Building on a Balanced Foundation

If the miracle of your mind has turned into a misery manufacturing machine, Sadhguru says, the first step towards a solution is to find balance. Once you see that the quality of your life is 100% your making, he explains, then balance will naturally happen, and only with this stable foundation will the possibility to build greater things open up.

Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times.

For more Sadhguru's insights, follow him on twitter and facebook.

Transcript

Generally,

All of us have about the same sized skull.

So,

To a large extent,

Most human beings have enough brain material in their head.

Everybody,

Except somebody who may be severely deformed at birth,

Almost every average human being has what it takes to do life.

But why is it that one person's brain sparkles with genius,

Another person's brain sparkles with pain and suffering and tension and stress and whatever else?

All the ugliest things that nobody wants happens in people's minds.

So is it a question of higher intelligence?

Is it a question of some magical influence from somewhere?

Or is it a question of bringing the necessary balance within yourself so that you become available to the magic of life?

A skewed intelligence,

However smart it may look on the periphery,

Cannot make this life happen beautifully.

Above all balance,

It's needed,

Balance on all levels.

Otherwise,

Our very body and our very brain will function against us.

To a point where the only idea or the only form of relaxation today in the world,

Either there's sleep or drink or drug,

All you're trying to do is to be brainless for a period of time.

Because brain has become such a nuisance,

If you didn't have one,

You would be at least peaceful.

Yes.

What took millions of years of evolution to achieve today has become a nuisance.

What is the greatest miracle within this human frame has become a misery manufacturing machine.

There are many aspects to it,

I don't want to make it too simplistic,

But above all,

Above all the most important thing is balance or lack of balance.

So,

This human mechanism which is the most sophisticated instrument on the planet,

If you do not pay enough attention to it,

If it turns against you,

There is nothing here in the world which can save you because nothing is more sophisticated in this one.

Because this is of the highest level of evolution and sophistication,

If this turns against you,

Nobody can save you,

I want you to know this.

So,

If this should not turn against you,

It will… to know the entirety of what this is,

It will take a certain level of attention.

But to bring balance to this doesn't take too much.

It is just that you're doing a few fundamental things absolutely wrong,

That's all.

To know the entirety of what this is,

That's a whole lot of attention,

Time,

Education,

Assistance,

Guidance,

So many things are involved.

But to bring a reasonable sense of balance into you,

It doesn't take much.

You're doing a few things basically wrong with life.

When I say basically wrong,

One thing is for everybody to understand,

All human experience is generated from within,

Is that so?

All human experience is generated from within.

So at any time,

If you feel happy or unhappy,

Miserable,

Joyful,

Ecstatic,

In a state of agony,

Doesn't matter what happens,

What is your experience,

Pleasantness or unpleasantness,

Just to know that it's happening from within and it can only happen from within.

You can either take external stimuli or you can create your own stimuli,

But essentially it happens from within.

This one thing if it is not grasped,

When you feel miserable,

If you think it's this one,

You're gone.

You're just… the keyboard is here but you're punching the wall.

This is not going to work.

This one basic fundamental thing is something that almost ninety percent of the humanity is always doing it wrong.

Whenever they feel miserable,

They think it must be this one or that one or that one or that one.

No,

All human experience is generated from within.

If something is feeling unpleasant,

First thing is to look at this.

What am I doing wrong with this?

Am I eating wrong?

Am I sleeping wrong?

Am I sitting wrong?

Am I breathing wrong?

Is my heart beating wrong?

Something!

My very chemistry is wrong.

Something is wrong with this,

Not with that.

So the moment you think by kicking the wall you can fix this one,

Then you made a fundamental mistake.

The harder you try,

The further away from it you go.

So this possibility of bringing balance to the system first of all is the fundamental nature of yoga.

The most basic forms of yoga,

Whether it is… I know many of you are doing probably the Nadi Vibhajan or Yoga Namaskar or Surya Mascar or Surya Kriya,

These are all basic forms of yoga.

The first thing is to bring balance.

Once there is balance,

Then you can build a tower on top of this.

If there is no balance,

Whatever you build will only lead to more trouble.

The more basic you are,

The better it is.

So this is what a whole lot of humanity is seeking,

Somehow to remain basic.

Because if you build something,

It feels terrible when there is no fundamental balance.

Anything standing up without balance is a big problem.

So the best thing is to lie down,

Stay close to the ground.

If you grow tall,

It'll be a problem,

So remain at the minimum.

A whole lot of humanity has reduced themselves to a minimal possible thing in their life.

If I don't get into trouble,

That's good enough.

A whole lot of humanity.

This is a serious waste of evolutionary work.

What has happened on this planet in the last few million years,

To evolve life from its simplest form to what it is today,

Just wasting the entire process and mother earth is not going to get you… let you get away with it.

You will pay the price,

If you try to make life go backwards,

It will make sure you pay the price.

So instead of trying to do this,

That,

So many things,

First thing is to do something to bring balance.

First step is just this,

That everything that I generate from within me in the form of experience,

Sensations,

Painful,

Pleasant,

Wonderful,

Horrible,

Whatever I go through is essentially generated from within me and nobody else but me.

Others may help,

Tch,

You know.

Others help.

If you're miserable,

Some people will fuel it and help.

If you're joyful,

Some people will fuel that and help.

The different types of people around us,

They assist you as they know their life.

But essentially,

It is your making.

This is the fundamental aspect of yoga.

The first teaching that came out was that it is your karma.

That means it's your making.

Your life and the experience of your life is entirely your making.

If this one thing doesn't sink into absolutely,

You will not make the necessary changes.

You still think,

Yes,

I know it's my karma,

But you know,

My husband,

What he did?

You can't fix this.

First you understand this is my making,

Entirely my making.

The moment you see it,

You have the ability to change it.

I see it,

But you know what they did to me yesterday.

Now you can't change it.

It doesn't matter who did what.

What is happening within you,

Your experience of your life is entirely your making.

This is your karma.

Karma means not something that drops upon you from somewhere.

Karma means your action,

It's your making,

It's your doing.

So if you just said this one thing,

Creating the necessary balance will happen automatically.

Once there is balance,

Then you would want to try many things.

Otherwise I'm talking about so many things up there in the sky.

You will only be a spectator.

You will not be the one who flies.

You will only be a spectator because when there is no balance,

You don't want to go three inches above the ground.

So this is one fundamental thing.

We've been talking about this in many forms,

But if you want to make the full scope,

If you want to make use of the full scope of this body and this brain,

Of this human possibility,

Of this consciousness that we refer to as human being,

Then first thing is this,

That you understand and fix it within you absolutely that the quality of my life is entirely my making and nobody else and nobody else.

If you fix this one thing,

Balance will come.

Once balance comes,

I'm impatient to take you to places where only people with balance can walk.

I just cannot.

Reviews

Great to listen to

An eye opener for sure. Balance is a key component to all life’s happenings
Thanks for sharing
JuneB 🙏🏽

I want to play this for the world.. beautifully said. This is something that describes what my focus has been and I do see that my life has changed for the better.. it is vital to have a strong personal foundation and balance if we are to attain true happiness and do good for ourselves & others… Sadhguru I so very much enjoy listening to you!! Thank you for sharing all you do.. peace and love ~

As always you are inspiring and though provocative. Thanks for sharing your practical wisdom 🙌

Super precious talk by an amazing teacher🧡 thank you 🙏

Eye opening...thank you!

I love his talks! This one is particularly great! Thank you!

🙏🏻 Thank you.

The path where only people with balance can walk. Says it all.

Spot on — Balance 🧘‍♀️

I strive for balance. Thank you!

Your version of becoming balanced from within makes so much sense. Thank you

The quality of my life is only what I put in. Thank you, so wise

Sadhguru ji , you always inspire me when life feels hard 🙏🏼

Beautifully phrased, Thank you!

amazing! I will think of this often now. I highly recommend!

a good lesson for all of us. balance comes from within.

You spoke to my heart. Namaste. ✨🙏✨

This is everything.
Joy and gratitude,
Namaste 🏵💕