Sadhguru answers a question about moving beyond just talking or reading about spirituality, and taking a step towards our ultimate wellbeing. No book can be spiritual, Sadhguru says, but it can be inspirational, and can create a longing within to take that step.

Full Transcript:

Questioner: Namaste Sadhguru. My name is Dipesh, I’m coming from Kerala. I have been reading books - almost h… hundred books about spirituality. I… I like talking spirituality, I like philosophizing about spirituality, about Buddhism, anapanasati yoga –everything, but when coming to practice I postpone it. How to avoid laziness? (Laughter)

Sadhguru: A ninety-four year old man went for a medical checkup with his doctor. The doctor gave him a thorough medical checkup and he said, “For a (an?) old boy like you, you’re doing quite fine. Really there’s no problem.” Then the ninety-four year old man asked, “But doctor, what about my sex life?” The doctor asked, “Thinking about it or talking about it” (Laughter)?

So you’re saying you’re in that state (Laughter). So you cannot think about it, you cannot talk about it because whatever you think and talk about is not spirituality. It's not even good literature. Really, believe me, there’s better literature in the world than spiritual books. If hundred books that you read did not create enough thirst in you to do something about it, there is nothing spiritual about these books. You must burn all those books. If it created a longing within you that you couldn’t help doing something about it, then that book is okay – even that book is not spiritual - at least it's inspirational. It inspired you enough to take a step. And a million words that you read are of no consequence. If you take one little step it's worth all the scriptures on the planet. Do it before it's too late. You know what Gayatri Amma was saying? “Atma will go away one day,” (Laughs) okay?

I won't say all that. All I’ll tell you is you will fall dead one day and that day, you don't know when it is. You can ask him (Pointing at one participant) but (Gestures) (Laughter)…but still you don't know when it is. It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be ten years later, it could be hundred years. I’ll bless you with a long life but, you know, people die with blessings (Laughter). Yes? So before it's too late, take at least one small step. Now that you’re here at least start one twelve minute Isha Kriya. And I’ve specially designed this for people like you – it's got words in the meditation (Laughter/Applause) because (Laughs) those who live on words…those who feed upon words, without words they cannot live, you know. There’re enough beautiful things in this planet and in this existence, if you paid enough attention, you would become wordless. But a whole lot of people thrive on words because they have never paid enough attention to anything.

And, you know, when I was a very… When I was a little boy, everything, a blade of grass, an ant would keep me engaged for a whole day. A spot on a book page – I never read a single word – these were study times at home (Laughter). Evening seven to nine is…we must study; it's the prep time. If I open that book I find one spot on the book…on the page; I just look at this one spot for the next two hours, without reading a single word. Not looking here, there, nothing -just one spot. Because that one spot if you pay attention, there’re endless number of things in it, really. You just look at one blade of grass, look at it as close…or why s… just look at your little finger. Endlessly there are things that you don't know about it if you pay enough attention.

So if you pay enough attention you will become wordless. For days on end as a growing boy I never said a word because what’s there to say? You can't drink in the world around you, it's too much. These two eyes and these five senses are not enough to grasp. It hardly gives you any sense. So when you don’t pay attention to life you will get hugely enamored by words. And I’m sure…You said Buddhism and all (Laughs), so you’re repeating what Gautama said or whatever they printed in his name. Yes (Laughs), because if I speak something today, by tomorrow morning it becomes hundred different versions. If Gautama spoke - poor man, twenty-five hundred years ago, what all they should have said in his name. They’ve said too many words which are not his words. And that is why it becomes an ‘ism’ (Laughs).

It has become an ‘ism’ means - that means there’s nothing to do with the Buddha. Buddhism means all the people around created a whole lot of things. Buddha is a different thing. Buddhism is another thing. So with everything else. So don’t feed on those ‘isms,’ just start one simple process with words, best for you. (Laughs) Please do it. Hmm? Please, just one more question. We must eat.