Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai
New York, USA • August 4, 1999
(Originally in English) Videotape #664

Q: I’m just wondering if there is something more we can do apart from meditation to make the world a better place. After all, we do live here and we all care for the planet.

M: That’s right. I’m very touched that you care. The United Nations members should care like that. I don’t know if all of them care, but it’s nice that you do.

So what can we do? I’ve been doing my best, but I’m getting old (laughter) and my voice is feeble; not too many people hear it. It’s OK; we just do one thing at a time. Maybe you can give more lectures and raise the consciousness of people on this planet. Well, you can only do so much. It helps for a while, but then people’s enthusiasm, attention and fear of disaster die down and things start all over again and we have to do it again and again.

The thing is that the leaders of many nations should join in. They should also support spiritual practice, but most of the schools and governmental systems on this planet are all about control, material comfort and distribution. And they’re not even doing a good job at that! Many countries are too poor and many countries are too rich; many countries have too little while many countries have too much and so on. So, even the material things are not being distributed well.

But it could be helped if people were more spiritual. Then everyone would be aware from within and would do things more naturally so we wouldn’t even have to tell anyone what to do. But most political systems only emphasize law enforcement, material needs or the mathematics of things, and these are mostly about the physical aspects. So when our small group or others such as me or you or any of us individually make an effort, we just feel like a minority on this planet. But if the governments of all the nations knew the benefits of spiritual power, we would all do much better. That’s normally what governing means; so this should also be emphasized.

Q: When they’re looking at the problems of the world, the spiritual part should be integrated.

M: Yes, because the spiritual part is the root of most of the problems. The governments are trying hard. They’re doing their best, but they’re watering the plants on the leaves. That helps a little, but watering at the root is the most important and most efficient way of doing things. So you can go around and tell all the presidents, "Hey, get up! Do something: Meditate!"

Since ancient times, we have been stuck with this. But at least individuals like you and me and some others are making an effort; we are doing something. And it is helping; otherwise it could have been worse. If we hadn’t been going strong with our spiritual practice our world would have had less blessing. Maybe our planet would have already disappeared a few years ago. Or the war could have kept going on a grander scale and become a world war. It can happen.