There are those images of him that puzzle you at first: riding a motorcycle, sometimes a horse; poking away at a computer; clad in a robe,dhoti, pants, maybe even jeans….you wonder, is he really a man of god? But follow for a bit the ideas he has passed on to the public, and you realize Jaggi Vasudev is a spiritual rebel. The outward visual is just the beginning. No tradition ties him, no dogma binds him. Freedom is what he espouses and it is what he practices even while engaging in society.
He is the Sadhguru who experienced transcendental bliss in his 20s when the rest of us were ducking classes in college and experimenting with stuff parents abhor. What followed was the public’s discovery of him. People flocked to hear him and practice Shambavi Mahamudra* and he soon became an invited regular around the world with his Isha Yoga centers sprouting everywhere. His several environmental, education and rural upliftment programs has drawn global attention making him a regular at the World Economic Forum and a delegate at the U.N. Millennium World Peace Summit.
Blindingly articulate, master Jaggi Vasudev can simplify profound philosophy to simple truths with analogies from daily life. His speech is remarkably free of jargon and phraseology, and instead full of hearty laughs, references to cars, people we know from today…. He transmits an energy and joy that speaks of human empathy and a simple encompassing Oneness. You come away wishing that there was more time as there is no one you would rather spend time in conversation with. Some excerpts:
Q: You have just come back from the Kailash Yatra. What makes different aspects of nature holy to different faiths? For instance, why doesn’t an Indian-American feel the same charge of spirituality going to Mt. Shasta which is holy to others?
A: Mt. Kailash is not limited to a particular faith. The spiritual community at large has held it as sacred. It has nothing to do with religion. In the case of Mt. Kailash, it is the planet’s mystical library. When mystics want to share, to know, they come here. And the knowledge they have and they gain they store in energy form. They do it here and not in a place like Mt. Everest because it is too difficult to approach. But they also don’t go to easily frequented places. In Kailash… Aadi Yogi (considered the original transmitter of all yogic knowledge), Rishabh (Jain Tirthankara), the three Buddhas including Manjushri all are connected to it. The Bon, Druze and several other Central Asian cultures hold Kailash as sacred as their masters’ knowledge is stored there.
Q: So what happens when we go there? Do we have access to this knowledge?
A: Not everyone can access it. But everybody can experience it. That’s why when we go there we only take people who are already engaging in spiritual practice. It’s not some kind of a tourist company thing.
Q: Which and with who is the most meaningful relationship for a human being?
A: (Laughs).There is no relationship like that. In actuality, every relationship can be made meaningful. Someone might think it’s with their mother, spouse or child. If you ask me, that relationship can be experienced with dog, flower, waterfall, all of nature. You can be touched deeply by everything around you. It depends on whether you are willing to be open to it.
Q: So who or what inspires you to be this way?
A: (Pauses then laughs gently). I am not inspired but fired up!
Q: By what?
A: Life!
Q: In the decades that you have been putting people on the right journey, showing them the joy of life, have you found yourself having to talk about different issues or are they fundamentally the same over time?
A: Oh, I feel old now that you say decades!
Q: Years, decades in terms of wisdom!
A: Okay then! On the surface it seems like different issues over the years. But essentially it is a lack of perception. We are not able to perceive life in its entirety. We are concerned only with what are our problems. Even what is perceived as problems, are only a series of situations. My work is to show that there is greater access to life. It is to deepen the receptivity to life.
Q: What is the role of men of god in society today? Is it to change the way people think? To influence government? You met with Anna Hazare, so did Sri Sri Ravi Shankar…..
A: We are always in public. My work is with people. I did meet with Anna Hazare. I would not participate in normal conditions, but I went there not as a spiritual man but as a citizen of India. The most wonderful thing about what happened with Anna Hazare was that it made everyone sit up and take notice. It was a fight against intolerable corruption. It was a huge and valid movement and it was important to make sure nothing was goofed up. I have met several political and economic leaders in my travels and they want to come to India. But corruption – it is an embarrassment.
(Pauses) India is sitting on the verge of immense economic possibilities. I don’t mean this in terms of shares and the number of limousines that are there. You and I know where our next meal is going to come from but there are millions today in India who are going to eat a very meager meal and others who won’t eat at all. For them what we do now can make a huge difference. In the next five years we can change it for people who have had such a bad deal for six to eight generations.
Q: You have done so much work, adopted villages and the benefits of the model are obvious to see. What stops this from snowballing into neighboring villages?
A: It has to be a movement. To create and manage a movement is a skill and capability that is unfortunately lacking. Whatever changes you want to do…..just policy makes no difference. This Jan Lokpal that we are talking about for instance is only policy. Merely changing the law does not bring change.
Q: Policy aside, aren’t the people around the villages where Ishya Yoga works ( near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu) observing the success with which villagers are producing quality products, becoming self-reliant, etc., and feel they want to emulate it?
A: It’s definitely a lack of leadership. The people themselves are in such a hopeless pit unless a helping hand is given they cannot come out of it. You know when I see these little children in the villages their eyes shine brightly. Like stars. But by the time they are 11 or 12 they will meet you with downcast eyes. All the hope is already gone. We want to touch these children. We want to impact them through education. We will be adopting 3,000 villages. It’s a huge financial challenge. It is also physically demanding. The schedules are stretched not just for me but for every single person who is involved with this. But if you don’t do it, it’s a crime.
Q: You look like a prophet from the Old Testament…. do you think this combined with your cool, liberal and secular image breaks the first barrier with audiences here, in the West?
A: Aaah…an Old Testament prophet. Now you have made me thousands of years old! In the U.S. I thought if you are seen with a turban and beard they think you have something to do with Osama bin Laden!
Q: What is your daily sadhana?
A: Working liking a dog. (Chuckles). Joyfully of course, but tired we do get.
Q: How do you remain joyful?
A: Practice yoga everyday certainly. People feel burnt out just going to their regular day jobs for eight hours. The system won’t take 20 hour days. A very well known lawyer in India told me that by doing Shambhavi (Mahamudra) he was doing in three hours what took seven hours before. If you want to run a race you can’t sit and think about it. It means preparing your legs and lungs if you want that Olympic medal. It’s the same here.
Q: What do you recommend for the Indian-American?
A: For you? Inner Engineering! It’s a simple process making the difference between seeing life as a whole and not. We offer Isha Kriya. More than 2.5 million cds have been sold across India, its spread like fire. But they should want to do something about themselves. There has to be the right approach, the right seriousness. If you want to become a journalist or a doctor you go to college, you engage in serious study. If you hope to be a more profound human being by just reading a book in theory, it’s the wrong approach. Practice daily.
Q: A parting message for our readers….
A: If you are doing well turn inward. If you are not doing well… look inward!
*an ancient energy practice that practitioners say has transformative powers
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev will instruct those who have completed a 7 session online course on Oct.15 and 16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. For more information: www.innerengineering.com or sheela.isha@gmail.com
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