Speaker: Good morning. Thank you for being here and a very warm welcome
to you. We're truly honored and privileged to have
you here with us today. We'd like to start the Youth and Truth conversation
with actually a conversation we had right outside, a couple of minutes ago. And that would be that, in the past couple
of years, we've seen that changes coming in multiple forms, be it in education, be it
in the job opportunities, be it in culture. Earlier, it would take about twenty to thirty
years for us to realize and see this change, but today it's happening at a much faster
rate. How would you suggest or how do you think
we, as the youth, should adapt to change like this and be prepared for it? Sadhguru: Well, I know I'm in a university. So, what I speak is not against it, but there's
something… as you said, change is coming much faster. So, particularly educational institutions,
whether it's school or college or universities, because largely till now, education has been
a way of constructing a mindset. Depending upon where you study, everybody
develops a certain kind of mindset. A set mind is a disaster. Maybe it is set for a particular purpose,
and it may serve that purpose. As you said, people are thinking education
means employment. Education is not about employment. Employment is about survival, education about…
is about enhancement of the human being. A time is coming, where this will shift in
the direction I'm speaking, very shortly, probably, depending upon the speed of technological
evolution, the speed of change in education has to happen. Well, all of you, everyaris… everywhere
these days are talking about machine learning or artificial intelligence. I must tell you, my first experience (Laughs)
of knowing that machines can do something like this. I was thirteen years of age. It's not like today's thirteen year old, who's
got… already discarded three different, you know, models of cell phone or iPad and
things like that. At the age of thirteen, for the first time,
I saw a flatbed calculator, okay? Those days, there're only two companies making
it, at least they were the only two available in India – was Sony and Panasonic. Sony considered very expensive, because it
was hundred-and-twenty-five rupees, that means 1.9 dollars (Laughs). Panasonic, you could bargain it down to ninety
rupees. So, everybody bought Panasonic. So, somebody brought this to school, and they
just did (Gestures) tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk into (Gestures) tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk… tuk (Laughter)! I said, the… immediately, my first thought
was, "Why the hell are they torturing me in the math class (Laughter)? Here is the solution” (Laughs). And immediately my mind went into, "Why don't
they have a machine like this for science and physics and chemistry and history and
all the nonsense that they're torturing me with every day?" After nearly fifty years or more, now that
dream is becoming real. In the next ten years, children can see there
is a machine which knows more history, more physics, more chemistry, than your professors
and teachers. This is a great time, because till now, in
the name of education, we've been deceiving ourselves and everybody that, memory is intelligence. This is not just in the university, it's gone
in the name of religion, it's gone in the name of scholarship, it's gone in the name
of various things. Essentially, all this means is, somebody got
to read a book a few years ahead of you and suddenly he's a super human being. This will die soon, and I'm very glad, because
now human intelligence will become valuable. Now, human consciousness will become very
valuable. How you are becomes more valuable than what
you stacked up in your head. Because a small chip will know more than…
you know, your phone can do ten PhDs a day. Yes? Because that much can be stored. So, we are mistaking memory to be knowing
or intelligence. So, a time is coming where human intelligence
will be of greatest significance, not memory. So, education has to transform itself in this
direction. So, what this means is, we are moving from
mindsets to consciousness. Consciousness means it's not a fixed thing. It is not just flexible, it has no shape and
form. That's where human beings need to go. Educational institutions should take that
step first, because for probably last three hundred years, we've been busy manufacturing
mindsets. For example – because we are talking about
India here, I think (Laughs) – in India, still, largely, the education was designed
by Her Majesty's service, more East India Company, I would say. This education was designed in such a way,
where the cornerstone of education is obedience, not intelligence. I want you to get this straight. Obedience is the cornerstone of education
process. If obedience is the cornerstone of education,
this is a recipe for slavery. This is the trick of an occupying force, but
we are still continuing that form of education for variety of reasons, whatever reasons. So, change is compulsory. Change is not an option. Those who don't change will fall on the wayside. Will we allow change to happen in a haphazard
way, torturing people, leaving a lot of people out of it? Or will we do it in a planned, focused way,
and we execute change? Will we execute change by design or by default? This is a big question in front of us. I hope, as a generation of people, we have
the sense to execute change by design, not by default. Speaker: Thank you. Sadhguru: I’m sorry, did I say something
wrong? Speaker: No, no, no (Laughter). Speaker: I tend to follow on the same thing,
that you mentioned that education system needs to be changed to adapt, in the sense that… Sadhguru: But why are you copying a question
eh (Laughter)? Speaker: I am not. That's not… (Laughs). I am taking reference, though, but I take
a note. So, on the same note, that education system
needs to be changed, and it's more to say that learning and adapting, it's anyone's
life's integral part. You need to adapt with how it's happening,
surround you. Also, Charlie Munger said that human be…
human being needs to be a life-long learning machine. You need to learn every day, every set of
your way. But you have mentioned that people are human… Sadhguru: Can I disagree with that learning
business? Speaker: You can (Laughter). You can. That's a view, it's more capitalistic view
that you need to be... keep on learning and adapting what you're surrounded with... Sadhguru: See, because your learning is establishing
a mindset, now you struggle to adapt. I am not interested in learning. I don't want people to learn. I want people to become in such a way that
they're perceptive, that they can see things as they are, not because of their learning,
simply because human faculty has the capacity to absorb a situation as it is, if you don't
have a fixed mindset. If you see things as they are, according to
your intelligence and competence, you will respond. Why should you adapt? You just need to respond. This is the significance of being human, that
we are the only creatures on this planet who have the necessary faculty to be conscious
and to be able to respond, not to react instinctively. So, this whole process is an ancient mindset
of, "We have to learn so much, what we have learnt becomes irrelevant after fifty years,
so we have to re-learn and adapt," but that, as she said, is going to happen every two-and-a-half
years now. What used to happen in once in fifty years,
is going to happen every two to three years now. So, when it happens every two, three years,
you establish a mindset, you learn something, you establish a mindset, then you try to adapt
to the next thing. You'll go crazy by the time you're fifty. But if you keep your intelligence uncluttered
and perceptive, you will know how to respond. Speaker: Okay (Laughter/Applause). Speaker: So, one of the questions that keeps
popping up in everyone's mind, is how you… how do you… how do you define the clarity of purpose in
your life? And that's something that you've probably
been asked multiple times before, but this is something that we still struggle with. And we easily get influenced by people around
us and get distracted from what we truly are passionate about. How do you recommend today's youth to be focusing
on building true passion, and also developing a clarity of purpose in life? Sadhguru: Oh. See, this idea that a human being has a purpose
to his existence is a very tyrannical idea. The moment you have a strong sense of purpose,
you are a natural tyrant. The question is only… question of competence. There are lots of tyrants all over the place. There are lots of Mussolinis and Adolf Hitlers
all over the place. Fortunately, they're impotent and incapable
(Laughter). Yes. There are lots of them. Don't think only one was born. There are lots of them, fortunately, nobody
has the capacity or the competence that those tyrants had. Otherwise, there are whole lot of people with
same intention of wanting you to be something other than who you are right now. So, if I have a purpose to life, if it gets
organized, it becomes a mission. Who the hell are you to have your own mission? You're here, you're just a pop-up on this
planet, all right? You pop up and you pop out. Here, instead of doing what is needed most
right now, for maximum number of people, you have your own purpose, maybe God-given purpose. Whenever people say they have a God-given
purpose, they have done the most terrible things on the planet. You don't like it? It's okay, but have they not? Whenever people said, "God spoke to me," terrible
things are coming (Laughter). You can be sure about it. You… you heard these statements. Because, you are trying to endorse your nonsense
with some other authority from elsewhere. Why do you need a purpose? Life is a phenomena beyond your understanding. You're here to experience it, and enhance
it, for yourself and everything else around you. That's about it. What is there for you to have a purpose of
your own, when you've not even figured out where it begins, where it ends? When you have not even figured out where this
cosmos begins, where it ends, where you come from, and where the hell you will go, how
come you have a purpose of your own? You don't need a purpose. You just need sense. You need sense and sensitivity (Laughs) and
sensitivity will naturally come if you look at life as a more inclusive process. Right now, some studies in the last two days,
creating a flutter – I've been talking about it for last twenty-five years. Some studies say that in the next five years,
the insect population is going to go down so dramatically, that all agriculture on the
planet could be seriously hit, and food could become a great crisis. I've been talking about this continuously
for last twenty-five years. People think worms and insects are no good. But I'm telling you once again, if all the
worms die right now, in the next fourteen to eighteen months, there'll not be a single
life on this planet, including you and me. If all the insects die, within the next two-and-a-half
to four years, not a single piece of life will exist on this planet. But if you and me die, planet will flourish
(Laughter). Yes! This is the fact of our existence or no? Hello? Participants: Yes. Sadhguru: Whatever nonsense we think about
ourselves, without human race, this planet will do great. But without worms, insects, microbes, and
various other creatures, this planet cannot exist as a life. So, our idea, the most destructive idea that's
been put into human minds in the name of religion, philosophy and nonsense, is that creation
is human centric. Creation is not human-centric. You are just a speck in this creation. You are really nothing. As I said, you're like… you know, on your
computer screen there are pop-ups? You pop up and you pop out. You think so much about yourself, but actually,
before you and me came here, countless number of people who all thought they are great people,
came and went. Where are they now? All top soil, yes or no? Participants: Yes. Sadhguru: Worms are feasting on them, all
right? But human beings… this is all it is. In this vast cosmos, this entire solar system
is a tiny speck. In that tiny speck, this planet Earth is a
micro speck. In that micro speck, Detroit city is a (Laughter)
super micro speck, in that you're a big man (Laughter). This is a serious problem. That is… this is all because of our learning,
do you understand? This is because of our learning, because we've
lost our sense of perception. We're not seeing things as they are. We're making up things in our mind in the
name of education. It's time we come to reality. Once machine learning comes, your nonsensical
learning will not mean a damn thing. Just because you read a book, you're acting
superior – no! A five-year-old kid will turn on his machine
and tell you, "Here." It's a great time (Laughter/Applause). Speaker: So, our next question is more to
do with, as we graduate from school and leave university and go into the corporate world,
a lot of people follow their passion and take an unconventional path. Sadhguru: What do you mean? They get married, is it (Laughter)? Speaker: No, no, no (Laughter). They follow their passion and take an unconventional
path. My question is, should you do what you love
or should you love what you do? (Audio disturbance) Sadhguru: You should not love anything. The important thing is, you're just loving,
all right? If you're right now loving, if you see the
flower, you will handle it lovingly. If you see a man, woman or a child, you'll
behave lovingly. If you see the dog or a cat, or even an insect,
you will behave lovingly, or if nobody's here, you will just look at everything lovingly. This is what is important for a human being. "I love something" is a vested interest in
the world. They have caused immense damage, in so many
different ways. Well, out of this, many products fall out,
which (Laughs)… I don't want to go into the detail now. But the simple thing is just this. See, "follow my passion" – I know it's become
a very… what to say, in thing to say everywhere – "I follow my passion." Your passion is destructive. I'm telling you, the important thing is, once
you are enabled by education especially, if you have… if you feel education has been
an empowerment in your life, you must look around, peel your eyes without any prejudice
and see, what is most needed, and do that damn thing. If… all this comes because you're trying
to extract some sense of joy and satisfaction from the world, you have not understood that
human experience essentially comes from within. Whether joy or misery, peace or turmoil, agony
or ecstasy, no matter what it is, human experience comes from within you, is that so? Hello? Hello? (Participants respond). It looks like I'm asking for a higher opinion
(Laughter). Human experience no matter what – madness
or frustration or love or joy, everything comes from within you, isn't it? You're trying to create an inner experience
by managing the world. This is why all the disasters are happening. Why human beings are so insensitive to everything,
why they're going about on a rampage – we call this development, we call this economy
– we are on a rampage, all right? Why we are like this is, we are trying to
extract an inner experience from an external man… manipulation. No, this is the first thing you must settle
before you step out of this university, you must settle this one thing, that your experience
of life is created by you. Now, naturally you will see, what is the best
thing I can do in the world. And that's what you should do, what is most
needed right now. If you are an empowered human being, so much
investment has been made on you in the name of school, university, education, all this
stuff – when so much has been invested on you, you must see what is most needed right
now. And of course, whether you have competence
to do that specific activity or something else, that, that judgment is always there,
but not the question of what… "My passion" means – I like to do this. I don't care whether it's needed or not. I just like to do this. This is a vested interest, isn't it? Participant: So just to follow up on that
(Laughter)… so, so as you said, the, the somebody… Sadhguru: But if it's the local girl, it's
okay, you can go with passion (Laughter). Participant: No, the summary of that will
be that we people, we choose to learn those things that we think value in it, not those
that transform them, correct? So, how… how do you suggest that one can
expand his or her horizon to see beyond that what's... what's her or his logic tells to
do it and not to do it, basically? Sadhguru: See, of course human beings will
act according to their individual… individual intelligence. That is a given, isn't it? You cannot… you cannot do the same things
that I do, or I cannot do the same things that you do. This is the nature of life. This is the nature human intelligence. But why is it that we are seeing the same
situation differently, is probably because we have evolved different types of mindsets. But if you don't have a set mind, that is
your… your brain is not a concrete block, it is willing to take any form that's needed,
then I believe, if we look at this situation, both of us will see it as it is. If we see this situation – whatever the
situation – as it is, we'll be seeing it the same way, isn't it? If you hold your opinion above your perception,
then you will see it differently. If I hold my learning and my mindset above
my perception of things or the reality of what is there, then I will see it differently. Then of course, we will fight. But that is what I am saying. Why are you approaching with a set mind? You're approaching with a set mind because
you are giving too much significance the information that you have gathered. Information is not intelligence. It is human intelligence that is needed to
transform situations. Information, what is very valuable today,
tomorrow it may be trash, isn't it? Because you're talking about change, when
things… situations change, the information that you have, which you thought is very valuable
becomes trash or no? Participant: So, following upon that question
(Laughter)… So, in working towards our ambitions, we sometimes
forget to enjoy the present, experience life as it is, and we strive towards making the
beautiful future. Now, how do you recommend that we think about
balancing the two – that is, enjoying the present, versus working towards the future? Sadhguru: See, there is no such thing as future. It's just a plan in your head. Such a thing doesn't exist anywhere in the
universe, is it so? Hello? Participants: Yeah. Sadhguru: It doesn't exist anywhere. In your experience, there's only what is here
now. What is right now, here and now, is all that
is there in your experience, it's all that's ever been. So, there are two very important faculties
which are unique to human beings, compared to every other creature on this planet. We have two faculties which are very unique
to us, which is a very vivid sense of memory. Because of this vivid sense of memory, we
have a fantastic capability to imagine. If you did not have memory, would you be able
to imagine? No. So, right now, traveling from memory to imagination
means, you're traveling from past to future, completely bypassing your experience of life. Right now, what is it that human beings are
suffering? There are various levels of suffering people
are going through. It even happens in the university, I know
(Few laugh). Those are really… you're in the most insulated
atmosphere. Even here, people suffer immensely, I know
that. See, they're not suffering life. They're essentially suffering their own memory
and imagination. Hello? Because people can suffer what happened ten
years ago, they still suffer. What may happen day after tomorrow, they already
suffer (Few laugh). Sadhguru: So, is this life, or is this suffering
of memory and imagination? You are just suffering your memory and imagination. You haven't even touched life. This is the unfortunate consequence of learning,
that you don't know how to keep your memory in your memory chip and keep yourself free
from that. You carry your scholarship on your head, this
is what happens to you, because you are living in memory. The whole value of your life is because of
memory that you carry, isn't it so? See, when you say, "I'm educated," what does
it mean? That means the whole value of your life is
in just the memory that you carry. I am telling you, in the next five years,
this will be ridiculous. You must change before that (Few laugh). Those who change ahead of the times to come,
are the pioneers of the time, isn't it so? Those who change, after change has happened,
are the leftovers (Few laugh). Don't be a leftover. You must be ahead. The simple thing is just this. Well, we acquire some knowledge about how
to do this, how to do that, it's useful. You have lot of phone numbers on your phone. At least now… there was a time when we… I used to remember at least around eight hundred
numbers and names, because I didn't have a phone book and there was no cell phone. Just by memory, we used to remember. It was very valuable, very valuable. Now, it's just trash. I don't even know my number anymore (Laughter). Really, people ask me, "Sadhguru, what's your
number?" I really don't know (Laughter), because it
doesn't matter anymore, because the machine does the damn thing, isn't it? You don't have to remember your own number. It is all there. So, I'm saying, you do not make yourself who
you are because of what you remember. This means you are a creature of the ancient
times. Ancient may mean two years ago or two thousand
years ago, it doesn't matter. You belong to a place which is dead. You become part of the dead. Now, future imagination and your expectations
means you're trying to raise the dead, don't try that (Few laugh). Shall I… you're okay for a joke or… Participant: Yeah of course (Laughs). Sadhguru: Tch, they are becoming very serious,
that's what I am afraid of (Laughter). The first… the first consequence of scholarship
is you become serious, not just serious, dead serious (Laughter). This happened – an old couple were watching
an evangelical program on the television. The preacher was going full on, and he was
promising he is going to heal them and all that stuff. So he… over the television, he is going
to heal them. He said, "Place your hands wherever you have
problem in your body. I will heal right now." So the lady put her hand on her throat and
sat, because she had a thyroid issue (Laughs). The man looked at her and then put his hands
upon his groin and sat (Few laugh). She looked at him and said, "John, he only
said he will heal the sick. He did not say he will raise the dead" (Laughter/Applause). So, what you think (Few laugh) is your future
is just you're trying to raise the dead, from what you know, you're trying to create a future,
don't do that (Few laugh). Because future is the next step. The next step is available to you only if
you take this step properly, isn't it so? Hello? Participants: Yeah. Sadhguru: Do one thing, you skip this breath
and take the next breath, let me see (Laughter). Try and see what will happen to you (Few laugh). This will be the last breath you will take,
isn't it (Few laugh)? How can you take the next step without taking
this step properly? It is the entertainment of the vain to go
on thinking, "What kind of future, what kind of future…" No. How well you conduct the present – future
is a consequence. This whole problem has happened to education
systems – they've all become goal-oriented. I see particular – I'm sorry – but particularly
in management schools, they've become very goal oriented. What goal-orientedness means is… your learned
professor was saying about his mother talking about a mango tree. See, you don't have to sit there and do mango
meditation (Few laugh) for mangoes to come. You just handle the daily process of watering
the mango… mango tree, manuring it, taking care of it. You never thought mango. Mango will anyway fall on your head, isn't
it? It's a consequence. Participant: Yeah. Sadhguru: Instead of handling the process,
you're trying to handle the consequence. We have a business event every November, third
week, and over two-hundred CEOs from across the world come to train for four days with
us and all that. So, they… last time when they were there,
they were asking me – they're running major companies in the world – they're asking
me, "Sadhguru, we pick the best people in the world from the management schools, when
we identify that they're doing well in the first year, second year itself we pick them. From IIMs, IITs across the world, we always
resourcing them, and we constantly keep not just a bone, a meat hanging in front of them. In spite of that, our organizations don't
run as smoothly as yours, and we know you're a slave driver” (Laughs). That is, it is a volunteer organization. Nobody's paid for the job. Nobody's trained for the job. I get only dropouts (Laughter/Applause). So (Laughs), they said, "How is it, that everything
is running like a seamlessly smooth machine out here?" Not small operations. Over nine million volunteers across the world,
variety of activity happening. Nothing ever fails. It just goes on properly. How is this? I told them, "See, this is all it is. Your problem is, you have set a goal. Your one eye is on the goal. So, you have only one eye to find your way
– very inefficient. Here, I've inculcated in everybody – they
are devoted to the process of what they're doing right now. They don't care. They don't even know where it'll go. They are just absolutely devoted to what they're
doing right now." Well, somebody else is directing it. It will go where it has to go. If we don't do what we're doing right now,
really well, where I want to go is just hallucination, isn't it? So, don't think this hallucination is a making
of the future. If… my blessing for all of you is, may your
dreams not come true (Laughter), because what can you dream of right now? Only exaggerating what you already know. Isn't it so? Hello? Can you dream of something that you do not
know? Only what you already know, you exaggerate
it a little bit and think, “This is my dream.” My blessing is let your dreams not come true. Let your life be about something that you
could never dream of (Applause). Speaker: So, in speaking of this, how does
one truly find their values and then eventually stick by their values, or should they even
be sticking by those values that they find throughout their life? Sadhguru: Values meaning? Speaker: It could be anything. It's things that you believe to be true. It could be guiding forces. It could be any of those. Sadhguru: Oh. Morals. Speaker: Could be. Sadhguru: See, for me, my existence… I'm sorry, it looks like I'm contradicting
everything. Speaker: No, no, that's fine (Laughter). Sadhguru: I have no morality. I'm on camera, see. I have no morality. My integrity is a consequence of my humanity,
not my morality. People who thought they are morally correct,
they have done the most horrendous things on this planet. Yes or no? Please tell me? Speaker: Yeah. Sadhguru: Because of you thinking what is
correct, not just to somebody, even to your own children you've done terrible things. Yes, it is true. Parents, teachers, elders, priests, pundits,
they have done terrible things to people simply because they think they have a moral righteousness. Yes or no? Why is it morality has become important because
you put your humanity to sleep. If your humanity is on… what does humanity
mean? It's just this. Do you know in your brain, there is something
called as a reptilian brain? It is the size of your fist or maybe it's
the size of a crocodile’s brain, that kind of brain you have. And there is also a cerebral cortex, which
is what makes you a human, which is what gives you various sense of being something different
from other creatures. What this humanity means is – These days,
probably you're not seeing this because dogs are all leashed, but if you leave the dogs
around, you will see, they will go about peeing all over the place. Not because he has some urinary issue. He's building a pee kingdom. (Laughter) Because his entire existence is
about a boundary – always he's thinking about his territory, his boundary. So, those men and women who are operating
from that part of their intelligence are always thinking of boundaries. But essentially, to be human means you have
moved to the other dimension of intelligence, where it is always looking at how to break
all the boundaries. Fundamentally, you look at yourself and see,
no matter where you are. You want to be something more, isn't it so? Hello? Speaker: Yeah. Sadhguru: If that something more happens right
now, what? Something more. We can go on like this. So, how much more do you believe will settle
you for good? If I make you the king of this planet, will
you be fulfilled? Don't look at me hopefully, I will not cause
(Laughter)... I will not commit such a blunder. If you become the king of this planet, will
you settle for good? No, you will look at the stars. You would want the solar system, you want…
you want the galaxy, you want the Milky Way, yes or no? Because there is something within you… This is only instilled in a human being, I
want you to understand this. This is essentially a human quality that you
want to expand limitlessly. Maybe right now, you're approaching it in
a constipated way, which is called as ambition. Ambition means you're approaching… you are
longing to become limitless in a constipated manner. You know what's constipation? Speaker: Yeah (Few laugh). Sadhguru: It happens little by little (Laughter). So, this is what ambition is. Why do you have an ambition? You don't need it. What you need is an active, dynamic intelligence,
and an active, dynamic body which supports that. And you have understood, your experience of
life is always created from within you. If you know, and you are creating the nature
of your experience, would you keep it miserable or blissful? Speaker: Blissful. Sadhguru: What's your choice for yourself? No, what you want for your neighbor may be
debatable (Laughter), what… what you want for yourself is hundred percent clear. You want it to be in the highest level of
pleasantness, yes or no? For yourself. So, if you are joyful right now, and you're
alert and dynamic in your intelligence and active in your body, what will you do? What will you do? You will work for some silly idea in your
head or will you work for something that's absolutely needed? Because you will perceive life as it is. Right now, you may call it ambition, you may
call it passion, you may call it desire. All you're trying to do is squeeze a little
bit of juice out of this planet. That's all. You're trying to somehow find some satisfaction,
fulfillment, joy, love from the world. I'm telling you, please pay enough attention
to yourself and see, if you want joy, if you want fulfillment, if you want peace, if you
want love, if you want ecstasy, it can only happen from within you. Yes or no? Participants: Yes. Sadhguru: If this one thing you settle, world
– each one of us will deal with it to the best of our ability. But this is the fundamental ability of the
human being that we long to breach all boundaries. If you are some other creature, always you
want to set up boundaries. If you sit here, and if you have no sense
of boundary of "this is my friend, this is my enemy, this is a stranger, this is an unknown
person, this is my family" – if you do not have such things, if you looked at everybody
in an inclusive way – because your boundary is not here, it's limitless or no boundary
– if you looked at this people and acted according to your intelligence, would you
do something, wonderful? Hello? This is your humanity. Your humanity is not… cannot be caged. Your animal nature can be caged. We have evolved over a million years, but
evolution still is by choice. You can either take a backward step or a forward
step. If you take a forward step in your evolution
right now, that you understand what this (Referring to oneself) is longing for, is to become limitless,
not to become rich, not to become powerful, not to own something or something. You want to be limitless, because these are
the boundaries. So, do you want to enhance it in increments? Do you want to go in installments towards
the infinite expansion that naturally this life (Referring to oneself) is seeking? You think, in installments you can get to
infinity? You think it's possible? Interviewer: No. Sadhguru: No. So, how do we do it? At least you must look at it. I don't want to go into that aspect right
now. But at least you must look at it, because
if you fulfill your ambition, your life will not be fulfilled – only because you take
a lifetime to fulfill it, it is so. Whatever your ambition is, suppose by today
evening I will manifest it for you, will you live with total fulfillment… fulfillment
for the rest of your life? What you want in next fifty years, I will
have it done for you by today evening. Will you live joyfully, peacefully, absolute
fulfillment? Will you do it for me? Interviewer: No. Sadhguru: No. So, it's not going to work anyway. So, only thing is, only if you fail, it works
(Few laugh). It's a wrong way to wire yourself. Only if a simple thing that you want takes
fifty years to get there, then it works. But if it happens tomorrow morning, you…
it will be disaster, isn't it? So, now you're talking about change at a rapid
pace. So, what you…your ambition is, if it looks
silly tomorrow morning, what do you do? You already invested in that direction. You can't change. So, it's best, you don't have an ambition. You don't have a passion for anything, but
you're capable of doing everything passionately. Whatever is needed, you are capable of doing
it joyfully and passionately. That's what makes a human being who he or
she is. Interviewer: So, Sadhguru, let's take on that
(Applause). So, let me ask you that… I'll be the simple person, I don't…I don't
want any passion in my life. I don't want… Sadhguru: No, no. Interviewer: I'm just saying… Sadhguru: Take off the "simple," because I'm
saying having an ambition and passion is simplistic. I'm not talking about you becoming a simple
person. In fact, you become a limitless human being,
because you have not fixed anything for yourself. If you were joyful… Have you noticed this by yourself – on a
certain day when you're very happy, are you willing to do more things? Or on a certain day when you're little depressed,
are you willing to do more things? Please tell me. Interviewer: On a happy day. Sadhguru: So, lot of idiots on the planet
are going about spreading, "Oh if I'm happy right here, I will not do anything." Well, your experience clearly tells you only
when you're happy, you're willing to do whatever is needed, isn't it? Interviewer: Yeah. Sadhguru: You're willing to bend backwards,
even to reach out to somebody on the street. But when you're little miserable (Laughs),
you are nasty to everything around you, not willing to do anything. You would like to just lie down and sleep,
isn't it so? Interviewer: Yeah. Sadhguru: So, where does this thing come from
– that, if I'm joyful and I'm in a very dynamic state of intelligence and physicality,
that I will become a simple person. No (Laughter). Interviewer: The question has to be asked
that, okay, I... I... I don't have to have passion at this moment
or any ambition. I just want to live my life at my fullest. Full on happiness, joyful, and I just want
to live at the fullest of my potential. How can I do it? What's the step will be? Sadhguru: You’re getting to the point (Few
laugh). See, most fundamental thing that needs to
change in our understanding of this is, when you say "Full on experience of life," first
thing is to understand that experience of life, no matter what is the experience – of
pleasantness or unpleasantness, agony or ecstasy, only happens from within us, isn't it? Interviewer: Yeah. Sadhguru: So, if you take charge of this,
this (Referring to oneself) is what is creating… this (Referring to oneself) is an experience
creating machine. Interviewer: Yeah. Sadhguru: Everything you look at it, oh you
love this person, you hate this person, you're angry with this person, you like this person,
you dislike this person – everything is happening from within you, isn't it? Do you know that people who you think you
cannot stand, somebody thinks he is the most wonderful person? Yes or no (Laughs)? So, this experience is created from within
you, no matter what is the nature of your experience. If you take charge… take charge of this
one thing, that your experience is determined by you and nobody else but you, if this one
thing happens, then don't worry, rest will happen. To what extent? to the extent… to the fullest
extent possible that our intelligence, our capability and the times in which we exist
– this is very important. People think they're doing everything by themselves. No. The times in which we exist is important. Depending upon… the time should allow us,
right? Suppose you came here a 1000 years ago, and
you talk about artificial intelligence, they would bury you (Laughter). Yes or no? So, it is the times. So, the time should be conducive that it allows
us. With all this, in your life, if you do not
do what you cannot do, it's not an issue. But in your life, if you do not do what you
can do, you're a disaster, isn't it? I'm only talking about avoiding this disaster,
because most people have become this disaster, because they have their own passion, their
own ambition, their own mission, and their own modes going up and down – all kinds
of things. If you did not have all these things, you
would do everything you can do, isn't it? In your life, this must…this much must happen
– everything that you can do, must happen. What you cannot do, anyway doesn't happen,
what to do (Applause). Interviewer: So, I… changing topics a little
bit… since this auditorium is full of Indian expats, so, one of the questions that we want
to…wanted to ask is, how do you recommend that we, the Indian youth here, in the US,
start thinking about contributing back to India, while they are living their American
dream. Because these two pursuits are very diverse
and they might… might not coincide. Sadhguru: These two nations that you are mentioning,
in many ways, in culture, in geography, in economics, are at two different spheres altogether. One is a new nation, hardly two hundred years
old, little more than two hundred years. Existence of United States of America, maybe
two hundred years old since independence, but really, it is only hundred years or hundred
and twenty years, where really in a focused way, they started building this nation. When you talk about India, for us, recent
times means 5000 years (Laughter). In India, people in their conversations, they
say, "You know what happened recently, in our history…" They're talking about 2-3000 years (Few laugh). So, these are completely two different ways
of looking at it. There is immense value to both, immense. Because of the newness of their existence,
the American people – I'm not talking today, when they came here and they trying to figure
out, in a new land, what to do – they did whatever was needed for their given situation,
for them to go on, where individual aspiration was the main thing. Nobody thought of a nation when they came
here. They were only thinking of their own ranch
or whatever they call it, a piece of land. They thought they have broken away from the
nation of being England or Scotland or Ireland, or maybe even Germany and France and wherever
they came from, but largely, these three nations probably, to begin with. They really thought they have broken away
from the bondage of nationhood. That's what the debate is still going on,
about the right to bear arms, because people did not think they are going to make one more
nation, which is so tight like England of that time. They thought they're just going to live here
free. But slowly, for practical reasons, one understands
– without organization, individual enterprise slowly will work against each other. If we don't have a war, we will have a family
feud (Laughter). Family feuds in this country, were like wars,
isn't it? It went on and on for generations, because
it is the same thing. Somewhere you have to fix the boundary. Still, human beings have not come to a place
where in this world, we can simply live without a boundary, we've not come to that place. At least, those who claim they're educated,
at least in your minds and hearts, you must remove the boundaries. Geographically, still, there are boundaries,
we cannot remove those boundaries. If you suddenly remove those boundaries, there
will be a total upheaval of things. So, having said that, India as a land, is
like running into thousands of years, which gives people a sense of timeless existence,
where our way of doing things have always been, never about individual aspirations,
simply what is inclusive and happening, because always we remember… You know, in many Indian homes – this is
very hard for American people to understand – In Indian homes, many of them have kept
records of sixty, seventy generations of people, their names, my grandfather's name, sixty
generations ago, seventy generations ago, they got names written down in the books (Laughs). So, their sense of existence is very different,
which is changing dramatically now. As a part of this Youth and Truth, I've been
going to all these universities. Recently, when I was in Delhi five days ago,
they were asking me, "Sadhguru for…when you were a youth, how things were the… what
were you thinking, and today, how the youth are –What do you think is the difference?" I said, "One stark difference I see is, we
were always thinking of a revolution, how to change this country, how to do this, how
to do that. Today, you go into the university, everybody's
only talking about individual aspiration, nobody is talking about the larger context
of what it is." This is a consequence of a certain level of
economic development. When it was…the country was at a certain
status of development…When I say "certain status of development," in 1947, when the
British left India, the average life expectancy of an Indian was twenty-eight years. Today, it is 69.7 years or nearly seventy
years. This is a huge change. When average life expectancy was twenty-eight
years, naturally, we were thinking revolution, how to change this? Something needs to happen, dramatic. Otherwise it's not going to change. But today, the present youth, are thinking
of individual aspiration. So people look at this as, "Oh, is this not
a bad thing?" I said, "No, it's a very good thing." Because if all individuals in a country are
doing well, the damn country is doing well, isn't it? Hello? Interviewer: Yeah. Sadhguru: So, these are two different approaches. What America thought of individual enterprise
and you know, individual aspiration, probably in '50s and '60s, post World War II, now,
India is beginning to think in early twenty-first century. This is a natural consequence. This is one thing (Laughs)…This is one thing
which will be troublesome for nations which develop in a big way, without individual aspirations
being accommodated. So, nations which developed in a rapidly…
in a short span of time, using a stick… stick works very well when people are poor. The moment they do well, if you use a stick,
they will turn back and bite you (Laughter). Yes, this is the nature of a human being. When he is desperate, he understands the stick
will drive all of us in one direction, and something will happen. If we all scramble in one direction, something
good will happen to me also. But once that scramble is over, then I'm thinking
of my own individual aspiration. Now, the trouble comes. That trouble is coming wherever development
happened too rapidly because of a forceful way of doing things. This is a good thing about India. Professor Krishnan said that "It's a chaos." Well, it is a chaos only for an external view…
viewer, who doesn't understand our existence. We would be fully… you know, we would get
thoroughly bored with too much order (Laughter). We like that. We’re driving on the street, suddenly an
elephant comes (Laughter), really. We like that (Laughter)! If suppose an elephant came on an American
interstate, oh, the whole nation will scream, "How can this happen? An elephant came on the street." We are very excited, we'll pull out our cell
phones, take pictures and share with everybody. "I saw an elephant on the road today!" All right? So it's a… see, there are two kinds of orders. You can have a manicured garden and it looks
like spick and span. Everything is the way you want it. And you can have a forest, where nothing seems
to be in order. But if you take away your hand off the manicured
garden for just three months, it will be nonsense. But forest, for million years, it's existed. Obviously it's a better order (Laughter/Applause). It is just that, to live in the forest, you
need different kinds of skills (Laughter). Yes. Well, once in a way, you get eaten by a tiger
(Laughter). But you travel all the way to Africa or India
to see a lion or a tiger. So, when you got eaten, you definitely…
you did not enjoy the life… wildlife, but you saw it, for sure (Laughter). Interviewer: Thank you. We'd now like to open it up to audience questions. So, we have a couple of people with mics,
moving around. If you could just raise your hand and they
will come right up to you. Sadhguru: Hope I'm not too abrasive for the
university (Laughter). Sir (Laughs). Who's speaking? Okay. You need a microphone. Questioner: This is supposed to be… (Laughter) Sadhguru: Oh that's a microphone? Interviewers: Yeah, that's… (Laughter)
(Audio disturbance) Sadhguru: It's a grand marketing idea, but
not, technologically, not good to do that (Laughter). Questioner: Sadhguru, Namaskaram. My question is about India. India, currently, is the shining star on the
global map. Economy is thriving, people are flourishing. All things are great and going good. And in the last four-and-a-half years, we've
seen a decisive, serious government which is taking us on this development path. But my question is about this gruesome, you
know, horrible act that happened yesterday at Kashmir, and we saw forty plus Jawans killed. So, I don't know how… what's the psyche
of these people who can get into a car with three-hundred kgs of ammunition and you know,
just blast. My question is, how can government do decisively,
you know to solve this at the bud, and the second part to it is, I know it happens periodically,
but the psyche of these people, how can this be changed? Can we ever imagine Inner Engineering in Pakistan
or POK, without being killed, you know, without being having the fear of being killed? Sadhguru: ___ (Unclear) (Laughs). Questioner: That's it. That's my question. There are two aspects to it – the government
aspect and the people aspect. Thank you. Sadhguru: See, as I said earlier, we're still
not in that level of human consciousness where all boundaries and borders can be just wiped
out, and human beings just embrace each other and live. There's no such love affair going on. Okay (Laughs)? Still, national identities, religious identities,
various other kinds of ideological identities, set us against each other. It is… it is as simple as it is… but when
it comes as to how it manifests on the ground, it's too complex. It's not something you can solve like that. So, in the making of a nation… in the making
of a nation, one important thing is the sovereignty of the nation. Because nation exists only because of its
borders. This may be an unpopular thing to say in United
States, right now (Few laugh). But… But you call something a nation only… the
first and foremost is a geographical border, isn't it? Well, people can go this way, that way. People can change their language, people can
change their religion, people can change their beliefs and ideologies. But it's the geography which is a first dimension
of making of a nation. So, this sovereignty should not have been
dragged for so long after independence. It's a serious mistake, it should have been
settled immediately. But unfortunately, they did not settle it
for… I mean, I don't want to make a… a political
postmortem now, but it's a serious mistake not to settle the sovereignty of the nation,
not to fix the boundaries and say, "This is it." Still, it is a Line of Control. It's not the national borders. It is still a Line of Control, which is always
out of control. And there are various things – I don't want
to give a political commentary now. So, you're asking about the mindset. The mindset is like this – this has been,
in many ways put across – They are fighting for what they believe in. You are trying to fight for what you believe
in, and this will go on endlessly. You understand? Either you must change your belief system,
or they must change their belief system, and that doesn't look like in near future (Laughter). All right? That doesn't look like that. But either you must have the wisdom to end
the enmity, you must kill the enmity, you must have that wisdom. If there is no room for that wisdom, unfortunately,
it will naturally translate into killing the enemy. It will naturally go there. Whether you like… am I propounding this? No. It will naturally get there, whether you like
it or you don't like it. So, just because somebody lives across the
border, do you want to kill them? Definitely not. But at the same time, do you want to protect
what you see as this nation? This is an unfortunate dilemma of being human. If you were an animal, anybody crosses your
bound… ba… boundary, enters your territory, you'll just kill him. All right? Hello? Participants: Yeah. Sadhguru: But this is the dilemma of being
human. Somebody crosses your boundary, you may have
to kill him, but you don't really want to kill him. This is the struggle of being human. This struggle must be there in a human being
always. If this struggle goes away, you will become
an animal. This struggle must exist within us, but still,
acting decisively for the larger well-being of a nation has to happen. Why I'm talking about a nation is… for me,
nation is not a political entity, nation is not my nationalism. I don't belong to that. For me, nation is the largest amount of population
you can address right now. If you want to bring well-being, you cannot
address the globe. Hello? Interviewer: Yeah. Sadhguru: You cannot address the whole globe
just like that. It is not within your means to address the
globe. The best thing you can address right now,
the largest human entity you can address right now, is nation. If you go down, maybe there are states, maybe
there are religions, maybe there are castes and creeds and all kinds – don't go there. Address the nation, because it's the largest
segment of humanity you can address right now. In that context, sovereignty of the nation
becomes of prime importance. Well, what has to be done, has to be done. But we must have pain in our heart. Even when we cause damage to somebody who's
a threat to us, we must have some pain in our heart. Otherwise, we will lose our humanity (Applause). Sadhguru: So I'm just saying, when retaliatory
action happens, don't do this (Gestures). We must… unfortunate. It must be done. But we must have some pain that we have to
do these things. Questioner (Rashmi): Vanakkam (Tamil word
- வணக்கம்) Sadhguru. I'm Rashmi, I'm from Chennai. Now, I have practiced Shambhavi Mahamudra
since I was fifteen. Thank you for it. And my question… Sadhguru: Who is… who is serving you Idli
and Sambar here, hmm (Laughter)? Questioner (Rashmi): My mom isn't here. I'm missing her. So, my question to you is, since I've come
here, I had to explain my way of upbringing, my culture, or the way I do certain things. And you have said Adiyogi is not light, he's
darkness. This darkness is something, this is associated
with evil in certain cultures. So… Sadhguru: I'm a dark person, so you're saying
I'm evil (Laughter)? Questioner (Rashmi): I understand what you're
saying, but I'm not calling you evil. I understood what you said when you said Adiyogi
was darkness, he was not light. But when I'm explaining it to my friend or
to anyone for whatsoever, how do I put it in a context that they understand, because
like you said, there are cultural differences, and how do I put it in a proper context? Sadhguru: Can I… is it okay for me… Can I take the liberty of referring to you
also as little bit dark, like me (Laughter)? Okay? Questioner (Rashmi): I would love that. Sadhguru: Okay. So, you are a dark girl. All right? Now that you are a dark girl, you make yourself
so wonderful, so wonderful, that people will start seeing, "Oh, dark girls are wonderful"
(Laughs)! That's the only thing you should do in the
world. Don't say, "No. This color is good, that color is good." This is nonsense. Make yourself so wonderful, people see, "Oh,
dark skinned people are fantastic." Tch (Laughs/Applause). If you… if you try to do your Chennai in
Detroit (Laughter) – that's not fair. No, I'm not me… mentioning fair as a complexion
(Laughter). Not fair (Laughs). Because it is… it's important that your
culture and your way of doing things is as important as anything. But it's very important, when you come to
a new land, you don't try to impose that. You only keep it as a… you know… we have
a flower pot, but all the seats are occupied by human beings. But if we keep flowerpots on all the seats,
that will be meaningless, isn't it? So, you must keep your culture like a flowerpot
– alive always, colorful, alive, Chennai. All right (Laughter/Applause)? But… But don't try to make everybody do the Chennai
stuff. This is Detroit (Laughter). Okay? So, it is… isn't it fantastic that people
who live in different parts of the world are so different? Just imagine, if everybody was same, you would
want to go to another planet (Laughter). Isn't it so fantastic, from one place to another,
they're so different? See, this is the uniqueness of India. If anybody, very different kind of people
come, Indians get very excited (Laughter). Different! But in most other cultures, something very
different means they become defensive. This must change. You must be excited about the difference,
not fearful about the difference. The fear about the difference comes from the
crocodile brain in your head. The excitement about everything different
comes from being human (Laughs/Applause). And about you trying to sell darkness… (Laughter)
see, light has become very valuable, simply because of the way our visual apparatus are
made. Suppose you were an owl. No, I'm not saying that. Suppose… because in South India, being an
owl is not considered wise, it's considered stupid. Okay? So, suppose you were an owl, your value would
be darkness, isn't it so? Hello? Interviewer: Yeah. Sadhguru: Because that's how your visual apparatus
are. Right now, what you know as light… let's
differentiate between what is light and what you know as light. What you know as… as light will… can only
happen if something is burning. Is that so? Interviewer: Yeah. Sadhguru: Coal is burning, petroleum is burning,
nuclear energy is burning or the sun is burning. Something has to burn, only then the kind
of light that you understand, through your visual apparatus, can exist. Anything that burns, will not burn forever. Is that so? Interviewer: Yeah. Sadhguru: It has to get exhausted somewhere. If you set up a lamp or a candle here, it
may burn for two hours. This bulb may have whatever 20,000 hours they're
talking (Laughter). You may have hundred years. The sun may have hundred billion years. But everything that burns will burn out sometime,
isn't it so? So, what doesn't burn is always cool and dark
– you and me, hmm (Laughter)? So, what doesn't burn is always cool and dark. There's an eternal character to that. So out of this wisdom, we said in yoga, when
we talk about the Divine to a beginner, we refer to the divine as light, divine light. Once, one advances in their experience of
life, we refer to the divine as darkness. Because, only darkness can be unlimited, borderless
and infinite. Light, as you know it, can only happen in
a momentary way. It flashes up and it goes down. So, light, as you know it, is a very temporary
and momentary happening in terms of existence. What you think is Sun, in human experience,
because our life is just a few years, we think it's a limitless source of light. But in the nature of the existence, in the
nature of this cosmos, Sun is just a momentary happening. It just flashes up for a little bit of time
and dies out. But the larger part of creation is largely
dark, isn't it? Lightless. Because it's eternal and always. So it's good (Laughs) (Applause). Interviewer: We have time for one last question. Sadhguru: Oh-ho, Sir (Laughter)! Questioner (Amartya): My name is Amartya and
I have a question… Sadhguru: Can you speak a little louder? Questioner (Amartya): I have a question for
you. Sadhguru: Yes, sir. Questioner (Amartya): My question is, why
do people lie all the time (Laughter/Applause)? Sadhguru: So, it's not that people lie all
the time. You may be just in some bad company, right
now (Laughter). Now, for yourself – leave the other people
– for yourself, you're a little boy. Oh, I'm sorry. You're big boy (Laughter). You must understand this. Don't concern yourself about what is truth,
what is a lie. Just concern yourself about this one thing
– every word I utter, every action that I take in my life, is it for everybody's well-being
or is it just about me? That's all. Don't worry about what is true, what is lie. These are all endless nonsensical debates. Just concern yourself about this – whether
everything that you do is inclusive or exclusive. If you just fix this one thing for yourself,
then you don't have to worry about anything else. About am I correct, wrong, am I right, wrong,
am I sinning or in virtue, am I telling a lie, am I telling the truth – this is not
the point. The point is, your existence, your action,
your word, everything – is it inclusive or exclusive? Just fix that one thing (Applause). Interviewer: Thank you so much for taking
the time out to be at the Michigan India Conference here with us. It was truly an honor to have you, and I'm
sure all of us will leave with a different light and having thought about everything
that you've said. Interviewer: Thank you very much. Thank you Sadhguru for such an engaging and
inspiring conversation. Sadhguru: Thank you. (Talks Aside: Hmm. Take care (Laughs). Hey man, ambitious, no?) Interviewer: Thank you (Applause). Sadhguru: It's been a long time since I came
to Michigan (Laughter). Thank you for having me here. Thank you very much (Laughs). Interviewer: Thank you Sadhguru.
