THE BUDDHA...............THE WORLD 537
Religion is absolutely essential for the development of mankind. I know that one sect came into existence after reading Karl Marx. According to them religion is futile. They do not have importance of religion. In the morning they get breakfast containing bread, cream, butter, chicken leg etc. full meal, sound sleep, to see movies; and that is all. That is their philosophy. I am not of that opinion. My father was poor; I could not get such kind of luxuries. Nobody has ever lived a life as hard as mine. Therefore, I have a realisation that how hard a man’s life can be in the absence of luxuries. I know that economic elevation movement is necessary. I am not against that movement. Man must progress financially.
But I make an important distinction in this matter. There is a difference between buffalo, bull and man. Buffalo and bull need fodder every day. Man also needs food. But the difference in between the two is that buffalo and bull have no mind; man has body and mind too. Therefore, both should be pondered over. The mind should be developed. The mind should be cultured. It should be made cultured. I do not want to have any sort of relationship with such country or people who say that there is no relation between man and cultured mind except the food. As to keep relationship with people man should have sound body in the same way while making the body healthy, the mind should also be cultured. Otherwise, it cannot be said that mankind has been progressed.
Why man’s body or mind is ill ? The reasons are, either his body is diseased or his mind has no enthusiasm. If there is no enthusiasm in mind there is no progress. Why is not this enthusiasm there ? The first reason is that man has been kept in such a way that he does not get any opportunity or he has no hope to rise. That time, how will he remain enthusiastic ? He remains diseased. The man who gets the fruit of his deeds can get enthusiasm. Otherwise a teacher in a school started saying, “ Hey, who is this ? He is a Mahar. And will this wretched Mahar get through in first class ? For what he wants first class ? Be in third class only—to get in first class is Brahmin’s claim. Under these circumstances, what enthusiasm the boy will get ? How can he progress ? The root of creating enthusiasm is in mind, whose body and mind also are healthy, who is courageous, who has confidence in surmounting all adversities,