Intensifying the Inner Dimension

Sadhguru, you said that you would reduce your external activity, and intensify your spiritual work in the ashram. Can you talk about this?

Read in Telugu: మీ సాధన తీవ్రత పెంచండి!

W e are already doing this in many ways. I have not reduced the outside activity; I have to confess, it is only increasing. But there are many people that we are slightly, step-by-step, toning up. Most of these things do not need physical attention; it can just be done. Quite a few of the brahmacharis are into very serious sadhana. It will take some time for them to manifest, but a very intense process of sadhana is on. When more of them establish themselves in that type of sadhana, we can do something more for others who are physically and psychologically stable enough, and who are living in the ashram for long enough period of time.

To handle larger numbers, we made some efforts like we did at the ninety-day Anaadhi program in the U.S in 2010. What we did there is very, very significant. Such things rarely happen, especially for a large group of people. A certain segment of them have done very well, but one of the biggest problems in today’s world is that people keep changing their mind every two days about everything. There is no sense of long-term. Adi Shankaracharya said, “Nischalatatvam jeevan muktihi.” That means unwavering attention to anything will lead to ultimate liberation. Anything! Not god, not heaven – anything! You just look at the flower unwavering – it will happen. You look at an ant unwavering – it will happen. Just be anything, unwavering. You need not necessarily be in love, just be angry unwavering – you will attain. Pleasant or unpleasant – it does not matter – if your attention is unwavering, things will happen. Today, people carry attention deficiency like a qualification.

I have been observing with some amusement what happened in Anaadhi in those ninety days, what was given to them and how they went through it, what level of sadhana they came to and how quite a substantial number of them keep changing their mind about something that they know works for them absolutely. If something has not worked, don’t even bother about it, just leave it. But if something has worked phenomenally for you, and you keep changing your mind, you will have to see what kind of installments you take. Whether you take small steps or big steps. In Western societies, changing your mind is a big thing, don’t show commitment towards anything and consider yourself free.

Indian urban population is not far behind; they are catching up very quick. They are also in the same kind of state. Even if something has been good to them, they can’t stick to it. So, when you are in a changing mode, we should not bother you too much because it does not work like that. If we want to just give you one dumb practice, which is not alive, I can write it down on a piece of paper. But if we want to transmit something, it costs life. It is not your life you are throwing away, you are throwing away my life. I don’t take that lightly. Why throw something in a place where it won’t grow? Why throw a precious seed on a stone? I would like to plant a seed in fertile soil. Can you blame me for that? If I see soil, I will throw them all. But on stone, it is no use.

So that is why we are going in stages, to see who is who, accordingly we will do. If you are in the ashram or not and I have seen you or not, whoever you are, do not worry. Even if I do not know your name, if you are doing your sadhana and keeping your system prepared, we will attend to it when it is time. We do not necessarily need to talk to you about it. You just get your system prepared; we will do the rest.

If you have strived to stay open, if you have unclogged yourself from yourself, I will not let you go waste, do not have such concerns. There is no other fault in you, just that you have invested in your limitation. Just do not enshrine the ways of your body and mind. Rest I will do. This is a promise I cannot retract.