How can we go on the path of spirituality?
The essence of human life and the spiritual path is revealed through sacred tradition. Human birth is rare and granted intellect and free will within a limited time. The purpose is to realize the divine Self, the all-pervasive ātmā identical in all beings. This realization ends suffering. The Guru is essential, considered greater than God for the seeker. The path requires balancing worldly duties with spiritual practice. Foundational disciplines like purity in diet and conduct are necessary. The eight limbs of Yoga provide the structure, beginning with ethical restraints and observances, not merely physical postures. True progress involves inward withdrawal, concentration, meditation, and ultimately union. Devotion progresses through stages of listening, remembrance, and surrender. The final knowledge stages involve merging one's consciousness with the Guru's, achieving complete detachment from all worldly objects and identifications. The journey is one road with many names, culminating in liberation.
"If there is someone greater than God, then he is the guru."
"That which liberates you is called vidyā."
Filming location: Jadan, Rajasthan, India
Up next
Do not forget your destination
The mind is a wish-fulfilling tree that grants desires which ultimately destroy us.
We journey through a barren desert of life, navigating by stars and sun. A traveler, walking 50 kilometers on sand, finds a large tree for rest. He wishes for water, food, and a bed, and they appear. He then fears a ghost in the tree will kill him, and that fear manifests, killing him. This tree is the Kalpavṛkṣa, where any thought becomes reality. We are given a physical body, this temporary tree. Through it, we can fulfill wishes, but ambition and greed trap us beneath it. The mind is the ghost within the tree; we are its slaves, and it will destroy us. Another tale tells of a king who visits an ascetic. The ascetic reveals the king is a slave to his own mind, which the ascetic has mastered. Do not forget your ultimate destination on this journey. Do not become stuck in the illusions and desires of the physical form.
"Under this tree, whatever you wish or whatever you think comes true."
"You are the slave of my slave... My mind is my slave, and you are the slave of the mind."
Filming location: Szeged, HU
DVD 398
Everything is in your hands
The initiation of eight sannyāsīs was a highlight. The Master decides readiness; these were not easy individuals, each a long effort to guide. One is profoundly honest, immediately embodying the role. Another prepared for decades through hardship. Three were from Australia, one from Israel, and one Indian who left too quickly. The final one is a devoted and humble soul. Your spiritual progress is ultimately in your own hands. Teachers and masters can only support you; the decisive action is yours. A story illustrates this: disciples, jealous of their Master, trap a bird and ask if it is alive or dead. The Master replies its fate is in their hands. Your liberation, like the bird's life, depends on your decisions. Do not delay in good actions. Regarding dress, disciples should wear white; sannyāsīs wear orange. Becoming a sannyāsī is serious, not a fashion; it helps carry the spiritual light but requires true readiness and independence.
"Master, if you know everything, then tell us what is in my hand."
"My son, whether this bird is alive or dead depends on your hands."
Filming location: Vép, Hungary
DVD 180b
Practical guide to meditation (4/11)
Morning satsang from weekend seminar in Vep, Hungary on 15th, Feburary 2009.
Salutations to the Divine
For world peace, first we need to find peace within ourselves. A recording of a live concert for world peace in YIDL center in Villach, Austria. Public concert lasted 6h with uninterrupted Bhajans. The concert was a part of a 24h of Bhajan Anushtana.
