"China, Korea, Japan, Thailand – except India, almost the whole of Asia has been dominated by Confucius. They all have lived in a tremendously beautiful way, but that beauty is only of the outside, of manners. Their smiles are false, but they have been trained to such a degree that it is absolutely impossible to make any distinction between an authentic smile and a false smile. Perhaps the false looks better because it is practiced, it is the discipline.

"The Japanese mind is one of the most disciplined minds, but in that discipline all spontaneity dies. Man lives according to fixed rules, regulations, but has not the freedom of consciousness to respond to situations. And situations are changing every day, every moment. Unless you are also capable of changing with the changing existence, you will never feel joy, you will never feel contented, you will never feel at ease. There will be always a great tension and anguish inside you.

"The suicide rate is the highest in Japan; for small reasons people commit suicide. The tension is so much that suicide seems to be easier than living under the pressure and tension. And the pressure and tension is so respectable that anybody who goes against it is badly condemned, so rebels don't exist in Japan. Rebellion as such is not known to Japan. It has created a very strange society, where everybody is fake – beautiful but inauthentic, looking joyous but without joy. Only the appearance is well painted; the interior is empty.

"Geeta, your coming to me was coming to a totally and diametrically opposite world. Here I emphasize spontaneity, not discipline. Here my teaching is to be responsible in the moment.

"Don't act out of your knowledge, but act out of your consciousness. Don't be dictated to by any discipline, howsoever old, howsoever ancient. Withdraw yourself from all conditionings and live an unconditional, spontaneous, moment-to-moment, changing, flowing and relaxed life.

"To me there is no other way of being religious. All that is known as religion has been only destroying people's lives. It has been poisoning their naturalness, it has been creating immense tension and allowing no relaxation. And except man, the whole of existence is utterly relaxed."