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names. Essentially, two basic instruments of
life have turned against you.
Keeping these two things for you, not
against you, is our most basic responsibility.
If body and mind turn against us, human
potential will not be realized. Let us say you
have a headache; nothing big, no cancer – just
a headache will ruin your life. Or let us say
your nostrils are stuffed all the time – nothing
big, just a cold. First you will say, “What’s the
big deal?” But suppose it lasts for a few years,
you will see, life is lost. Not because of cancer,
not because your heart broke, just a cold – life
is lost. If this body, if this mind turns against
you, then you cannot explore the full depth and
dimension of what it means to be human.
Making Everything Work for You
Some people have this issue – the very
universe is against them, simply because
of the way they exist. When you have that
kind of opposition, you cannot live. Yoga
means to keep everything – body, mind,
existence – working with us; or better, we are
working with it. Now, if something happens,
it is wonderful; if nothing happens, it is too
fantastic. Something important to do today
– wonderful! Nothing to do – fantastic! But
for most people, if something happens, it is
a problem; if nothing happens, it is a super
problem.
Yoga means you become a part of
everything. You still have an individual
existence, but with open, porous boundaries.
Because of this, in some way, we have become
everything, and we are okay with anything.
If you really open up your boundaries, and
existence and its source are working with you,
what needs to happen will happen. This is what
yoga means – to be in tune with everything,
simply because you loosened your boundaries.
You make the boundaries porous, so that life
seeps in, so you are not a prisoner in your own
body and your mind.
Most people are prisoners of their own
body and mind. Instead of your body and mind
being platforms upon which life is housed,
they become the prison walls for the life
within. You always have to keep it up, to feel
like it is worth living; and not just you, you
expect a few other people to cooperate. Yogis
just stayed alone, not because they did not
care, but simply because they were just fi ne
by themselves. If the society of the times had
shown the right kind of interest, they probably
would have stepped in.
The Belly-Up Generation
Today, we are at a certain time in history
where we are a belly-up generation. For
example, in my father’s generation, whatever
personal things were happening in their lives,
they never spoke about it to anyone; they just
managed it within themselves, and carried
on with their life. Then my generation came.
When I was in university, I just sat outside in
the garden. Every day, someone came and told
their whole life story to me. Not an interesting
life, but they want to tell. All stupid stuff – how
they suffered their parents, their education,
their poverty, their girlfriend or boyfriend –
endlessly. At that time, I just heard all these
things – everyone had a problem. It looked like
I was some kind of a freak because I did not
have any problem.
My father’s generation used to write
journals. Even in my generation, a lot of
people wrote journals, about all aspects of
their life, and they didn’t want anyone to see
it. If anyone ever opened as much as a cover
page, they would be terribly upset. “Without
me knowing, you opened my journal” – it
was like a crime. But today’s generation puts
every aspect of their life
on Facebook, and they
will be terribly upset if
no one sees it. Like, “I’m
eating my breakfast,”
– picture! “I’m licking
my ice cream” –
picture. Just anything
and everything…
In
a way, this is a belly-
up generation. When a
generation is belly-up
like this, it is time for
transformation – the best
time. There are various
things that I cannot
articulate right now. If we
really have to transform
human beings on this
planet, they are available
to you in a big way only
for another fi fteen to maximum thirty years.
After that, it will be very hard to touch them.
Of course, there will always be people who
are willing and others who are not willing, but
generally, the larger population will be super-
willing for these fi fteen to thirty years. Beyond
that, it will be diffi cult, for a variety of reasons.
are empowered like never before. Survival is
taken care of like never before – for the human
beings, at least; not for the other creatures,
unfortunately. Never before did human beings
have so much comfort and convenience. If we
do not do the right things now, later, it will
be too late; because later, situations will be
very different. It is being estimated that with
the rise of Artifi cial Intelligence, probably in
seventy years’ time, anywhere between forty
to fi fty percent of the population may commit
suicide. Simply because if there is nothing to
do, they will see no worth in their life.
Yoga: Transformative Catalyst
So imparting yoga is not just another chore
that we are doing in the world – it is a very
signifi cant
activity.
E\veryone may not
understand this right
now. But if we all do the
right thing, with enough
intensity, in another fi ve
to seven years’ time, you
will see how important
yoga will become in
the world. Already the
demand has become
signifi cantly more today
than it was fi ve years
ago. The only thing is,
when something is in
so much demand, all of
a sudden, all kinds of
spurious stuff will come
up, because there is a
market. If there is no
quality product, people
make up and do all kinds of things.
The classical system of yoga is unique.
Maybe it is not as entertaining as doing
Zumba or something else, but if people give
themselves to the yogic process, it will do
things that they have not imagined possible.
Yoga is a phenomenal process – it can change
the composition of who you are. When I
started practicing simple aspects of yoga at
the age of twelve, it changed everything about
me, physiologically. It just depends on the
intensity with which you go at it.
“What’s the big deal?”
But suppose it lasts for a few
years, you will see, life is lost.
Not because of cancer, not
because your heart broke, just
a cold – life is lost. If this body,
if this mind turns against you,
then you cannot explore the full
depth and dimension of what
it means to be human.
A Possibility for a Limited Time Only
So, we are here at an appropriate time. If we
do the right things, we can touch the maximum
number of people. But if time passes, if this
generation passes, and once they are off
Facebook and everything, it will be diffi cult.
Above all, if we do not impart yoga strongly
enough in the world, in another twenty-fi ve
to thirty years, more than ninety percent of
the world’s population will be on some kind
of chemical. Once they are on chemicals,
you cannot talk to them. The world is rapidly
getting there. If you do not show them another
way to take away the boundary simply sitting
here, they will get there in a way that is not
for keeps. It is only for a few minutes or a few
hours – afterwards, it will get them.
This is the right time, and it is our time
on the planet. If we are committed and
determined, we can make this the best time
ever in the history of humanity, because we
Imparting Yoga: The Who and How
The science of yoga is always there, but who
carries it and how makes a world of difference.
Apart from imparting yoga in an instructional
way, there are other ways of imparting it. In
the sense, if you have been at Dhyanalinga
– there, a yogi sits; he has everything that is
worth knowing about yoga. He cannot speak,
but that does not mean he is any less effective.
I have all the energy I need to do whatever
I want, but sometimes the body is lacking. If
you are willing to stand up and do something
beyond yourself, especially young people,
these possibilities are there. Those of you who
wish to go in that direction, you must express
your intention. We will see what to do.
GolfPlus
NOVEMBER
2019
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