"And those seven days looked like seven centuries.

"The story is tremendously beautiful. Up to a certain point it is factual and beyond that it becomes mythological, but by mythological I do not mean it becomes a lie. There are a few truths which can only be expressed through myths. He attained enlightenment, that is a truth; he remained silent for seven days, that is a truth. That the whole existence waited to hear him is a truth, but only for those who had experienced something of enlightenment and who had experienced the waiting existence, not for everybody.

"But still it can be understood that existence rejoices whenever somebody becomes enlightened – because it is a part of existence itself that is coming to its highest expression, a part of existence that is becoming an Everest, the highest peak. Naturally, it is existence's crowning glory. It is the very longing of the whole: one day to become enlightened, one day to dispel all unconsciousness and flood the whole existence with consciousness and light…destroy all misery and bring as many flowers of joy as possible.

"Beyond this point it becomes pure mythology, but still it has its own significance and its own truth.

"The gods in heaven became worried. One thing has to be understood: Buddhism does not believe in a God; neither does Jainism believe in a God, but they believe in gods. They are far more democratic in their concepts than Mohammedanism, Judaism or Christianity – these religions are more fascist. One God, one religion, one holy scripture, one prophet – they are very monopolistic. But Buddhism has a totally different approach, far more democratic, far more human. It conceives millions of gods.

"In fact, every being in existence has to become a god one day. When he becomes enlightened, he will be a god. There is no creator as such; the very idea is ugly. If God has created you, you are only puppets; you don't have an individuality of your own, your strings are in the hands of the puppeteer. And if God can create you, he can uncreate you any moment. Neither did he ask you when he created you, nor will he ask you when he destroys you."