Amma spoken at the world religios meet at Chikago where Swami spoke on this day.

Let us express our feelings towards the sufferers of the tragedy on September
11, 2001, at New York and share with all some of the feelings of millions of
educated on "Terrorism" and about the difference it has made in our lives,
individual and collective.

The recent terrorist attack in Russia has also crossed all the humane limits and
it is to be noted that women and children are the most affected.




Let us also recollect the other great historical event that occurred on the soil
of United states Of America a superpower on the same date viz. 11th September.
Coincidently the appearance of Swami Vivekananda on the platform of the
Parliament of Religions of Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago is also on
September 11th in 1893 and preached the importance of love among all religions.
Strangely the great Swami, in his very first lecture, spoke mainly on tolerance
and Universal Acceptance. He said, `we believe not only in Universal tolerance
but we accept all religions as true'. He quoted from a famous hymn to God Siva
written by Pushpadanta several centuries ago, which stated, `As the different
streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in to
the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different
tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee'.

He then concluded with the following wonderful words, which appear most
appropriate to be quoted before: `Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible
descendent, fanaticism have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have
filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood,
destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair Ö let us sincerely hope
that the actions taken during the last one year may be the death knell of all
fanaticism, of all persecutions with the weapon or with the pen and of all
uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal'

Though we are yet to find out what all ideas worked behind that tragedy of
September 11, 2001, we can be sure that an extreme fanatic ideology that
considered all other ideologies as worth nothing and itself as the only worth
living ideology was behind the dastardly act. The further events have revealed
that this fanatic ideology was inculcated into receptive minds of the youth who
become the instruments of terror that revealed itself at the W.T.O. and other
important places,in America. Fanaticism drives away all reason and thus persons
with fanatic ideas act like robots, rather, like animals. Fanaticism is the fuel
by which the machine of terrorism works.

Fanaticism has been there in human life whenever people have been deprived of
their spiritual food. What is this spiritual food? The disciplines or values of
life that lead persons to realize their oneness with the Universe and with God
and thus come to love humanity and God resulting into peace evrywhere.

The Vedas, the oldest available scriptures to humanity,The Holy Bible, The Holy
Koran and all other religious scriptures say that all this creation is God alone
and should love each other -. It implies that this Divinity is in every creature
as its fundamental, inalienable nature. That is why Swami Vivekananda proclaimed
the `Divinity of man' in his many lectures in America. He thundered, `Ye, the
divinities on earth, sinners? It is a libel to call a man so'.

When this idea of the Divinity of man is widely taught, not only in our schools
and colleges but also in all churches, mosques, pagodas, Tabenacles and Temples
where most innocent minds throng in millions, then only people will get their
highest respect and regard, irrespective of their gender, wealth, intelligence,
power etc. Then only the very idea of harming anyone, be it for any cause, would
appear abhorring. Then alone can violence be radically uprooted from society.

In spite of the utmost technical and science education that people are getting
now a days, the love and respect for fellowmen as a brother in God is lacking.
This is what has made our scientists and politicians prepare nuclear weapons,
biological bombs, ultimately killing all the fellow-feelings in the hearts of
people. Is there any wonder if such people indulge in wholesale destruction of
their fellow-beings as in the `program of Hitler' or `the tragedy of September
11 of 2001' in New York? This is the mental impact that Terrorism of September
11 has made on the thinking men like us.

The difference it has made in our life is that it has awakened a sense of
urgency to educate people against falling a prey to the `brain-washing'
ideologies masked under various garbs . In killing innocents, there can be no
religion except Demon's dance.

Men who join such fanatic's training camps are generally the poor and the
deprived. They are `brainwashed' to think that by killing others not of their
fold, will confer on them the gift of `Heaven and its unending joys' as a reward
for their religious and pious act!

This is made possible in general where people don't have basic freedoms of
democratic rule, but are lead by nose as it were by selfish politicians. We
have to stop all help to such non-democracies and pseudo-democracies. We have to
push on with meaningful education supplemented with scientific skills and
spiritual `values' that will make our men and women not only efficient but also
good. Goodness can be summarized as truthfulness, a feeling of brotherhood of
whole humanity, a sympathy to serve the needy and a firm conviction that
humanity is one Divine family and to hurt anyone would mean bringing unhappiness
on ourselves. Let us make a simple prayer thus: `Oh God, please bless us all
with the will to spread these ideas of love and brotherhood to all our brothers
from wherever irrespective of cast, creed and religion.

We remember the thousands who's lives were taken on September 11, 2001 by
servants of darkness and agents of terror, and the families of those victims
left behind. May God give them, and all of us, strength to endure the onslaught
of evil and malice.






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]