E-Book Content
1948 New Delhi
1948 Poona
1949 Banaras
1949 London
1949 Ojai
1949 Rajahumundry
1st Public Talk 2nd Public Talk
1st Public Talk 2nd Public Talk 3rd Public Talk 4th Public Talk 5th Public Talk 6th Public Talk 7th Public Talk 8th Public Talk
1st Public Talk 2nd Public Talk 3rd Public Talk 4th Public Talk 5th Public Talk
1st Public Talk 2nd Public Talk 3rd Public Talk 4th Public Talk 5th Public Talk
1st Public Talk 2nd Public Talk 3rd Public Talk 4th Public Talk 5th Public Talk 6th Public Talk 7th Public Talk 8th Public Talk 9th Public Talk 10th Public Talk 11th Public Talk 12th Public Talk 13th Public Talk 14th Public Talk
1st Public Talk 2nd Public Talk 3rd Public Talk
NEW DELHI INDIA 1ST PUBLIC TALK 14TH NOVEMBER, 1948 Action is relationship, and we cannot live or exist without action. Action seems to produce constant friction, constant misunderstanding and anxiety; and we see in the world that all organized action has most unfortunately led to a series of disasters. We see in the world about us confusion, misery and conflicting desires; and realizing this world chaos, most thoughtfull and earnest people - not the people who are playing at make believe, but people who are really concerned - will naturally see the importance of thinking out the problem of action. There is mass action and individual action; and mass action has become an abstraction, a convenient escape for the individual. By thinking that this chaos, this misery, this disaster that is constantly arising, can somehow be transformed or brought to order by mass action, the individual becomes irresponsible. The mass is surely a fictitious entity; the mass is you and I. It is only when you and I do not understand the relationship of true action that we turn to the abstraction called the mass - and thereby become irresponsible in our action. For reform in action, we look either to a leader, or to organized, collective action, which again is mass action. When we turn to a leader for direction in action, we invariably choose a person we think will help us to go beyond our own problems, our own misery. But, because we choose a leader out of our confusion, the leader himself is also confused. We do not choose a leader unlike ourselves; we cannot. We can only choose a leader who, like ourselves, is confused; therefore, such leaders, such guides and
so-called spiritual gurus, invariably lead us to further confusion, to further misery. Since what we choose must be out of our own confusion, when we follow a leader we are only following our own confused self-projection. Therefore, such action, though it may produce an immediate result, invariably leads to further disaster. So, we see that mass action, though in certain cases it may be worthwhile, is bound to lead to disaster, to confusion, and bring about irresponsibility on the part of the individual; and that the following of a leader must also increase confusion. And yet we have to live. To live, is to act; to be, is to be related. There is no action without relationship, and we cannot live in isolation. There is no such thing as isolation. Life is to act and to be related. So, to understand the action which does not create further misery, further confusion, we have to understand ourselves, with all our contradictions, our opposing elements, our many facets that are constantly in battle with each other. Till we understand ourselves, action must inevitably lead to further conflict, to further misery. So, our problem is to act with understanding; and that understanding can come about only through self-knowledge. After all, the world is the projection of myself. What I am , the world is; the world is not different from me, the world is not opposed to me. The world and I are not separate entities. Society is myself, there are not two differe