Muhammad Ali Talks About Meeting God (10 min video)
Kavicandra Swami: While distributing books in the airport of Chicago, me and other book distributers we would often meet with Muhammad Ali and we would stop him to give him a book. In 1974 I met him and gave him one of Srila Prabhupada’s books. In the beginning he thought that I wanted him to sign it but when I asked him to take it and give a donation, he immediately took out his wallet and gave a 20 dollar donation.
In many other occasions also he received Krishna conscious books from other devotees as he was quite friendly with all. Did he read them??
Judge for your self from this video where he preaches about God during a TV show, repeating almost verbatim Srila Prabhupada’s teachings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofUhct5Bk_g
Below is a brief description:
Muhammad Ali Talks About Meeting God.
A little boy asked Muhammad Ali, “I’d like to know what you’re going to do when you retire from boxing?” Ali’s answer couldn’t be more inspiring as he takes his time and gives this young fan an answer he’s sure to never forget. With news of Ali’s death, it is reassuring to know that he prepared for where he wanted to go. Ali said:
When I retire from boxing, I want to say something right here. Life is not really long. Let’s say the average person (is) 30-years-old. If you’re 30 years old you are not but about seven years old…how can I prove it? Add up all the seven, eight, nine hours you slept for 30 years. Out of all the years last night when you went to bed and woke up this morning, you don’t remember a thing. You’ve been unconscious for about eight years…if you’re 30-years-old you slept about eight years. Ok, how much traveling have you done in 30 years, from the television station to home, to another country, to another city, to school, to church…you’ve probably traveled two years your life just getting back and forth to where you’re going. So there’s eight years of sleeping, two years of traveling, There’s 30 years out of your life before you ever accomplish anything. How long do you sit in school? In America we sit in school from the 1st grade to the 12th grade. Six hours a day for 12 years, break it down, you sit in the classroom for three years! Without leaving. Ok, two years of traveling, eight years of sleeping, three years of school. Probably two years of entertainment. By the time you have children, by the time you have made a way for your children, by the time you’ve paid for your home you’re pushing 60-years-old. So…life is real short.
What am I gonna do in the next sixteen years? What’s the best thing I can do? Get ready to meet God. Owning real estate, going in business, teaching boxers…that won’t get me to heaven.
The boxing champ goes onto ask how many people in the audience believe in God, believe that a higher being is behind the earth, moon, the sun and the stars? Most raise their hands that they do. When he asks who doesn’t, not many go up. But Ali questions one of them. He holds up a glass of water and asks if she believes the glass made itself, if the tv studio and her own clothes made themselves. He talks about the moon and planets, and how someone had to have made them, and he believes that someone is God. Because of this, Ali’s mission is to help people because one day he is going to be judged. God is watching him, and he wants to do good. He said:
He wants to know how do we treat each other? How do we help each other? We need someone in the world to make peace. This is a test to see where will we spend this life, heaven or hell? This is not the life here. But your soul and your spirit never die. So God is testing us on how we treat each other and how we live to see where our real home be in heaven. So this physical stuff don’t last us so long. We don’t stay here. We’re just trustees. The most important part thing about life is what’s going to happen when you die. Are you going to heaven or hell?
Looking very serious, Ali talks about just how long forever really is, and the reality of burning in hell versus living in heaven for an eternity. It sounds like Ali has earned his way to the latter.