Podcast details
Be like a tree
A teacher must embody detachment, like a tree offering shelter without attachment to the birds that come and go. People often approach spirituality as a transactional remedy, seeking help only in distress and then forgetting the source. This creates a fragile dynamic where the teacher must remain free from expectation. True teaching requires a relaxed relationship, allowing students to come and go by their own choice. The teacher's role is to provide a welcoming space without personal suffering over others' departures. Spiritual growth is avoided by many who fear confronting their own reality. The essence is to be an unwavering presence, undisturbed by the comings and goings of students.
"Like this should be the master or the teacher. If disciples or students come, most welcome. When they go, let them go. Be like a tree."
"Come, welcome. Go, your choice. This house is your house; anytime you are welcome."
Filming location: Sydney, Australia
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
