Forest Flower December 2011

FOREST FLOWER December 2011

S P E A K S

Z E N

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CONTENTS Main Article A Love Affair with Life Sadhguru about Inspiration and the Spiritual Process 4 Musings Seven-Tiered Cities Sadhguru on the Human System and its Replicas 7 The Science of Aliveness Herbs for Vitality 9 Leela Series The path of the playful – part XXVII: What is Dharma? – 3 11 In Conversation with the Mystic A Sense of Wonder Anupam Kher in Conversation with Sadhguru 12 News & Happenings Isha Samskriti Applications open in December 14 In Gratitude to Life Dussehra Celebrations at the Ashram 14 Down Under in High Spirits Sadhguru visits Australia 15 A Symphony of Sound, Light, and Color Diwali at Isha Yoga Center 16 Indulgently Healthy Isha Life’s Mahamudra one of the Top Restaurants in Asia 17 Sadhguru Spot The Longing for the Infinite 18 Upcoming Programs and Events Isha Yoga – Program Highlights 20 Isha Recipes - For Healthy Living This Month: Pakora Kulambu 21 Zen Speaks Walking in the Rain 23 FOREST FLOWER

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SADHGURU

A Love Affair with Life Sadhguru about Inspiration and the Spiritual Process A few weeks ago, I was in Singapore, addressing the faculty of a premier management and administrative training college. Because I was hopping from engagement to engagement, just before entering the place, I asked, “What’s the talk about? What am I supposed to speak?” They said, “Something about leadership.” And as I was rushing into the college, I saw a banner with my picture which said, “A talk on leadership by an inspirational speaker from India.” So I just thought, what are the things which inspire people to do something, and when and why do people need inspiration? Only when you don’t really want to do something, you need to be inspired. If you really want to do something, you don’t need any inspiration. Do you need to be inspired to go for dinner? No, but some of you may need inspiration 4

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to wake up in the morning for sadhana. When people are highly inspired, they can do great things – or they can do absolutely stupid things. Inspiration does not always come with wisdom. If we want to create something very purposeful and focused, then we need more sensible, focused people; more of those who do not need to be inspired by anybody but who clearly know, “This is what we want to do.” If clarity of what we really want to do is there in us, our ability to create what we want is so much better than that of just an inspired lot. A group of inspired people are good for shortterm activity. Long-term activity can only be done by those people who really want to do it anyway. The difference between a materialistic person and a spiritual person is just this: a materialistic person is December 2011

like a dog that has a bone hanging in front of it to make it win the race. Looking at the bone in front, the dog runs faster and faster, hoping to get the bone, but this never happens. The market economy runs like this – everybody has a bone hanging in front of him. Their tongues are hanging out, but with some incentives, they keep running. Of course there is always a threat that if you don’t run fast enough for what you are paid for, you will be nailed. This is the fundamental difference between running a corporation and running a spiritual movement. In a corporation, people are hired, a contraption is fixed to their collar, and a bone is hung in front of them – that keeps them running. If they don’t run fast enough, they get nailed. Whereas a movement means, whatever kinds of fools are with you, you have to take them along. You cannot fire anybody; you cannot nail anybody. You want everybody moving. A materialistic person is constantly whipped by external situations; the market forces will whip him. A spiritual person does not need any external whipping since he is doing what he really wants to do. The spiritual process is a far more intelligent way to exist because it means you are in tune with the intelligence of the Creator. Whatever you can think up is in no way comparable to that intelligence which is creating this body, to that intelligence which is making a flower out of mud, which is making mud into food, food into human body and human body into mud again, which is making the planets go round, and the galaxies function – that which is the very basis of creation. Whatever kind of very smart thoughts you come up with, whatever kind of equations you have produced in your head, whatever kind of formulas you have invented, they are all just desperate attempts to understand the intelligence of that which is the source of creation. What you think is science is just a desperate attempt to understand the intelligence of the Creator. What you call technology is just a measly imitation of the technologies of life that already exist. So what you think is human intelligence, the logical intelligence, is not comparable to the intelligence which is the basis of creation. If you are willing to become one with that intelligence which is the source of creation, FOREST FLOWER

then you are spiritual. Generally, materialistic life is not in line with that intelligence. Is it wrong? Is it wrong to eat food, to wear clothes, to have a building to live in? Is it wrong to do this and that? That is not the point. If you make the side dish of life into the main dish, it is a foolish way to live; that is all. We build a home, we wear clothes, we eat food, we do everything because we want to live, and live totally. We not only want to live, we want to know life in its entirety. Not just the skin of life, we want to know the soul of life. If you are only eating the skin of life, it is an unintelligent way to exist. If you think your existence is exclusive, if you think you are an exclusive creation, then this is what will happen: you will end up eating only the skin of life, never the fruit. Spiritual process is to eat the fruit of life, the juice of life, the core of life. We not only want to taste it, we want to know and experience it in its entirety, in its full depth and breadth, in its utmost profoundness. So spiritual process is not a divorce from life; spiritual process is an irrevocable love affair with life. Why is it needed? – Simply because it is a more intelligent way to exist. No human being would consciously want to be a fool. Even one who fools around does it to show how smart he is. But if you think that you are an exclusive piece of creation, if you think, feel, and experience life as if you are alone in this existence, if your experience of life is not of union but of divorce from the existence, then your so-called intellect works against you. It once happened, just after the French revolution. The French had perfected the guillotine as a machine to take off people’s heads. Because they had made the machine, they had to use it as often as possible. Wherever they saw a head, they felt like taking it off. So one day, three men were brought for execution – a lawyer, a priest, and an engineer. They put the lawyer down on the board with a hood over his head and pulled up the blade – it did not fall down. Technology failure, you know. According to the law, they had to kill him instantly; but now they had put him through the torture of waiting there and it did not happen, which meant tomorrow he might sue them – so they let him go. They put the priest on the board and pulled, again nothing happened. They December 2011

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thought this must be divine intervention and let him go. The engineer chose to go to the execution without a hood. Lying down, he looked up and said, “Hey, let me tell you what’s wrong with this.” [Laughter] This is how human intellect is working right now. We are doing so-called brilliant things which are going to destroy our life. How can you call these things brilliant when they are taking away the very earth on which we stand? You have heard of the famous Panchatantra story where a woodcutter is sitting on the other end of the branch, sawing it off, not understanding that when he is successful, he will fall. This is how our intelligence works right now. In 2008, when I was at the World Economic Forum, the recession had just hit the western part of the world and people were in a depressed condition. They asked me to conduct a session which was titled, ‘Recession and Depression.’ I saw all these people who are worth billions of dollars looking very sad because they were worth a few billions less than what they were three months ago. I told them, “See, recession is bad enough, why depression?” I am not going to philosophize with you but I want you to understand this: we have created an economic structure on the planet which is such that, if it does not work, you will be depressed. If it works, we will be damned because of the way we have structured it. Right now, the Living Planet Report, which is supposed to be reliable information, says, “If everyone on Earth consumed as much as the average American, global society would need 4.5 Earths to achieve sustainability.” But we have only one planet. So this is the way our intelligence is working. This is a distortion from the intelligence of that which is the source of creation within us and in everything. Just in everything that you touch – the food that you eat, the air that you breathe, the earth that you walk upon, and the very space in which we exist – the hand of the Creator is obvious for someone who pays enough attention to it. So the biggest thing that a human being can do is to be in tune with that intelligence and ensure that he does not distort the

hand of the Creator. “Within this, can I live my life? Can I do what I want to do?” You can do everything that you wish to do and still not distort the hand of the Creator – if only you are in tune with it. If you are not in tune with it, you become an exclusive intelligence. The creation does not make room for that. Then you have to create your own creation like Vishwamitra1 did. Viswamitra was an angry man, so he was exclusive intelligence. With a little bit of affection and love, you are a little inclusive; when you are angry, you are exclusive. So he created his own creation – and you know what happened to him. He and his party got stuck halfway, neither here nor there, in Trishanku Swarg2. So the purpose of yoga, the purpose of the spiritual process, the purpose of everything that we are doing is to ensure that we reduce the number of Vishwamitras on the planet because they will get stuck; they will neither be here nor there. If you are here it is okay; if you are there it is okay; if you are neither here nor there, that is a bad state; it is a limbo. Initiation into a spiritual process means to stir up that intelligence within you which is the source of creation – you allow it to function. Don’t use your own stupid brain. This does not mean I am against the intellect. I am not. Today, there is a lot of artificial intelligence in the world. The computers are getting really smart, but no computer can ever equal a human being. At some point in future, a computer may be built to do just about everything that a human being is doing right now – but the computer can never compete with human stupidity. So we will always be incomparable. [Laughter] Intellect is not the problem; the problem is that you become an exclusive intelligence, not an inclusive intelligence. The word yoga means ‘union;’ union means inclusiveness, to become an inclusive intelligence so that your intelligence does not in any way distort the intelligence which is the source of creation within you and in everything.

– Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru

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A rishi of ancient times who performed a ritual to get the Devas to allow Trishanku, a king who wanted to ascend to heaven in his mortal body, . entry into heaven. When the Devas refused, Vishwamitra got angry and used his yogic powers to create a new heaven for Trishanku, who got . suspended upside down in his heaven. 2 A parallel heaven created by Vishwamitra for Trishanku; figurative for a state where one is stuck in the middle, neither here nor there

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December 2011

Seven-tiered Cities Sadhguru on the Human System and its Replicas Q: Sadhguru, you said that the city of Kashi1 was built in seven layers. What are these seven layers and how can one use them for one’s spiritual growth? Sadhguru: A seven-tiered city is a very ambitious project. One aspect of the challenge is to create it; another aspect of the challenge is to maintain it in such a way that it stays alive. Kashi is not the only seven-tiered city. This [the human system] is also a seven-tiered2 ‘city.’ Structures of a certain reverberation [such as Kashi] were built as a kind of replica of an evolved ‘city’ [refers to the human system]. In that sense, the Dhyanalinga is also a seven-tiered ‘city.’ So Kashi as a seven-tiered city was created as a replication of this [the human system]. But that was a long, long time ago. Since then, all kinds of absolutely rudimentary modifications have been done to the city and people who are living there are not conscious. To maintain such a space, you need thousands of people who are conscious of this process and able to manage it. That is long gone. There was a time when people in this country believed that if you just enter this city, you would be liberated, because it was such a powerful space. But the very fundamentals of this city have been disturbed. You cannot even recognize anymore what was there earlier; it is just gone, wiped out. Just a few remnants of what was originally built are left. Above all, the very heart of the city, Vishwanath3, has been desecrated. The temple was destroyed a long time ago and we do not even know if today’s linga is the original one which was supposed to have been consecrated by the Adi Yogi himself. If Shiva himself consecrated it, we could definitely recognize that. I just did not spend enough time there to ascertain whether this is the original linga or not. But it is not in its original place – that is for sure. These things 1 2 3 4 5

happened during invasions. The first thing they hit is what is most precious to you. So there is not much left of the seven-tiered city – only the story. Rituals are still going on, but the real thing is gone. If you wanted to create a seven-tiered city today, it would take a lot. Not that it cannot be done – it is easier than creating a Dhyanalinga, but it would take much more funding. And to later on manage that city so that it would be like an energy force, would take a lot of work. I don’t think people are willing to do that today. If we just loosen the grip on the Dhyanalinga Temple, the next generation of people will come and turn it into a market place. Some of the best temples in the country have been turned not just into market places – many even smell like toilets. Building the necessary awareness, commitment, and seeking within yourself, that when you see something precious, you will preserve it, is not possible if your own life is the most important thing. Only when you hold something above your own life, only then you can create something of that kind; otherwise, you can only build a house and live in it, that’s all. For most people, building a house is already the biggest dream in their lives. They have no dream to build something larger than themselves. All these great temples, for example Ajanta, or Ellora4 with the three-storied Kailash temple5, took a minimum of 135 years to complete. At least four generations of people worked on them. Four generations of people worked to the same plan, not changing the plan, striving to create that. But today, in the name of being modern, we have just become frivolous; the profoundness is gone. The more I look at the education system, the more I see it as the

City at the banks of the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, also known as Benares or Varanasi Refers to the seven chakras or energy centers within the human system Temple dedicated to Shiva; one of the twelve Jyotirlingas; commonly considered as one of the most sacred of Hindu temples Ajanta and Ellora: Monumental cave temples in Maharashtra Carved out of a single rock

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city of your own. You will not get along in anybody else’s city, nor will you allow anybody else to enter yours, so better you have your own city. [Laughter] Modern education has trained us to become exclusive, not inclusive. Changing all this in the world is a faraway thing. We have to work with the current social structure. If you try to change everything, you will end up with a world inside a world. Too many spiritual leaders have committed that blunder of trying to create a world of their own. If you create a world of your own, you will breed megalomania; you will start acting god-like and funny things will happen; you won’t even dress normal. Because God is such an ancient idea, you cannot dress contemporary, you know? [Laughter]

main culprit. A kind of education that would bring a sense of profoundness into a human being is simply absent on the planet. The way we are educating people naturally moves them from profoundness to profanity. This is a worldwide phenomenon because we have chosen education as a way of earning a living. If you want to eat, you should learn agriculture, not education. Wouldn’t that be a natural way to do it? But today, education has become the tool to eat, which we cannot suddenly reverse. We can take a few people off of that, but not the whole mass. Kashi was built for a common purpose, when people had a certain level of inclusiveness. They ate together, they lived together; a certain togetherness was possible. As people get more and more educated, they cannot live with anybody; they cannot get along with anybody. Isn’t this happening? But if you come and sit in the Dhyanalinga Temple for fifteen minutes, you can experience a seventiered structure, so that hopefully, you will begin to experience the seven-tiered structure here [within your own system]. The idea of building all that is so that the experience happens here [within yourself]. When we are teaching you this simple process of yoga, it is to build a seven-tiered city of your own. Daily practice is a way of constructing a seven-tiered 8

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So Kashi is still a beautiful place for you to visit but for sure not a place to seek a spiritual process. One thing I like are the ghats [cremation grounds] – at least they will remind you that you will die. If you go to Manikarnika Ghat or any other ghat, generally, you will see at least five, ten bodies burning, and it is done very businesslike, without any ceremony – which puts you in the right perspective of who you are. If you have grand ideas about yourself, it kind of levels you down. You know, we have taken over a crematorium in Coimbatore. Approximately five bodies a day are being cremated there. Instead of you going all the way to Kashi, we could create a place at the crematorium to do sadhana. You could do sadhana in a place where the ultimate process for your body is happening. You largely live as a body, so the ultimate process for the body [cremation], is in many ways for most people the ultimate process of their lives. So a crematorium is a good place to spend some time because if that one thing [your mortality] is put in the right perspective, suddenly sense will blossom within you. Right now, the spiritual thirst is not deep enough in most people because somehow they think their life is assured forever. In a way, you know you will die, but from your experience, only others die. Your name has never appeared in the obituary column, so you think you don’t die. So a crematorium is a good place to do sadhana. You will understand you are mortal. Then you will learn to seek something which is beyond physical existence.

– Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru

December 2011

The Science of Aliveness Herbs for Vitality Ayurveda is the science of aliveness. Ayur means aliveness, being alive, to bring vitality to life – not to invite disease and then try to banish it from the system. After all, this body is an accumulation of this planet; it is a piece of this planet. But how you gather it makes all the difference. Everything that grows upon the planet is made from the same soil, but different things that have come out of the earth have different kinds of impacts. For example, in India, goat’s milk is considered very healthy and medicinal in quality because a goat eats various plants of medicinal value and you may get something out of it. So when people lack vitality, they switch to goat’s milk because there are many herbal medicines in it. A goat selectively eats what it needs on a particular day in a particular quantum. So even a goat knows – then why is it such an issue for human beings to know what they should eat and what they should not eat? Because they are not using their senses to eat what they should eat – they are trying to think it up. Once you start thinking things up, you do not know what is true and what is not true. This is the nature of your thought. If you start thinking something about a particular person, after some time, you do not know what is true about this and what is not true about it because your mind will make you believe all kinds of things. So Ayurveda means having the necessary sense to recognize, out of the millions of things that come out of this earth, that which has the right kind of impact on you. Traditionally, an ayurvedic doctor would always be located next to a forest or a place like that. Looking at you, with your vibes within him, he would go into the forest and choose what is needed for you, bring these fresh herbs, prepare and give them to you, and like a miracle, your problem would be gone. This is not about the chemistry of the plant – it is about trying to match the life process of the plant and yours in such a way that a FOREST FLOWER

science of aliveness is created out of it. So, [for the Isha Herbal products] we have identified those herbs which will bring you aliveness. Mind you, aliveness, not stretching your life. If you do things to just stretch your life, it will be torturous. If you try to drag yourself forcefully through any situation, it is always going to be a tortuous experience for you. So especially if you try to stretch the whole life process as such, it will be miserable. Unfortunately, this is what is happening today: We are stretching people’s lives to ninety, ninety-five, hundred, but they do not know why they are here. If you go into a geriatric clinic, it is pathetic – they don’t know why they even exist. If you stretch life, this is what happens. If you generate aliveness, life will last as long as it can last. When it has to go, it will go well. Stretching life makes a human being lose all his dignity, all his humanity; everything that he ever valued in his life, he will lose towards the end of his life. People who lived well are made to go in a most undignified way, simply because somebody is interested in stretching their lives. I don’t know the exact statistics, but I think I read something that about 80% of the pharmaceutical sales go to people who are over 65 years of age. We want to stretch their lives because it is good for the business. What is good for business is good for the economy; what is good for the economy is good for the ruling party – they all benefit from it; but it does not benefit the value of human life. So Ayurveda is not about stretching your life; it is the science of aliveness. This body is like a chemical soup. Only when the ingredients are right, the soup is good. Ayurveda is about getting this chemical soup right so that it pulsates with life; this is not about stretching life. So these [first five Isha Herbal products] are not really medicines. Earlier, people who were cooking were aware what kind of food is needed in a particular situation. If one of us children was running a temperature or had a stomachache or something else, my mother knew what to cook December 2011

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on that day. Today’s mothers have no clue what to cook in such a situation – they can only run to the doctor. When the child has a stomachache, they will get an MRI done. So because there is nobody around you who is aware enough to add the necessary ingredients to your food, these [Isha Herbal] herbs are brought to you in the form of a capsule that you can pop. It is a natural product; its fundamental quality is maintained; it is not chemically treated, just desiccated, no other modifications or additives. These are not medicines. These are not necessarily

for the sick. These are for those who want to be alive. If you lived in nature, many of these things would have naturally been part of your diet – and it would have worked very well. But now that we get our food from a superstore, not out of nature, these things have to be added – genuine herbs, which can make a difference in one’s aliveness. What you need is aliveness – if the body is alive enough, health will be a natural manifestation. Isha Herbal is one step towards this.

– Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru

Isha Herbal, a range of natural products, was recently launched by Sadhguru and H. Ramesh (chairman of the TSS Group of Companies) at the Isha Institute of Inner-sciences, Tennessee. The first five products launched are Turmeric, Licorice, Ashwagandha, Flax Seed, and Panax Ginseng – herbs that were specially selected to enhance one’s aliveness, a prerequisite to enjoy health and wellbeing. Isha Herbal is now available at the Isha Rejuvenation Center, the Isha Arogya Hospitals and Isha Arogya Pharmacies (the first of which has recently opened in Salem, Tamil Nadu), as well as online at IshaShoppe.com. 10

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December 2011

Leela Series The path of the playful – Part XXVII

What is Dharma? – 3 Q: Sadhguru, what does Krishna consider as dharma? And when can killing be considered as one’s dharma? Sadhguru: What is dharma? Many people brought this question up in Krishna’s life. When Draupadi was supposed to get married, Krishna did everything to see that she got married to the five [Pandava] brothers, and Draupadi questioned him, “Do you know what dharma is?” Or when Krishna told Bhima, “Leave Hastinapur to Duryodhana. Let’s build a new city,” Bhima said, “You are a traitor. I want to kill Duryodhana. You are telling me to leave this kingdom to him and go and build another kingdom somewhere else, from scratch? What do you know about dharma?” Similar questions came from Arjuna and many others. People questioned Krishna, “Do you really know what dharma is?” I will not go into the individual, detailed answers that he gave, but in general, Krishna admitted, “Even I do not know what dharma is in terms of action right now, because action is subject to situations. However we judge it, we could be slightly off the mark when it comes to the exterior. But when it comes to my swadharma [one’s own duty (in life)], how I should be within me, I am 100% clear about that.” No intelligent human being is ever 100% clear about how to act; he always weighs it. Whatever we do, our very existence, our eating, living, and breathing here is an injustice to some other life form, if you look at it from their point of view.

dharma is a judgment at that moment. Nobody can fix what is right, what is wrong. When it comes to action, only a fool or a fanatic is 100% clear. All the others are constantly weighing. There is no other way; the very nature of creation is such. Now you are talking about killing. If you eat, you kill. If you breathe, you kill. If you walk, you kill. So if you don’t want to do all that and you kill yourself, still you kill. So what dharma will you follow? It is just about how you are within yourself. If you are in a state of all-inclusiveness, you will act according to your intelligence, according to the situation. If you are not in a state of inclusion, if you are in a state of ‘you versus me,’ then everything that you do is wrong. You cannot do anything right because your very existence is wrong, because you have made it ‘you and me.’ Krishna’s whole life was a demonstration of just this. There was no ‘you and me,’ it was ‘me and me’ or ‘you and you.’ Whether he was with the gopis, or he was acting as a statesman, or he was teaching the Gita, the message was always the same, of inclusion. Once there is only ‘me and me,’ action is just a question of situation and judgment. No action can be 100% right or 100% wrong. But as Krishna always insisted, and as I have been insisting all the time, about the swadharma, how to be within yourself, you can have 100% clarity.

– Excerpted from a talk by Sadhguru

So no action in the world is 100% right or 100% wrong. You just have to consider the larger good that you create with your actions and perform them accordingly. So when it comes to external activity, FOREST FLOWER

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A Sense of Wonder Sadhguru in Conversation with Anupam Kher Anupam Kher: As a child, I had a great sense of wonder about everything. I don’t see that in today’s children. Sadhguru: Because they replaced the wonder with ‘www.’ [Laughter & applause] They know the whole universe before they are six. Anupam Kher: Exactly – they know everything. They just have to search Google and all the information comes up. But information does not necessarily translate into knowledge. And they always say, “That’s the way I am!” or “I’m bored.” And to be bad is being cool. If you say, “I am a good man,” you are a boring man. Sadhguru: Usually they are. [Laughter & applause] People who claim that they are good people usually are boring.

Sadhguru: I used to sit down on the terrace, trying to make segments of the sky and meticulously counting. I went up to seventeen hundred, and then you get all mixed up. What was there is not there anymore, what was not there had come. That itself was a wonder – seventeen hundred just blew my mind. Today scientists are telling you there are over a hundred billion galaxies – not stars, a hundred billion galaxies. So as you explore, as you know, the wonder will increase because you realize the nature of the existence. Scientists are so freaked out now; they don’t know which direction to go because wherever they look, it all looks deeper than it ever was. Just on your facial skin, there are billions of organisms right now. Do you know this? Don’t imagine them – they are actually there. [Laughter] But you can’t see them – that’s good. As we look closer at life, it just explodes into wonder.

Anupam Kher: That is why the breaking news is never about good things. It’s only about disaster, rape, swindling of money. We are marketing fear; we are constantly made to feel that we are living in a dangerous world. But back to my question – how does one in these times retain a certain amount of innocence, a certain sense of wonder? Sadhguru: See, wonder and innocence are two different things. Wonder does not necessarily come from innocence. For example, modern science has done a phenomenal amount of exploration. They have gone into all kinds of things that we would have never thought possible. When you were a child, you definitely looked up at the sky, didn’t you? Anupam Kher: Absolutely. Sadhguru: Did you ever count the stars? Anupam Kher: I used to do that in Shimla. Sadhguru: How far did you go? Anupam Kher: Oh, I could not go beyond hundred or two hundred. FOREST FLOWER

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A sense of wonder is gone not because of innocence or lack of innocence, but because what we call knowledge are stupid conclusions about life. Today, people are carrying their attention deficit like a qualification. Existence will yield to you only if you pay attention to something. Anything in this existence will yield to you only if you pay substantial attention to it. But now, people have become such that they can’t pay attention to anything. In this

is talking to them, it will not be effective. It is the attention which is making the difference; not what is playing on the screen. What is playing on the screen is instrumental in grabbing their attention, but it is the continuous attention that makes the experience what it is. This is a rudimentary form of meditation which is called dharana. Anupam Kher: So how, in today’s time, does one retain that attention span? Sadhguru: If I say yoga, it will be like I am promoting it – no. But everybody must do something about himself. Every school should bring in a dimension that requires a child to pay attention to something continuously. It could be music; it could be dance. You cannot do music or dance unless you pay attention to it. But you can pass an examination without attention. You know, we have an Isha Home School, which is run in a very different way. One day I went to their Assembly Hall, and these six, sixand-a-half year old kids just kept moving around. So I brought in this simple thing: every day in the morning, everybody must do fifteen minutes of “Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa” singing. After just two months, they were all sitting still. That’s all it takes.

condition, there will be no wonder, only conclusions in your head. There are only monologues going on in your head; there is no perception. If there is perception, all the noise in your head will just stop. If you are looking at something absolutely beautiful and engaging, everything stops. Why people enjoy the cinema is just this: you switch off the lights and they are focused on the film for those ninety minutes or whatever; their usual monologues are gone – something else is happening. They don’t know what is going to happen next, and that is what keeps their attention. The important thing is, their attention is engaged continuously, which makes them feel something has happened to them on that day, going to the cinema hall. If you just keep the lights on, you will see, cinema will not be effective. Or if somebody 13

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If you make them walk in the forest in the darkness, you will see that their ability to pay attention and their sense of wonder will explode. If you just take them into the jungle, make them walk for a night, without torches, without cell phones, without anything, in a protected atmosphere, you will see, within one night, there will be a tremendous transformation in their sense of wonder. But we are making them physically incapable of these things. Just sitting in front of the computer is making them physically incapable. When something hurts physically, they will protest; they will not do anything. This is something that parents must take care off. Bringing up your child does not mean just sending him to school so that he gets marks and grades and all that nonsense. In body and mind, your child should develop his full capabilities. That is when success will manifest in his life. Just marks will not manifest as success.

December 2011

Isha Samskriti Preparing Children not for the University but for the Universe

“Today, the most important work on the planet is to raise human consciousness. Isha Samskriti is an endeavor to allow children to flower into their ultimate possibility of consciousness and capability.”

– Sadhguru

At a time when modern education is merely geared towards inculcating information, Isha Samskriti is an education system dedicated to a child’s overall development, enabling them to realize their full potential – physically, mentally, and spiritually. Under the guidance of Sadhguru, each aspect of the children’s lifestyle is carefully chosen to orient them towards their inner nature. A unique blend of yogic practices, classical Indian arts such as Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music, and martial arts such as Kalaripayattu, bring balance and stability to the child’s body and mind. The children also study English and Sanskrit. Children begin between the ages of six to eight and receive a life-oriented education until the age of 18. The children develop into dynamic, capable and dedicated human beings – human beings whose presence will be a blessing to the world. Applications are open from 1 to 31 December 2011. Contact: +91-94426 16138, [email protected] With close to eight months of experience behind them, the Isha Kalachaara committee which organizes the many celebrations at Isha Yoga Center, has made yet Dussehra celebrations at the ashram another splendid attempt to revive the beauty of the traditional Indian festival culture. While an unusually hot post-monsoon sun blazed down on the ashram on 6 October 2011, preparations were underway for the culmination ceremony of the nine-day Navaratri celebration, better known as Dussehra.

In Gratitude to Life

Not unlike many other traditional festivals and celebrations of India, Dussehra is punctuated by pooja, performing arts and prasadam. As volunteers were inaugurating the event with Ayudha pooja, one might have wondered why laptops, vehicles, cooking vessels, tools, and other implements were placed on white cloth, garlanded, kumkum1 clad, and surrounded by fruit and sweet khichri (a rice and dal dish). Traditionally, worshipping implements is both an acknowledgement that the Divine is in everything, even in inanimate things, and an expression of gratitude because these items facilitate our work in the world. Promptly following Ayudha pooja, the Isha Samskriti children captivated us with chants and songs. Sounds of Isha is known to exhibit different types of genres and soundscapes depending upon the team members and situation at hand. For this occasion, the band along with a guest drummer from Chennai wooed the audience with songs about the Devi, Linga Bhairavi. As the sun finally began to set over the hills, the main performance was about to begin. On the occasion, the dance teachers of Isha Samskriti had prepared three pieces of Bharatnatiyam, a classical form of Indian dance that features vibrant story lines, evocative expressions, and undeniable agility. As the evening merged into night, the darshan brought everyone together on a different level. After dinner, the residents and guests gathered to participate in a traditional dance known as garbha. The word garbha literally means ‘womb.’ This dance is an expression of devotion towards the feminine aspect of the Divine. It is symbolically performed in a large circle, accompanied by lively music in six beats. This night’s dance in devotion towards the Devi surely left an impression that merged with the countless memories that this sacred space holds. 1 Red powder traditionally made of saffron or dried turmeric and slaked lime, used in India in ritual ceremonies and for making marks on the . forehead.

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December 2011

Down Under in High Spirits Sadhguru visits Australia ‘An Evening with the Mystic’ brought together the vivacious spirit of Australia and the boundless energy of Sadhguru’s presence, making it a surreal and insightful experience. A traditional, esoteric Aussie didgeridoo performance, reflecting the ageold spiritual connection of the indigenous, set the tone for the profound talk that followed. However, whoever had come with the idea that it would be a low-key, serious session was in for a surprise. Sadhguru’s cracking wit and humorous disposition kept the audience in peals of laughter while he provided strikingly logical insights into the workings of life. Questions that followed the talk covered a gamut of subjects including karma, rebirth, empathy, and love. Though some of them were rather complex, Sadhguru ensured the answers were delivered in such a concise and comprehensible manner that everyone got the take-home message. A guided Isha Kriya meditation gave the audience a glimpse of the profundity that being human implies.

with such aesthetic and clockwork precision. Sadhguru shared some interesting observations of his visit to Australia (excerpted from Sadhguru Spot of 12 Oct 2011): “Here I am, down under in Melbourne, equal measure of work and play – I like it. […] My engagements did not allow me to do much of a walkabout, but the terrain, people, culture, and language as it is spoken here give the place a very different feel from the rest of the world. “The talks were well attended and a small group of volunteers did great in organizing the events that definitely had impact in this southern city of the state of Victoria. […] “South Indian culture and aborigines may have been from the same stock; this thought is in circulation. It is time to do some DNA or genetic studies to either establish or dispel this. The aborigine medicine and spirituality definitely seem to echo Southern India, but this deserves a proper study.

The packed auditorium and the thunderous applause that followed the session spoke for itself – Isha is picking up big time in Australia. The energy of the volunteers was infectious, and a number of guests wondered how an event of this scale was pulled off FOREST FLOWER

“This trip has been path-breaking for Isha in this part of the world. […]” – Sadhguru

December 2011

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A Symphony of Sound, Light, and Color Diwali at Isha Yoga Center Isha Yoga Center was in a festive and colorful mood on Diwali (26 October 2011), with a deluge of volunteers, families, and guests who came to the foothills of Velliangiri for this ‘festival of lights.’ Diwali is celebrated with great exuberance across India and takes its name from the tradition of lamp lighting in the evening, a symbol of inner awakening. There were plenty of activities to choose from as the day progressed. The festivities started at 8 a.m. with the distribution of sweets to local villages. This was accompanied by a mobile version of Sounds of Isha, which brought their thumping drum beats from village to village on an open lorry loaded with half a dozen percussion enthusiasts and their instruments.

gathered at the Nandi to adorn the Dhyanalinga and Linga Bhairavi temples with hundreds of small oil lamps. The rain gave way to tranquil clouds that reflected the rays of the setting sun, a foretaste of the glow that would soon surround the temple. The Tarana auditorium in Isha Home School was chosen as the venue to house the evening darshan, which concluded with Sadhguru’s Diwali message on video. The stage then lit up with performances from Isha Samskriti children, Kalari masters, as well as a skit from ashram residents. Sounds of Isha topped the evening off with an encore of drumming that ignited the audience into exuberance and dance!

Visitors made their way to the Biksha Hall, which was decorated for the occasion with beautiful rangolis1 at the entrance, and delicate strands of coconut and mango leaves strung from the ceiling. After brunch, ladies queued up at the Spanda Hall pavilion to have their hands beautified with Mehendi (intricate patterns drawn with Henna paste). Joyful shouts and cheers, music and songs filled the ashram grounds during the afternoon games, in defiance of the rain. Towards the evening, volunteers and residents 1

Artful patterns, usually drawn on the ground with white and colored powder

Sadhguru’s Diwali Message: “In the world around us, darkness is just absence of light. But in the inner dimension of the human being, darkness is absence of clarity. Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights. It is also a celebration of clarity and enlightenment. May this Diwali be not just a Festival of Lights, but also a celebration of taking a step towards enlightenment. It is my wish and my blessing that you must have a cracker of a Diwali!” 16

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December 2011

Indulgently Healthy Isha Life’s Mahamudra one of the Top Restaurants in Asia Following the motto ‘fitness for life,’ Isha Life in Chennai offers a fitness studio, angamardhana (a set of energetic, traditional exercises), yoga, the Shambhavi spa, a boutique, and the Mahamudra restaurant – all under one roof. Earlier this year, NDTV Hindu acknowledged Isha Life as the Best Wellness Center in Chennai. Now, Miele Guide, a Singapore-based restaurant guide, has selected Mahamudra as one of the top restaurants in Asia. What distinguishes Mahamudra from other restaurants is its unparalleled cuisine and ambience. The inspiration behind the concept of offering light and healthy food gourmet-style was none other than Sadhguru, who provided the entire basic menu. Many others contributed their ideas and experience to translate this vision into reality.

(a broken wheat dish with yoghurt) – and based on this idea, we developed wheat-based variations of other traditional rice dishes. Initially, we were a little skeptical if our guests would accept these healthy alternatives, but we need not have worried – our preparations have not only been well received by our guests, they have created such a stir that several newspapers picked up the story. “Generally, the less nutritious white rice is predominant in Indian cuisine today. We have brought in some twists to the common ways of preparation, with an emphasis on fresh herbs and spices, local vegetables, healthy grains such as ragi (finger millet) and kambu (pearl millet), wheat, red rice, wild rice, and proteinrich dal (pulses). With health being the ruling mantra, salads are an essential part of our menu. Our salads are rich and different, catering to the taste buds while using only the freshest ingredients. For those who like to sample a wide variety of dishes all at once, we offer the Wheat Thali @ Mahamudra. “What people really like about Mahamudra apart from the food is its warm, friendly, and earthy ambience – it is a relaxing oasis in this busy city. And it seems we are able to satisfy all age groups – regularly, families of three generations come here to celebrate together. It is indeed fulfilling to serve wholesome food and very rewarding when appreciation flows in from all quarters.”

Meena Thennaapan, who was instrumental in developing and refining many of the Mahamudra recipes, explains what makes them so deliciously unique: “A very important part of any fitness initiative is ‘fitness through food.’ An attempt to make and serve food that helps in keeping our body and mind healthy and fit has resulted in this unique offering, following the broad guidelines set by Sadhguru. For example, he had asked us to make Godhumai Thair Sadham FOREST FLOWER

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Sadhguru Spot Musings from the Master

The Longing for the Infinite 9 November 2011

CHUK. Yes, just one more step away from being a licensed pilot. With FAA test behind me, the only thing that could not be fulfilled is the 5-hour solo cross-country due to time and weather constraints. The test, with only 4 days preparation time, I was forced to do 18–20 hour slog in trying to understand technicalities of aerodynamics, heli-engineering, navigation, aviation regulations, aviation conventions and the lingo. Did well in spite of the math involved. Something that I had not done even in my school time. A record of sorts for the numbers I got. Reaching toward 100 is a bit embarrassing as all my life I have been closer to 0. Well, it is only this time around that my life truly depends on what I had to study and grasp.

through meditator-run companies. Now, anyone or a group of people can form a company to promote Inner Engineering Online and it is a lucrative proposition for them, over and above the joy of making it happen for a lot of people.

The Shambhavi initiation in New Jersey went off very well with over 350 participants (big number for USA). The online Inner Engineering program is a wonder; it is a better preparatory tool than the live program. The participants were a mixed and a wonderful bunch. There are steps being taken to pitch up the Inner Engineering Online program

My brush with the art crowd in New York has been interesting. In the next hour, I am spending some time with one of the foremost artists in America. If time allows, may paint a picture or two in the near future. Love and Blessings,

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In New York for three days with a few talks and mostly business meetings. If these meetings bear fruit, the business end of Isha is ready to go big time. These are being created as a sustainable solution for the education projects in rural India. Unless we educate rural masses in India, the nation cannot really move ahead. There is a serious lapse in this area. The numbers that are being projected do not paint the real picture.

December 2011

Shivapadam A rare opportunity to live under the Grace of the Velliangiri Mountains To live in the nourishing atmosphere of a consecrated space is the dream of any spiritual seeker. We are delighted to offer this possibility for Isha meditators, to reside in the sacred space of the Isha Yoga Center and imbibe the Grace of Dhyanalinga. Our upcoming residential facility, ‘Shivapadam,’ will provide comfortable individual cottages set against the lush backdrop of the Velliangiri Mountains, also known as the Kailash of the South. Shivapadam is designed for those who wish to spend a substantial amount of time in this powerful

space and focus on their sadhana. You can either apply for lifetime use of a Shivapadam cottage and stay throughout the year or whenever you wish, or opt for time-share. The time-share option will allow you and your immediate family members to stay in a Shivapadam cottage for 21 days in a year, for a period of 12 years. If you wish to make use of this opportunity, please apply for accommodation in the category of your choice. Available categories:

COTTAGE

AREA

Single room with attached bathroom

425 sq. ft.

One bedroom, hall, attached bathroom and kitchenette

637 sq. ft.

Two bedrooms, hall, two attached bathrooms and kitchenette

1183 sq. ft.

Time-share of single room with attached bathroom

425 sq. ft.

“A human being deserves to live in a consecrated space, a space that is charged with a certain energy which will naturally push him upward – not something that traps him into the ways of life but something that constantly helps him to transcend.”

– Sadhguru

For further information, contact us: Email: [email protected] Phone: 09487895088, 09487895865, 0422-2515345 FOREST FLOWER

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS DAT E 4 Dec 2011 10 Dec 2011 11 Dec 2011 11 Dec 2011 18 Dec 2011 18 Dec 2011 18 Dec 2011

PRO GR AM

Pre-Samyama Meet

PL AC E Mumbai Pune Singapore Delhi Isha Yoga Center Bangalore Hyderabad

C ON TAC T 9820040609 9823055703 +65 97960992 9818646666 0422-2515300 9845425305 9553030111

16 - 18 Dec 2011

Inner Engineering Conducted by Sadhguru

Mumbai, India

8080345000, [email protected] / 9881408561, [email protected]

20 - 22 Dec 2011

Hata Yoga Residential program

Isha Yoga Center Coimbatore, India

0422-2515300 [email protected]

23 Feb 2011

Pancha Bhuta Aradhana Residential Program

Dhyanalinga Temple Isha Yoga Center Coimbatore, India

0422-2515426, 94878 95878 [email protected]

23 - 24 Dec 2011

Aadhi Yogi Aalayam Consecration Conducted by Sadhguru

Isha Yoga Center Coimbatore, India

Tamil Nadu: 94425 04620; North India: 98106 55004; Central India: 98201 35722; Karnataka: 99160 42295; Andhra Pradesh: 94417 79681; [email protected]

29 Dec - 1 Jan 2012

Inner Engineering Retreat Residential Program

Isha Yoga Center Coimbatore, India

0422-2515421 [email protected]

11 - 18 Feb 2012

Mahabharat Residential Program conducted by Sadhguru

Isha Yoga Center Coimbatore, India

94449 02058 [email protected]

13-19 Feb 2012

Yaksha A Celestial Feast of Music and Dance

Isha Yoga Center Coimbatore, India

0422-2515345 [email protected]

20 Feb 2012

Mahashivarathri Event with Sadhguru

Isha Yoga Center Coimbatore, India

0422-2515345 [email protected]

23 Feb - 1 Mar 2012

Samyama Residential Program conducted by Sadhguru

Isha Yoga Center Coimbatore, India

94425 04681 [email protected]

These programs are conducted in English, unless indicated otherwise. Current at the time of print, however subject to change. For full program schedules and updates, please visit our website www.ishafoundation.org. 20

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December 2011

ISHA RECIPES For Healthy Living

PAKORA KULAMBU Quantity Ingredients 1 cup Split Bengal gram (chana dal – split black chickpeas without seed coat) 1 ½ inch piece Ginger 1 small Carrot 7-8 sprigs Fresh coriander leaves 3 Red chilies 1 teaspoon Fennel seeds To taste Salt 1 tablespoon Ghee 7-8 Curry leaves 3 tablespoons Vegetable oil (Plus extra for frying)

8 medium Tomatoes 1 inch stick Cinnamon 1 Bay leaf 3-4 Cloves 2 cups Coconut milk 2 teaspoons Coriander powder ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder 1 tablespoon Red chili powder 3 tablespoons Cashew nut paste Method of Preparation The Pakoras: Soak the Bengal gram in 3 cups of water for 2 hours; drain in a colander. Peel and chop the ginger. Scrape and grate the carrot. Chop the fresh coriander fine. Place the Bengal gram in a blender along with the ginger, red chilies and fennel seeds and grind to a coarse paste. Add salt to taste, grated carrot, melted ghee, half of the chopped fresh coriander and curry leaves; mix well. Divide into small portions and shape into balls for the pakoras (fritters). Heat sufficient oil in a kadai (traditional cooking bowl), wok, or deep pan and fry the pakoras till golden brown in color. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. The Gravy: Place the tomatoes in a pan with just enough water to cover them. Boil for 1 to 2 minutes and remove pan from heat. Drain water. Cool tomatoes and remove the skin. Chop the tomatoes roughly and grind to a paste. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan and add the cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves. Sauté for ½ a minute and add the tomato paste. Sauté till the raw smell disappears. Add the coconut milk, coriander powder, turmeric powder and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Do not allow it to come to a boil. Add the cashew nut paste, mix well and cook for 5 minutes more. Add salt to taste and mix. Add the pakoras and boil for 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Sprinkle the remaining chopped fresh coriander on the dish. Serve with chapati or fried rice. FOREST FLOWER

December 2011

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December 2011

Z E N FOREST FLOWER December 2011

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