The Dalai Lama’s Interview with the Mother and the Mother’s impressions about him

Dear Friends,

On 18 January 1973, the Mother was visited by the Dalai Lama. His questions were put to the Mother by Dr. Kireet Joshi, the then Registrar of the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, who in turn conveyed the Mother’s replies back to the Dalai Lama. Two days later, on 20 January, the Mother shared with Satprem Her experience of meeting the Dalai Lama and Her impressions about the spiritual leader.

The text of the Dalai Lama’s interview with the Mother and Her impressions about Him has been published in the website of Overman Foundation.

With warm regards,

Anurag Banerjee

Founder,

Overman Foundation. 

The Dalai Lama’s Interview with the Mother

Dalai Lama: It is my dream to have the perfect economic development of Tibet, the perfect organization, the efficiency that we find in Communism, but all this based upon, founded upon the Buddhistic qualities of Compassion and Love, so that the people in power do not degenerate into corruption. What is Mother’s view of this dream, and whether such a thing will be realized in Tibet?

The Mother: It is not a dream. It will naturally be. But the time it will take, I do not know. This is something like what Sri Aurobindo has said about the Supramental.

Truth, Love, Compassion will give a basis to the new creation. It is not birth but the value of men that should give the right to authority.

If the teaching of Sri Aurobindo can spread over the world, and if there is the full manifestation of the Supramental, then the Supramental will be the power of the liberation of Tibet.

It is bound to come, it will come; but if it goes as it is going now, it will take hundreds of years. But if the Supramental is manifested, it may come quick. Quick does not mean ten or twenty years — that would be almost miraculous.

Kireet Joshi: But the Supramental is now working very powerfully.

The Mother: It is, it is working. It will be manifested with enough power when the right people have the authority.

For the moment, it seems that the opposition, the falsehood attacks with full power before dying. Never, never have men lied as much as they are doing now. It seems the old habit comes spontaneously. But it must be broken.

We are at a very … what we could call an unpleasant moment of the history of the earth. It is interesting because the action is very powerful, but I can’t call it pleasant.

But I have told you that already; I wrote it.

[Message of November 26, 1972: “Before dying, falsehood rises in full swing. Still people understand only the lesson of catastrophe. Will it have to come before they open their eyes to the truth? I ask an effort from all so that it has not to be. It is only the Truth that can save us; truth in words, truth in action, truth in will, truth in feelings. It is a choice between serving the Truth or being destroyed.”]

Kireet Joshi: Yes, Mother. The Mother has given the message.

Dalai Lama: As for myself, I have no desire to continue in power in the Government. For I feel that the Government involves so much of conflicts of parties, and the necessity of taking sides with one party against the other…

The Mother: One can govern without taking sides. That is the mistake of all the governments; they reduce their capacity tremendously.

But beyond the mind, there is a higher and deeper consciousness — they would find a Consciousness in which one can make use of all the capacities. It is a question of the consciousness being broad enough, so that each capacity can be put in its place in order to make a general harmony.

Dalai Lama: There is good will, there is sincerity among people all over the world, but the number of such people is not large. Will they be able to have an effect to change the conditions of the world?

The Mother: It is bound to change; it is bound to change. Only, if the people are sincere it will shorten the time; it will go faster if the people are sincere.

The first and indispensable step is to stop all falsehood. Falsehood is all that contradicts in us the Presence of the Divine.

The Mother on the Dalai Lama

A truly benevolent man. Buddhist benevolence, you know, and he practices it marvelously.

He seems to have no … no selfishness in him (there’s no word for it in French). I mean, a constant concern to do the right thing.

Very active [mentally]—there wasn’t much of a deeper contact. That’s all.

He was happy with his visit, I was told…

He is a young man…. Very benevolent — he’s very benevolent.

I was told something (I don’t know if it’s true), he is reported to have said, “Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are the most important personalities in the world today” — I don’t know if it’s true.

He seems to have been pleased with his visit. He was very happy to see the school and the children.

But on the plane where I live … he doesn’t seem to be very conscious THERE…. I don’t know. I don’t know, but in any case he has a very light presence, very light — he doesn’t impose himself at all.

I sensed a very strong man — very strong. And harmoniously strong; his right arm was bare, you know, it gave the feeling of a strong and quiet force. But … I didn’t have much of a deeper contact…. I can’t say.

That’s all.

The Dalai Lama with Nolini Kanta Gupta in January 1973 at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry.

The Dalai Lama with Sisir Kumar Mitra in January 1973 at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry.

The Dalai Lama with Mona Sarkar in January 1973 at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry.