Transcription
EnlightenmentLife the Way it isSadhguru
If you are not aware of this, for over 90% of thepeople, the moment of Enlightenment and themoment of leaving the body are same. Only thosepeople who know the tricks of the body, who knowthe mechanics of the body, who understand thenuts and bolts of the body, can hold on to it.Of the people who manage to stay back, a majorityof them spend the rest of their lives in silence.Only a very few are stupid enough to try to dosomething with people around them because itis so hopeless talking about another dimensionwhich is not in people’s experience. These peopleare trying to be logically sensible, but it is quite ahopeless thing SadhguruSadhguru is one of those rare beings who not only “survives” the experienceand articulates it, but also crafts a royal road to it, propelling a mass movementin that direction. In the discourses contained herein Sadhguru answers somecommonly-asked, yet pressing questions on the subject.Speaking from an inner experience combined with a clear understanding ofthe fundamental mechanics of it, Sadhguru’s answers throw scintillating lighton a subject that is beginning to attract people’s attention like never before.
EnlightenmentLife the Way it is
EnlightenmentOther books by Sadhguru:Life the Way it isEncounter the EnlightenedThe Mystic EyeMidnights with the MysticEssential Wisdom from a Spiritual MasterJoy 24x7Mystic’s MusingsHimalayan LustDon’t Polish Your IgnoranceSadhguruYogi, Mystic and VisionaryFlowers on the PathIsha Foundation
Enlightenment: life, the way it isSadhguruCopyright 2010 Isha FoundationFirst Edition: November, 2010All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced inany form without the written permission of the publisher, exceptin the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles andreviews.For comments and enquiries regarding the book pleasecontact: n . 71. The Experience . 112. Encounter the Enlightened . 173. Enlightenment: Life, the Way it is . 394. Dissolving your Personality . 705. Isha: Sacred Space for Self-Transformation . 856. Drishti – the Yoga of Vision .1137. Inner Management .123Published by:Isha FoundationVelliangiri Foothills,Semmedu (P.O.),Coimbatore–641 114, INDIATel: 91-422-2515345Email: info@ishafoundation.orgWebsite: www.ishafoundation.orgGlossary .148
7IntroductionEnlightenment is not the first step on the spiritual path. Nor is itthe last. Yet, the word captures the imagination of people like neverbefore. There was a time, not very long ago, when spiritual seekersbegan their quest by asking to see God. Not anymore. Questionslike, “Does God exist?,” “Have you seen God?,” “Can you showGod to me?” don’t seem to bother people anymore as much asquestions about Enlightenment do. “What is Enlightenment?,” “Areyou Enlightened?,” “Can you give Enlightenment to me?”- are thequestions that a Guru in today’s world is more likely to encounterfrom the spiritual aspirant.A casual Google search on the word “Enlightenment” reflects itspopularity: something like 15 million word hits; 5 million images;23,000 videos; and 30,000 books registered in a matter of seconds.For a moment, you would think it is a pity that Buddha, the one whobrought the word into vogue, is not around to see it. But a closerlook at the modern usage of the term is not so flattering.Starting from a purely technical description of the lighting of alight bulb, to some New-Agey people selling soaps, shampoos and
8Enlightenment - Life the Way it isincense sticks — everybody has staked their claim to the word. Itseems as though most people have come to a conclusion that no suchthing as Enlightenment exists, and have therefore decided to makethe most of it by putting the word to market savvy uses. Surely, thiswould not impress Gautama the Buddha, for whom the word andthe path was his life and breath.However, undeterred by all this, Enlightenment – as GautamaBuddha knew it – still continues to inspire many people aroundthe world. “What is Enlightenment?” “How does one becomeEnlightened?” “When does one become Enlightened?” “How does itfeel to be Enlightened?” “Are there levels of Enlightenment?” “WillI be able to predict somebody’s future if I am Enlightened?” “CanI read other people’s minds?” “Is there any use to it at all?” – theseand many other questions continue to intrigue people. Thus today,Enlightenment occupies the prized space that once belonged to thepursuit of God.A flurry of theories and counter-theories, claims and counterclaims on the subject leaves one rather confused. It becomeseven more confusing because of the growing number of experts,authorities and critics on the subject, usually without an iota ofexperience to back them. The situation becomes especially murkywhen there are those who claim they can give it to you, or even thatthey have already done it. Then there is this product of the twentiethcentury free enterprise: a contraption modeled on the lines of theTime Machine, that promises to give you instant Enlightenment –for a small fee, of course!So in the midst of it all, it is extremely refreshing to hear fromsomeone who can answer the questions with an authority – anauthority that comes from an inner experience rather than scholarlyknowledge; from a mastery of the subject rather than chancelearning; from somebody in flesh and blood rather than somebodyburied deep in the sands of time. It is in this context that whatSadhguru has to offer becomes invaluable.Introduction9Sadhguru’s experience did not make him stop at it. Instead, itbrought a new understanding of the phenomenon in him and fireda deep passion to share; it set forth a process that today has becomea huge movement involving millions of people. In short, it broughtabout a revolution – a silent revolution of self-realization.Presented in this book is a compilation of discourses by Sadhguru.While each one exudes the rare fragrance of the Enlightened One,some attempt to define, and others describe the phenomenon. Whilesome tell you what to do and what gets you closer, some others talkabout the barriers that there are. And for those driven by an innerthirst, he describes the support-structures that exist in the form ofIsha Yoga Center, a sacred space that he has so carefully craftedfor the purpose.If you are still on the verge of giving up or dismissing it all,Sadhguru dedicates a discourse to the importance of having avision in life and working to materialize it. In the end he talks abouta whole new dimension to management – an inner managementthat everybody could use.We hope reading this leaves you light in heart and mind andperhaps, with a hope that with a bit of a help from a Living Master,it is not all that far, after all.Swami Nisarga5th Nov 2010.
1011Enlightenment - Life the Way it isChapter 1The ExperienceIn the modern era, the word Enlightenment is perhapsmost associated with Gautama Buddha. Gautama’s questthat led him to steal away from his sleeping family in thedead of the night, the arduous life that he subsequently led,and the culmination of it all in the now famous Bodhi treeexperience, and the establishment of the Buddhist orderthat let loose the largest spiritual wave that humanity hadever seen, is all imprinted too well in the mind of a presentday seeker.It is interesting to contrast this with Sadhguru’s case. Asa child, Sadhguru was anything but spiritually inclined.When his family visited temples, he would rather be thrashedfor defiance than take off his shirt to enter and “pray to God.”As a youth, English education brought Western thinkinginto him. Blue jeans and The Beatles were his constantcompanions. Piercing reason and hard logic reignedsupreme over anything subtle that came from the East.So it was when he was living a life that was hardly asceticor sage-like that it happened to him. And it happened to himrather unasked. But, perhaps, Nature did not want to make
12Enlightenment - Life the Way it isit too easy for him, for when it happened to him, it was neither under thegentle Bodhi tree nor was it under the cool, caressing moonlight of the fullmoon. It happened to him on a hard rock, under the hot afternoon sun, onChamundi Hills in Mysore. On that day, maybe not slowly, but surely,it descended upon him.In the following pages, Sadhguru describes the experience, its aftermathand finally shares what drives him to this day.I really enjoyed mountains and I loved the Chamundi Hills inMysore. Those days, for the youth there in Mysore City, the traditionwas: if you want to try your motorcycle, you go to Chamundi Hills;if you want to meditate, you go to Chamundi Hills; if you fall inlove, you go to Chamundi Hills; if you fall out of love, you go toChamundi Hills. On the whole, if something happens, you go toChamundi Hills; if nothing happens, you go to Chamundi Hills –that was the tradition.This is a place I used to go to very frequently. This is a place whereI have trekked extensively, I have camped, I have meditated anddone many things. I even set up business meetings on ChamundiHills. Usually, when I said “business meeting on Chamundi Hills,”people were thinking it is in the Rajendra Vilas Palace that was ontop of the hill, but I would have it all arranged on a rock! So this isa place I spent a lot of time.At a time in my life when I was fully engrossed in a variety ofbusiness activity, something fantastic happened to me. I rememberthe date exactly: it was the 23rd of September, 1982. From that day,I was never the same person again.On that afternoon, I had a little time to spare between twobusiness meetings, so I rode up Chamundi Hills. I parked myvehicle, went to a particular rock – a huge rock which was my usualplace – and sat there with my eyes open. After a few minutes, I didn’tknow where I was.Until that moment, like most people, I had always believed thatthis body is “me” and that is “somebody else.” Suddenly, in a fewThe Experience13minutes, I did not know which is “me” and which is not “me.” Whatwas “me” was just everywhere. The very rock I was sitting on, theair that I was breathing, the atmosphere around me – everythinghad just become “me.”Whatever I say about it, it will sound stupid and insane. I thoughtI was in that condition for about 10–15 minutes, but when I cameback to my so-called normal condition, it was 7:30 pm – four and ahalf hours had passed. The sun had set. My eyes were open, I wasfully conscious, but time just flipped. And now for the first timein my adult life, I had tears flowing. I was somebody who was soashamed of tears that from the age of eight, I had never allowed asingle drop of tear to come out of my eyes; I lived like that. But now,suddenly tears were flowing to a point where my shirt became wet.I have always been peaceful and happy – that has never beenan issue. When everything works the way you want it, what is theproblem? But right now, every cell in my body was bursting with anew indescribable level of ecstasy. I had no word for this, I did notknow what to say; I did not know what was happening with me.When I asked myself, “What could be happening with me?” the onlything that my trained, logical mind could say was “Maybe you’regoing off your rocker.” When I shared what was happening with theclosest of my friends, they only asked, “Did you drink something?Did you take some drug?” This is all they could ask me. I knew therewas no point talking about it, because I could not relate it to anybodyaround me. Something phenomenal was happening within me.So, I had nothing to relate to, all I knew was that I had hit upon agoldmine, a nameless goldmine within myself which I did not wantto lose even for a moment. I knew what was happening was utterlycrazy, but I did not want to miss it for a moment because somethingso tremendous was happening within me.The next time this happened was about six, seven days later whileI sat at the dinner table with my family. What I thought was just twominutes, was actually seven hours that had passed by. After that day,
14Enlightenment - Life the Way it isThe Experience15I started going through this incredible experience often. After goingthrough each of these experiences, I was wide awake for the next 3–4days. Many times I didn’t even eat for 2–3 days.Once it happened for 13 days; it had become so intense. By then,people had gathered and somebody put a mala1 on me. And peoplestarted saying, “Oh, he is in samadhi.” I had never even heardthe word “samadhi” until then! People were falling at my feet –somebody wanted to know what to do with his business; somebodyelse wanted to know when their daughter would get married andall that. All the tamasha2 that I hated in my life, all the things that Inever wanted to go near, suddenly started happening around me.That is when, not being able to handle these people around, I startedtraveling to get myself organized enough to articulate what washappening within me.This experience started happening over and over again, andin about six weeks’ time, it became like a living reality. Just abouteverything about me changed in those six weeks. I just could notignore this experience.In a month’s time, I closed all my businesses. For about a year ortwo, I wandered here and there. I knew there was something veryfantastic in me, but I did not know how to share it. I went aboutasking many people as to what it was. Somebody said this wasspiritual, so I went to some spiritual people and organizations insearch of an
Sadhguru is one of those rare beings who not only “survives” the experience and articulates it, but also crafts a royal road to it, propelling a mass movement in that direction. In the discourses contained herein Sadhguru answers some commonly-asked, yet pressing questions on the subject. Speaking from an inner experience combined with a clear understanding of the fundamental mechanics of .
