So about Lord Buddha we have got a nice prayer:

So there are four problems. In the Bhagavad-gita it is mentioned that janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam [Bg. 13.9]. If you are actually intelligent, then you must keep these four problems before you. Do not think that the problems of life are solved by material advancement. Do not think that by building, constructing skyscraper houses, the problems of life are solved. No. The problems of life are these four principles: birth, death, old age and disease. If you cannot solve these problems, then your problems of life remain the same. The solution of the problems... Just like our bodily demands, namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca samanyam etat pasubhih naranam. The problems of eating, problems of sleeping, problems of defending and problems of mating, or sex life, these problems are there in the animal life or amongst the living entities lower than the human beings. But those problems are solved automatically by laws of nature. The birds, beasts, they are also eating. They have no economic problem. They are also sleeping, and they are having their mates and sex life. And they are also defending in their own way. Human form of life, the most developed consciousness, intelligence, if we are also busy in solving these problems of life, namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating, then we are not very much advanced than the animals, because they have got these problems and they are trying to solve them. So what advancement we have made, we human beings? We claim to be superior, to possess superior consciousness, and how we are utilizing our consciousness and superior intelligence? Simply just like animals. That requires meditation. That requires meditation, what is actually the problem.

So the meditation means, "What I am?" If you think, meditate, that "Am I this body?" then you'll come to understand that "I am not this body." If you think... Just to see, see your hand, "Am I this hand? Am I this finger? Am I this leg? Am I this body? Am I this head?" Every point you analyze, you'll say, "It is my hand, it is my finger, it is my head, it is my..." Everything "mine." And where is "I"? That you have to find out by meditation, where is "I." That is answered in the Bhagavad-gita. How it is answered? It is said that avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam. One thing, avinasi; and another, vinasi. Avinasi means eternal, and vinasi means perishable. So this body is perishable, everyone knows. Either it is young body or old body or child's body or boy's bodyanyone's bodytoday, tomorrow or one hundred years after or fifty years after, it is perishable. There is no doubt about it. But what is that thing imperishable? That imperishable is described in the Bhagavad-gita, yena sarvam idam tatam: "That thing is imperishable which is spread all over your body." That is very easy to understand. What is that? If you pinch your body, any part of your body, you feel pain. That means your consciousness. Your consciousness is imperishable. The body is changing. When you took your birth from the mother's womb you were a small child. But perhaps you may remember your childhood activities. The consciousness is the same, but the body has changed. The body has changed. If you have got sharp memory you can remember so many things of your past life, and that means the consciousness is the same but body is changing. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is said that,

So these answers are there in the Bhagavad-gita. The problems of life is that how to stop these changes of body. Because it has been spoken that that thing which is not changing, unchangeable, that is soul and eternal. Avinasi tu tad viddhi. That is eternal. Now, if there is any possibility of getting eternal body also? Yes, there is possibility. That is answered in the Bhagavad-gita, how you can get eternal, blissful, all-knowledge body, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. This body is not eternal, neither it is blissful, neither it is full of knowledge. It is full of ignorance, it is temporary, and always miserable. And if you say, "Now we are very happily living," that is maya, that is illusion. Lord Buddha's teaching is that he was prince and there was no want in his life. He was luxuriously living. But he left home for meditation. Therefore he understood that "I am not living comfortably." This understanding, when we can understand that this life, this material life, is not at all comfortable, it is full of misery, that is called buddha life, intelligent. Buddha means intelligent. And if we are thinking that "I am living very comfortably. I am very happy," that is called maya, illusion. Actually, we are always in miserable condition. In the Vedic language the miserable conditions have been described in three ways: adhyatmika, adhibhautika, and adhidaivika, miseries due to the condition of this body and due to the condition of the mind. Sometimes you feel headache. This is due to the body, gross body. And sometimes you feel morose. This is due to the mind; the mind is not in quite order. Similarly... This is called adhyatmika. Then adhibhautika-misery inflicted by others, other living entities, some of your enemies. Just like somebody murders somebody. This is misery inflicted by other living entity. The mosquito bite, the bug bite, or the tiger attacks you. So many living entities there are, they're always busy to inflict misery. This is called adhibhautika. And there is another misery, which is called adhidaivika, nature's disturbance. All of a sudden there is earthquake, there is famine, there is pestilence. So many, in which you have to control. In every misery, there is no control. Ultimately, all the miseries are summarized in four things: the misery of birth... We do not... We have forgotten how much miserable condition we passed during our stay in the womb of mother, in a suffocated condition. You just imagine. Some of you might have seen the picture how the child remains within the womb of the mother. It is air-tight packed. And there are many germs who are biting the delicate skin of the child. And when the child is little grown up, at seven months, it feels too much pain. Therefore the mother can feel that the child is moving. It wants to come out, and prays... One who is fortunate, he can pray to God, "Please give me relief from this condition. This time I shall try my best not to come again in this position of life." So there is severe pain of birth. Similarly, there is severe pain during death. And for disease and old age, everyone has got experience. When you are diseased, simple, if you have got some headache... So these miseries are there always. If we forget and if we think that we are living very comfortably, this is called illusion.

So we have to prepare for eternal life, blissful life, and life full of knowledge. If we do not do that, then our this human form of life is missing, is misused. That is the philosophy not only of Lord Buddha, but Lord Caitanya, Sankaracarya, or Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone you take, nobody will recommend that you make your plan and live in this material world very happily. Nobody has recommended. Everyone has said that this life is the preparation stage of your next best life. If you do not believe in that, if you think that this life you can make this world happy by arrangement, by scientific advancement, that is not possible. That is not possible. It is plainly and very straightly said in the Bhagavad-gita,

So we request you that on this great auspicious day of Lord Buddha's birthday, there should be... Lord Buddha laid down the basic principle of meditation, that people should not forget the ultimate goal of life; they should meditate upon what is the mission of my life, what is the end of my life. Not that just like animals we shall spoil our life simply by eating, sleeping or sex life or so-called defending. We may discover so many defending instruments or weapons, but there is no defense from the cruel hands of death. However you may be advanced in manufacturing so many nice things, you cannot manufacture anything which can save you from death or from disease or from old age. These primary principles of life should be understood, and if there is any possibility to make a solution of these four things, then it is said in the Bhagavad-gita,

So we are teaching the same principles of Bhagavad-gita, that "Let us surrender unto Krsna." And the process is very easy. You simply chant the name of Krsna, Hare Krsna. It is not a very difficult problem. Anyone, we have seen it practically, although this Hare Krsna sound is Sanskrit sound, still, as soon as we chant it... Perhaps I am here the only Indian who can pronounce in Sanskrit, but you are all Americans. You also joined with us. And we have practical experience that everywhere we chant, everyone can join this chanting of Hare Krsna. So we simply request. Our movement is to request persons that "You please chant this Hare Krsna, and if you go on chanting, you will find the solution of your life very easy." There is no expenditure and there is no loss. Suppose if you chant Hare Krsnanobody will object. There is no tax. But if there is some gain, why don't you try to achieve it? Just make an experiment for one week. Chant as many times as you can: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. And you'll find so many things in..., new in your life. That is practically experienced, and if you try to chant, you'll also feel. And I shall be very glad if you join with this chanting again when we shall perform again, and you shall join with us: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Thank you very much. (end)