Your Art of Living center in Pakistan was recently burned to the ground. Thank God nobody was hurt. Would you tell us the story of the strange premonition you had before you lost your Art of Living center in Pakistan.
A couple of days before the incident, we were supposed to have a Silent Retreat (Advance Course) in that place, and then we had shifted the venue to another place. There were 60 members who were going to be in the silence over that weekend.
Usually our centers are buzzing with activity. About a 100-150 people come there and they practice meditation. By God’s grace, or some good luck, we shifted the venue that particular weekend. It is then when they came and burned our center and sent threat letters to many of our teachers.
This is sheer lack of understanding and ignorance. 'My way is the only way' sort of mindset has created so much problem in the world today. Not just in Pakistan, but all over. Fundamentalists, fantasist, terrorists are nurtured with this philosophy.
I feel it’s absolutely essential today, to give that multi-faith and multi-cultural education right from a young age, so that a child doesn’t grow up thinking 'Only I go to heaven and I have the right version of God, while others don’t'.
If they think, 'Only I go to heaven and everybody else goes to hell', they create hell for everyone else.
A broad understanding about religion must be imparted to everyone. The UNESCO should put this as a requirement all over the world. A multi-religious or a multi-cultural education a must for children all over the world.