Sadhguru: Once we are born as human beings
life got complicated
if we had come here like any other creature on the planet
stomach full, life settled.
Once we come as human beings,
stomach empty - only one problem,
stomach full - one hundred problems;
because what we refer to as human
really begins only after survival is taken care of.
Only when survival is fulfilled,
the traits of being human will find expression.
Till as long as we are struggling for survival,
we are also just another biological entity like any other creature.
So what does it mean to be human,
what is the significance?
Because every other creature can fulfill
almost everything that most human beings are doing without so much fuss.
We are born, they are also born just like us.
We grow up with lot of fuss, they grow up with… without much fuss.
For us earning a living is a very big thing,
all of them earn their own living.
We may reproduce, they reproduce.
We die, they die.
All this with… we do with enormous fuss,
they do it without much fuss - in a ecofriendly manner (Laughs) they conduct their life.
Everything is a big fuss.
Why it is so is
human life is not fulfilled by fulfilling the basic requirements of survival.
If we could eat well and everything would be okay,
then it would be very simple to feed the world.
But that’s not how it is
because for every other creature nature has drawn two lines,
within which they live and die.
For a human being there is only a bottom line,
there is no top line.
He can aspire for anything.
Because there is no top line,
people are struggling.
Or in other words what we are struggling with is
not our bondage as usually popularly it is said
we are truly struggling with our freedom.
We can be whichever way we want, that’s our struggle.
If our lives were fixed like every other creature’s life
we would also be… stomach full, we would sit peacefully, isn’t it?
Do you see that
if our lives were contained like that of an earthworm or a grasshopper
or a cat or a dog
we would have no issues
stomach full, everything fine.
Because our lives are not contained
or because there is no top line we can aspire for just about anything,
that’s our struggle.
This is an evolutionary problem, in the sense,
what we are struggling with actually is our intelligence and awareness.
Probably some scientists have been suggesting this
that… serious I know
so called serious scientists who’ve suggested this
it’s appalling and shocking that they actually suggested this
they said, “When a child is born if we do a small brain surgery,
we can take away most of the crime on the planet,
everybody would be peaceful.”
Actually if you take away half the brain nobody would be unhappy,
you could feed them with a tube and everybody would sit here peacefully.
You won’t need any yoga, meditation, nothing, if you remove half the brain.
If you take away the possibilities, the problems will go away,
everybody knows that.
Yes?
If you keep all the possibilities open
and still you are not a problem, that’s a wonderful way to be.
No possibilities, no problems
that’s not life, that’s death.
So what is this solution for the human predicament
because no matter what happens seems to be unfulfilled?
Right now living in this town whatever aspirations you have,
the moment it is fulfilled you have a next aspiration.
Isn’t it so?
No matter where you are in your life,
whether you are the king of this town or you are down there
you want something to happen in your life.
If that happens you want the next thing to happen,
if that happens you want the next thing to happen.
So why are you going in installments like this?
Suppose I make you the king or queen of this planet
maa, don’t look at me hopefully (Laughter),
will I commit such a blunder (Laughs)?
Suppose we make the king… make you the king or queen of this planet,
would you be fulfilled, I’m asking you?
Would you be fulfilled?
No,
you would want the other planets and the stars and the galaxies
because there is something within a human being
which is not willing to settle for any boundaries.
It is aspiring for a boundless possibility.
If you’re seeking boundlessness,
seeking it through physical means is a hopeless case.
You aspiration is fantastic because if you really look at it
sitting here if you really look at it
suppose right now you become the king of this planet you were not satisfied,
we made you the king of the solar system not satisfied,
we made you the king of the universe not satisfied
if you really look at this what you are aspiring for is infinite nature.
Your aspiration is fantastic but the means is miserable,
in the sense
suppose you’re driving your car today and you saw the moon
and you felt like going there.
Sometimes the advertisements are so exaggerated, they told you,
“If you really floor the accelerator it will go to the moon.”
If you try very hard you may go beyond the moon
but you will not go to the moon.
Yes or no?
Because a car is not a suitable vehicle to go to the moon,
you need another kind of vehicle to go to the moon.
So similarly here,
through physical means we are trying to become infinite.
It’s… Aspiration is wonderful
but the vehicle is miserable
because the nature of physicality is like this
physical means it comes with a defined boundary.
Only because there is a defined boundary we can call this a physical body.
If I take away all boundaries of this,
can you call this a physical body if it is everywhere?
Physicality means
The fundamental nature of physicality is a defined boundary.
Without a boundary there is no physical nature
but right now there is something within you
which is constantly aspiring to break the boundaries.
Just look at yourself and see,
suppose we imprisoned you in a 5x5 cubicle,
you will be very miserable.
Tomorrow we announce your liberation and release you into a 10x10 cubicle,
it will be wonderful for a day but again you will feel miserable.
Then day after tomorrow we’ll release you into a 100x100 cubicle, you will feel great for three days,
again it’s the same thing.
What I’m asking you is it doesn’t matter how big the boundary is,
the moment you realize there is a boundary you want to break it.
Yes or no?
This is the nature of the human being.
It doesn’t matter all kinds of pacifist philosophies have been taught,
“Be content with what you have,
don’t aspire for more than what…” you know, “do not…” (Laughs) all kinds of things.
It’s not worked for a single human being
it only works when you are sick or when you are dying.
You are sick and down today, today if I tell you,
“You should not aspire for anything, be satisfied with what you have,”
you will say, “Yes, anything is okay, just get me well.”
Tomorrow you are
once again the energy is back,
hmm ready for something more.
Yes or no?
Participants: Yes.
Sadhguru: Only when you are beaten and down,
then these philosophies will work.
For a… For a healthy living human being
these philosophies of “Be happy with what you have”, doesn’t work.
Now does it mean to say a human being has to be eternally in turmoil,
eternally in struggle?
No.
What we do in terms of our aspiration is just this
essentially nothing is going to fulfill us
unless we touch a boundless state.
And boundlessness is not going to happen within the limitations of the physical.
When I say within the limitations of the physical,
right now your whole experience of life is limited to the physical.
See your experience of life right now is happening
because you can see, you can hear, you can smell,
you can taste and you can touch.
This is the only way you know that you are here, isn’t it?
It is through five sense organs that you are experiencing everything.
These five sense organs cannot perceive anything other than physical.
You can only see the physical,
you can only hear the physical,
you can only smell, taste and touch the physical.
That which is not physical is not within the ambit of these five sense organs.
So if you do not transcend the five senses,
there is no possibility of experiencing anything beyond physicality.
If you do not experience anything beyond physicality,
this longing of wanting to be something more,
something more endlessly going on
you are not looking for more, you are looking for all
and all is not possible through physical means.