February 27, 2009
We need to attend to the human aspect in today’s times
Bangalore is called the IT city. IT, I say, stands for the city of inner transformation. You need transformation in society, in technology, in our outlook and in our environment.There are three aspects required for transformation - perception, observation and expression. There are four Ts that have to be reviewed and renewed again and again - truth, tradition, technology and trade. They have to be renewed again and again. You all know about technology, but I am talking of the experience of reality.
Buddha gave one technology - how to control your mind. He refused to answer irrelevant questions - among them on God. He said, "I will not talk to you about that which you think you know. I will talk only about that which you don't know." He did not even say that which you don't know. He said that which you are not aware of. He said, "There is sorrow, there is a cause for sorrow and there is a way to get rid of sorrow." Few thousand years later, this became a concept too. Then Adi Shanakara came and renewed the knowledge. Time and again, this renewal is necessary.
There are four sources of energy - food, sleep and the breath. Breathing is an important source of energy and intelligence. We can bring intelligence in those who are dull by making them breathe correctly. The fourth source is a calm and peaceful mind. When you're working at home for a festival, you can work for hours without getting tired. But in the BPO if the boss says work for two hours extra, you say "Oh no". We can perform better if we know about the seven layers of existence - body,breath, mind, intellect, memory, ego and self.
Whenever there is a crisis, the share markets plunge and ashrams get fuller. When there are deadlines and stress, ashram makes the hearts fuller. So there is an inverse proportion! Two months ago, I was in Iraq when the Iraqi prime minister said, "There are big powers in the world but they cannot unite the hearts and minds of people. This work can be done only by a spiritual leader." That is the power of spirituality. Would you like to start a company in a Naxal-hit area? You want a secure, peaceful place. We need to bring that transformation.
I often say, inside every culprit is a victim crying for help. Of course, it takes time! Some time ago, the Bangalore police sent a bunch of rowdy sheeters. In four days, we sent them back as better material! Today, they have adopted 18 villages. What I am saying is that we are not attending to the human aspect in today’s times and we need to do this. If we can transform a violent person, we can also transform a lazy, uncommitted person. Time and again, the human aspect has to be looked into.
Tiredness can also be overcome by attending to the mind, to the breath. This is what I call Inner Transfomation. Are you all here? Everyone? Psychologists say if one keeps taking for 10 minutes, the mind goes out for cappuccino at least three times. You motivate somebody how long does it stay? Two weeks? You give a raise or a bonus - how long it stays? One day? I would like you to notice the difference between inspiration and motivation.
Motivation is material-oriented. Inspiration is goal-oriented, value-oriented and stays for a long time. You see these highly motivated Maoists? You will be surprised. In the prime of their life they go through the forest. They don't live a comfortable life. They are inspired by Karl Marx or Mao. Can't we use the same inspiration in a creative manner? They should know that what they do will contribute to a larger cause of humanity.
Mahatma Gandhi inspired people and so the entire nation united. This inspiration has been used politically, religiously - what makes a young boy of 22 put his life in suicide missions? If he puts this into science, technology - what couldn't be achieved? These days, people enter R and D if they have nothing else to do. What can accelerate invention is inspiration. We are all entitled to have a violence-free society, disease-free body, prejudice-free intellect. Often, our minds are filled with prejudices.
In India, we have this ceremony of lighting a lamp. It takes quite some time to light the lamp. Some ministers cannot even light that lamp. A small boy in our school gets an idea and puts some camphor. And it will easily catch fire. A small boy! Any good idea coming from any corner has to be welcomed. A violence-free society, disease-free body, prejudice-free intellect, trauma-free memory: all these are the birthright of every individual. We can achieve it. A question and answer session followed the talk.
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