Youth And Truth (Sadhguru At The University Of Toronto)

1:40:26

1:40:26

Youth And Truth (Sadhguru At The University Of Toronto)

by Sadhguru Jaggi

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5

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talks

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Meditation

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Everyone

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In November 2019, Sadhguru went to the University of Toronto, as part of the Youth and Truth movement. This is the vibrant Q&A session that followed as Sadhguru answered students’ questions on a wide range of topics, including mental health issues among youth.

Truth Students Mental Health Self Care Emotional Health Education Consciousness Problem Solving Relationships Self Improvement Adaptability Mindfulness Failure Substance Use Emotional Resilience Cultural Identity And Evolution University

Meet your Teacher

McMinnville, TN, USA

Meet your Teacher

McMinnville, TN, USA

Transcript

Times thanks to The Web for convolc Q'. That one of the major topics that we considered when coming up with questions and discussion topics is mental health, Which I'm sure everyone in here knows that has been a very prevalent and a very growing topic, Especially in the last few years. And especially if you're a U of T student, I'm sure you know that the topic of mental health, And to put it blunt, Even suicide and such, Has been a very large topic, Especially in the last few months. So we have a lot of questions that are geared around that as well. So once again, Thank you so much for coming. We are very excited and honored and grateful that to be here, But to be here with all of you. So do you guys wanna get started? Perfect, Perfect, Thank you so much. Good evening, Good evening everybody. I just decided to chant because he's had one of the main issues is mental health. We need to understand this. As today, Slowly people are beginning to understand, For physical health, Yoga is not the solution. How you eat, How you stand, How you sit, How you breathe is the solution. Hello? What you do with yourself on a daily basis. Similarly for mental health also, What we're doing with ourselves on a daily basis is the solution. And what we're doing with ourselves on a daily basis is the source of the problem too. So to start any activity in your daily life, If you had some sort of process to settle you and kind of put you in place for that kind of activity that you're trying to perform, You would see… you would perform your activity much more easily with least amount of friction. In the initial stages of mental ill health, It is just a question of little bit of friction. When the friction happens continuously, Something breaks down. Once it's broken down, Then fixing is a humongous task. But ensuring there was not much friction is a much easier thing to do. All of you young people, Mental health is the last thing that you should be concerned about at this stage in your life. But unfortunately, It's come visiting. No, It's not come visiting, It's been invited. So keeping that in mind, Let's… Thank you very much. So the first question that I had from myself is… Why are you copying questions? Sorry? Why are you copying questions? I… I want to make sure I don't mess this up. Because I've usually seen people copying answers but questions… But yeah, So the first question we had was, Nobody goes through life unscathed. Everybody has had a past experience with a person or a situation that left a permanent scar on them, Such that whenever we are reminded of this, The sadness or loneliness or pain associated with the memory comes back, Regardless of how much time has passed. Is there truly a way for us to move on from and let go of the things that have hurt us in the past, Such that they have no substantial emotional effects on us? And if not, How can we heal ourselves from this past pain? When you say everybody, That's a very sweeping statement. It's not true with everybody. Unfortunately, A lot of people are getting into that space. Fortunately, Not everybody. I am not in the group. This doesn't mean that everything in my life happens just the way I want it. No. Very few things happen the way I want it. I want you to understand this. If you keep the scope of your life very limited, Let's say just your education or your profession or your family, Then maybe ninety percent of things happen your way, Ten percent of the things don't happen your way. But if you expand your activity globally, Then you will see only ten percent happens your way, Ninety percent doesn't happen your way. So if you're the freaking kind, Then you will break yourself down. So one thing we need to understand is that if mentally, Emotionally, We are freaking out on something or the other, I want you to understand there is no complexities to this, To make it very simple. You are freaking whenever things don't happen the way you think they should happen. Hello? Do you understand this? Your only problem with life is, It's not happening the way you think it should happen. Hello? That's all? If it is not happening the way you think it should happen, Maybe it is happening somebody else's way and somebody else is happy. Yes or no? And most of the people in the same breath, They say they believe in God, So maybe it's happening his way. So essentially, It's not happening the way you think it should happen. But look at the way you're thinking. Two years ago, How you're thinking and today how you're thinking, Is it the same? No. So you are glad those things didn't happen. But it takes two years to realize that, That I'm glad those things didn't happen. A whole lot of things don't happen. So what? The important thing is, How profound and how exuberant is your experience of life. Life is not that it must happen your way. If it happens your way, What does it mean? What is your way? Right now what you know, From that you concoct something which you call, This is my way, Isn't it? Do you know everything in the universe? No. Whatever we may know, It is still very little, Isn't it so? Hello? Whatever we may know, It is still very, Very little. From this, We're expecting something should happen. You must be glad. Something you do not know happened. Something that you did not expect happened. This means life is happening to you. My blessing usually for people is, Let something happen in your life that you could not dream of. That means your dream should not come true, That's all I'm saying. Something that you could not dream of, That must happen, That means you're living a fabulous life. But if something new happens that you did not think of, You will freak. Don't do that. Don't do that. New things are happening. Something that you did not expect is happening. You should ride on that. See, There's only two ways. Life has its waves. If you have learnt to ride the wave, You know in Canada you cannot ride, It's too cold. Suppose you were in California and you were riding the waves, You're a wave rider, Your dream is a tsunami one day. Hello? Yes or no? If you're really good at riding the wave, What are you looking for? The biggest wave possible. But if you never learnt how to ride, Then you get crushed by the waves. Something wrong with the waves? No. You did not make yourself fit for life, That is what is wrong. Nothing wrong with life, It's happening. Are you fit for this world or not? This is happening all the time. You know, We are a volunteer organization. This is my lamentation, Okay? Please listen to me a little bit. Millions of volunteers, Lots of things happening around the world, Big movements. But none of them are qualified for the job. Just whoever comes, Fills the space. I keep them up, Keep them up, Keep them up with enthusiasm and inspiration endlessly. But they don't know what to do. They're enthusiastic. You know, Enthusiasm without direction, How much trouble it is to manage. And you cannot fire them because they're volunteers. You didn't hire them to fire them, First of all. So, This will be happening all the time, Somebody comes up to me and, Sadhguru, I can't work with this person, He's so terrible, She's horrible, She's that. I say, See, The world is full of such horrible people only. If you think, If you… yeah, Yeah, If you want to find something horrible, You can find something horrible in everybody, Just in everybody, Without exception. Yes or no? If you think what you're doing is significant, You learn to work with such horrible people. If you think what you're doing is very significant. But if you want to work with ideal people, You must go to heaven and today. So, At this stage in your life, Young people, Don't produce a list of complaints about what's wrong. Produce a list of solutions for me, Let me see, To your life and everybody's life around you. That will be a forward moment. If you invest on your problems, You will see everything in the universe is a problem, Believe me. Tell me one person here who is not a problem in some way. If you encounter them the wrong way, Each one of them is a problem, Isn't it? Hello? So, It is your skill in life that you approach them, The solution end of them, Not the problem end of them. Yes. If you go on hitting people on their problem end, You will have endless problems in your life. Because everybody is capable of trouble, Everybody. Yes or no? Hello? Have you found one person who is not trouble if you touch them the wrong way? You found somebody like that? If you touch the trouble spot in them, Everybody is a problem, Isn't it? So, You have to learn how to touch the solution part of them, Not the trouble part of them. This goes with situations, This goes with people, This goes with every aspect of life. Thank you very much. So, Sadhguru, A lot of our students take leadership roles at school, A lot of them are just good friends and are part of families where problems do exist and they take the caretaker role a lot. So, What they've asked is, How do you take care of yourself when you are usually the one taking care of others? If you're interested in the well-being of people around you, The first and foremost thing is you must keep yourself well, Otherwise you will become a problem yourself. If you want to be a solution for a lot of things, First thing is you're not the problem. Physically, Mentally, In any sense, You are not the problem, Only then you can attend to things around you. Otherwise, With good intentions, You'll mess up the world. Believe me, Good intentions have caused more horrible things on the planet than bad intentions. People have very good intentions, But they are a mess. The more they do, The more mess they will cause. Most of the mess on the planet has happened with good intentions. Right now, We are in an ecological mess. It's happened with good intention or bad intention? With good intention, Isn't it? They thought they're doing a great thing. But in the end result is something else. So like this, At everything it is so, Just your good intentions will not do. It's very important, Before you touch somebody else, Your hands are clean. That much you must take care that if you cannot solve somebody's problem, What to do, It's all right. But you touching them should not become a problem. Thank you. Thank you. So Sadhguru, Going back to what you were saying that you need to be part of the solution and going back to what Daniel was saying that mental health is such a problem here. At U of T, We are constantly challenged by new ideas by some of the greatest minds in the world. And in such a competitive environment, Which I sometimes describe as a roller coaster ride, We got onto knowingly or unknowingly, I find myself and a lot of people in the audience would echo to this that I'm juggling between dealing with stress and finding internal happiness. I want to understand how do you live in the moment, How do I cherish my victories or my failures before I move on to the next task in life? That's many questions in one. That's a very typical Indian question. She left India only a year ago. So, To address the basic aspect of your question, Which is how do you live in the moment, I'm asking you, Please live somewhere else and show me for one moment. Can you? Can you live somewhere else? Then why such a question? But you're mentally somewhere else even if you're… No, No, Mentally you're not somewhere else. You're here and thinking about something. So, You need to understand this. It took millions of years of evolution to get you to this level of cerebral activity. Now you're suffering your cerebral activity. Somebody is teaching you, Don't think about yesterday, Don't think about tomorrow, Just be here in the moment. What they're telling you is, Rewind the evolutionary process, Become like an earthworm. Yes, Of course an earthworm is eco-friendly creature, Which human beings are not unfortunately. But it took millions of years of evolutionary work. I want you to just imagine, From a single-celled amoeba to you, The most complex creature on this planet, Take an enormous amount of work, Isn't it? You think it was all wrong? Hello? You think it was all wrong? So the problem is just this. You have a very sophisticated machine in the form of human mechanism. The simple question is, Have you read the user's manual? User's manual? No. How is that? When will you read it? When you're eighty years of age? I know it's a long way for you, But when will you read it, You must make up your mind. See, Suppose you buy a phone, Do you want to read the user's manual within the first three days after you bought it? Or after three years when you're discarding the phone, When you want to read it? In the very beginning, At the earliest possible time, Isn't it? So right now the problem is just this. This is a very sophisticated machine. You have made no effort to know this. Without knowing this, You want to live in this and drive through the world in this, So it's a disaster, All right? You want to know everything about the universe, You don't want to know anything about this, So you're paying the price. You know where galaxy number sixty-four is, But you don't know where the hell you are. You're asking, How can I be in the moment? Simply information is very deceptive. Information is very deceptive. You have information about that galaxy, This galaxy, You think you know it. No, We don't know it, We just read it in the book, All right? But this is reality. Existentially you're true, Isn't it? Humans know everything about this because this is you. You don't know that galaxy, That's another matter. If you wish, You can know, But you must know this because everything that you experience, You experience through this, Isn't it? Do you see me right now? Where? Right here? No. This light is falling upon me, Reflecting, Going through your lenses, Inverted image in the retina. You know the whole story. Where do you see me right now? Within yourself. Where do you see me right now? Within yourself. Suppose suddenly I become blurry and hazy, You think something wrong with me or with your vision? So, Right now, This is all the problem with the world. Your vision is blurry and you think there's something wrong with everything in the universe. No, No, It's your question of your perception, Your ability to think, Your ability to emote, Your ability to hold your balance. This is yours. This is not the world's business. Hello? This is not the world's business. Somebody freaks there, You freak within yourself, Whose business is it? It's your business. If you do not take charge of this one, Everything in the universe is a problem, Just know this. Not one thing, Everything. And especially when you're a student in a university… Well, I was not much of a student, Maybe you're better students than me but… But when I was a student… Should I? Should I share uninspiring stories? This is not good for students. So, When I went to the university, When I finished my school, I decided not to go to the university. And being an educated family, This is not like today that you can take a year's sabbatical, Such things did not exist. You finish school, You must go to the university. This is a time in India, Seventies, If you miss out one year, That means maybe you'll be on the street. That's only two options. Either you're well-educated, You're on the street, There is no in-between other options. That's the mindset at least. So, I said, I don't want to go to the university, I'll educate myself. Because anyway I didn't like what they were saying in the school. So, A higher level of that in the university I won't like. So, I said I'll educate myself. And you won't believe. I thought people who supposed to be my friends, My parents, My loved ones, Everybody started looking at me, I have done something, Some crime. It's like I've done something against them. I only said I'll educate myself. Suddenly everything became different. Suddenly everybody is looking at me like I'm some strange creature who is not doing whatever he's supposed to do. So, This one year I spent in the Mysore University library. Every day library opens at 9am, I was the first customer. It closes at 8pm, I was the last one to leave. I was a. . . Why am I telling you all this? In the moment. So, I was. . . I know these days this generation can't eat a full stomach. But I would normally eat two times of what anybody eats. But I never put on weight, There was so much activity. Every day I'm cycling forty, Fifty kilometers, I'm swimming, I'm climbing trees, I'm doing things. Whatever I eat I'm always hungry. So, I'm a big eater, This one year, You won't understand this unless you know how oracious I was. One whole year I didn't eat lunch, Which was a huge achievement for me. I would stuff myself with as much breakfast as possible. And entire day in the library, Eight o'clock I come home and then eat. This may look funny today because today I have only one meal a day. At that time it was such a big thing because however big the breakfast is, By 10. 30, 11 I'm hungry. I remain hungry till 8pm, Which was a huge thing for me. Today it's very simple for me to be without food. So, I read all kinds of things from Homer to Kalidasa to Popular Mechanics to National Geographic, This, That, All kinds of things. Nothing in particular, Simply literature, Philosophy, Geography. Geography always fascinated me so lot about the world and the planet. One year went by like this. When the next academic year started coming, Drama started at home. You know, Initially your father tries to put his pressure, It doesn't work. And then the final armory is, Mother, Tears will come. Then you don't know what to do. You have no… you have no weapons against that one. So I said, Okay, I will join the college but only if it's English literature. I said, What will you do reading poetry? What will you do? My father being a physician said, You must… I've got the seat ready for you, Get in the medical college, You'll do well. I said, No, Doctor, No. Then he says, Okay, Do engineering. Then I said, This is not right. When I said no to doctor, If you had told me become a veterinary doctor, Ayurvedic doctor, This doctor, Which doctor, Something, I would look at it. I say no to doctor, You say engineering. This is… this doesn't go well with me. So I said, No, Literature or I'm going back to the library. So they said okay. So I went there, Joined the Mysore University. Teachers come with huge notes, Generally handwritten notes, And they're reading it and ask everybody to write down. Entire class is writing on those days it's fountain pens. They make noise kar kar kar kar kar kar kar kar. Thirty, Forty people writing kar kar kar kar kar, Just irritates me. I said, This is not it. See, That notes, Whoever gave you that notes, You give it to us, We'll photocopy it and give it back to you. We don't have to come, You don't have to come. But I have a billion questions. Is somebody going to answer damn questions that I have? I have a cloud of questions walking with me wherever I go. Whoever I find, If I think this guy can answer, I'll throw ten questions at him. So I want to ask somebody questions that I have, But no, No, They thought these questions are too much trouble. Then I made a deal with them that they will give me my attendance and I will stay out and not ask questions. So I generally parked myself in the university garden, We had a huge garden. I planted myself under a tree. Then to my amazement I found, People started coming to me, Education problems, Money problems, Boyfriend-girlfriend problems, All kinds of problems. Then I discovered everybody had a problem. I was the only freak who didn't have a problem. I was trying to think up a problem for myself, What is my problem? It's not that everything is going fantastic, But I never saw them as problems, But everybody labels ordinary situations as problems, Simply situations. Some situations we know how to handle, Some situations we don't know how to handle, So what the hell about it? But every situation they cannot handle, They give it a problem title and that problem festers and multiplies in their mind. So I just. . . People coming to me with all kinds of problems, I heard variety of problems for these three years I spent in the garden. And I made a check once a month, I went and checked if they are keeping their end of the deal with the attendants. So why I'm saying this to you is, We are making a problem out of everything. See, Never before materially, Physically, Life has been as good as it's today. Hello? But this generation has become the most whining generation ever on the planet. Small things, Big things, Everything whining, Simply because they're taking such strong positions on everything. That is, Youth means you must be open, You've not taken any position in your life yet. The best thing about youth being youthful is, You're not too conceited, You've not taken a position, You don't belong to this or that, You're open. That is the best part of being youthful. But today I see people have taken strong positions about everything in the world. Once you take such positions, You will naturally create huge problems in your mind. What for are you taking such positions? This is a time to explore. This is a time to learn. This is a time to come to a broader level of understanding and perception. This is not a time to take positions. I'm this or that. They've even. . . You know, By the time they're eighteen, They belong to some political party. It should not be so. Till you get out and find your way in the world, Till then you must just soak up as much life as possible. Just see tomorrow what really works and you support that, What works for you and for everybody around you. Taking strong positions, The moment you take strong positions, The openness of your mind is lost. Once your mind is not open, Suffering is inevitable. How else it'll be? Thank you very much. So the next question. . . The next topic that this question sort of revolves around is love and relationships, Which I know a lot of young people, A lot of students, Not even just young people, Adults even. It's. . . Everyone, Everyone at some point in their life, Hopefully. So love is such like a universal topic. It's in movies, Songs, It seems like such a basic component of life, Yet it's really hard for us to define it. It's really hard for us to truly know when we're in love, To truly know if it's the right kind of love, If it actually is love, If it's just infatuation. If you feel really strongly, It must be love because you can't get them out of your head. So this can be. . . And maybe that's just me as a young person. But yeah, So love can be a very, Very big topic. So the question that we have from, That we've sourced from the U of T community is, What does it mean to love someone both unconditionally and healthily? Unconditionally? Hello? Does anybody know what's unconditionally? Oh! There are always conditions. Are they reasonable conditions or unreasonable conditions? That's the only way you can distinguish. But what is very reasonable for me, May be unreasonable for you. What is very reasonable for you, May be unreasonable for me. So friction happens. The problem is this, That we are calling human transactions as love. Human transactions are human transactions. People come together for various needs. If you have to learn together, You form one kind of group. Maybe two people will sit in the library and study. They were only discussing the subject, I mean to say. You also went to the library but. . . So, People may come together because they have physical needs. People may come together because they have psychological needs. People may come together because they have emotional needs, Financial or social needs. All right? Or maybe a combination of all those things put together. So these transactions, Everybody has to do, Various levels of life, Different types of transactions. So what we are calling as love is a certain sweetness of emotion within you. Right now, Your condition may be such, You're not able to trigger the sweetness of your emotion without the help of somebody. I'm not willing to point at anybody because this will be misunderstood. Without the help of another person, You are not able to trigger the sweetness of your emotions. Now, You think, Only with this person, My emotions can be sweet. I'm asking you, Whether it's love or hate, Anger or tranquility, Whatever or whatever, Pleasure or pain, Even light or darkness, Does it happen within you or outside of you? Within you. What happens within you if it needs an outside push, That means you are a low-tech machine. You know, In 1950s if you owned a car, Morning if you have to start, It means you need two people to help you. Otherwise it won't start. But today all the cars, Even in extreme cold, Still start, Isn't it? Isn't it time you upgrade your technology that if you sit here, You can sit here lovingly. Not because of her or him or him or her or her, Just like that you can sit here lovingly. If there's somebody you can share, Nobody, You can sit here lovingly. What's stopping you? So, If you made yourself as a human being with a joyful mind and a loving heart, Then you will conduct transactions, Various transactions in a sensible, Graceful manner. Those are called relationships. Love is one aspect which is within you. Relationship is a transaction, The other person is involved. This is always a compromise, There's no perfect relationship anywhere, Yes or no? There is a give and take. If you're getting… running the relationship fifty-one percent your way, You're doing great. Sometimes the percentage tilts in their favor, You try to push it in your favor. Transaction but… But any transaction will sustain only if it's beneficial for both the parties, Whether it's marketplace, Friendship, Marriage, Whatever, It will only sustain if it's beneficial for both the parties, Isn't it? So you have to ensure, Even if the other person is not competent to benefit, Or doesn't have the push to benefit, You must make sure the other person benefits. Otherwise it will not sustain. Even if you're doing business, I'm telling you, If you want continued customership from somebody, You must make sure he benefits, Even if he doesn't ask for it. Hello? Yes or no? Then relationship will sustain. So do not misunderstand these two things. I know it's… because you're going by pop culture of songs, Music, Broadway and Hollywood, Leave that alone. You look at it from your perspective, Human emotion and human thought happens within you. If this happens the way you want it, Will you keep this very pleasant or unpleasant? Pleasant. If you keep it pleasant, You are naturally loving, Your emotions are sweet. If your emotions are sweet, Will people want to be with you? Of course they want to be with you. Yes or no? You don't have to do any circus to have them. If you are a very wonderful human being, They desperately want to be with you, Isn't it? You don't have to do any tricks to have them with you. So relationship becomes easy, Whichever way you play it works, You don't have to be unnecessarily conscious what to do, What not to do, How not to hurt that person, Nothing. When you are a wonderful human being, When your thought is joyful, Your emotion is sweet and loving, You can conduct your relationships whichever way you want and it'll work, Because they want it, All right? So you must make yourself wanted, That's what I'm telling you. So the next question we have is about identity. It's a personal question that I've come up with, But I think some of you might be able to relate. So I'm a diaspora, I'm Canadian born, My family is from Tanzania, But originally from Gujarat, So I've always struggled to identify who I am in the Canadian context. So when I went to school and I had to eat lunch, I would take my butter chicken and I would go sit on the side because I didn't want my white friends to have to smell my food. But when I was with my family at a mosque or temple, I would all of a sudden have an Indian accent. So I was always stuck between these two identities constantly. Now these are things I did as a child, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, And now as an adult, I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate in this space. So my question for you is, As youth we have the ability to adapt our identities to fit the social surroundings we're in. How do we begin to understand our authentic truths and act upon them in a world that expects us to change and be amiable in our environments? See in 21st century, The comfort of belonging to a specific community, Because especially you come from India, In India, People lived in adjacent homes for thousands of years actually, For millennia they've been there in the same places. But this is one kind of community, This another, This is another, They cook differently. They're all together, Everything, But they still cook differently. They always get married among themselves. They've maintained this for thousands of years. I always look back and see how the hell did they manage. The cooking didn't get mixed up, You know. How did they manage this? It's quite incredible they managed that. But that time is over in many ways. We must preserve those individual cultures because they're valuable, Because they evolved over thousands of years. Each one of them have their uniqueness and beauty about them. But it lost its value when you did not understand what is a difference and what is a discriminatory process. See, It's wonderful that each one of us are different, If… if there was one more person just like you in your home, Could you live there, I'm asking. Hello? Aren't we glad everybody is different and nobody is like us. So whether it's as a individual person or as a community or as a nation, We are all different and that's fantastic. But when we misunderstand differences as discriminatory process, Then it becomes ugly. When that ugliness comes, We want to demolish all differences and make everybody into McDonald's, Okay? Because we think the evil is differences. Evil is not differences. The evil is in you thinking one is superior to the other. Hmm, Instead of seeing this world is fantastic, Only because we are so different. You're all of a same. I won't have a conversation with you if you were just like me. Hello? If you were just the same as me, Why would I sit here and have a conversation with you? Only because you're different, You're worth talking to, Isn't it? So differences are fine. We don't have to suffer them. It's really wonderful that this small little planet has thrown up so many varieties of people. How many varieties of people live the individuals, Even as communities, As nations, How many varieties of people? The way we eat, The way we talk, The way we do things, The way we dress, Everything is different and that's fantastic. We just have to educate the world that differences are wonderful. Inter-generation is horrible. This distinction if we get, You can be whoever the hell you want, All right? See from generation to generation, How your parents were, They are also diaspora in Africa. They largely spoke Gujarati, They're desperately trying to creep their culture, You know. Actually people who come out of India in fifties, Sixties, They're more Indian than the Indian people because India has changed dramatically since then. But people who came out as one community and living in Africa, In UK, Some other place, They are totally still dressing, Talking, Eating like 1950s because they are living within that community. All this is not a problem. This is all wonderful how human beings evolve, Adapt, Do things as long as we do not discriminate against each other. We don't think I'm superior to you, I'm better than you, You're less than me. This is the whole problem. So you just have to learn one thing. Doesn't matter who comes in front of you, Whoever. Never look up to anybody, Never look down on anybody, This is all. You just bring this one thing into you. Community difference is fine. No looking up, No looking down. Moderator – Sati Guru, The next question is something that we sourced from the audience and it's been a personal question as well, Which is that when we're on this journey of life, We tend to set a lot of short term goals and when we don't achieve them, We don't know how to deal with failure. And that is something we all deal with a lot at U of T in specific but… But in that moment when we can look back and say, Yeah, This is fine, But in that moment how do we hold our ground and how do we learn to see the bigger picture? Sadhguru – Should I tell you about my failures? Hello? No, They're not interested. I have some friends who want to know about my failure. When I was ten, Eleven, The only thing that I had in my mind is, I just want to go somewhere. I don't know where. So those days if I got five rupees, Five rupees was lots of money. I bought a little bit of bread and disappeared into the jungle. Just walked around, Caught a bunch of snakes, I observed everything from insects to worms to animals to everything. And I ran out of food and became difficult after three, Four, Five days, Came back. By then there was lot of unnecessary excitement in the town. Police complaints, Searching all over the place, Looking into the morgue, All kinds of things. And then I came back and they were all… this thing, But I'd left a note. They just ignore my words and do everything else. So after a few times they got used to that and I also grew up. So I didn't know where but I just wanted to go somewhere. All I knew was somehow the known situations was kind of containing me. I just wanted to go somewhere. The moment I got a bicycle, I cycled across South India and I got a motorcycle, I crisscrossed India many times and I was stopped at the national borders. So I decided the only thing is I do some business, Make some money and ride across the world. Where? I don't know, Simply want to ride. So I thought I'll get into business. So I got in, Became far more successful than most people would imagine in a short span of time. So one to another I started half a dozen businesses, Became very successful, Everything. Then everybody was clapping their hands except me. They were all clapping their hands because I was making more money than other people. I was getting lit up like that because I got into this business because I wanted to ride away. But business after business, I put one finger, Now both my hands were stuck in it, Making money and everybody clapping hands but I was not clapping hands. I did not think it's a great thing. I think it's those five years which people think are very successful for me were the five years when I did not do what I really wanted to do. But everybody else thought I was doing great. That's how world is, You must understand. When you're doing great, They think you're doing no good. When you think you're doing no good, They all think you're doing great. So you must know whose interest is in their hearts. So then one afternoon it so happened I burst into an ecstatic state, For no reason every cell in my body bursting. And then I look at myself, What is happening to me? Am I going off my rocker? Am I losing it? What's happening? But I know I don't want to lose what's happening because it's too fantastic. If I simply sit here, I'm dripping ecstasy. Then I pay attention to it, What is it that's happening to me? Then I realize if I don't mess with my mind, I'm just ecstatic. Even now, Just see, It's just the cerebral activity that you're not able to deal with, Isn't it, Which causes so much all this. If you know how to distance yourself from that, This life will burst into ecstatic state. When you are a five-year-old girl, Simply jumping around, Simply because there was a not much cerebral activity, Simply life was a joy just to be alive, Isn't it? Even now you will become like that. If you know when to keep your cerebral activity on, When to keep it off. When I realized if you don't do anything, You will become ecstatic, Then I thought, What's the big deal? I will make the whole world ecstatic. On that day, The world's population was 5. 6 billion people. Then I sat down and made an elaborate plan. How? I will make the world ecstatic, Because it's so simple. If they don't do anything, They will be ecstatic. I didn't think people are so invested in misery that it'll take a lot of coaxing. Then I made a plan. In two-and-a-half years' time, I can very easily make the world ecstatic. I thought I'll execute this plan, Because you are a consulting business person, I'm telling you. I had everything clear-cut, Because this is this simple. If I talk to them, Why will they deny ecstasy? They will all go for it. Thirty-eight years. Don't do this. You're clapping at my failures. So people today say we have touched somewhere between eight-hundred to nine-hundred million people. But that's not my idea of the world. Population has grown to 7. 6 billion people. Now I know I will die a failure, But I'm a blissful failure, Okay? Because first is, I learned how to fix myself before I do anything in the world. If you fix yourself, Will you fix yourself in a pleasant way or unpleasant way? Pleasant way. So if you become joyful by your own nature, Then you do something in the world. Depending upon the times in which we exist, We must understand this, Never underestimate this. Depending upon the times in which we exist, We do certain things, Our world allows us to do certain things, Isn't it? Today you're in your university, All of you here, Because this is twenty-first century. If this was twelfth century, Maybe you would be fighting a war, Maybe you would be ploughing the land, Maybe you would be doing something else. So you being a university is not your achievement, It is the times. You have some role, You have a stake in it, But it is the times which is allowing you to do this, Isn't it? Historically, At what time we are born is deciding most of what we do. So do not make that a big affair. First and foremost thing is, To grow this one, This piece of life to its highest possibility. If you grow this one to a certain level of capability, Competence and well-being, This will do something in this world, According to the times. Instead of that, What you're trying to do is, You're trying to upgrade your activity without upgrading the machine. It is like you took an old beat-up pick-up truck, I won't name the brand because they're just across the Great Lakes. You took one old beat-up truck, Pick-up truck you have, But you suddenly got a desire, You want to go into the Formula One racing. You went. Now your four wheels will be going in four different directions. You want to get onto the track, At least by a standard Ferrari. Hello? If you have an upgraded machine, Is your activity naturally upgraded? I'm asking you. But without upgrading the machine, If you upgrade activity, Upgraded activity is creating enormous suffering, Isn't it? See, Those of you who are thinking it's very hard to be in the university, I can take you back home and make you plow the land. Very easy. You don't know what it is. So I'm not trying to make fun of things, But I want you to understand the privilege of being in the times in which you are, Where our survival process is better organized than ever before in the history of humanity. Yes or no? Hmm? Yes or no? Are you materially not living better than your parents and grandparents? Unless your father was a Maharaja in India or something, No, You're common. So definitely you're living better than them, Isn't it? Especially all of you young women who are here, I want you to acknowledge this, That this is the best time to be a woman on this planet. It never was this good. Well, Still there are issues which we have to improve, No question about that. But isn't it better than ever before? If we do not acknowledge what we have, We will not create what we want. Just know this. Sadhguru, While we're really enjoying this conversation and I don't want to bring it to a pause, But I would like to open up the floor to audience questions at this point. Okay. My question is that why we do puja or any kind of ritual into our Hindu religion or those kind of thing? Why does somebody do puja? Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay. Do you brush your teeth every day in the morning? I'm just asking. You do? Why? So you understand that. There are many people for a long time in the history of humanity, They never brushed their teeth. Yes or no? In previous generations of people, By the time you're forty, Forty-five, Most people lost their teeth. And it was perfectly normal. You're fifty and you still have all your teeth was a big surprise. Yes, It was two generations ago. So today everybody has their teeth intact because everybody is taking care of those things. We are glad. Because it's not only for their well-being, For our well-being also. Similarly, I don't know what kind of puja you're talking about. I am not the puja kind, So I wouldn't make a very sweeping comment on that. But generally people evolved processes to fix themselves in so many different ways. For teeth, They had this, For their mind, They had one kind of thing, For their emotions, They had another kind of thing. Like this, They evolved processes. If for generations somebody is doing it, It must have worked to some extent at least. Is it absolutely working? Maybe not. But is it worked in some way? Yes. Just because you brush your teeth, Does it mean to say you will never go to the dentist? You still go. So just because you do puja, Does it mean to say you will never get a problem? You still get. But a lot of things managed by simple processes. Defending it from outside, Thinking this is ignorance, This is this, This is that, Is not right because… like this. I am not the puja kind, I can't defend that because I don't do it myself. I must admit now, In my entire life, Never once in my life have I ever prayed, Never prayed. I never did that because such a need never arose within me that I need to pray for something. So I am not the right person, But I have seen certain rituals which are powerful, Which is making a huge difference for people, Oh, They should not be destroyed. They are very important because people brought much well-being within themselves, Around themselves by doing certain things. Right now, When I sit here, You might have noticed that I am doing a simple process with myself. Why is this? See to do different types of activity in our lives, Our energies need to be focused differently. Let's say, Because you took the microphone, Let's say you want to sing. You will see singers, Good, Good ones, I am talking about those who have invested their life into music, You will see before they sang they are preparing… they have their own little ritual, Something of their own, Each person might have developed their own. Or if you are in India, They may have a traditional ritual which they do before they sing. And this keeps his voice, His well-being more than anything to sing. The maximum amount of your energy should be in your throat. If it's in your hand at that time, It's not going to help. To perform different types of activities beyond certain level of competence, You need your energies focused. Why do you think one human being is able to do a certain activity so well, Another person just can't do it simply because their energies are focused that way either naturally or by training. And at least before he runs, He is doing his own little ritual so that he doesn't get his cramps and this and that. That's his own ritual. If he doesn't do that ritual, Can he not run? Maybe he will run. Maybe he will still run. But he knows to perform beyond a certain limit, Certain amount of preparation definitely helps. So like this, People evolve different kinds of rituals. There are very powerful ritualistic processes. The problem with the ritual is just this. The problem with the ritual is not the ritual itself. The problem with the ritual is the integrity of the people who conduct these rituals, Which is a serious issue. Because integrity is at a certain low in the world generally, Rituals can become very problematic because they have a certain power about them. There are two ways to bring well-being. See, We are on the yogic path. For us, Well-being is all internally organized. We don't depend on any ritual, Whatever. But is everybody capable of doing this, Investing their life for their internal growth, Managing it well within… from within themselves? No, People need a ritual. Hundred people are sitting here, They are not able to do things by themselves. So you do some common process for all of them. Something that they cannot do by themselves, You try to impact them in a certain way so that they benefit. If they could do everything internally, No need for any ritual. I have no need for any ritual in my life. But is everybody like that? No. Initially when I was young, I refused to make any kind of even smallest ritual available to anybody because I was young and little cruel. I said, You better work for your well-being. Why should I do anything for you? But slowly I see there are many, Many people who will never take that level of commitment to work for their own well-being. You have to do something to them. So now we do certain things, Minimizing it, Keeping it at the minimum. But if people need something, We do something. But the basic focus is, The best thing is your well-being comes from within you, Because that way you're free. If your well-being comes from me, In some way you unnecessarily become leaning on me. We don't want this. But those who need a crutch, Shall we tell them? Pull off the crutch and say, Walk right now. Shall we do that? That would be very cruel, Isn't it? So rituals are there. Ritual is not the problem. The integrity of the people who conduct the ritual is a serious problem. That is what we need to attend to. Don't throw the baby with the bath water. Bath water has become dirty, But the baby needs to be rescued. Questioner 1 Namaskaram Sadhguru. First I'd like to start by saying that thank you for everything that you have done. I've taken your Inner Engineering course while back and it has done amazing things to me. I always thought that in order to be spiritually liberated, You need to find yourself a guru. And in the process of doing so, I've traveled to, I guess, Nepal and India looking for a guru. I've read an article that you published online where you've said that, If you… how do you know when you find your guru? And you've mentioned that if you know… if you meet someone who almost threatens you and you want to leave, But at the same time there's something that brings… that brings you back to this person, Then you've found your guru. Like, Can you have multiple gurus or how do you know you're on a right path that, Hey, This is working for me and I should be doing this? Isn't he asking this question to the wrong person? See, First and foremost thing is, When somebody is saying something, Okay, You listen to them. Don't believe them. You must listen carefully, But don't have to believe. You must look at them carefully. Whatever they're talking, Has it worked for them? If it's worked for them, Obviously they know what they're talking. So you must take. So is this my ultimate guru, Is he going to take to the end? Let's see, Let's go one sip at a time. You don't know what is ultimate, Isn't it? If he helps you with the present level of your limitations, Let's go to the next step and see what the hell he can do. If he does something meaningful, Stay, Otherwise go. Hello? So don't think in those terms. See, Every year I'm trekking in Nepal and Tibet. Here there is one Sherpa guiding me. He's an illiterate fellow, All right? But on the mountain, If there are two ways and I want to go this way, He won't say, Guruji, Please come like this, He'll say, Hmm, I just go that way, Hmm. He treats me like I'm his mule or something. But I just follow him because there you better follow him. You understand? Because the simple thing is this, He knows the terrain, You don't know the terrain. The same goes here. If you think somebody knows the terrain, You take instructions. If you think they don't know the terrain, Don't stay there, Why are you wasting your time, Isn't it? So the simple way to find out is that I'm saying something. You must look at me carefully, Has it really worked for me first or am I talking some scripture to you? If you think it's worked for me, You must hang on. If you think it's not worked for me, You shouldn't waste another moment with me. So I've been watching your videos for quite some time and you know, You've made an interesting comment that you know, When you think of God, Most people think of him as an old man sitting up there with a big beard, You know, Passing jacket. You talk about me? The old beard sitting up here. Tell me further. And so my question was, I was curious to understand what in your definition would be… would be God? See, The reason why in every culture, People have come up with their own concept of God. Every culture has a different concept of God. But everybody has come up with some concept of God. Because they have no explanation for creation, Isn't it? Hello? You came out of your mother's womb and looked around, Too much creation. You know you didn't do it. Then you looked up your mother, Maybe she did it. Well, She delivered you but she did not deliver the planet, You know that. Then you looked at your father, No, Not him. You looked at every other adult around you, Nobody looked like competent enough to make all this happen, Isn't it? Yes or no? There's not one person here who looks like he's competent to create this whole creation around us. So the simplistic conclusion is, There is a big ban sitting up there, I fit the description, At least the western description I fit, In the India I don't fit. But now there is an argument. The big argument in the United States churches is, Is God a man or a woman? The last election they tried to settle that issue. Didn't work that way. So your ideas of God are essentially cultural in nature. You know Idi Amin? You heard of Idi Amin? You know, Uganda man? Not Ranganiya but in Africa. Idi Amin declared God is black. I agree with him. I agree with him. Because if a white man can have a white God, Why can't a black man have a black God? So this argument also is going on, Particularly in the US churches. They tried to settle that in the previous election. But in India, We know God is brown. Especially Indians who live outside of India, Very proud of this. You know, We know what God looks like, Because he himself visited India nine times. You don't know this? Hello? Nine times he himself visited to other places he sent his son, His messenger. Indians… Indians are very proud of this. To other places only messengers and sons went. To India he himself came. I keep reminding them, That is because God wouldn't trust anybody else with Indians. He wanted to do the job hands on with Indians. So he himself came not once, Nine times and he failed. Nine or ten times we can debate, But failure you cannot debate, Isn't it? Obviously he failed, What do you think? With the Indians. It's a perspective that we can take, He maybe didn't do the best job, Yeah, But he was good. He created you, Me, All of… so many of us. Yes, But coming hands on, It's a failure, Isn't it? He could have sent somebody like everywhere else. So, Our ideas of God are coming because we have no explanation for creation. What you're referring to as God is essentially that which is the source of creation, Isn't it? Because you're human, You're imagining it has to be a big human being. Suppose you were a buffalo. You would definitely think it's a big buffalo. You heard of the big yak in Tibet, You've not seen? I went hunting for a big yak. I drove all over Tibet, Took permissions and drove off-road everywhere to see the big yak, Because they told me the big yak from horn to horn is six feet wide. I wanted to see this animal. Oh my God, How would it be? Then after driving everywhere, I realized it's little got big in their heads. It's little bigger than the domesticated yak, But it got so big, They said it's six feet wide, The horns. And I said, I must see this. But there was no such animal anywhere in Tibet. So if you are a buffalo, You would definitely think God is a big buffalo, Isn't it? So our ideas of God are childish. But it is a fact that you and me did not make this creation happen. That's a fact, Isn't it? But you don't know how it happened. With all the exploration of science, We still do not know how it exactly happened. Nobody knows, Isn't it? You pay attention to a flower, To a leaf, To an ant, To an insect. If you pay enough attention, Each one of them, Smacks of tremendous sense of intelligence, Isn't it so? Hello? If you put filth to the root, It becomes a flower. Fantastic or no? Look at you. Look at you. Just the soil that you walk upon, Look at you how you are sitting, Became such a sophisticated machine, Isn't it? So whatever is the source of creation, Well, Sappy people are saying God is love. Desperate people are saying God is compassion. Other people are saying now it's in thing in North America to say God is empathy. They've not been hit by life yet. But if you pay enough attention to creation, Because it is the presence of creation which has given you the idea of God in your head, Isn't it? If there was no creation, You wouldn't think there is a God. If you pay enough attention to every piece of creation, What you will see is, It's intelligence, Intelligence, Intelligence, Intelligence beyond what you can contain in your brains. Yes or no? But nobody said God is intelligence, Unfortunately. If we had said that, Definitely we would be populated with more intelligent human beings rather than the sappy ones. You know, We are… our center is in Tennessee. We have a large center there. When I was new there, I walk into this town, Which is a one-horse town, Literally a small town. And I'm walking on the street and greeting people, Smiling at them, Thinking they'll be happy to see a new face. But it's a different kind of setup. I'm just… I'm just at the right complexion. A shade darker than this cannot be there in that town. I'm just on the edge. So one big man, This wide, Over six feet tall, Comes and stands close to me. He looks down at me and says, God loves us. And I say, The way you are, Only God can love you. Before this went inside and worked, I had to go away. Because everybody is concocting their own ideas. Leave your ideas, Pay attention to the creation. Tell me, If this flower has to blossom, Nobody has sprayed perfume to the roots, They put filth. Hello? They put manure. That manure became fragrance. This means, Is there a tremendous amount of intelligence functioning in this rose plant? Hello? You ate a piece of bread and this became a human being. Is there a tremendous amount of intelligence beyond your brains functioning within you? So this is the source of creation right now for you. If you access even one drop of that intelligence, You will live magically instead of becoming hallucinatory. If you believe things that you don't see, You will become hallucinatory. But if you access things which are not in your access right now, Your life will get tremendously enhanced. That's what you should look at. Right now, There is an intelligence here, Which can turn a piece of bread into a human being. If I took a loaf of bread in my hands and made it into a human being, Who do you think I am? You would think I am the source of creation, Isn't it? Only one of you is doing this in your stomach, Of course, Not in your hands. But no access. So if you don't have something, It's okay. But if you have it and you don't access it, This is a crime, Isn't it? So my entire life's work is just this, So that you find access to the source of creation that also drops within you. You're right now a piece of creation, That's fine. But you are also the source of creation within yourself. If you find access to that intelligence, You live in a magical way. Other people will think you're superhuman. But this is not about being superhuman. This is about realizing being human itself is super. With respect to interpersonal promises and intrapersonal promises, I feel there are two types of promises that we make to others and to ourselves. How do we balance both of those, Especially considering that sometimes we have to keep the interpersonal promises at the cost of your intrapersonal promises? A promise is meaningful and valuable only when you make it to somebody else. Because you make a promise to somebody because they don't know what the hell you're going to do with them. Hello? That's the reason why they demand a promise from you, Isn't it? Hello? You say, I will give it to you. They'll say, Promise? Because you say one thing and you do another thing. So promise is a meaningful thing only in a relationship with somebody, With yourself, What is there to promise? What is there to promise? Promise is a transaction between two people. It is like signing an agreement. See, We're making a business deal. We sign a contract. Why are we signing it? So that we don't go back on it, Right? Because today what we think is very nice, Tomorrow morning I may have a different perspective. So tomorrow morning if I have a different perspective, I want to change the deal tomorrow morning, But I have signed. Can't go back on it. So promise is a verbal signature. I say, I promise, That means I'm going to do it. I've signed. Not held by some legal contract, But by my own integrity. Because I said so, I will do so. But when it comes to myself, What is there to promise? This people may be using to deal with their compulsive nature. I promise myself I will not drink before seven o'clock in the evening. Seven forty-five. Don't make such promises. Because the only way, The only and only way you can handle your compulsiveness is with consciousness. Just know this. There is simply no other way. Whatever commandments you have from elsewhere, Whatever promises you make to yourself, Whatever vows you take, They will all make you freaky. You may stop one thing, Something else will happen when you forcefully make yourself do something within yourself. This… can I tell you a joke? It's okay? It's a serious question. It once happened, Shankaran Pillai offered… You can't do that. He is not always funny, Sometimes he is serious. Shankaran Pillai offered a ride for an office colleague, A female office colleague, A young woman, Because she didn't have a ride that day. So he was driving her, Then suddenly he became like an octopus. That is his limbs were all over her. She pushed him away and said, You idiot, I got into your car thinking you're a decent fellow, What are you doing here? He said, I'm sorry, I quit smoking. Don't do things forcefully with yourself. The only way you can beat compulsive process within you is by becoming more conscious. If there is darkness in this room, Can all of you together with all the strength that you have, Can you kick the darkness out of this hall? Hello? No. If you just turn on the light, It's gone, Isn't it? Because you must understand, Compulsiveness is just absence of consciousness. Like darkness is just absence of light, Compulsiveness is just absence of consciousness. Instead of becoming conscious, You're trying to play tricks with darkness. It's not going to work like that. If you compulsively, Strongly stop one thing by will, It will manifest itself in some other way and some other way. No, You must become conscious. How to become conscious? That's another part. Questioner 5 Hi Sadhguru, How are you doing? So my question is that we learned that we are sophisticated machinery and that we must learn how that sophisticated machinery works. But how do we approach that? Why do we go about learning how the sophisticated machinery works? Sadhguru Unfortunately, We have created a movement in the world, Education being the core of it. There are many other aspects. Education is the core of it, Where it's always about conquering the world. But from kindergarten, They're only asking, Who is number one, Who is number two, Who is number three, Who is number last. It's always about being better than somebody. It's always about conquering something. See, Conquest is one way of having things. But inclusion and embrace is another way of having things. If you have somebody in your life that you have conquered, I've conquered him and he has to be here. Well, He will ensure that my life is miserable moment to moment. Yes or no? Daniel, Can I trust you on that or no? Yes, You will. But if I have included him, And he's here by choice, Now, He will be a great asset to have around me. This is a choice you have. But unfortunately, The orientation of the education, Education is a consequence of the general attitude in the society. We have become a conquering mode. I think this is a fallout from the imperial way of existence that we've had for last three centuries that we think we are powerful and we are good only when we have everybody at our feet. Well, With technology, With worldwide growth of human aspiration, Having everybody at your feet times are over. Everybody needs to come to their senses. Having people at your feet, Those times are over. Because many things have changed in the last one century that you cannot conduct the world that way. But still we have not managed to change the education system fundamentally. Here still you're struggling, Who conquers whom? When you want to race with somebody, Or when you think life is a race, All you want to do is get to the finish line fast, Isn't it? Hello? If entire life is a race, Finish line is death. Why don't you get there quick? Hello? Is that what you want? People are telling me that is also happening in the universities, Unfortunately. That is also happening, Most unfortunately. Why would a young person want to take his own life? But such a thing is happening, I'm telling you in India in 2017, 18, 600 students below eighteen years of age committed suicide, Below eighteen. Out of this 7, 400 students were below fifteen years of age. Can you believe it? Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen year old children taking their own life. How… what is it? If thousands of children below fifteen years of age want to commit suicide, Don't we realize that we're doing something fundamentally wrong? Hello? A child. A child of twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen must be exuberant, Full of life, Excited about everything in the universe, But they want to kill themselves. And ninety-nine percent of the time, It's because of the education system, The burden of the education system. Because not everybody is geared for being a conqueror. Many people feel distasteful when they have to conquer something. Some people feel like this, Other people, More sensitive people feel horrible when they have to sit on somebody else's head. Hello? Yes or no? But the only way to succeed is that I must trample on you. It is distasteful for me. But if you don't give me any other way, I may do it, But when I can't do it, I'll do something else. This needs to be looked at. This is not an individual issue. This has become a global phenomena. This is not in one place. This is not in one university. Schools, I'm saying below eighteen years of age, Below fifteen years of age, When they want to take their own life, We are doing something very fundamentally wrong in the society. The main problem is this, We want everybody to be conquerors. Not everybody has a heart to be a conqueror. Not everybody wants to conquer anything. Hello? Everybody would want to explore, Engage, Understand, But not everybody wants to conquer. But we have set the whole world in a conquest mode. So the only way is, All the sensitive people will get trampled, The crudest lot will get to the top. Not a good way to structure this society and this world. This needs to be addressed. The students, The youth of this world should take it up, Bring it to a debate. Instead of debating all kinds of things, Should we make marijuana legal or not, Cocaine legal or not? You must debate this, That what form of education do we want, Not just at the university, It must start at the kindergarten. Is it about making you into a sensitive, Intelligent human being or is it about making you a fighter who kills everybody and stands there like this over somebody's blood? If somebody falls down with bleeding injuries, I can't do this. Hello? Can you, All of you? Suppose I smash you up in the face and you fall down there bleeding, My heart will bleed, I can't do this. When you're down, Very few people can do that and they must remain few. Hello? They should not run this world. Yes or no? Their numbers should remain few, They will always be there, But they must be few and they should not be the empowered population of this world ever in future. In the past, It was so. Whoever had the biggest muscle, He was the boss. Yes or no? Today, If you have big muscles, At the most we'll put you at the security gate. So the world has changed. This time we change the structures which make people. Education is an important process because nearly ninety percent of the human population is passing through that one sieve, Isn't it? Hello? All there are many other structures in a society. We may go there, We may not go there, But nearly ninety percent of human population is going through this one sieve called education. This sieve should become a sensitive, Very humanistic sieve. This is… this should not be an imperial sieve, This should not be, You know, An Adolf Hitler or Alexander the Great kind of sieve. Right now we are trying to produce them. We are trying to produce them always. We are trying to produce tyrants who will enjoy other people's failures, Isn't it? Hello? I want to be number one means what? I enjoy all of you have failed. Why? Why have you brought this about? It's time the youth of this world stand up and demand a more sensitive, Humanistic education process for your own growth, Well-being and the well-being of the world because this world is yours tomorrow. How do we counterbalance the power of social structures put on by popular culture? It feels like it sometimes holds youth in ignorance and have them carry out a swayed perception of self-worth and can also lead people to destructive behaviors like drugs and alcohol because it's so cool. This is the most common thing amongst us young people. Marijuana, Alcohol, Bad habits, It's pushed onto us from pop culture. What do we do? We can't avoid it. It's everywhere. How can we stay on our path and ascend? It's human to fail in these habits, But it does not feel right. It is impossible to escape. What do we do? I see it's a popular question. See, Instead of looking at these things as moral stuff, Whether it's right or wrong, Because never have we been able to really decide what is right and what is wrong, Isn't it? In thousands of years, We have debated the same things without being able to arrive at what is truly right and what is truly wrong. One generation thinks this is it, Next generation thinks that's trash. Yes or no? All the time. So, Let's look at it this way. To enhance your life. Is it the goal? Is it the reason why you're in the university? In some way, You want to enhance your life, Isn't it? Hello? Well, Somebody wants money, Somebody wants wealth, Somebody wants knowledge, Somebody wants relationships, Somebody wants love. Why? Because you believe it'll enhance your life in some way. Yes or no? Enhancement of life. We are not looking for money, Power, Love, Anything. We are actually looking how this can be little more than what it is right now, Isn't it? So if you want to be little more, Is it important that all your faculties are little more heightened than what it is right now? I'm just saying for simple ways of looking at things. Suppose you could see better than the way you're seeing right now, Would your life be enhanced somewhat? Yes or no? If you could think better, See things better mentally, Would your life be enhanced? So essentially enhancement of your faculties is enhancement of life in many ways. This question is everywhere. Youth in India are asking me all the time, Sadhguru, You have influence in the government, Why don't you make marijuana legal for us? I said, Why marijuana? I'll make cocaine also legal. You want meth, We'll make that also legal. What's the problem? The problem is just this. So I asked them, See, Let me take you, You know, I'm a licensed pilot. So not me, But we'll get another pilot for you. On a small plane, We'll take you on a nice ride. But the pilot comes smoked up. You want to fly? No, They don't say no. They say, Ahh, Because they think by smoking they're flying. Then I say, Okay, You're not getting it. You need a major surgery and the surgeon comes really smoked up. You want this surgery? Oh no. So you understand, It lowers your faculties. If you think by lowering your faculty, You will become better, Then all the best. All the best because you will need lot of luck and lot of blessings, Because you will not live out of your own competence for sure. Yes or no? This is why I think everybody is talking empathy, Compassion, Because they don't want to live out of their own competence. They need other people's boost all the time. No. If you lower your faculties, Your life gets lowered or high? Lowered. So never use the word high again. You say, I smoked and I'm low. This is not a moral issue for me. I have no morality in me. But life should work, Isn't it? Those my eyes become dim. Do I live better? I'm asking. Hello? If my mind becomes dim, Do I live better? Why do people think by lowering faculties, Life gets high? No, It doesn't. It's just giving you an illusion like that, For which you will pay a price. At this stage in your life, You must look for those things, Which will heighten your faculties, Not lower your faculties, Isn't it? If you're interested, You come. I'll show you. Wait, Look at my eyes. I'm always stoned. Yes, Look at me. Never touch the substance, Because the greatest chemical factory on the planet is here. Hello? The question is only whether you're ecstatic or anxious is determined by, Are you a good manager of this one or are you a lousy manager? That's all that is determining this. If you're a lousy manager, You're importing chemicals from outside. If you're a good manager, You're conducting this the way you want and blissed out all the time. If you want to… There is a high. When you can see better, Hear better, Think better, Visualize better, There is a tremendous high with life. I want you to know that high, Not foggy high. Thank you very much.