I don’t even pass an opinion on my dogs…

During the Q&A at Friday’s Darshan, I was asked about my views on one of the spiritual leaders of India.

I have no views about anything in this world, not just one person. I really have no opinion about anybody, actually, because why should you form an opinion about somebody? It is such a waste of life and energy. If you know something, you know something. If you don't know something, you don't know something. If you find something is good for you, then you go ahead. What’s the problem? If it is good for you, you should go ahead. What is the issue?

About me passing an opinion on somebody - I never thought, within myself, that I was so important that I must pass an opinion on anything for that matter. I don’t even pass an opinion on my dogs in the house. I just watch them everyday, seeing that maybe they will be different tomorrow and they are. I see how their behavior changes as they mature - how they were when they were puppies, when they became adolescents, and now that they have matured. So everyday, as they grow, I watch how they are maturing. It is quite an amazing thing for me to watch how a dog, which has reached a certain age, has formed his habits - he functions by instinct - but still, he has a character of his own. And between the two dogs, how different they are! The same breed, but how different they are in their character, likes and dislikes, and even the way they respond to people is not the same.

So when even a little puppy has so much character and is changing, isn't it a crime to form an opinion? I have never formed an opinion on anybody. I am not good at these things. Right from my childhood, I have been reading the newspaper, but as a rule, I never, ever read an editorial in any newspaper because it is somebody’s opinion and I’m not interested. I read the news but never the editorial because I don’t want to listen to anybody’s opinion, nor do I expect that anybody should listen to my opinion. When I speak, I am speaking what I see.

People reduce themselves into a bundle of opinions, which are essentially prejudices about other lives.  The moment you form an opinion about someone or something, you cannot mingle in abandon, and that means you cannot experience anything or anyone but only soak in your own opinions. Opinions are like cataracts upon the eyes - definitely not for someone who is looking to enhance his perception or vision.