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Anger

The spiritual path is endangered by distraction at the final threshold. A blind man guided himself along a wall through a vast hall to find the exit. Each time he neared the door, an itch or a moment of anger caused him to remove his hand, and he missed the opening. Human life is the door to escape rebirth, but we are distracted by desire, anger, and ignorance, causing us to miss it. A practitioner's lifelong effort can be lost in a sudden flash of anger, which acts as a thief stealing everything at the very threshold. We must overcome anger through discipline and devotion. We are fortunate to have the chance for spiritual practice, which our ancestors often could not. Our gatherings are for renewal, like recharging a depleted battery through practice and meditation. Human life is for more than animal instincts; it is for righteous action and sincere spiritual practice in every aspect of daily life.

"Anger is that thief, that bandit, who will steal everything from you right at the door."

"Eating, drinking, sleeping, and procreating are things animals can also do. But humans are not born only for this."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

One can miss the way at the very last moment, as illustrated in the story of the blind man. This blind man wanted to exit a large hall and, using the technique common to the blind, placed his hand upon the wall to guide himself. The hall was vast, 1,800 square meters, and his path was obstructed by tables and chairs. When he finally approached the door, he began to scratch his head. This meant he removed his hand from the wall. He kept walking while scratching. What happened? He missed the doorway. After scratching, he placed his hand back on the wall, continued walking, and became very angry. "How big is this hall?" he wondered. Each time he neared the door, an itch would arise—under his armpit, on his stomach—or he would become angry, exclaiming, "My God!" And the door would be missed. Human life is that very door to escape the circle of rebirth. But we have the itching of māyā—temptation, desires, anger, hatred, ignorance. And we miss the door. Thus, sometimes you perform your sādhanā, your bhakti, your entire life, and suddenly you become angry and lose everything. There was once a karma yogī in Jadan Āshram who would often get angry. On one occasion, he was very angry, and when angry, he would withdraw into himself. Many people spoke to him, but he was deeply saddened by his own anger. He went to Gurujī for help. Gurujī told him, "Anger is that thief, that bandit, who will steal everything from you right at the door. Whatever you have earned the whole day and wish to bring home, anger is such a thief that he will take it all away at the threshold. And so it is; all your spiritual sādhanā, everything you are doing, anger will take away." We know it is not good, yet we become angry. Therefore, it is crucial that we overcome our anger, whatever happens. Learn to accept that this overcoming is tapasyā, it is bhakti, it is vairāgya. Hence it is said: "But chanvala lagesa me janu." How dear these words are to me, only I know, and that is all. This is very important. Therefore, we do not pray for anything else, but we pray to protect our love. That love should not be destroyed; that thread of love is so delicate—do not break it. That is all. This is not the work of one life, but of many, many lives of sādhanā. Finally, you have received the chance to perform your sādhanā. Your ancestors could not do this. Your ancestors could not receive mantras; they had to hide. There were many difficulties. You do not realize what you possess. We are very fortunate; we are very rich. We have everything. But at the same time, we must also have good health and practice. That is very important for us. Our meetings are for renewing and regenerating. Consider your mobile phone, what you call a handy cell phone. After using it for a while, the battery empties and a signal appears. It must be recharged. Similarly, when a health problem appears—physical or mental, negative thinking, anger, hatred, jealousy, or physical disease—it is already an indication, a signal, that you must now recharge your energy. We must go again. And that is why we are here. That is all. So, recharging the battery again: practicing your āsanas, practicing your prāṇāyāma, practicing your meditation—this is recharging your energy. And when you come to the seminar and we meet together, it is a complete renewal; it is a complete service. Yes, sometimes the master uses different kinds of tools—opening, screwing here, hammering, and many things. But you leave anew. That is very important. The Guru Gītā states: "As many times as you see the Gurudeva is your benefit; as many times you see, that many times you should greet." And in meditation also, you should have the darśan. To gain this unity is not easy. But when you have it, then you are over. Your boat is already on the other shore. I have said in nearly every lecture that eating, drinking, sleeping, and procreating are things animals can also do. But humans are not born only for this. There is something more: good karma. If you are not afraid of anything, that is very good. Do not be afraid, but be afraid of your karmas. That is everything, the one in oneness: sādhanā. It is not that now I will do only prāṇāyāma, or I will only do jñāna yoga, or I will do only bhakti yoga. That is Yoga in Daily Life. All that you are doing in your life—do what you are doing, but do it honestly, correctly, carefully, with heart and love. That is very important.

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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