"It is one of the ancient-most cultures, the first country where writing happened in the beginning and people became articulate. They were pioneers in thinking, in philosophizing, so they are very articulate people. They can say things as they should be said. The Chinese are not so articulate, they are more trusting in silence. Their trust is not in words but in silence, hence you don't know much about Chinese enlightened masters. And then, China has remained almost a different world from the remainder of the world. It is not only the China Wall; there exists a certain subtle wall too which has kept China away from other countries.

"In Tibet so many enlightened people have existed, but nothing much is known about Tibet. Tibet has remained a remote, faraway land existing somewhere in the clouds. The very name has become a symbol for mystery.

"India is articulate. Amongst all the Eastern countries, India is the most articulate. It has been speaking about spirituality for at least five thousand years. That has created an idea in the whole world that India is spiritual. No country is especially spiritual; spirituality has been coming to all kinds of people and all races.

"What do you know about the dark continent of Africa – how many enlightened people have existed there? What do you know about primitive tribes – how many buddhas have existed there? They don't have any record, they don't write anything, they don't have a written language, so it is difficult.

"India has great records. India has been interested in philosophizing – it does not write history, it writes philosophy. It does not write ordinary things of life, it writes myth. It is not interested in history at all, its whole interest is in mythology. And naturally, five thousand years is a long time: if you go on doing a certain thing you become very, very clever at it. But there is something to be understood: there is a difference between the Eastern and the Western approach, and India has become the representative of the East.

"There are two possibilities in approaching reality. One is to be logical, to be masculine, to be yang, aggressive."