Indian Culture – A Magnet for Seekers

Sadhguru: A spiritual process can take shape in any culture only after material needs are taken care of. It is natural for people to initially believe that if their food, housing, clothing and the little luxuries they are dreaming of are taken care of, everything will be okay. When all those things are taken care of and you realize that you are still not fulfilled as a human being, that is when you naturally turn inward. If that has to happen, you need a social and cultural situation which is peaceful and well established for a long period of time. That is an advantage that the Indian culture had in the past. All other cultures were in strife, warfare, and search of conquest most of the time. Because of this, there were no established societies. This culture had a long phase of established social and cultural situations where naturally, people looked beyond material comfort towards their inner wellbeing. Because of this, such a powerful spiritual process evolved here. There are a million different ways through which you can attain to your ultimate nature.

Every aspect of life from something as simple as breathing, eating, sitting, and standing was evolved as a spiritual process in this culture. The ultimate nature of a human being, the nature that is beyond the physical has been explored so extensively.

Hindu is a geographical identity. Anyone who is born in the land of Indus or the civilization that came from the banks of Indus is a Hindu. You can worship a man and be a Hindu, you can worship a woman and be a Hindu, you can worship a snake or a cow or a monkey or a rock and be a Hindu. You can worship your wife, your husband or your child and be a Hindu. Or you can do no worship at all in your life and still be a Hindu. It does not ascribe to any particular religious belief as such.

This is not a religion, this is just a possibility. Everybody can do whatever means most to them. No other culture has given this freedom to the people in their land.

Every other culture insisted that people must believe in whatever was dominant in that culture. If you did not believe that, you naturally were the enemy or an outcast who needed to be dealt with, either crucified or burnt on the stake or chased away. There was no persecution in this land simply because no one has any particular belief system. In your own house, the husband will be worshiping one god, the wife another god, the children another god – there is no problem. Every individual can seek his own way. But the most important thing is, everyone should strive for his ultimate liberation.