What Causes Wars?
United Nations, March 6, 1991

Slowly the wheat supply disappeared because everybody took much more than they needed. After a while, the trouble started because the ones who had a lot feared that the ones who didn't have would come to steal, and things like that So now, a council was formed by the people to settle these disputes and to make the laws. That was why the government of the world was formed - because of eating nothing more noble. Then they divided the earth in different pieces; this part was for Mr. So and So, and that part was for Mrs. So and So, and no one was to violate to division.

The more they ate these things, the coarser they became and their bodies began to change. Some changed into a woman's shape, some changed into a man's shape - what we call men and women nowadays. Before that, there wasn't any shape; everyone was exactly the same, living in glory and love together. There was no physical attraction between each other. But after they ate too much of all these things, there was fighting, stealing and disputing, and things began to change so tragically. People began to look at each other with wonder and attraction.

Those who ate less would still be more beautiful, and those who ate more became more ugly. The ugly chased after the beauty. The beauty would be the woman. Yes, probably because we ate less. [Master laughs] Therefore, until now women are still being called the beauty. So then, the so-called man began to chase after the woman because they were more beautiful. Everyone loves beauty because of that - because we were born beautiful; we were from the beauty. That's why up until now, everyone loves beauty, and all the women put on all that beautiful make-up just because they remember deep down in their memory that they had been beautiful, or their real Self is beautiful. So, whatever their appearances on earth are, they are not satisfied. The men too, no matter however beautiful his wife is, he still likes to look at another beauty, because he remembers in the old days everyone was beautiful, more beautiful than his wife even. So, he cannot be satisfied with looking at one beauty. That's the cause of unfaithfulness. It's not that he is really bad, it's just that instinctive nature inside us.

Even greed, the hoarding of money and possessions and the love of beauty came from the noble root that we have been in a more glorious world, where all things were in plenty. We had everything that we needed without even asking, and we were all beautiful and glorious. That's why we still love all those shining jewels, make-up, beautiful men, beautiful women and like to have a luxurious life. It is because we had them before, and we miss them now. Therefore, we try to get them back as much as we can, as much as our ability here will allow us. Therefore, all those so-called bad habits and instincts in men stem from a very noble root. If we knew it, we would feel more sorry rather than blaming ourselves or accusing others for chasing after beauty money.

So, once we understand this through spiritual practice, we will leave all these things. We will have them, but we will not crave them. Whatever we have, we are satisfied and use them. We will not be slaves to these things, and we will not crave or try all means to get them, or even maybe start a war because of these things.

Now, after these events, people began chasing each other, and physical attraction began to happen. They started to have couples. Other people who looked at this wondered why it had never happened like this before. They wondered why one being did such things to the other being. These people became ashamed of being attracted to each other physically and doing things physically. They were ashamed, so they had to go out of the city of the inhabitants and build their own huts or caves. Consequently, houses began spring up and separate dormitories began to appear.

That's how it happened and that's how we started our history, according to Buddha, Okay? If you want to blame, blame the Buddha. Don't blame me. I don't know if this story is true or not. I wasn't there. [Master laughs] I don't know if I was there or not. It was a long time ago, and I've forgotten now. I might have been there, but it has too long now, billions or trillions of years ago. Who would remember all these things? Who wants to remember, right? We have enough to do now, with the Middle East war, the Au Lac refugees and what-not.

After that, because people started building houses, hoarding things for themselves and dividing the land, everything began to get worse. Some people who were diligent planted a lot of things and had good crops, and other people who were lazy just came to steal. That's how wars began, and they continue until now because there are those who have a lot and there are those who have too little. Those who have a lot don't want to share with those who have too little. Those who have a lot work diligently and look down upon those who don't have much because of their laziness or, maybe, misfortune.

So, the Buddha concluded that the cause of war is the lack of sharing between people; it is the greed within us. Those who take too much leave none for the others. Nowadays in our modern times, the scientists have done a lot of research and they think that the cause of war may be starvation. Many countries are starving and many countries have too much, and things like that. But, not really, we don't really have to much. We are just using it incorrectly and waste it.

They also did other research. For example, someone in Toronto, who has a vegetarian restaurant and a vegetarian magazine, told me that according to the research, if in North America each person would eat a vegetarian meal once week, then we would have enough food to feed sixteen million people a year. I was startled and said, "How could be?" But it worked out that way. It is not because of the food, it's the many things concerned with food. In order to produce this food the land has to be cultivated, but now it'. wasted for the feeding of the cow's. All the water, medicine transportation etc, used for the cows, pigs and other animals everything concerned with meat diet had reportedly wasted a lot of human resources, and that is the cause of starvation in many countries. It takes a lot of food protein, medicine. transportation and water to feed a cow and these things come from underdeveloped countries, too. This protein and food could have been distributed in a different way in order to feed the whole world instead of feeding a cow, and then we eat the cow - second-hand stuff anyhow.

So nowadays many people believe that a vegetarian diet can save the world and minimize a lot of war, and I think I do not oppose this idea. Maybe in the very near future we should try, at least to see how it works, and then we can comment. But I believe it will work provided each of us supports this idea and tries to cooperate. It is understood that not everyone will cooperate. Since the beginning of time, not all of us cooperate, because we all want to be the boss. Somehow, in our own way, in our own environment, we always like to be the boss. Why is it? It's not bad either. This also stems from the noble root that we have been in power, we have been angels, we have been saints. We have been in heaven, where everything is under our command. And now, we have lost our way and stepped down to this physical world and have lost most of our power, so we crave for power. But the thing is, we crave and find power in the wrong way. As a result it harms us more than offers us any power. That's all.

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