UNAI United Nations Academic Impact – START/Amrita University Conference on Technology for
Sustainable Development
Keynote Address
by Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi
Chancellor, Amrita University
July
8, 2015 - New York, USA
Serving
in her role as Chancellor of Amrita University, Amma addressed researchers representing 93 leading international universities
at a conference co-hosted by Amrita University and the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI). Mr. Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United
Nations Academic Impact introduced Amma to the audience.
I
offer my humble salutations to all the dignitaries gathered here today. I would also like to take this opportunity to express
my heartfelt gratitude to the United Nations Academic Impact for organizing this event, and to the principles of unity that
the United Nations represents.
Some of you
may wonder, “Does a spiritual person like Amma have a place here?” It is my faith in the validity of spiritual
knowledge that has brought me here in front of you today. I often reflect deeply on the future of the Earth, the preservation
of nature, and the disappearing harmony between humanity and nature. This contemplation has led me to the conviction that
science, technology, and spirituality must unite in order to ensure a sustainable and balanced existence of our world. The
present age and the world around us demand this transformation.
Day
by day, science and technology are rapidly growing in an uncontrollable manner. No one knows where this growth is leading.
When we look around, we see developers, producers, distributors and consumers all seem to be caught in a frenzy to acquire
the latest, greatest and largest things. The current state of humanity is like that of a child let loose in a candy store.
Today, while lying in our bed we can order anything to eat, drink, watch
or listen to, and it will be delivered right to our home. We don’t need to go to a store anymore to buy new or used
things. There are websites for anything and everything. The Internet is revolutionizing the world, which is good. Now, we
can buy anything with a single click of our finger—except one thing: love.
Some
of you may wonder, “Does a spiritual person like Amma have a place here?” It is my faith in the validity of spiritual
knowledge that has brought me here in front of you today. I often reflect deeply on the future of the Earth, the preservation
of nature, and the disappearing harmony between humanity and nature. This contemplation has led me to the conviction that
science, technology, and spirituality must unite in order to ensure a sustainable and balanced existence of our world. The
present age and the world around us demand this transformation.
Day
by day, science and technology are rapidly growing in an uncontrollable manner. No one knows where this growth is leading.
When we look around, we see developers, producers, distributors and consumers all seem to be caught in a frenzy to acquire
the latest, greatest and largest things. The current state of humanity is like that of a child let loose in a candy store.
Today, while lying in our bed we can order anything to eat, drink, watch
or listen to, and it will be delivered right to our home. We don’t need to go to a store anymore to buy new or used
things. There are websites for anything and everything. The Internet is revolutionizing the world, which is good. Now, we
can buy anything with a single click of our finger—except one thing: love.
Looking
at modern life, we see a society of plenty steeped in misery. Excessive greed has blinded mankind, and the incidence of inhumane
actions is on the rise, as a result. Mental agitation and stress have caused new and hitherto unknown kinds of diseases.
Humanity is at a crossroads. At present, mankind lives solely depending on
science and technology. However, in light of our current situation, we should at least try to incorporate spiritual thinking
as well.
Recently, we have witnessed so many natural calamities and alarming changes in the global climate,
including rapidly increasing global warming. We need to ponder deeply on whether human effort alone will be enough to put
a halt to the imminent worldwide catastrophe.
In the olden days, because people lived in tune with
nature, they would look for an auspicious day before planting or cutting down a tree. Before cutting a tree, people would
first worship it and then apologize, saying, “Please forgive me for the action I am about to perform. It is only out
of necessity that I am cutting you down.” But, what happens today? Not only do we rarely plant trees, we relentlessly
destroy them and all of nature.
When Amma was a child, people would apply cow dung to their wounds. This
would help them heal faster and prevent infection. But if we were to do the same today, our wound would instantly become infected.
What used to be medicinal in the past has now turned poisonous. This is how polluted nature has become.
Just as we
celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Thanksgiving with a lot of fanfare, we should
have a day to respect and worship Mother Nature. On that day, everyone in the world should try to plant at least one tree.
This could even be on New Year’s Day, so we start the year on an auspicious note. If we do so, this planet will become
a paradise. A tree is like a house that we construct for Mother Earth.
There is a rhythm to everything in
creation, an undeniable relationship between the entire universe and every living creature in it. The universe is like a vast
interconnected network. Suppose there is a net. If it is shaken in one place, the vibration is felt throughout. Similarly,
whether we are aware of it or not, all of our actions reverberate throughout creation—whether performed as an individual
or as a group. We are not individual islands but links of a common chain.
Harmony exists when man, nature,
and the power beyond both of them function as one. However, now we only give importance to human beings and their discoveries.
Our lives today have no place for values. The general belief is that values are irrelevant and superfluous.
In
order for any engine to function smoothly, it needs oil. The “oil” that helps us live without much friction is
our values. These values are developed through spiritual thinking.
There are two types of education:
education for a living and education for life. When we study in college, striving to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer,
this is education for a living. On the other hand, education for life requires an understanding of the essential principles
of spirituality. The real goal of education is not to create people who can understand only the language of machines. The
main purpose of education should be to impart a culture of the heart—a culture based on enduring values.
Spirituality
is also a science—it is a valid branch of knowledge that cannot be ignored. The scientific community is researching
the physical world in an attempt to discover the secrets of the universe. In reality, spiritual scriptures recount the experiences
of those who performed intense inner inquiry in order to unfold the same secrets. When we try to view spirituality through
mathematics, physics and logic alone, we may fail to grasp its subtleties. We need to approach it with the faith of a child,
and with the wonder that shines in a child’s mind and eyes. Renowned scientists of the past viewed the universe and
its subtleties with awe and wonderment. Their research had the inquisitiveness and faith of an innocent child. In fact, many
past and present eminent scientists acknowledged spirituality towards the end of their lives, but by then it was too late.
Amma prays that the scientific community leading the world today does not make this same mistake.
Life is a perfect
combination of logic and mystery—perhaps more mysterious than logical. In all areas of life, the head and heart should
go together. For example, when white sand and sugar are mixed together, it is very difficult to separate the two, even for
an intelligent human being. However, the seemingly insignificant ant—representing humility—will come and easily
manage to eat only the sugar.
There is a rhythm to everything in creation, an undeniable relationship between
the entire universe and every living creature in it. The universe is like a vast interconnected network. Suppose there is
a net. If it is shaken in one place, the vibration is felt throughout. Similarly, whether we are aware of it or not, all of
our actions reverberate throughout creation—whether performed as an individual or as a group. We are not individual
islands but links of a common chain.
Harmony exists when man, nature, and the power beyond both
of them function as one. However, now we only give importance to human beings and their discoveries. Our lives today have
no place for values. The general belief is that values are irrelevant and superfluous.
In order for
any engine to function smoothly, it needs oil. The “oil” that helps us live without much friction is our values.
These values are developed through spiritual thinking.
There are two types of education: education
for a living and education for life. When we study in college, striving to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, this is education
for a living. On the other hand, education for life requires an understanding of the essential principles of spirituality.
The real goal of education is not to create people who can understand only the language of machines. The main purpose of education
should be to impart a culture of the heart—a culture based on enduring values.
Spirituality
is also a science—it is a valid branch of knowledge that cannot be ignored. The scientific community is researching
the physical world in an attempt to discover the secrets of the universe. In reality, spiritual scriptures recount the experiences
of those who performed intense inner inquiry in order to unfold the same secrets. When we try to view spirituality through
mathematics, physics and logic alone, we may fail to grasp its subtleties. We need to approach it with the faith of a child,
and with the wonder that shines in a child’s mind and eyes. Renowned scientists of the past viewed the universe and
its subtleties with awe and wonderment. Their research had the inquisitiveness and faith of an innocent child. In fact, many
past and present eminent scientists acknowledged spirituality towards the end of their lives, but by then it was too late.
Amma prays that the scientific community leading the world today does not make this same mistake.
Life is a perfect
combination of logic and mystery—perhaps more mysterious than logical. In all areas of life, the head and heart should
go together. For example, when white sand and sugar are mixed together, it is very difficult to separate the two, even for
an intelligent human being. However, the seemingly insignificant ant—representing humility—will come and easily
manage to eat only the sugar.
There is a rhythm to everything in creation, an undeniable relationship between
the entire universe and every living creature in it. The universe is like a vast interconnected network. Suppose there is
a net. If it is shaken in one place, the vibration is felt throughout. Similarly, whether we are aware of it or not, all of
our actions reverberate throughout creation—whether performed as an individual or as a group. We are not individual
islands but links of a common chain.
Harmony exists when man, nature, and the power beyond both
of them function as one. However, now we only give importance to human beings and their discoveries. Our lives today have
no place for values. The general belief is that values are irrelevant and superfluous.
In order for
any engine to function smoothly, it needs oil. The “oil” that helps us live without much friction is our values.
These values are developed through spiritual thinking.
There are two types of education: education
for a living and education for life. When we study in college, striving to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, this is education
for a living. On the other hand, education for life requires an understanding of the essential principles of spirituality.
The real goal of education is not to create people who can understand only the language of machines. The main purpose of education
should be to impart a culture of the heart—a culture based on enduring values.
Spirituality
is also a science—it is a valid branch of knowledge that cannot be ignored. The scientific community is researching
the physical world in an attempt to discover the secrets of the universe. In reality, spiritual scriptures recount the experiences
of those who performed intense inner inquiry in order to unfold the same secrets. When we try to view spirituality through
mathematics, physics and logic alone, we may fail to grasp its subtleties. We need to approach it with the faith of a child,
and with the wonder that shines in a child’s mind and eyes. Renowned scientists of the past viewed the universe and
its subtleties with awe and wonderment. Their research had the inquisitiveness and faith of an innocent child. In fact, many
past and present eminent scientists acknowledged spirituality towards the end of their lives, but by then it was too late.
Amma prays that the scientific community leading the world today does not make this same mistake.
Life is a perfect
combination of logic and mystery—perhaps more mysterious than logical. In all areas of life, the head and heart should
go together. For example, when white sand and sugar are mixed together, it is very difficult to separate the two, even for
an intelligent human being. However, the seemingly insignificant ant—representing humility—will come and easily
manage to eat only the sugar.
Amma was born in a small fishing village, where 90 percent of the people
lived off daily wages. Many people in the village had valvular heart disease. Even though they were diagnosed with blocks
in their cardiac valve, they could not undergo surgery as the valves were only available from abroad and were very costly.
So, people who should have lived until age 70 or 80 died by the time they were thirty or 40. Amma would think, “If only
we could find a way to make valves that were not so expensive.” This is how Amma became interested in doing research
for the sake of serving the poor.
Infant mortality is a major issue in many countries. To investigate the causes
of this trend, we visited many villages in India. In some villages, we saw that women were eating mainly herbs and shrubs.
When asked why this was the case, the explained, “Our husbands earn daily wages and they only find work every three
to four days. Due to our lack of income, we get very little food and we end up giving this to our husbands. In order to suppress
our hunger, we eat these specific herbs and shrubs.” They subsist on the same diet even while they are pregnant. How
will the children born of such malnourished women survive?
Some women in other villages said, “Many
of our husbands spend all their income on alcohol and bad habits. They come home drunk and abuse us. Even though we have enough
food at home, we just cannot find the will to eat.”
In some villages, women have no education
and are illiterate, so their husbands easily exploit them by forging their signatures even for what little government aid
they could have received. This is why we started literacy programs for women. We also decided to give these women vocational
training using haptic devices.
The current
gap between the haves and the have-nots is the bane of the entire world, and this disparity is increasing daily. A mountain
on one side and an abyss on the other—such is the current situation. On one hand, there are those who live, squandering
millions upon millions on luxuries. On the other hand, there are those who struggle in hunger and pain to make enough for
just one meal—to make enough for just one day’s medicine. If we postpone reducing this gap any longer, it will
culminate in violence, even widespread riots. A bridge of love and compassion joining these two groups is desperately needed.
Poverty is a terrible plight upon humanity, destroying all goodness and talent.
It is the cause of all moral degradation.
Once, when
Amma was giving a program abroad, a group of homeless children who more or less lived underground in the city’s subway
lines came for darshan. They had drawn pictures for Amma. Most of the pictures were violent scenes of bombs, missiles and
battleships. One child drew a picture of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary, but they had guns in their hands. When Amma asked the
child why he had drawn Jesus Christ with a gun, he said, “When he’s hungry, won’t he need to eat? If he
has a gun, he can pull it out and mug someone.”
Amma asked, “Son, is the only way to get money
by pulling a gun on someone?”
The boy replied,
“That’s what my dad does.”
“Can’t
your father work to earn money?” Amma asked.
The boy replied,
“My dad is healthy enough to work. He went for many interviews, too, but no one would ever hire him. No one will hire
people like us. That’s why my dad uses a gun. That’s how he is supporting us.”
The personal
experiences and situations witnessed by children make deep impressions in their minds. Poverty and the sense of inferiority
it creates often manifest as violent tendencies, even at a very young age. This is how the values in society erode. Love and
compassion are especially needed in such situations.
Many people are cynical about spirituality. What is
spirituality? True spirituality is compassion in action; it begins and culminates in compassion. If we could transform compassion
from a mere word into a path of action, we would be able to solve 90 percent of the world’s humanitarian problems.
The
first step to helping others is imparting awareness. In spite of taking regular medication, if a diabetic continues to eat
sweet food, their blood sugar level will increase. So, diet control and lifestyle modification are as important as medication.
Amma remembers an incident that happened in one of the villages that we adopted [as part of Amrita Serve or Live-in-Labs Project].
Initially, we taught a core group of people in each village about toilet building, and we left the actual building to them.
When we revisited these villages after a while, we noticed that people were not using the toilets. They would open the door
of their new restroom, look inside as though they were visiting a temple, then they would close the door and go to the nearby
lake to relieve themselves, as usual. At this point, we began educating the villagers, explaining that open defecation leads
to water and soil pollution, which further contaminates our food and leads to all kind of parasitic infections, such as hookworm,
etc. This helped in creating the much-needed awareness in the community.
When we try to love or serve without
understanding those whom we are serving, we often end up harming society and ourselves. In order for service to be beneficial,
it needs to go hand and hand with discernment. This is the essence of sustainable development.
A fish was
splashing about in the river. A monkey that had come to quench his thirst noticed the fish. He thought, “That poor fish
is suffering, trapped by the current. I must save it!” In his impulsive sympathy, the monkey rushed over to catch the
fish, and placed it on the riverbank. The fish started gasping for air and died soon after.
What if the
monkey had tried to understand the fish before removing it from the water? What if he had asked, “May I take you out
of the water?” The fish would have replied, “Oh, no! If you do that, I’ll die!” Acting without understanding
is akin to the monkey’s attempt to save the fish. The heart and intellect must come together in all of our actions.
Once,
a man brought a 10-year-old boy to Amma. He wanted Amma to raise the boy in the ashram and told her the story of how he became
an orphan. His father had died two years before, so his mother and sister went to work in a candle factory near their home.
Then his mother was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and was unable to work as she was bedridden. Even though his sister
was paid very little, it was just enough to make ends meet.
After a while, laws were established that
banned child labor. The owner of the candle factory was arrested, and his company was shut down. All the children working
there were let go. Distraught at the loss of their only source of income, the mother sent her son to school in the morning
and then she poisoned her daughter and herself.
It is justifiable to shut down such factories, but we
often forget the families of the young children who depend on these factories in order to live. In our attempt to resolve
a problem, if we only see one aspect and fail to see the other, the repercussions are experienced by people who have no other
recourse.
People ask, “What is the significance of spirituality?” Spirituality helps us to
develop the discernment to differentiate between what is essential and what is excessive. For example, we need a watch to
tell time. Both a $100 and a $50,000 watch will do that. If we buy the $100 dollar watch and use the remaining money to help
the poor, it would be a great service to society. Though we may see a thousand suns reflected in a thousand pots of water,
there is really only one sun. Likewise, the consciousness within all of us is one and the same. With such an attitude, we
will be able to cultivate a mind that considers others before ourselves. Just as our right hand rushes to comfort our left
hand if it is in pain, may we love and serve others as we would our self.
There are two types of poverty in
the world. The first type is due to the lack of food, clothing and shelter. The second type is the poverty of love and compassion.
We need to tackle the second type of poverty first. For, if we have love and compassion, we will wholeheartedly serve and
help those who lack food, clothing and shelter.
In a village there was a beautiful statue of a mahatma
with outstretched arms. On a plaque beneath the statue, these words were inscribed, “Come into my arms.” Over
the years, the arms broke off. The villagers loved the statue and were very upset. They gathered together to try to decide
what to do. Some suggested that the statue should be taken down. Others objected, saying that new arms should be made. But,
finally, an old man stood up and said, “No. Don’t worry about making new arms. Leave it without arms.” The
other villagers responded, “But what about the plaque underneath? It says, ‘Come into my arms.'” The old
man replied, “No problem. Just below the words ‘Come into my arms,’ you should add, ‘by letting me
work through your hands.'”
We must become the hands, eyes and ears of God. Our inspiration, strength
and courage must come from God. Then, fear, doubt and sin will never stain us.
The sun does not require candlelight.
Similarly, God needs nothing from us. Sooner or later, the body will perish. Therefore, isn’t it better for it to wear
out from activity than to let it rust away from lack of use? Otherwise what’s the difference between people and worms?
Worms also eat, sleep, reproduce and eventually die. What more are we doing with our lives?
Children, whether
or not God exists might be a source of debate. Whatever be the case, no rational person can ever say that suffering humanity
does not exist; we can see suffering with our own eyes. Amma considers service to such people to be worship of God. Amma prays
that this self-sacrificing attitude awakens in her children. May the world come to realize through all of you that the waters
of love, compassion, selflessness and sacrifice have not dried up in human hearts.
In the village
where Amma was born, there was only one faucet for about 1,000 families. At most, each person could fill only one pot of water,
but that itself would require waiting from morning until night. Sometimes, we wouldn’t end up getting any water at all.
Because of these experiences, if Amma ever sees water leaking from a tap, she feels like her blood is pouring in place of
the water. We may think, “How can we stop wasting water? Who do we turn to for a solution?” Amma lived without
even basic amenities and witnessed the suffering of those around her. As a result, whenever she sees another person in pain,
she instinctively feels the need to help them. Nature is our mother. While our birth mother may keep us on her lap for a few
years, Mother Nature keeps us on her lap for our entire lifetime.
Amma has one wish. All universities
should send their students to impoverished rural villages or city slums for at least one or two months during their education.
They would be able to see directly the issues and problems that the poor face. They could then develop solutions and write
papers on everything they studied. This would help us to help the poor in the most effective way and, at the same time, awaken
compassion in today’s youth.
Today, universities and their researchers are ranked mainly based on the
amount of funding they receive, the number of papers they publish and their intellectual caliber. Faculty are promoted according
to the same criteria as well. Along with this, we should take into consideration how much we have been able to use their research
to serve the lowest and most vulnerable strata of society. This would be like gold becoming fragrant. In our approach to sustainable
development, we should not forget that it is by strengthening the people at the base of the pyramid that the entire edifice
of society becomes healthy and strong.
Segregating science and spirituality has been the greatest
crime against humanity in the past century. These two main branches of knowledge that should have gone hand in hand were divided
and practitioners were either labeled as modern scientists or representatives of religious faiths. “Only scientific
discoveries apply to logic and intelligence. They are the only truth. Religious faith is blind and misguided.” This
was the ideology that was popularized. All the recent natural disasters and the alarming changes in the global climate are
challenging the further survival of this beautiful earth we live in. Now, many people cannot help thinking that all this may
be the result of weighing science and spirituality on opposite sides of a scale and deeming that one is much greater than
the other.
If we want our actions to bear the desired results,
three factors are needed: the proper time, self-effort and God’s grace. Amma gives the example of a man has to travel
a long distance in order to attend a job interview. He wakes up early in the morning, gets in the car and reaches the airport
on time. However, after checking in, he hears that the plane’s engine is having some mechanical problem or the weather
is too bad to fly; so the flight is cancelled. In this case, the man put forth enough effort and he reached the airport at
the correct time, but because he didn’t have grace, he was unable to attend the interview. Similarly, we need God’s
grace to make all our actions complete and meaningful. Spiritual practices and compassion are not two, but one. It is our
own selfless actions that come back to us as God’s grace.
May
the tree of our lives be rooted in the soil of love. May good deeds be the leaves, kind words be the flowers, and peace be
the fruit. May the world flourish as one family, united in love. May we thus be able to create a world in which peace and
contentment prevail. This is Amma’s sincere prayer.
||
lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu ||
“May all beings everywhere be peaceful and happy.”
