I had to struggle alone, without any guide, without any friend, without any map. It is a miracle that, surrounded by all these religious teachings, I was not convinced by anybody. I remained stubborn, absolutely trusting only one thing – you can call it love, you can call it life, you can call it light…. But to me, destruction cannot be the goal of existence, only creation. That which creates is the only authentic religious consciousness. You can understand my problem, why all the religions are bound to be against me, and why I am going to be against them.

In a world news conference, the first question was asked to me by a woman reporter, “Don’t you believe in coexistence?” I simply said, “No.” Everybody was shocked. All the reporters, all the media people – nobody was expecting such an answer. Coexistence means compromise; coexistence means, “I know you are my enemy, I am your enemy, but what to do? Neither I can destroy you, nor you can destroy me, because nobody wants to go to jail. So it is better to talk about a great philosophy of coexistence.”

I believe in love, but I don’t believe in coexistence. But unfortunately every husband and every wife are living in coexistence, not life; tolerating each other as much as possible.

They can see the superstitions of religions, but again they compromise, because so many people…who is going to be against six hundred million Catholics? And you have to live with them, you have to work with them. It is better to compromise, it is better to remain silent; it is better to ignore points where you differ. Your life is a life of compromise. And a life of compromise is a life of the dark night of the soul.

I have never compromised. Either I am right or I am wrong. There are not degrees – that I am a little right. There are not percentages – that fifty percent I am right, fifty percent you are right. Right is a hundred percent; otherwise it is not right. And a lie is a hundred percent a lie; otherwise it is not a lie.

But from the very childhood, in every sphere of your life you are told not to come in conflict – be polite. In other words, always manage some compromise. But when there are so many compromises – politically, socially – you become a stranger to yourself. You have so many masks, you lose contact with your original face. And a mask cannot enjoy, it is dead. It cannot laugh, it cannot love. Only the original face is capable of understanding the language of the universe.

Love is the language.

Dance is the expression of your gratitude.

There is no question of any dark night of the soul, but I had to pass through it because nobody told me. There was no reference anywhere in the whole literature of the world. I went to this saint and to that saint. And if I see all kinds of idiots doing all kinds of stupid things, I cannot tolerate it. When I see something stupid, I make it a point to make that man alert, that this is stupid.