‘Ignorant gurus cause more damage than evil ones’

Credits: TIMES NEWS NETWORK



Coimbatore: Ignorance has led some people to think that becoming a guru is entrepreneurship, that it’s just another profession, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of the Isha Foundation informs T S Sreenivasa Raghavan. Excerpts from an interview.

Q: To believe or not to believe is the basic issue. What do you suggest? If one is to believe, one should believe in whom? In God? Or in those who deny the existence of God? Or in those who believe in God? Or in that man who claims he himself is the God?

A: People are always questioning whether to believe in God or not to believe in God, but tell me: ‘do you believe you have two hands or do you know you have two hands?’ Even if you had no eyes, if I tell you that you do not have two hands, will you believe me? Why is it that about hands you know, but with gods and godmen you’re talking about believing? This is because you are not sincere enough to admit that you don’t know.

Q: Astavakra says awareness alone can result in realization. No master, no scripture, nothing will be of any help if one is not aware about what one’s doing. So is a master really required in the man’s spiritual peregrination? Can we not do without a guru?

A: Ashtavakra himself was a guru. He took on disciples. If he thought a guru was not necessary, why would he take disciples? Obviously, there’s a misunderstanding in what he said. He’s talking about being aware. Unless you’re aware, nothing will work. I, too, am constantly repeating to all the people here that unless you’re aware even I won’t work for you. You may be here with me, but nothing will work for you unless you’re aware.

Q: These days we hear about pseudo gurus who bring a bad name to acclaimed masters who’re doing good work. How to choose the right master?

A: The first thing is you don’t seek a master; you deepen your longing within you. If your longing is deep the master will choose you, not the other way round. You will choose what you like. You will choose somebody who supports your ego. If he is constantly pricking your ego, will you choose him? So if you choose a guru who supports your ego, what is the point? So you never choose your guru; you just deepen your longing. Unfortunately, there are pseudos in spirituality. The crooked ones are one thing. It doesn’t take much time for you to see somebody is crooked; but I am more concerned about the ignorant ones, who are dangerous. Ignorance always causes more damage than evil. Don’t bother about whether somebody is a good or bad guru. Because this is not about the guru, this is about you. By going to him, if your life gets transformed, you continue to go. Even if he’s crooked, how does it matter so long your life is getting transformed? If he starts leading you on to something wrong, improper, then you leave. Till then, you make use of him. This is not the best way to do it.

Q: Mahashivarathri is a big festival at Isha. But you always identify yourself with the religion of humanity. Why this contradiction?

A: I don’t identify myself with a religion of humanity. I identify with a humanity without religion. They’re very different. So about Shiva, in the yogic culture Shiva is not seen as a god who came from heaven or whatever. Shiva is seen as the first yogi and first guru. He opened up the mechanics of life. He revealed everything to his first seven disciples, who’re known as saptarishis. So it’s from there yoga developed in so many different ways. Essentially, it’s his teaching we’re still doing. Mahashivarathri celebration is an expression of gratitude. It also has special benefits for the spiritual seeker. We create an exuberant night with meditation, music and dance. The best artistes come here and a huge festival happens from evening till morning. This has nothing to do with religion. We don’t want people to miss this night. So we throw a big party.

Q: All realized souls say: live in the plenitude of the present, the past is dead and gone, future is yet to come and dark; only the present is true. How does one apply this in practical life?

A: I never said that. If it’s not in the present where else can they live? Let them live somewhere else and show. If I ask you to go to future, can you go? You can think about future. But can you go? This is the reason why any intelligent human being doesn’t want to come into spirituality. Because it doesn’t make any sense. Anyway you’re in the present. You can’t be anywhere else. Then should we not think about tomorrow? Right now, these brainless spiritual people are telling you not to use your brain. Anyone who knows the usefulness of the brain cannot help thinking about the future and the past. All these things have come from confusion. Because they’ve read some nonsense somewhere, they’ve no personal experience of anything.

Q: It’s said faith is absolutely essential for anything to happen. Without faith, even the master-disciple relationship doesn’t blossom. Is faith an innate quality?

A: Faith comes out of a deeply devout mind. If one has to be truly devout, then one should have no agenda of one’s own. He should be willing to go with God’s agenda. If somebody has genuinely become a devotee he will attain very easily. Devotion is the quickest path. But that will happen to you only if you’ve a very child-like mind. Otherwise, devotion turns into deception.