Lasting Solution for Modern-Day
Conflicts
2004 Parliament of the World's Religions
an address given by
Her Holiness Sri Mata Amritanandamayi
Barcelona, Spain 13 July, 2004
 Amma
bows down to everyone here, who are embodiments of pure love and
the Supreme Consciousness. . The effort and self-sacrifice of those
amongst you who were capable of organizing an enormous event such
as this are beyond description. Amma simply bows down before such
selflessness.
Our God-given abilities are a treasure that is meant for ourselves
as well as for the entire world. This wealth should never be misused
and made into a burden for us and for the world. The greatest tragedy
in life is not death; the greatest tragedy is to let our great potential,
talents, and capabilities be underutilized, to allow them to rust
while we live. When we use the wealth obtained from nature, it diminishes;
but when we use the wealth of our inner gifts, it increases.
But are we really using our abilities? What has always been the
aim of humanity? What do we humans yearn to reach? Has it not always
been our goal to obtain as much happiness and contentment as possible
in both our personal lives and for society as a whole? But where
do we stand today? Most of us move from one mistake to another,
which only makes our problems worse.
Every country has tried to increase its power in politics, the
military and weaponry, economics, science, and technology. Is there
any area we have yet to test and explore? We are all so focused
on these things; and having tried these methods for so long, have
we achieved any real peace or contentment? The answer is no. Time
has proven that these methods alone cannot secure our contentment.
Only if spiritual power - with which we have never before experimented
- is allowed to grow alongside all those different areas, can we
attain the peace and contentment that we seek.
In reality, there is only one difference between people in wealthy
countries and people in poor countries: while people in wealthy
countries are crying in air-conditioned rooms and palatial mansions,
those who live in poor countries are crying on the dirt floors of
their huts. One thing is clear: that people who once had every hope
to smile and be happy are now shedding tears in many parts of the
world. Sorrow and suffering are becoming the hallmark of many countries.
It is senseless to blame all this on religion alone. A major cause
of these problems is how people have interpreted religion
and spirituality.
Today we search outwardly for the causes and solutions to all the
problems of the world. In our haste, we forget the greatest truth
of all - that the source of all problems is to be found within the
human mind. We forget that the world can become good only if the
mind of the individual becomes good. So, along with an understanding
of the outer world, it is essential that we also get to know the
inner world.
There was once a function to inaugurate a new supercomputer. After
the inauguration, the participants were told they could ask the
supercomputer any question and it would come up with the answer
in seconds. People did their best to ask the computer the most complicated
questions relating to science, history, geography, and so on. As
soon as each question was posed, the answer would pop up on the
screen. Then, a child stood up and asked the supercomputer a simple
question: "Hello, supercomputer! How are you today?" But
this time there was no response; the screen remained blank! The
computer could answer questions about everything, except itself.
Most of us live in a state similar to that of the computer. Along
with our understanding of the outside world, we need to develop
knowledge about the inner world.
When our phone is out of order, we call the phone company to repair
it; when our cable TV fails to clearly receive TV programs, the
cable company helps us; and when our Internet connection isn't working,
a computer expert fixes it. In a similar way, spirituality is the
means by which our inner connection with the Divine is restored.
The science of spirituality puts the 'remote control' of our mind
back into our hands.
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