- 4 weeks ago
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00:00Sir, I am assuming that a superstitious person who is involved with science in any way is better than the
00:07person who is in general superstitious.
00:09Then what is the problem with superstition?
00:10This is the superstition and this is the most commonly forwarded argument.
00:15But that's flawed, very flawed.
00:17Sir, but that's not superstition, that is logical.
00:20That's the problem.
00:22The question is why do you do whatever you do?
00:24That exactly is the problem.
00:26We do all kinds of nonsense.
00:30From childhood, I have seen science as a very great subject for me.
00:35So I found that in physics we have inertia.
00:37Ego also is very similar.
00:39It does not want to change.
00:40You change your velocity, your momentum, your shape, your size.
00:43People even change their gender.
00:46There's a great difference.
00:47So your analogy will not go too far.
00:50And you're superimposing inertial properties on it.
00:52In front of your PhD guide, you are a student.
00:56In front of your girlfriend, you are...
01:00In front of your mother or your father, you are in front of your friends.
01:04The X is kept variable so that I am does not need to vary.
01:08The ego is very adept at this sly game.
01:12Can this ego be part of our survival instinct?
01:15What do you mean by our survival instinct?
01:17Uh, human beings.
01:18A human being?
01:19What about the human being?
01:20It is better for him to be curious, to stay...
01:22What do you mean by danger?
01:24See, don't give me synonyms.
01:26Please tell me who has been harmed.
01:29Nothing can happen to you.
01:31In some sense, the body is immortal.
01:33What can happen to the molecules?
01:34Nothing.
01:35Sir, but it's very difficult to find the belief.
01:37Like...
01:37Then gain more exposure or meet people like me
01:40who are always ready to wrestle with beliefs.
01:51You are all tried here.
01:52You don't give up.
02:09Hello, sir.
02:11I am Prateek.
02:12I am a master student in quantum technology over here.
02:15So, like, from childhood,
02:18I have seen science as a very great subject for me.
02:22Also, my meaning for moving in life is worse size.
02:27So, because of that, I also took admission in ISC.
02:30I will also be in part of Gita community with you
02:32for around three years.
02:35So, like, I have one question over here.
02:38So, I found that in physics, we have inertia.
02:41Ego also is very similar.
02:43It does not want to change.
02:44But if it has to change, it takes the easiest path.
02:48The corresponding analogy I can see is the law of least action over there.
02:53In maths, like, ego also, we see that it has illusion of choices.
02:57It really does not have choice, but it thinks it has some choices.
03:01And in maths, we see that we try to remove all the paradoxes which we find.
03:06And in paradox, also, I see, we kind of see some illusion of choices.
03:11In paradox, like, I can go either this way or this way.
03:13I do not know.
03:14So, I am just, I can take any choice as I am standing over here.
03:19And because of this subjectivity, I think that maths removes all the paradoxes
03:24and the science does not talk about ego or something.
03:27But still, I, like, I have a question.
03:31Why do we have these two different kind of curiosities?
03:34Like, why science and philosophy differently?
03:38Because the inertias that you are talking of are fundamentally different.
03:43You try to set up an analogy, and to some extent, that is all right.
03:49But there is a great difference between the inertial nature of matter
03:55and the inertial nature of ego.
03:58When you talk of inertial nature of matter, what you want to say is that
04:02it wants to continue in its state
04:08until and unless an external force is applied on it.
04:11Resting, it wants to stay in rest.
04:17Moving, it wants to stay in continuous uniform motion.
04:24That's what material inertia is about.
04:27The continuation of one's state.
04:32Whereas, egoic inertia is not about continuation of one's state.
04:38Egoic inertia is ontological.
04:41It's about continuation of one's existence.
04:46And for continuation of existence,
04:49the ego is always so eager to change states.
04:54Now, material does not want to change states.
04:57You put this here, and it will stay here.
05:01Unless there is an earthquake or something,
05:03or somebody picks it up and does something with it, right?
05:06It stays here for a long time.
05:08That's material inertia.
05:11The ego is always ready to change costumes.
05:18Sitting one movement, running the other movement.
05:20What happened to material inertia?
05:22Nothing.
05:23Aren't you moving the entire day?
05:27You change your velocity, your momentum, your shape, your size.
05:31People even change their gender.
05:34That's egoic inertia.
05:37Everything is negotiable, except my existence.
05:42Material wants to preserve its state.
05:47The ego wants to preserve its being.
05:50There's a great difference.
05:52So, your analogy will not go too far.
05:58Sir, then why do we say, like, in what sense then we say that,
06:02Jala is Chaitan, and like, ego and material are the same.
06:04In the sense that, the ego thinks of itself as something separate from material.
06:12But the ego is nothing, but another form of material.
06:18The ego is nothing, but a property of material.
06:23The ego is nothing, but an output of a particular configuration of material.
06:29In that sense, it is said that that which you call as Chaitan, which is conscious,
06:35is not really different from Jala.
06:38In that sense, it is said by philosophers.
06:43That does not mean that the ego itself is material.
06:46What you're doing is, you are postulating the ego as some kind of material particle.
06:53Right?
06:54And you're superimposing inertial properties on it.
06:58Which is fine, but not so fine.
07:02Sir, actually, I was trying to, like, ego has some tendencies.
07:05So, I was just trying to see how the axiom of physics or science which we have, are...
07:12The fundamental tendency is existence itself.
07:16The fundamental tendency is Aham Avritti, which simply says, I am.
07:23It does not say, I am stable, or I am moving, or the vector points that way.
07:30It simply says, I am.
07:33And after I am, it very happily, very deliberately, leaves a blank.
07:39What's the blank for?
07:41The blank is for the sake of existential flexibility.
07:46So, to exist, if I need to be silent, I will simply say, I am.
07:54Now, this silence is negotiable.
07:57The ego is very flexible with every object, every predicate it has.
08:03I am X.
08:04Now, this X is very variable.
08:07The X is deliberately kept variable so that the I am can survive.
08:13For the I am to remain inviolable, indestructible, and hopefully eternal.
08:23The X is kept as a blank so that according to the need of random situations, the ego can opportunistically
08:33fill up the blank.
08:35So, in front of your PhD guide, you are a student, sometimes a submissive and obedient student.
08:47That's fine.
08:48X has been decently filled up.
08:52In front of your girlfriend, you are?
08:58In front of your mother or your father, you are?
09:01In front of your friends?
09:02In front of a temple?
09:04In front of a mosque?
09:06In front of your lab equipment?
09:10The X is kept variable so that I am does not need to vary.
09:16So, the ego does not try to preserve its state.
09:24It tries to preserve its being, existence.
09:30So, that's why even though it is so intimately linked to material, yet it successfully manages
09:40to convince itself that it is the owner of the material and not the material itself.
09:47You never say, I am the universe.
09:50You never say, I am the observer of the universe.
09:53You never say, I am this body.
09:55You say, I have this body.
09:58In both the cases, what you imply is, in both the cases you imply is that I am separate from
10:05the material universe or the material body.
10:08The ego is very adept at this sly game.
10:13Sir, can this ego be part of our survival instinct?
10:17What do you mean by our survival instinct?
10:19Who has to survive?
10:21Human beings.
10:22What do you mean by human beings?
10:23The human being, what is the human being?
10:27Is your finger too eager to survive?
10:30For example, you gave one example of rabbit, which is curious.
10:34So, that curiosity leads him to avoid danger.
10:39So, it is better for him to be curious to stay.
10:42What do you mean by danger?
10:43Please understand.
10:44What do you mean by danger?
10:45See, the wolf comes, no, no, no, don't give me synonyms.
10:52The wolf comes, divides the body of the rabbit, material has been cut into material and that
11:01material body has been absorbed by another material body and has gone in and become protein and
11:08calories and other things.
11:09What is the danger in this?
11:12Please tell me, who has been harmed?
11:17Have the molecules disappeared?
11:19There were protein molecules or fat molecules in the rabbit's body.
11:25Have they disappeared?
11:26No, they have simply been reabsorbed by the wolf's body.
11:30So, who has been endangered?
11:34The ego.
11:36It is only the ego that feels threatened.
11:39Nothing happens to the body.
11:42The universe has mass energy permanence.
11:47What can happen to the body?
11:49Where can mass disappear?
11:51But because the ego is linked to a particular configuration of the body, therefore the ego
11:58feels threatened.
11:59Otherwise, nothing can happen to you.
12:01In some sense, the body is immortal.
12:05What can happen to the molecules?
12:07Nothing.
12:08So, it is the very sense of I, the ego.
12:12Yes.
12:13Yes.
12:14And let's say the wolf is standing at the rabbit's head and the rabbit is still asleep.
12:19Is there danger?
12:21Is there danger?
12:23You require somebody to perceive that danger.
12:26Who is that somebody?
12:28If the body were to perceive danger, then the rabbit would have perceived it when the wolf's
12:33body was standing close to the rabbit's body.
12:36But no.
12:38A particular state of ego has to be the perceiver of the danger.
12:43So, there is nothing called danger objectively.
12:48Objectively, there is thus the material changing configuration.
12:54All danger is subjective.
12:56There has to be somebody to feel the threat and that somebody who feels the threat is nobody
13:03but this ego sense, the self.
13:11So, like we said that ego is the fundamental tendency, it says I am and it wants some X.
13:18So, we also know that ego and Prakriti, they cannot exist separately.
13:22They both exist together and when we are saying that I am is the most fundamental tendency, are
13:29we not saying that then Prakriti would be a sub-product of this fundamental tendency?
13:38What product of, in what way?
13:41Sir, like in some of the sessions you have said that
13:46Aham hi Prakriti ko jan deta, like material, material is the essence of material.
13:53No, no.
13:56Sir, actually like the more, if I go deeper into myself, I have hold this question very closely,
14:05it's in my mind or heart and I am not able to leave this question, like you are giving
14:10me some…
14:10See existence, what you call is existence, is always subjective.
14:15There has to be somebody to say that the suns and the moons and the stars exist.
14:22So yes, ego is needed to experience all this.
14:28But that does not mean that the ego is the originator of all this.
14:33Please, go back to the laws of duality.
14:35The two ends of duality are not originators of each other.
14:43What do we call it?
14:47Samutpaad.
14:47What does Samutpaadan mean?
14:50Exist together.
14:51Co-existence and not just co-existence.
14:57Dependent co-origination.
14:59Pratitya Samutpaad.
15:01Dependent co-origination.
15:04So you cannot say ego is the mother of Prakriti.
15:08No, they co-originate.
15:09And therefore both are false.
15:13Both are false.
15:15Because that one cannot exist without this one.
15:18And this one cannot exist without that one.
15:22And this feeling that both are real.
15:25I am real and this universe is real.
15:28I am real and the creator of this universe is real.
15:31This feeling is all human suffering.
15:40Yes, so like suffering we talked about, so I have kind of hold this question very close
15:46to me.
15:47And it has kind of, like we were talking that we have to release our burden, we have to
15:51become light.
15:51And I have, like I thought, okay this is my meaning, now with this question I will get
15:56more understanding.
15:57And now I see that I have made this question a burden on myself and because of that I have,
16:04I can have much more things to do in my life.
16:06No, no, you don't need to drop questions, please.
16:08That is not implied at all.
16:12Beliefs you anyway carry.
16:14And question is your attempt to shed light on the belief.
16:20Beliefs drop your question only when you have dropped the belief as well.
16:25You cannot say I am carrying belief but want to drop the question.
16:30Now questions actually should have no permanence, right?
16:34And questions do feel like a burden, right?
16:37But please do carry that burden because you are already carrying a belief.
16:44Questions should disappear only when beliefs do.
16:49As long as beliefs are there, please do not drop the questions saying that they feel heavy.
16:56Sir, but it's very difficult to find the belief, like the things I told you, the question I asked,
17:02then gain more exposure, go to places where people follow different beliefs.
17:09Or meet people like me who are always ready to wrestle with beliefs.
17:14Right?
17:15Or read, read, there is the entire literature, wisdom literature of the world available.
17:21And they will challenge your belief.
17:24See, belief is like a wound.
17:27Often, it will not make itself felt unless it is touched or pressed.
17:36So if you say you cannot detect your belief, then the way is to roll on the ground or jump
17:48into a pool or wrestle with someone.
17:50When you wrestle with someone, your sore spots start showing up and crying, don't they?
18:00Right?
18:01So beliefs you are carrying, but because you become accustomed to them, hence their existence is not experienced.
18:10Otherwise, what we call as the self is nothing but a mass, organized mass of belief.
18:16Belief.
18:17That's all.
18:19Hmm?
18:20It cannot feel itself because we feel only suffering.
18:23And when will belief suffer?
18:26When it meets the opposite belief.
18:28That does not mean the opposite belief is true.
18:31But at least there would be some suffering.
18:33So you believe, for example, your God is green.
18:36Go and meet people who believe their God is blue.
18:39Now you will know you are carrying beliefs.
18:42Because as long as you are with people who all feel that God is green, your beliefs will not pain.
18:49Because everybody believes that God is green, so you must travel.
18:53So you must read.
18:54So you must talk.
18:57Especially with those who do not carry the same cultural baggage.
19:02And then they will insist with equal force that God is blue.
19:08And then your beliefs will hurt.
19:11And then you will know, yes, I am carrying belief.
19:15Sir, with your permission, can we take questions from the audience?
19:19Are we done with this?
19:20This is pretty intense so far.
19:23Sir, myself Somendra.
19:25And currently I am a Texic India student.
19:27Sir, I have this question regarding superstitions.
19:30So, Sir, like I end before the question.
19:34I am assuming that superstitious person who is involved with science in any way is better than the person who
19:42is ordinary superstition, doing superstition.
19:44Come again.
19:45What's the comparison?
19:46Sir, I am assuming that a superstitious person who is involved with science in any way is better than the
19:53person who is in general superstitious.
19:55Superstitious are also unscientific.
19:57Yeah.
19:57It can be said.
19:58So, now the question is, like if me being a student of science, if I am involved in superstition and
20:07that superstition is giving me a sense of belief.
20:10And that belief is helping me in pushing me harder and harder to do good and well in life in
20:17the way which you say or Vedansi or whatever the norms are.
20:21Not as per the society but as per the thing that we actually do.
20:26Then what is the problem with superstition?
20:28This is the superstition that arising from a point of ignorance or belief or superstition, you can still do something
20:38good in life.
20:38And this is the most commonly forwarded argument that by being superstitious, we are actually able to do some good
20:46things in life.
20:48We are able to have courage.
20:49We are able to have faith.
20:52We are able to stand through tough times.
20:54That's what people usually say.
20:56But that's flawed.
20:57Very flawed.
20:58Like an example, like when I go to lab I do my research and all things and after that one
21:03of the panelists also mentioned about this.
21:05So then when I come out from the lab and go and play sports or do music or whatever I
21:11do, then in those things if there are some aspects where I do like before playing I chant for five
21:18minutes and then so that I can gather my mind in this game and do well.
21:23So that actually helped me.
21:25So if I am doing that then what is the problem with this?
21:28The problem with this is that that if at all it helps you, let's say it does because the mind
21:33being a machine, there can be efficiency improvement measures and for the time I am accepting, let's say that chanting
21:41does help you become more efficient and focused at what we are doing.
21:46The problem with that is that you will become more efficient and focused at whatever you are doing.
21:53Yeah, whatever might not be possible.
21:55And whatever you are doing is very dangerous.
22:00Yeah.
22:04There are people who have used these kinds of practices, neuro-linguistic methods, tricks and techniques for all kinds of
22:14obnoxious purposes.
22:15In fact, let me say, all these things, the entire range starting from self-help, self-improvement to programming the
22:25mind to doing this, including chanting also, all these things are used mostly in the service of the ego.
22:33No.
22:34I want to be a better negotiator.
22:38I want to be a better negotiator.
22:38So I will enter the negotiation hall after five minutes of meditation.
22:45And what is the negotiation about?
22:47Furthering my greed.
22:50Furthering my greed.
22:52Even in war zones, where outright buchery is happening, soldiers are often given, not just what you are saying are
23:03mental methods.
23:04Even physical methods exist.
23:06There are pills that are given.
23:08And there is this name of the pill that was given to the German soldiers.
23:14The name starts with M.
23:17So it helped them stay concentrated, feel blissful and also stay awake for long periods.
23:26And also go without food.
23:29Now this sounds almost yogic, does it not?
23:31But what was all that for?
23:34Go and butcher the Jews.
23:36Sir, but that's not superstition.
23:38That is logical.
23:39That is biological.
23:40No, no.
23:40That is superstition.
23:41Because whatever comes to the service of the ego is superstition.
23:45Mind you, ego is the fundamental superstition.
23:48And anything that assists the ego is superstitious.
23:54You are saying good things.
23:57Now that goodness itself is being defined by the ego, you are saying,
24:00I use this so-called spiritual practice.
24:05And that enables me to do better in whatever I am doing.
24:09Right?
24:09Whatever you are doing is being decided by the?
24:13Ego.
24:14So basically your spiritual practice is in service of the?
24:17Ego.
24:18Ego.
24:18That's the problem.
24:21Yeah.
24:22Thank you sir.
24:23Be very cautious when it is said that by using this spiritual method,
24:27you will become good at whatever you do.
24:29Because whatever you do, that whatever-ness is your hell.
24:35The question is why do you do whatever you do?
24:37That exactly is the problem.
24:39We do all kinds of nonsense.
24:41And then that Baba comes and says, I will make you better at whatever you do.
24:47And we like that.
24:49Okay.
24:49Okay.
24:49Fine.
24:49Gita for corporate productivity.
24:52This is evil.
24:53This is evil.
24:55It's not because of Sambhava.
24:58I myself figured it out.
25:00We do not know where it comes from.
25:01Wait, wait, wait, wait.
25:02Maybe you didn't directly hear it from Sambhava.
25:05See, that's the power of cultural conditioning.
25:07You need not hear it from a particular mouth.
25:10You need not read it from a particular book.
25:13The lady, what she is saying is coming straight away from some of the Smriti books.
25:19Have you ever read?
25:20She has not read.
25:22But she is verbatim reiterating those things.
25:25She has never read them.
25:26That's the power of cultural conditioning.
25:28The whole thing then penetrates the air.
25:31Even without your knowledge, the influence penetrates you.
25:36So, you may say, no, no, I have not heard it from somebody.
25:39De facto, you have.
25:41Maybe indirectly.
25:43Indirectly.
25:43Yes.
25:45Thank you, sir.
25:51Hi, everyone.
25:52My name is Sonia Agnihotri.
25:54And I am with Achariji from last two and a half months.
25:59And before that, I used to listen him from YouTube.
26:02But I think mostly things have changed when I joined the Gita sessions.
26:06So, I can give one example.
26:08Like earlier, I listened some of the YouTube content from Achariji.
26:12But most of the things I decoded based on my understanding.
26:16So, based on that, I took some bad decisions of my life.
26:19I would say it's a really big decision that one should not take.
26:23But it's still after some time when I got to know about the Gita session and I joined that.
26:29Then I got some clarity.
26:30I understood like what we do is we got the content and we mixed up with our own understanding
26:37or our own greed as well.
26:39So, let's say if I want to get married, I see Achariji's video and interpret it in some other way.
26:44So, this is some thing I got to know after joining the session.
26:49So, for me, the most important part is it's good you listen to him from YouTube, from any other source.
26:55But sessions are the most biggest blessings for all of us.
26:59So, now I am out of many of the things.
27:03Still many things are going in the background that I cannot share as of now.
27:06But I would say I am handling everything very smoothly.
27:10I am working professional.
27:12My whole family, my parents, my brother, my sister and his wife and even a small baby.
27:19She is also a member.
27:20We came here today.
27:21So, we all are vegan.
27:24We change our lifestyle.
27:25We are more focused towards health.
27:28My mother was many, she had many, like she is a twice cancer survivor.
27:35But today she was here.
27:36She saw Achariji.
27:37She got so much strength.
27:39Right now she is doing yoga, everything.
27:41So, we are working on ourselves.
27:44We try everyone.
27:45One should try, at least listen to him with open mind.
27:50Because this is the most important part.
27:52If you don't listen him with open mind, then you might interpret anything.
27:56But I found the most, you know, Karuna, the Acharji say all the time.
28:01This Prem and Karuna, we can just feel from his words and everything.
28:08Whatever he does.
28:09So, today I got a chance.
28:10First time I am volunteering for this event also.
28:13So, it was very, very beautiful journey.
28:16I wish I will continue this.
28:18Thanks.
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