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Main Index
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women and nothing inside himself. He has beautiful palaces, yet inside all is desolation, a desert. When one has all, it starts to be clear that there is nothing in any of it. When one has nothing he lives in hopes.
It is difficult to get rid of hopes because there is no way that hopes can be checked against reality. The poor man thinks he will live happily if he gets money tomorrow. The rich man already has wealth: there is no way for him to hope. Hence when a society becomes prosperous it become religious.
Don't be surprised if the winds of religion have begun to blow strongly in America. This has always happened. When India was wealthy -- as it surely was in the days of Ashtavakra; it was wealthy in the days of Buddha, it was wealthy in the days of Mahavira.... When India was at the peak of its prosperity it reached the great heights of Yoga. It took the ultimate flight into spirituality, because then people saw that there is nothing in wealth: "We have everything and still nothing has meaning." If a country is poor then it is very hard.
I am not saying that a poor man cannot become liberated. A poor man can achieve liberation, a poor man can become religious. But a poor society cannot become religious. An individual can be an exception, but he will need great intensity.
Think about it. If you have money, you can see that money is worthless -- it is very easy. If you don't have money it is difficult, very difficult, to see that money is worthless. How can you see the worthlessness of what you don't have? If you have gold in your hand then you can test if it is real gold or false. If you don't have gold in your hand, if it is only in your dream, no analysis can be made of it. Only real gold can be analysed.
The poor man's religion cannot be real religion. When a poor man goes to the temple he asks for money, he asks for power, he asks for employment. If he is sick he prays to become well. If his son does not have a job he prays that he can find work. The temple remains just an employment exchange. No fragrance of love or prayer arises even in the temple. He needed to go to the hospital, instead he has come to the temple. He needed
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