people outside. He loved people. He...

.... Now the questions.... Question 1: The first question: ACCORDING TO YOUR VISION, WHAT EXACTLY IS COMMUNISM? Communism simply means moving private property into the hands of the collective -- because private ownership of property creates classes, the oppressed and the oppressors. Money brings more money, attracts more money; poverty attracts more poverty. And a man who sees all around him people...

... having money, beautiful houses, cars, and he has not even food to eat... his dignity as a human being is destroyed. He starts feeling subhuman, inferior, unsuccessful, and to create this feeling in millions of people just for the sake of a few who will be rich is against the whole of humanity. Communism brings dignity to everybody because all the properties, the land and everything, belong to the...

... who has been raped? The criminal is forgiven -- and the victim? Not a single theologian of any religion has ever thought, "What about the victim who has suffered?" A man kills someone and he goes to the priest and he is forgiven. He goes to the Ganges, gives some money to the priest, takes a dip, and he is forgiven. What about the murdered? God does not seem to be just. He is in favor of...

... looks so primitive, so ugly, so inhuman; but these millions of people.... And these are not the only people: millions more will be sitting in front of their television. It seems the whole humanity is somehow after power. So whoever shows some power of any kind: power of money, power of body, power of politics, position, status, anything.... Sheela has just brought to me two days ago the news that...

... he will win. And he has been chosen just because he has status and people worship him. So it is impossible for anybody to stand against him. And he has money, so he will give money to the election campaign, as much as they want. People are not conscious of what they are doing. Now the people who are going to vote for this man, will you call them human beings? Perhaps Kinky is far more intelligent...

... than the man who goes on playing with him: he is an utter idiot. He has not done anything else in his life; but just to belong to a royal family is enough. And he has money, and money is power. Perhaps he may become a cabinet minister. You are in your unconscious mind when you are fast asleep with no dreams. Freud had reached the unconscious just by analyzing dreams. If you are on the right track and...

... far ahead of the rest of the world. Marco Polo, when he came back from China, brought printed notes, printed currency. Still he was not believed. He was called to the pope and told, "Don't try to create fictions and stupid stories. Who can believe that a piece of paper can be used as money? The pope tossed a gold coin; it fell on the floor with a great sound, and he said, "This is money...

... America! If the city does not exist, who is going to return the funds? And to whom are you addressing the letter? And in the first place who informed you that it is a city? The state must have informed you that this city. is incorporated; that is why you started giving the funds. Now the same state informs you that the city does not exist. You ask for the money from the state, and great federal funds...

... certain relationship, a partnership. If you pursue you will find unhappiness. And the American constitution has given the idea to the whole American people: Pursue. And they are pursuing desperately - in money, in power, in religion - and they are running all over the world looking for somebody to teach them how to find happiness. And the real thing is to just come back home; forget all about it. Do...

... is worse than your own grass? It happened that a man was trying to sell his house for many years. He had made it really beautiful. He had put a lot of money into it, had hired the best architects; everything was the best that he could find. He was in pursuit of happiness. The house was built, a beautiful mansion, all marble. For a few days he looked in the house for happiness to come, but the...

... for thorns. But this whole society, this crowd, these people stimulate your inner desire. From the very childhood desire is taught, ambition is taught. The father wants the son to become something - to earn money, to get power, respect, fame... make the family name shine brilliantly - and desire has caught you. When we send young children to school, we are sending them to get initiated into desire...

... ever. You have run much, but reached nowhere - then repentance engulfs you. Now the mind thinks how to attain samadhi, how to attain god. And again the mind has deceived you. This same language of attaining... Now you will have new ambitions. The form of this ambition will be religious, its flavor will be religious, but its soul is the same as ever. Whether you want money or religion, power or god...

..., as long as there is wanting the winds go on blowing and the mind goes on rippling. Thoughts of money arise in the mind of one who wants money, thoughts of religion arise in one who wants religion. But thoughts continue. What difference does it make whether thoughts are of money or of religion? Religious thought or unreligious thought, thoughts are thought. And where there is thought there is unrest...

... the desire to ask for god does not arise, because it is very difficult for the desire to ask for god to arise. Only one whose love has awakened within can ask for god. But inside most people there is no love. They can ask for money, ask for power, ask for prestige, things like this. They can ask for long life, ask for health. They can only ask for things like this. If there is love in your heart...

... sitting in temples, mosques, and churches in the name of religion don't stop either. They just keep on going. Their running continues. You want to have money, they want to have heaven. You want to have power, they want to have god. But where there is wanting, there is madness. And where there is wanting, there is rivalry. Where there is wanting there is competition, the whole marketplace. Where there is...

... when I said this.' What proof do you have Nasruddin that he said it implying the politician?" Nasruddin said, "I know that there were fifty or sixty people there, but there was no son-of-an-owl except the politician." Now what to do? Even his witness is saying it. You hope that those in power, in office, those who have money will fall flat. Your heart will get great comfort from this...

... you still go on drowning in intoxicating substances like marijuana and ganja? Remember one thing: those who are awake are against your wine, your meat and liquor for a different reason. You also may be against them, but your reason is different. You say don't drink wine because it is a useless loss of money, because your health will be ruined. Don't drink because your wife and kids will die of...

... you live ten years longer, the world gets no benefit from it, nor is it a benediction for mankind. And if you die ten years earlier or ten years later what is the difference? If you stay ten years more, you will exploit a few more people, you will amass a little more money, fill your treasury a little more. People will be more bothered by you, what else? What more has your life been? There was no...

..., children, family, money, wealth, shop, bazaar. Even if you are alone you are in a crowd. The siddha is one who is alone wherever he is. If he's in a crowd he is still alone. A siddha means one who has become acquainted with his inner nature. We have come alone, we will go alone. We are alone. As we have come, so we are, so we will go. Our aloneness is eternal. And the play that we have created, of...

... listen to you he has let his hair grow." So I said, "How does letting hair grow damage you?" "No," he said, "It doesn't damage me at all but in our family no one lets their hair grow like that." So I said, "It is the hairs fault. If they are left alone, won't they grow? What's the harm in it? He saves a little money. Why are you bothered by your son's hair...

... pilgrimage started, and from the very first night there was trouble. The next morning there was chaos -- somebody's coat was missing, somebody's shirt was missing, somebody's money was gone. And everybody was shouting, "Where is my money?" and they were all telling Eknath, "We were suspicious from the very beginning that you were taking this man with you. A lifelong habit...." But then...

... they started looking, and they found that things were not stolen. Somebody's money was missing, but it was found in somebody else's bag. Somebody else's coat was missing, but it was found in somebody else's luggage. Everything was found, but it was an unnecessary trouble -- every morning! And nobody could conceive -- what can be the meaning of it? And now certainly it is not the thief, because...