Beyond Psychic Powers (Part 4)

QUESTION: But if a person develops his psychic powers, might this not cause him to become a better person?

JAGAD GURU: You are still saying that if a man develops the ability to fly, this will make him a better person. Yet modern science has already achieved—in the form of technology—what the psychics are trying to achieve.

For example, there is air power and sea power. With air power, airplanes can now fly hundreds of people at one time and conquer gravity. But does flying really change these people? What they do on the ground—watch movies, consume alcohol, overeat, and so on—they continue to do up in the air. You can see how their characters have not changed. And on a larger scale, what has man done with his increased air power? Dropped bombs. Simply increased the destruction of others. So this TM idea that possession of increased power leads one to become a better person is nonsense.

Let's take the example of sea power. Now people can float on water. They can walk across the ocean on ships; they can go underwater in submarines. What do they do with this power? They use it for their missiles and their bombs. What do they do with their submarines? They use their submarines for wars. So all this power is used for the same materialistic end—controlling, being enjoyers, and exploiting others.

In other words, the increase in power does not free people from their enviousness of the Lord. If they are not interested in changing their character—in changing from exploitation to generosity, from lust to love, from love of mammon to love of the Supreme Person—then it's all a sham. They're missing the point. They do not know what is spiritual.

QUESTION: The TM idea is that an increase in supernatural powers in people will benefit the world and bring about a perfect society.

JAGAD GURU: What is so perfect about a society of power freaks? Look at those most interested in these powers, in ESP and psychic phenomena: America's CIA and Russia's KGB military security.

In India, I once saw a team of Russian scientists hooking up some electrical apparatus to a yogi and I thought, "What could they possibly be doing?" Well, now we know. They're trying to find out how to get these powers for themselves. They're trying to find out how the yogi does it so that they can develop these powers for espionage and military reasons. So much for your perfect society.