Sadhguru: First of all, there is no such thing as material and spiritual.
Even if you are spiritual, you are walking on this planet, isn't it so?
Somebody read something, and they think they’re spiritual.
You’re reading something, you're reading a book – it's called literacy, not spirituality, isn't it?
See, today when people use the word 'life', you have to sift through that,
because they may be talking about their job, they may be talking about their family,
they may be talking about their dog, they may be talking about their wealth, or business.
So, we gathered all these things only to enhance this life,
but this has been totally forgotten.
So, if this comes into your attention, then we use this most corrupt word called “spirituality.”
Moderator: You have mentioned on a number of occasions that we cannot ignore
the materialistic body that we have been given, and that we have to live with it.
But how do we find a balance between the materialistic world and the spiritual world,
where exactly do we draw the line, Sadhguru?
Sadhguru: See... first of all, there is no imbalance.
The imbalance has come simply because of ridiculous teachings.
First of all, there is no such thing as material and spiritual;
even if you are spiritual, you are walking on this planet, isn't it so? Is that material?
Or will you go in space? Is this material?
So, how do you separate these 2 things?
These sort of teachings, and these kind of sayings, these kind of confusions,
have been generated by people who are not spiritual in their experience;
they are spiritual because it is...
what to say... it's a cultural fad.
Somebody read something, and they think they’re spiritual.
You’re reading something, you're reading a book, is called literacy, not spirituality, isn't it?
"Oh, I read this book, so I've become spiritual" – there's no such thing!
All I'm asking is... let us take off this word, because it’s the most corrupted word. (Laughs)
If you say 'spirituality,' somebody is thinking of heaven, somebody is thinking of god,
somebody is thinking of an egg-shaped something floating... leave that word!
You have a body for sure – it's visible. You have mind, yes?
You have emotions. But there is also life energy behind this, isn't it?
There's a life! Are you a life? It’s a question. (Laughs)
You are a life, so let's not give it any other name – there is life.
All physical material that you gathered, you gathered from outside, isn't it so?
This (Referring to oneself) is just the food that you’ve eaten. Yes, or no?
What you call as my body is just the food that you've eaten, or it’s just a piece of the planet.
What was soil became food, what was food became flesh and bone,
now we're sitting here. We gathered this body over a period of time.
You were not born like this, you gathered it slowly piece by piece, isn’t it? Little by little.
Similarly, whatever is in the content of your mind, whatever the content of your mind,
also you gathered from outside, isn't it so?
So, this (Referring to body) is a heap of food, this (Referring to mind) is a heap of impressions.
Anything that you gather, anything that you ever gather, you can claim it is yours;
but you can never say “it is me” – isn't it so? Hello?
Right now as I'm speaking, I'll take this vessel – it's become very famous, this vessel... (Laughter)
This is my vessel. If I say “This is my vessel,”
you will think, “Oh, Sadhguru’s got some problem,
but let's listen, everybody says he is wise.”
After some time, I say “This is me.”
Then you say “Let's go home.” (Laughter) I did not say it, ma’am.
I was only suggesting, I was not saying it.
(Laughter/Applause)
Because the moment I say “This is me” you know this is a nutcase. Yes, or no?
The moment I say “I'm the vessel,” you know this is a lost case, isn't it so?
So, this is happening to you every day.
Food appears on your plate, you say “this is my food;” you eat it, then you say “this is me.”
Case, or no? Hello?
So, definitely you understand, what you gather
can be yours – at the most – but never, ever, can be you, isn't it so?
Is this understood?
So, everything that’s material about you, is gathered from outside, isn't it?
But to gather all this, there must be...
something fundamental which gathers all this – let’s not give it a name, we’ll just call it life for now.
You are a life, but you gathered a body, you gathered information, and became like this.
Now, if you're only experiencing what you have gathered
– that is, your physiology and your psychological structure –
that means, you're going through life process without touching life – ever!
Just the surface aspects that you gathered, you're only experiencing the accessories of life.
See, today when people use the word 'life,' you have to sift through that,
because they may be talking about their job, they may be talking about their family,
they may be talking about their dog, they may be talking about their wealth, or business...
when they say “my life” you are supposed to understand what the hell they’re talking about.
They are not talking about life! Yes? They're talking about many things – accessories.
Accessories don't make the real thing, isn't it?
This is like... for the sake of aesthetics,
if you have a skirt, you will add frill to it.
Now, many times it’s happened in societies, it happened to many, many people – they went on adding frills;
frills became so much of their attention, they forgot to wear the skirt! (Laughter)
That’s an embarrassing way to live, isn't it? That’s all that's happening to humanity right now.
They gathered so many things, now they’ve forgotten what is the basis.
Only to facilitate this life to happen better, we gathered all these things, isn't it? Yes, or no?
Everything that we gathered, including our education,
you are educating yourself because you believe, “If I am well educated, my life will be good.”
You will get married – why? Because you think, “If I'm with somebody that I like, my life will be good.”
You have children – why? Because somebody convinces you, if you have children life will get better.
You have a dog – why? Because you understand, if you have a dog,
maybe life will be better: when nobody else is reliable, dog will be there. (Laughter) Yes!
It's not only man's best friend, it's a woman's best friend also these days. (Laughs)
So, we gathered all these things only to enhance this life,
but this has been totally forgotten; so, if this comes into your attention,
then we use this most corrupt word called 'spirituality.'
That means, you started experiencing something more than the physical.
Why I'm saying this is, right now your entire experience of life
is limited to seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching – this is the way you know there is a world,
this is the way you know that you are existing right now.
Any… if you...
if you just doze a little bit, first thing is, I will disappear in your experience – yes, or no?
A little more means everybody will disappear. (Gestures)
Then you also disappear, isn't it? Yes, or no?
See, you're alive: heart is beating, even brain is functioning!
Everything is functioning, but in your experience there is no you, there is no world – there is nobody, isn’t it?
All that’s happened is, the 5 sense organs shut down, that's all.
So, right now your whole experience of life is only through these 5 senses.
So, these 5 senses, in the very nature of things, can only experience that which is physical.
See, you can see only those things which actually stop light: they must be opaque, not only physical.
Even the air is physical, but you don't see it simply because
only if it's opaque, if it stops light, only then you see this.
Suppose my hand doesn't stop light – you don't see it, isn't it?
Do you see my other 2 hands? No, because they don't stop light. (Laughs)
Anything that does not stop light, you don't see.
But isn't air vital to your life? Hello?
Just because you don't see it, can we dismiss it?
Is it very important? Vital!
Similarly, the life that you are is not visible to these 2 eyes,
but it is the most vital thing, isn't it?
So, there is no need to balance; they're all perfectly balanced, that's why you're alive!
Spiritual process does not mean you're going to invent something;
always spirituality was referred to as realization.
Realization means what? Something that has always been there,
and I was stupid enough not to see it, today I saw it.
I did not invent anything, I did not create anything;
something that was always there, I saw today.
Though it was all the time here, I did not see it; only today I saw – this is realization.
This is not an attainment, this is not an acquisition, this is not something else – this is just realization.
So, realization does not change any dynamics of life, it’s just the way it is.
But because you realized, suddenly you're empowered.
Just because we realize the planet is round at one time, it has empowered us in so many ways, isn’t it so?
If we thought it's flat, which we did some time ago...
no, but we just realized we didn't make it round.
It was always round, but we thought it’s flat.
But one day we realized it's round: how it’s changed our life, isn’t it?
Similarly, spiritual process means just this: you are not doing anything,
you just started seeing everything the way it is, rather than imagining it some other way.
And seeing things the way they are is the biggest empowerment you can have, isn't it?
In your life, whether you want to engineer, or you want to run commerce, or you want to do biology,
first and foremost thing is, you see it the way it is, isn't it?
If you don't see it the way it is, everything that you do will be wrong; not one thing, everything that you do will be wrong.
Suppose we thought the earth is flat, and made a thousand calculations about this planet;
everything, not one thing, everything will be wrong, isn't it so?
So, without realization, not one thing – everything is wrong with life. (Applause)