Podcast details
The Yogi, the Hunter, and the Deer
A spiritual teacher narrates a parable about a yogi's moral dilemma to illustrate the nature of action, truth, and the inner self.
"Those who have seen the deer cannot speak. And those who speak and say that they have seen cannot see."
"Our neck is under the saw. It doesn't matter which direction you move; it will cut."
The teacher tells the story of a yogi meditating in a cave who is asked by a hunter which way a deer fled. Faced with the sin of causing death if he tells the truth or lying if he does not, the yogi seeks an answer from within. He responds with a cryptic statement that confounds the hunter. The teacher uses this to explain that such dilemmas operate at the level of the body, senses, and mind, while the true Self (Ātmā) is neither the doer nor the experiencer of consequences.
Filming location: Vancouver, Canada
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:
- Yoga in Daily Life - The System
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2000. ISBN 978-3-85052-000-3 - The Hidden Power in Humans - Chakras and Kundalini
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2004. ISBN 978-3-85052-197-0 - Lila Amrit - The Divine Life of Sri Mahaprabhuji
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda. Int. Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, Vienna, 1998. ISBN 3-85052-104-4
