Emotion and imitation⁴⁶

Tagore wrote in one of his immortal books that the Japanese people are not emotional. I read his book, and I also formed that belief. Then, when I went to Japan, I saw the young children greeting me while I was at their school. How they were expressing their emotional joy! In other places also I saw that kind of expression. Tagore said that the Japanese people are not emotional, but in my case I feel it is just the opposite.

The Japanese showed tremendous respect and love for Tagore. Once he was drinking tea with them. Others were using their cup, but Tagore was inspired to pour a little bit of tea on the saucer. Then his Japanese friends at the same table started drinking in Tagore’s way. Finally somebody asked Tagore, “Why are you drinking like this?” He said, “That is my way, my traditional way. But why do you have to follow my way?” They said, “Because you are so great!”

When I drink or eat in an unusual way, I do not think my disciples will imitate me. Many times I use my hands to eat. I do not think my disciples will use their hands instead of a knife and fork. This is our Indian way. The fingers are part of the body. When the fingers touch the mouth or tongue, immediately we know that one part of the body, one limb, is touching another. If you eat with your hands, when you touch your mouth you get such a familiar feeling, a oneness-feeling. But when you use a fork or a spoon, you know that it is not on the human level. These instruments serve us. They are on the mineral level, so their standard is quite low; but we need them at every moment. When a spoon places food into your mouth, it is like a foreign element.

In India we do not get the same feeling from a spoon or fork that we get from our hands. I myself do not get the feeling. The metal object takes away my joy. When we can use our hands to eat, we get tremendous joy.