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Don

The urgency of spiritual practice is now, not in an imagined future. Do not assume a better time will come; the best time is this moment. Tomorrow is never seen. Life is uncertain, and destiny is fixed, yet we are endowed with intellect to choose wisely. Do not lose the diamond of human life for fleeting temptations. Merely eating and sleeping makes one little different from an animal. Therefore, practice yoga and follow spiritual principles in daily life. Do not wait for retirement or perfect conditions, for such dreams are bubbles. Awaken now and live the teachings without fanaticism. Think globally, for the planet is one village. Do not discriminate or claim ownership through greed; live in harmony with all creatures. Simplicity is key, avoiding the swing from austerity to excessive accumulation. Begin with simple disciplines, like washing hands before and after eating, to cultivate purity and respect.

"What you have to do tomorrow, do it today. And what you have to do today, do it just now."

"We have enough in this world for our need, but not for our greed."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

We entered this world as thirsty seekers, longing for Ātmā Jñāna and God-realization. Yet now, entangled in temptation, we are frightened and have lost our direction. We console ourselves by thinking that in a few years, a peaceful situation will arise, and then we will meditate or practice yoga. Or we plan, "When I am retired and have nothing to do, I will do yoga." But are you certain? When you retire, you will likely spend most of your time in a doctor's waiting room, not in a church, temple, or your meditation room. Therefore, do not assume a better time will come. In this life, the best time you have is this very moment. The second day of our life is today. We will never see tomorrow; no one ever has. Tomorrow is always tomorrow. Do not expect such a happy time in the future—these are all bubbles, water bubbles that will soon burst. Hence, the wise have said: "What you have to do tomorrow, do it today. And what you have to do today, do it just now." You never know if you will inhale again after exhaling. Many people have died in the bathroom, sitting on the commode. That was it. They could not even open a small door to call for help. Nothing is truly in our hands. We cannot stop our life, nor can we prolong it. Destiny has fixed it. Yet, destiny has also given us a chance, an opportunity. As humans, endowed with intellect—what we call buddhi and viveka—we must use the best of our intellect for the highest purposes. Thus, it is prayed: "O Lord, at least now, bestow such mercy, such grace, that my life does not pass away without meaning." That there was some sense in being here, that it was worthwhile. Therefore, meditate. Practice mantra. Constantly keep in mind: What will accompany me? What am I searching for? For what did I come? You know what you want, but you do not know the results or fruits of that desire. Do not lose the valuable diamond of human life for a little time, for some fleeting temptation. Khānā, pīnā, bhogā, nāpā, subhī, param sujānā—eating, sleeping, and procreating—animals are also very active in this. If humans engage only in these activities, then there is very little difference between animals and humans. So be a yogī. Be a wise person. Practice yoga in daily life by following spiritual principles. Every holy book writes beautifully on this. Of course, we cannot follow all principles perfectly; otherwise, we would already be Kṛṣṇa. And perhaps we do not wish to be Kṛṣṇa, or like Jesus, who also cried out, "Father, why me?" You, too, often say to your destiny: "Why just me?" As a small child, you said to your parents, "Why, why me?" and "Why do I have to be [scolded] all the time?" Now you are grown, and you still ask, "Why am I always the guilty one?" Yes, you are my daughter, you are the guilty one—all daughters are. And boys, you are also that. That is destiny, and life is not easy. The human intellect understands this, and naturally, we do not wish to be foolish—to be born human and have a mental problem or block. That is perhaps the greatest punishment. So, thanks to God for granting us clear thought, and we are happy for it. It does not matter how many good things you use in life: healthy food, healthy exercises, healthy massage, healthy therapies. Sooner or later, everything will fail. This does not mean we should neglect them, but we must recognize their limit. People dream: "When I retire with my pension, I will travel to Honolulu, the beautiful Waikiki beach, Hawaii, Kauai, Maui—these beautiful islands—or to Hong Kong, Bangkok, or India." These are dreams. You do not know when you will be on pension, how little you will receive, or how expenses rise ever higher. This is a major problem in every country: what elderly people receive as a pension hardly buys their bread. They cannot afford the luxuries you have—heating, air conditioning, electricity, hot water. Every year, prices climb higher. Similarly, do not wait, thinking you will meditate more after some practice. The wise awaken now. Follow all holy instructions, but without becoming fanatical or narrow-minded. Otherwise, you end up in a blind alley again. We do not wish to be in a blind street; our horizons should be wide open. We must think globally and embrace all of humanity. The entire planet Earth has become one small village. What happens in South Africa or Africa, you can see here. Any continent, country, culture, tradition, or religion is visible from your room. The whole planet is a village, and we belong to it. We should live together in harmony as long as we are alive. That is why it is said: do not discriminate. We should cast out this thinking as an enemy, as one-sidedness. A journalist in Slovakia once asked me, "How do you feel being in a Catholic country?" I replied, "What, please? This is not a Catholic country. This is a planet created by God. Some believers or followers of Catholicism live here, that is all." To whom did it belong 5,000 years ago? 3,000 years ago? 1,000,000 years ago? What ignorance, that humans try to claim everything, to assign ownership to everything. The planet belongs to all creatures: birds, butterflies, bees, pigs, cows, deer, rabbits, flowers. How can a human say, "Everything is mine"? That is the world's biggest problem—we create conflicts and boundaries. We should have free thinking, not narrow thinking. This narrowness brings restlessness to the world through territorial problems born of human greed. As Gandhijī said, "We have enough in this world for our need, but not for our greed." Initially, when people come to yoga, read about it, and hear of a simple life with few possessions, they sometimes even throw out their television. I say, "I feel sorry for the television." After some time, they swing to the opposite extreme, beginning to collect and collect—not one television, but a television even in the toilet. Yes, it is no joke: television and telephone in the toilet, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, even a television at the entrance door to see who is ringing the bell. They swing from one extreme to another, accumulating things. Money is not bad; what is bad is how you use it, how you utilize it. So, please take some principles from this weekend and follow them in life. Perhaps this evening I will share one or two very simple things—very simple principles. I can tell you now. Do you want it now? Very good. Here are very easy practices. Always wash your hands before and after eating. It is not bad; it is something very, very good for you. That is the first step, like Sarabhā Āsana. It seems very simple, but it holds great significance from the viewpoint of hygiene, cleanliness, respect for your food, and courtesy toward others. It will create thoughts of purification in your mind. So, before and after eating, wash your hands. Also, drink some water and clean your mouth. This is one simple thing. Do you like it? It is very hard, no? Let us acknowledge there are many different circumstances. You are driving a car alone, hungry, with a sandwich beside you. What do you do? Or you are somewhere with no water. In such circumstances, you can clean your hands with a cloth instead of water. There is also air cleaning, but do not clean like this [gesture]—this is not allowed. Certain circumstances you must tolerate. It is a very simple, good discipline, and I tell you, in one year you will feel completely different.

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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