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Ego

The ego of identity is a universal illusion, and death is the ultimate equalizer. People often attach their self-worth to qualifications, religion, or social status, creating a divisive sense of superiority. This negative intellect is a trap leading to suffering, while positive intellect leads to liberation. True high society is not about wealth but divine qualities like tolerance and peace, embodied in simple living and higher thinking. All worldly attachments—culture, country, money—are temporary. You are merely a guest here, and death is the one gate everyone must pass through alone, stripped of all possessions. Only your karma accompanies you.

"Negative intellect is the snake's mouth. When you land there, it swallows you and brings you to naraka, hell."

"Because nothing belongs to you. Neither the culture, nor country, nor money, nothing. You are a guest here, that's all."

Filming location: Kranj, Slovenia

Some people, particularly some Indians, hold a foolish notion. People go to yoga without studying it. They are surprised when I mention their qualifications. "A doctor? Meditating? Impossible." Yes, really. It is their imagination. And here, too, people think only they are the academics. So I am proud of you that you have no ego. You have academic—no, not 'epidemic'—there is a joke. In heaven, there is a big wall. On one side, a particular religious group was sitting and talking. On the other side were people from other religions. Someone from the multi-religious side asked, "Who is on the other side, behind the wall?" One of them answered, "They are behind the wall; they think only they come to heaven. Only their beliefs bring them to heaven. So they are there alone." Similarly, people think they have an academic ego, and that makes them have negative intellect. There is a work called Cosmic Play by an Indian named Mr. Johari. A beautiful, very nice play. In it, you can play with two or three persons. There are many snakes and some arrows. When you land on the wrong place, the snake swallows you and puts you out in some other place. For example, negative intellect is the snake's mouth. When you land there, it swallows you and brings you to naraka, hell. Many of you know this play, and those who don't should know. It is a very beautiful book written by him about every quality. Positive intellect brings you to liberation, and negative intellect brings you to suffering. In the holy book of the Rāmāyaṇa, it is said such people are rare in this world who have a high position but still no ego. That's why I'm very happy and proud of you. Because people think high society is high society, but that is not high society; that is a destructive society. The high society is a divine society where there is spoken about God, protection of the environment, world peace, tolerance, understanding, forgiveness—that is high. That's why some philosophers said, "Simple living and higher thinking." So Mahātmā Gāndhī said, "My life is my experiment," and he was really living very simply, very, very simply, and he managed. But very few people can manage in the world. Higher thinking—that's very important. So, simple living, higher thinking. One man was working with the earth, with clay, to make a pot. He was taking the earth, mixing it with water, and beating the earth together. It was as if he was torturing the earth. One saint, who was a poet, went by. He understood the dialogue between this earth and the man. The man was sweating. He had in front of him about five kilos, a big ball or dough of mud he had to mix nicely. The poet wrote a poem. In it, the earth is saying to that potter, "Why are you torturing me? One day will come, I will torture you in me." That's it. And so, there is only one gate to go for everyone. No VIP gate. For every creature, one gate. And that is death. And in that gate, there is perfect technology, all kinds of x-ray machines and metal detector machines. You can't take anything with you. Everything you have to leave here in this world. Everything, even this body, you have to leave it here. And alone you have to go. "Haṁsa lupt ho jātā hai," and therefore "lupt haṁsa," you know, thereof can live. The soul disappears in the sky, not there of Lufthansa—it's a piece of shit. So, two nights are complete moonlights. There's a good dark night. Therefore, wise are they who have no ego of their knowledge, of their degrees, of their culture, of their caste, of their country, or their properties, money. Because nothing belongs to you. Neither the culture, nor country, nor money, nothing. You are a guest here, that's all. And very soon you have to pack your things. And the things are the karma, that's all, karma, nothing else.

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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