Suffering or Joy – You Choose!

Sadhguru speaks about the transformation that one can experience through Inner Engineering. He explains that life is not suffering, nor joy, but simple there. If one learns to ride it, it feels fantastic, but if one is crushed by it, then it feels terrible.

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.

Transcript

Hey,

What's happening,

Sadhguru?

I'm Sky.

Ryan was my brother.

I want to know about the transformation people go through when they come to your center,

Because I saw a huge change in him when he came back.

What is this all about?

Is it a fact that in the evolutionary process of life upon this planet,

You're okay with evolution,

Okay?

Because I come from Tennessee,

So I'm asking you.

In the evolutionary process,

Is it true that we as human beings,

We are on top of the pile of all the creatures,

We are supposed to be the peak?

Maybe there's something more to be done,

But right now we are on the top.

But is it also true that whenever human beings utter the word human,

They're always talking in terms of,

Oh,

I'm only human.

The word human is always related to the limitations of being human.

Very few people ever have used this word,

I'm human,

Referring to the immensity of being human – always the limitations of being human.

So somewhere we missed the fundamental point.

The point is this.

Is it true that every other creature on this planet,

A worm,

An insect,

A bird,

An animal,

With a millionth of our brain,

They're conducting their life process quite well?

Hello?

Are they?

When I say life process,

We are born,

They are born,

Just like that.

We grow up,

They grow up.

We make a living,

They make a living.

We may reproduce,

They reproduce.

We do all this with enormous fuss.

They simply do it.

Yes or no?

Every simple thing we're doing with enormous fuss,

They're simply doing it.

Different… various processes of life and death,

They're doing it without fuss.

We are doing everything with great fuss.

Is this a sign of highest level of intelligence,

I'm asking?

We are supposed to be the most intelligent and there is no question that we have the most evolved neurological process on the planet.

Yes?

We have the most evolved neurological system that we must be able to sense and feel and experience and perceive,

Understand and express things in the highest possible way.

But no other creature on the planet is struggling like the human creature right now.

This is simply because you have been given a super,

Super computer.

Do you agree with me that this is the most sophisticated gadget on the planet?

Not the iPhone,

The eye.

But now the question is have you read the user's manual?

That's all.

People have not read the user's manual for the most complex machine on the planet and somehow blundering through,

Somehow trying to use it.

Everything is a problem.

Tell me one thing that human beings are not suffering.

If they're poor,

They suffer their poverty.

You make them rich,

They suffer the taxes.

If they're not educated,

They suffer that.

Put them to school,

Lot of suffering.

Not married,

They suffer that.

Get them married.

I didn't say anything.

I didn't say a thing,

Okay?

No children,

Some people suffer that.

Children,

Daily suffering.

So you seem to be suffering every aspect of life.

So if you offer death,

Will you go joyfully?

No,

You will suffer that.

So tell me one thing that we are not suffering.

Now people weave philosophies,

Life is suffering.

No,

No,

Life is not suffering,

Nor is it a joy.

It's simply there,

It's a phenomena.

If you ride it,

It feels fantastic.

If you're crushed by it,

It feels terrible.

So are you riding the wave of life or are you being crushed by it?

That's all the question is.

So for this to happen,

What is it that human beings are suffering?

I'm sorry,

What's your name?

Sky?

Oh,

You're a big guy.

You're a big guy.

Sky.

When was the last time somebody poked you with a dagger?

Even though you're living in Los Angeles.

That is a long time ago.

So I'm saying… I'm asking you how much suffering for any individual is actually coming from outside?

Miniscule,

Isn't it?

Rest is all on self-help.

If they sit,

They will suffer,

If they stand,

They'll suffer,

If something happens,

They suffer,

If nothing happens,

They suffer.

So what they're suffering is their own psychological process.

One's own thought and emotion has become such a huge suffering.

How you think and feel,

How you think and feel,

Should it not be determined by you?

Hmm?

Hello?

Participants – Yes.

Yes.

What happens within you?

Should it happen… not happen the way you want it?

Can you see me,

Sky?

Where am I?

Tell me,

Use one hand and point out where I am.

Ah,

You got it wrong.

You know I'm a mystic,

Huh?

Now,

These lights are… this light is falling upon me,

Reflecting,

Going through your lenses,

Inverted image in the retina,

You know the whole story,

Right?

Where do you see me right now?

Within yourself.

Where do you hear me right now?

Within yourself.

Where have you seen the whole world?

Within yourself.

Everything that ever happened to you,

Pain and pleasure happened within you,

Joy and misery happened within you,

Agony and ecstasy happened within you,

Even light and darkness is actually happening within you.

What happens in the world may not happen the way you want it,

But at least what happens within you must happen your way,

Isn't it?

So if what happens within you is not happening your way,

Fundamentally we've not figured what is the nature of our life.

Without understanding… Without understanding even the fundamental of our existence,

We are trying to live.

Is it true,

I'm asking you once again,

Is it true both pain and pleasure originates from within you?

There may be a stimulus from outside,

But all human experience comes from within you,

Isn't it?

What's coming from within you must happen your way,

Otherwise you're just an out-of-control situation.

So my entire work and the fundamental nature of what's offered is called Inner Engineering.

That is,

We have engineered the world in so many ways.

This has brought us enormous levels of comfort and convenience.

Do you agree with me that we are the most comfortable generation enjoying most incredible conveniences that no generation could ever dream of?

Yes or no?

What even royalty did not have a hundred years ago,

Today ordinary citizens are enjoying it,

Isn't it?

What is the chariot that you drive,

How many horses?

Participants – Two-horse power.

I'm saying even emperors could not do four-hundred horses,

All right?

So all this is going waste on humanity simply because their experience of life is not enhanced,

Because your well-being will never come from outside.

From outside you can create comfort,

You can create convenience,

But you cannot create well-being.

Well-being can only happen from within you because human experience is created from within.

Doesn't matter what is the nature of your experience,

Whatever it is unpleasant or present,

Both are being made from within you.

But if you are in charge of yourself,

Would you create pleasantness for yourself or unpleasantness for yourself?

Highest level of pleasant.

If there was a choice between misery and blissfulness,

What would you choose for yourself?

Please,

You must make a choice,

I'm going to bless you right now.

Misery or blissfulness?

Yeah,

At least for yourself it's definitely highest level of pleasantness.

What you want for your neighbor may be debatable,

Depending upon what they did today.

But what you want for yourself is hundred percent clear,

Isn't it?

Why such a simple thing is not happening?

Especially because this cerebral activity in the process of evolution,

It is new.

It is a new happening,

This… this big brain.

When I say new,

Just a few million years,

But in the evolutionary scale it is new.

So we have an intelligence for which we don't have a stable enough platform.

You don't need anybody to torture you,

Isn't it?

Hello?

You're on self-help.

You don't need any outside help.

You can sit in one place by yourself and make a hell out of it.

Because your own intelligence has turned against you.

You can call it by many exotic names,

You can call it misery,

You can call it depression,

You can call it by variety of diagnosis,

But essentially your intelligence has turned against you.

Once your intelligence turns against you,

Nobody,

No power in the universe is going to save you.

Because wherever we take you,

You will be miserable.

Some people are thinking one day they will go to heaven and they will be all right.

I'm asking you,

Do you have any proof that you're not already in heaven and messing it up?

Do you have any proof?

No.

Maybe you're already in heaven and making a mess out of it.

Because if you have an out of control mind,

No matter where you're taken,

You will make a mess out of it,

Isn't it?

Just imagine hundred years ago how people lived in this same place and how you're living.

Is there any damn thing to complain about in comparison?

Hello?

Oh,

But we are whining like crazy,

Huh?

We are whining like nobody else on the planet.

So the problem is not of the outside.

Outside situations are there.

Some situations will go the way we want,

Some will not go.

That's how it is.

Even if you're just two people in the family,

Does everything happen just the way you want it?

No.

That can never happen.

Outside will never happen hundred percent the way you want it.

We can manage it to some extent.

But at least what happens within you must happen the way you want it.

If right now what happened within you was happening the way you want it,

Would you keep yourself at the highest level of pleasantness or no?

That's all that happened to him.

Even though death confronted,

It didn't matter because what's happening within you is happening the way you want it.

No magic,

Just engineering.

Reviews

Best teacher on modern thinking, I've been listening for years! Thank you 🙏🏼

Great lesson though I wanted advice on how to read the brain user manual

Love this! It shifted my being to immense gratitude and peace.

I want to teach this to everyone I meet.❤️
It is insane how something so simple is the key to our peace. We were truly given all that we need at birth to be free. I love how you help those around you discover this within themselves!

Simple, awakening & empowering! Namaste ! Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏

This is absolutely enjoyable and so interesting. Something definitely to listen to again to grasp this simple yet very profound perspective 💗🌸💗✨✨✨

Relevant, moment by moment choices! www.gratefulness.org, ahimsa

That was fantastic. So well explained. We are the master of our own mind. What a great power we have as humans. Thank you!

“No magic just engineering” - Thanks for sharing this perspective on human suffering. Where ever you, go there you are. 💜🙏

Liked the perspective and reminder that most suffering comes from inside not outside. Choose joy.
Namaste 🙏

Thank you🙏 we just l❤ve you precious talks😊 you're an amazing teacher💚

Always such enlightenment. Always the truth I need to be reminded of. Thank you 🙏🦋

So wise and insightful. Thank you.

✨🙏🏽Words of wisdom. It all seems so simple! And it can be, with more and more practice of training the mind. Thank You! ☮️💗🕉🌺✨

This teaching is so simple and so profound! Thank you.

thank you for reminding me! ♡

thanks a million once more. always incredibly enlightening.
namaste

Inner engineering is where its all at. Thank you for this.

Brilliant. Thank you ❤🙏❤

I love all your amazing talks!! Thankyou 💛