Maharishi Mahesh Yogi during a candid and wide-ranging global news conference on 17 July:
"Bush is an ignorant man"
From the first question, Maharishi made apparent his dissatisfaction with President Bush and his policies of destruction. "I see him as an ignorant man, who knows nothing of science or reason or religion," Maharishi said. "That great country is being led to destroy the world by very wrong sentiments."
Maharishi said that Bush and his advisors should look to the teachings of their religions to see the consequences of their policies of destruction - and then he offered his own counsel.
"Every religion has heaven and hell. Every religion says that killing is a sin. Sinners go to hell; only the virtuous go to heaven. The destroyers of the world can create ashes of human society, but they cannot escape the door of hell. Everyone has to pass away, but until he does, he's advised to do right things - help thy neighbour and relieve the suffering of others. It's a grave misunderstanding that the present destroyers think they are going to heaven."
"I have forgotten about Israel"
To a question about the Middle East and whether Maharishi planned any humanitarian gestures to create a group in Israel, Maharishi was equally direct: "Israel is a child of America. I have forgotten about Israel because when people are murderers, who can bother about them? All that is happening in Israel is the doing of America. Wherever there is destruction, it's the doing of America. For the sake of politeness, one may not say that, but those are my thoughts."
