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  • Recorded on: 19 Jul 2000
  • Language: English
  • Length: 0h 04m

Human Life (lecture for public in Zlin)

Human life is a precious, unrepeatable opportunity not to be bought or borrowed. Its purpose extends beyond animal instincts like eating and breeding. Humans alone ask, "Who am I? Where do I come from? What is my purpose?" If we do only what animals do, there is no difference. We must have a higher aim. Dormant qualities that define humanity exist within us; we must awaken and utilize them to perform our right duties and serve the world.

"Who am I, and from where do I come, and what is the purpose of my coming, and where will I go?"

"If humans are doing only that much, where is the difference between humans and animals?"

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Our life is one of the best and most precious lives. This is the precious diamond which is given to us. This human life will not be given to us again and again. You cannot buy this body anywhere, nor can you borrow it from anyone. It is only a chance to have this body. Therefore, we shall try to keep this body healthy and harmonious, and through this body we shall serve the world. We should be happy, and we should give this happiness to others. What is the sense of our life? Only humans can think. It is said, "Who am I, and from where do I come, and what is the purpose of my coming, and where will I go?" This is one of the questions which should be answered by each and every human. Khānā, pīnā, bhogānā, paśubhī, param sujanā—eating, drinking, getting children, and building the house. Animals are also very expert in these. If humans are doing only that much, where is the difference between humans and animals? Definitely, we do have a very high aim for our life. If you believe in God, then think: If God has given you this life, the human life especially, why did He give you this life? What does it mean to be a human? Which qualities make us human? There must be a complete difference between other creatures and humans. So where are those qualities? They are dormant in the human body. We shall utilize them. We shall awaken those qualities. Then we will be able to do the right duties, the right performances of the human duties.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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