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Theory and practice

The peril of mere intellectual theory is that it creates hollow argumentation, not devotion.

Theory has destroyed many, making them empty-headed and dead-hearted. In contrast, a devotee knows only love and surrender. As one develops theoretical knowledge, one tends to criticize and argue more. A story illustrates this: a master sent his disciple to study philosophy. The disciple returned highly educated and began constantly arguing with his master about rituals. While walking, they saw an ox turning an oil mill with a bell around its neck. The disciple asked why the bell was there. The master explained it signals the ox is working. The disciple then asked what if the ox just stood still and moved its head to ring the bell. The master replied the ox didn't study in Kāśī; if it tried that, its master's bamboo stick would correct it. Reading many books makes the mind restless with information. Knowing historical dates, for instance, only feeds the ego. If you want to achieve real knowledge, you must practice. Without practice, there is nothing.

"Lord, I don't know anything. I know one thing: I love you, that you are in each and every atom of my body."

"As much as you read books, that much your mind becomes restless."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Theory has destroyed many, many people. Many great ones became like a vice, called themselves such, but were hollow. It made them empty-headed and dead-hearted. But in a devotee, only one name comes through. It is said: "Lord, I don't know anything. I know one thing: I love you, that you are in each and every atom of my body. If I go down, I'm not going down, you are going down. And if I'm coming through, it's not me who's coming through, you are coming through." Therefore, people may say what they want, but nothing can be compared to bhakti. Nothing can be compared. As much as Jñāna Yoga you develop, you become more and more a person who will criticize and argue. There was one master who wanted to train his disciple and give him a nice education, and sent him to some Vedāntic school somewhere to learn philosophies. So he learned many, many śāstras. He became a doctor of philosophy, a doctor of that, a doctor of this. And he came back, and people were very happy and they welcomed him. At that time, when somebody had studied in Kāśī, in Vārāṇasī, he was very much respected. There was a time, like Charles University, education was something. There are some universities in the world with famous names, so what Kāśī declared was correct. Kāśī Vidyat Samāj, the Kāśī Intellectual Society. Well, now he came to his Gurujī and was living with Gurujī, and always he would argue with Gurujī also. "Now Gurujī, why not like this, and why not like that? Why do we have a tilak here? Why don't we have a tilak here?" So the master said, "Dear, here it becomes a beauty spot, and here it becomes a spiritual spot." So one day, they were passing through a street. And there was an oil mill, and the oil mill was turned by one ox, and that ox had a very nice bell hanging from its neck. So he stopped and said to the master, "Master, why did they hang this bell on its neck?" The master said, "Because when it moves, the bell makes noise, so that the owner of the mill, even if he is sitting in another room, knows that the mill is turning continuously. And when there is silence, when there is no sound, then he comes and starts the ox again." So the disciple said, "Suppose, master, just pretending, the ox will stand there nicely, relaxed, peacefully, and just move its head a little like this." So the master said, "He didn't study in Kāśī. He doesn't have this knowledge. If he does that, then his master is waiting." And he said, "Who is his master?" He says, "About one and a half meter long bamboo stick." So, as much as you read books, that much your mind becomes restless. As many pieces of information, that many bits, that's the paraphernalia of the world. This is all these unnecessary things: how old is this history, how old is that history? Now what to do with that? If Czech history is a thousand years old or two thousand years old or five thousand years old, to know this, what will help us? Only our ego. And we are not sure. Time is laughing at us. Look, they are completely wrong, but they think they are right. That's it. So if you want to achieve something, if you want to know something, then practice. Without practicing, nothing is there.

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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