Here follows a Q&A session with the founder of Sahaja Yoga Meditation, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
Question: What do you give, can you provide the definition of enlightenment?
Shri Mataji: Enlightened means a personality, enlightened personality, I can tell you, is a person who is beyond his mind. And he is in contact completely with this all-pervading power of divine love. As a result everything in that person is guided, helped by that divine love. That power is so great that it looks after you, it Painting of Buddha having just attained enlightenment, while sitting under the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya, India. The flame on the top of the head, indicates the opening of the Seventh Chakra through Kundalini awakening. (Wallpainting in a monastery in Laos)organizes everything, it thinks, it understands, it is wisdom of all the things. You become a person who is so collectively conscious.
Today we need people like that. Otherwise you always think about yourself. About others you can only think when you are collectively conscious. But these days there are so many people marketing their spirituality, you see. That’s also there. And just people jump to it, I don’t know why. Why don’t they find out what is the gain, what did you gain out of it? Nobody wants to know.
Question: How did you find America?
Shri Mataji: They are antipodes. I don’t know what to say, they are very money-oriented, extremely money-oriented. And they can’t understand me because I’m not asking for money, you see, they can’t understand. It’s very difficult. And how to penetrate that veil of theirs?
So, this time it has been much better, I should say, I’ve been there. I went first, long time back, 1973 I went there, and I saw the people how mad they were. After one boy was a 16 years old guru, you see. They just giving money to him. So, I asked him “Why they are giving money?” What is the need to give money like this? To this guru? They said: “Because he is giving us spirit.” Where is he giving you spirit?
And then this fellow, he was wiser than others I should say, because he settled down as a young one, he married some American lady and used his money, but all the rest of them, so many of them, went there to befool them. It’s endless. Still going on.
But unless and until you accept the truth, you cannot change. Accept us in the sense you have to ask for it. You should have pure desire. This Kundalini is the power of pure desire within you. When She rises She gives you your pure desire. Not like this, changing from one to another. And if you have pure desire only then it works out. If you don’t have, it won’t work out – no. I cannot force it. Cannot be forced, you see.
Press Conference (London ’99)