And Now, And Here-第28章

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so　both　these　things　need　to　be　kept　in　mind　to　understand　the　nature　of　death。

question　2　

another　friend　has　asked：　the　things　we　want　to　destroy　……　such　as　the　chains　of　blind　faith　or　superstition　……　find　even　more　confirmation　in　your　talks。

it　seems；　according　to　what　you　are　saying；　that　there　is　life　after　death；　that　there　are　gods　and　there　are　ghosts；　that　there　is　transmigration　of　the　soul。

in　that　case；　it　would　be　difficult　to　get　rid　of　superstitions；　wont　they　bee　even　stronger？　

two　things　need　to　be　understood　here。

one　is：　if　something　is　accepted　as　a　superstition　without　researching　and　investigating　it　properly；　then　that　is　tantamount　to　creating　an　even　greater　superstition；　it　shows　a　highly　superstitious　mind。

one　man　believes　there　are　ghosts　and　evil　spirits　and　you　call　him　superstitious；　you　believe　there　are　none　and　that　makes　you　feel　that　you　are　very　knowledgeable。

but　the　question　is：　what　is　superstition？　if　someone　believes　there　are　ghosts　and　evil　spirits　without　any　investigation；　that　is　superstition；　and　if　someone　else　believes　there　are　no　such　things；　without　investigation；　then　that　is　superstition　too。

superstition　means　believing　something　without　knowing　it　to　be　true。

just　because　someone　holds　beliefs　contrary　to　yours　does　not　mean　he　is　superstitious。

a　believer　in　god　can　be　as　gullible　as　a　nonbeliever。

we　must　understand　the　definition　of　superstition。

it　means　to　believe　in　something　blindly　without　verification。

the　russians　are　superstitious　atheists；　the　indians　are　superstitious　theists　……　both　suffer　from　blind　faith。

the　russians　have　never　cared　to　discover　there　is　no　god　and　then　believed　it　to　be　so；　nor　have　the　indians　tried　to　ascertain　that　god　is　before　believing　it　to　be　so。

so　do　not　be　mistaken　in　thinking　that　theists　alone　are　superstitious；　atheists　have　their　own　superstitions　too。

and　the　strange　thing　is　that　there　is　also　a　scientific　superstition。

it　sounds　contradictory：　how　can　there　be　a　scientific　superstition？　

if　you　have　studied　geometry；　you　must　have　e　across　euclids　definition　where　he　says　a　line　has　length　but　no　breadth。

now；　what　can　be　more　superstitious　than　this？　there　has　never　been　a　line　with　no　breadth。

children　are　taught　that　a　point　has　neither　length　nor　breadth；　and　even　the　greatest　scientist　works　on　the　assumption　that　a　point　has　no　length　or　breadth。

can　a　point　exist　without　length　and　breadth？　

we　are　all　used　to　the　digits　one　through　nine。

one　may　well　ask：　is　this　any　less　than　superstition？　why　nine　digits？　no　scientist　can　explain　why　nine　digits。

why　not　seven？　whats　wrong　with　seven？　why　not　three？　there　are　mathematicians　……　liebnitz　was　one　of　them　……　who　got　along　with　three　digits。

he　said：　one；　two；　three　is　followed　by　ten；　eleven；　twelve；　thirteen；　then　twenty；　twenty…one；　twenty…two；　twenty…three。

his　numbering　system　was　such；　he　got　along　very　well　with　it；　and　he　challenged　those　who　disagreed　with　him　to　prove　him　wrong。

he　questioned　the　need　for　nine　digits。

later　on；　einstein　said　that　even　three　digits　are　also　unnecessary；　that　one　can　even　get　along　with　two；　it　will　be　difficult　with　only　one　digit；　but　one　can　manage　with　two。

that　there　should　be　nine　digits　in　mathematics　is　a　scientific　superstition。

but　the　mathematician　is　not　ready　to　give　up　either。

he　says；　〃how　can　you　work　with　less　than　nine　digits？〃　so　this　is　just　a　belief　too；　it　has　no　more　significance　than　that。

from　a　scientific　point　of　view　we　believe　thousands　of　things　to　be　right；　but　they　are　actually　superstitions。

scientists　are　also　superstitious；　and　in　this　age　religious　superstitions　are　fading　while　scientific　superstitions　are　growing。

the　difference　between　the　two　is　simply　that　if　you　ask　a　religious　person　how　he　came　to　know　about　god　he　will　say　it　is　written　in　the　gita；　and　if　you　ask　him　how　he　came　to　know　there　are　nine　digits　in　arithmetic；　he　will　say　it　is　written　in　such…and…such　a　mathematicians　book。

what　is　the　difference　between　the　two？　one　kind　of　answer　is　found　in　the　gita；　in　the　koran；　another　kind　of　answer　is　found　in　a　book　of　mathematics。

what　is　the　difference？　this　shows　we　have　to　understand　what　is　really　meant　by　superstition。

superstition　means　that　which　we　believe　in　without　having　knowledge　of　it。

we　accept　many　things　and　we　reject　many　things　without　knowing　anything　about　them　……　this　is　superstitious　too。

suppose　a　man　in　a　village　is　possessed　by　a　ghost。

educated　people　will　say　it　is　superstition。

let　us　assume　the　uneducated　people　are　superstitious；　we　have　already　branded　them　as　superstitious　because；　being　uneducated；　these　simple　people　are　unable　to　offer　any　argument　in　favor　of　their　belief。

so　all　the　educated　people　of　the　village　maintain　that　the　story　of　this　man　being　possessed　by　an　evil　spirit　is　fake；　but　they　dont　know　that　at　a　university　like　harvard；　in　america；　there　is　a　department　conducting　research　into　ghosts　and　spirits。

the　department　has　even　circulated　photographs　of　them。

they　have　no　idea　that；　currently；　some　highly　recognized　scientists　are　deeply　involved　in　research　into　ghosts　and　spirits；　and　have　attained　so　many　results　that　sooner　or　later　they　will　e　to　see　that　it　was　they；　the　educated　men；　who　were　superstitious；　and　that　those　they　called　superstitious　may　not　have　known　anything　about　what　they　believed　in；　although　what　they　were　saying　was　right。

if　you　read　ryon　or　oliver　lodge；　you　will　be　amazed。

oliver　lodge　was　a　nobel　prizewinning　scientist。

throughout　his　life　he　was　involved　in　investigating　ghosts　and　spirits。

before　his　death；　he　left　a　document　in　which　he　said；　〃all　the　truths　of　science　i　have　discovered　are　not　half　as　true　as　ghosts　and　spirits。

but　we　have　no　knowledge　of　them　because　the　superstitious　educated　do　not　care　to　find　out　about　the　discoveries　happening　in　the　world。

〃　

if　one　man　says　he　can　read　anothers　mind；　we　will　call　it　superstition。

in　russia；　where　there　are　what　we　may　call　rigorous　scientists；　there　is　a　man　by　the　name　of　fiodev。

he　is　a　great　russian　scientist。

sitting　in　moscow；　he　has　municated　his　thoughts；　without　any　visible　means；　to　the　mind　of　a　person　sitting　a　thousand　miles　away　in　tiflis。

this　was　examined　scientifically　and　found　to　be　correct。

scientists　are　engaged　in　this　kind　of　research　because　sooner　or　later　it　will　be　useful　in　space　travel。

in　the　event　of　a　mechanical　failure　in　a　spaceship；　which　is　always　possible；　through　these　means　scientists　can　establish　contact　with　the　travelers。

otherwise　the　spaceship　may　be　lost　forever。

it　is　out　of　this　concern　that　russian　scientists　are　conducting　intensive　research　into　telepathy　and　have　achieved　some　astounding　results。

fiodev　carried　out　his　research　with　the　help　of　a　friend。

a　thousand　miles　away　in　tiflis；　his　friend　hid　himself　behind　a　bush　in　a　garden　with　a　wireless　set　in　his　hand；　and　he　and　fiodev　stayed　in　touch　with　each　other。

after　a　while　he　informed　fiodev　that　a　man　had　arrived　and　sat　on　bench　number　ten。

he　asked　fiodev　to　send　this　man　a　message　to　go　to　sleep　within　three　minutes。

the　man　was　wide　awake；　he　was　smoking　and　humming　away　to　himself。

fiodev　began　sending　him　suggestions　……　the　same　as　i　do　……　that　〃you　are　relaxing；　you　are　relaxing。

〃　from　a　distance　of　a　thousand　miles；　for　three　minutes　fiodev　suggested　intensely；　〃go　to　sleep；　go　to　sleep；〃　and；　concentrating　on　bench　number　ten；　he　continued　suggesting　the　same　thought；　〃go　to　sleep；　go　to　sleep。

〃　in　exactly　three　minutes　the　man　sitting　on　the　bench　was　asleep；　the　cigarette　fallen　from　his　hands。

but　this　could　have　been　a　coincidence。

perhaps　the　man　sitting　on　the　bench　was　tired　and　so　he　had　fallen　asleep。

and　so　the　friend　told　fiodev　that　the　man　had　indeed　fallen　asleep；　but　that　it　could　be　a　coincidence；　so　he　asked　fiodev　to　wake　him　up　in　exactly　seven　minutes。

fiodev　kept　suggesting　to　that　man　to　wake　up；　and　in　seven　minutes　precisely　the　man　opened　his　eyes　and　got　up。

the　man　on　the　bench　was　a　total　stranger；　he　had　no　idea　what　was　happening；　and　fiodevs　friend　approached　him　and　asked　if　hed　felt　anything　unusual。

the　man　said；　〃yes；　i　certainly　did。

i　was　very　puzzled。

i　came　here　to　wait　for　somebody；　and　suddenly　i　felt　that　my　body　was　about　to　fall　asleep。

i　lost　control　and　went　to　sleep。

and　then　i　felt　strongly　as　if　someone　was　telling　me　get　up；　get　up。

get　up　in　seven　minutes！　i　cant　figure　any　of　this　out。

〃　the　man　had　no　idea　what　had　happened。

munication　of　thought　without　any　medium　has　bee　a　scientific　truth；　but　an　educated　man　would　call　it　superstition。

it　is　possible　that　a　sick　man　in　one　town　can　be　cured　from　a　faraway　town；　its　not　too　difficult。

its　also　possible　that　a　snakebite　can　be　healed　from　a　distance　of　thousands　of　miles；　theres　not　much　difficulty　to　it。

but　there　are　many　different　kinds　of　superstitions。

and　remember；　the　superstition　of　an　educated　man　is　always　more　dangerous　than　that　of　an　uneducat