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Don

A spiritual discourse on the urgency of spiritual practice and the purpose of human life.

"In this life, the best time you have is this very moment. There cannot be a better time than right now."

"Do not lose this valuable diamond of human life for a little time, for some temptation."

The speaker delivers a compelling talk on why one must begin spiritual practice immediately, rejecting the common excuse to wait for a more convenient future like retirement. He emphasizes the unique human capacity for intellect (buddhi and viveka) meant for seeking higher purpose, warns against wasting life on mere animalistic pleasures, and advises following spiritual principles without fanaticism, embracing a global perspective free from greed and discrimination.

Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Weekend seminar

We entered this world as thirsty seekers of ātma-jñāna, for God-realization. Yet now, entangled in temptations, 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 think, "When I am retired and have nothing to do, I will do yoga." But are you sure? When you retire, you will likely spend most of your time in doctors' waiting rooms, not in church, temple, or your meditation room. Therefore, do not imagine a better time will come. In this life, the best time you have is this very moment. There cannot be a better time than right now. In life, there are only two days. One was yesterday, which is gone. The second day of our life is today. We will never see tomorrow. No one has seen tomorrow; tomorrow is ever tomorrow. So do not expect such a happy time; these are all bubbles, water bubbles that will very 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 can 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 in our hands. We cannot stop our life, nor can we prolong it; destiny has fixed it. But destiny has given us a chance, an opportunity. As humans, through this human intellect we call buddhi and viveka, we must use the best of our intellect for the best things. Therefore, it is prayed: "O Lord, at least now, bestow such mercy, such grace, that my life does not pass away without some sense." That it made some sense to be here; it was worthwhile to be here. Therefore, meditate, practice mantra. Constantly keep in your mind: "What will be with me? What am I searching for? For what did I come?" You know what you want, but you do not know the result or fruits of that which you want. Do not lose this valuable diamond of human life for a little time, for some temptation. Eating, sleeping, and procreating—animals are also very active in this. If humans do only this, then there is very little difference between animals and humans. So be a yogÄ«, be a wise person. Practice yoga in daily life; follow spiritual principles. Every holy book writes very beautifully about them. Of course, we cannot follow all principles perfectly, otherwise we would already be Kṟṣṇa. And perhaps we do not wish to be Kṟṣṇa or Jesus, for even Jesus cried, "Father, why me?" You, too, say to your destiny many times, "Why just me?" When you were a small child, you said to your parents, "Why, why me?" Now you are grown, and you ask, "Why am I always the guilty one?" "Yes, you are my daughter." "Yes, you are the guilty one, all daughters." Boys, you are also that's why. So destiny, and life, is not easy. The human intellect understands this, and of course we do not want to be stupid, to be born human and have a mental problem or block; that is probably the biggest punishment. So, thanks to God, He gave us clear thought, and we are happy about it. It does not matter how much you use good things in life—healthy food, exercise, massage, therapies—sooner or later everything will fail. But that does not mean we neglect them. We should concentrate on keeping our temple, our body, in good condition. Yet we should never wait for tomorrow. Do not think that when you are retired, you will have time. People dream: "When I'm retired and have my pension, I will travel to Honolulu, beautiful Waikiki beach, Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, these beautiful islands, or Hong Kong, Bangkok, or India." These are dreams. You do not know how little pension you will get or that expenses rise more and more. This is the biggest problem in every country. What elderly people receive as a pension can hardly buy their bread. They cannot afford the luxurious life you have—heating, air conditioning, electricity, hot water, all of it. Every year prices climb higher. Similarly, do not wait to meditate more after practice. The wise one awakens now and follows all holy instructions, but without being a fanatic, without being one-directed and narrow-minded. Otherwise, you are again in a blind alley. We do not want to be in a blind street. Our horizons should be wide open; we should always think globally. It is necessary to embrace all of humanity. The entire planet Earth has become one small village. What happens in China, you can know here, now. What happens in South Africa or Africa, you can see everything here, or in North or South America. Any continent, country, culture, tradition, or religion—you can see it all while sitting in your room. So 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 a one-sided view. A journalist in Slovakia once asked me, "How do you feel being in a Catholic country?" I said, "What, please? This is not a Catholic country; this is a planet created by God. Some believers or followers of the Catholics are living here, that is all." Five thousand years ago, to whom did it belong? Three thousand years ago? One million years ago? What ignorance, that humans try to process everything, to possess everything. The planet belongs to all creatures—birds, butterflies, bees, pigs, cows, deer, rabbits, flowers. How can a human say that everything is mine? That is the world's biggest problem: we create conflicts and boundaries. We should have free thinking, not narrow thinking. That is it. This greed creates restlessness in the world, these territorial problems created by humans. GandhÄ«jÄ« said, "We have enough in this world for our need, but not for our greed." On this world, there is enough of everything for our needs, but not for our greed. Where there is greed, there is a problem, whether small or big. Therefore, I always tell you: do not be greedy. In the beginning, when people come to yoga, listen, and read about a simple life of non-possession, they even throw out their television. I say, "I'm sorry for the television." After some time, they change completely to the opposite and begin to collect and collect—not one television, but televisions even in the toilet. Yes, it is no joke: television and telephone in the toilet, bathroom, kitchen, even a television at the entrance door to see who is ringing the bell. So they swing from one extreme to another. Things and money are not bad; what is bad is how you use them, how you utilize them. That is it. So please, take some principles this weekend and follow them in life. Perhaps this evening I will tell you one or two very simple things, very simple principles. Or I can tell you immediately now. Do you want it now? It is very hard, no? Let us say there are many different circumstances. You are driving a car alone, you are hungry, and you have a sandwich beside you. What do you do now? You are somewhere with no water. For cleaning your hands instead of with water, you can use a cloth. There is also air cleaning. But do not clean like this. That is not allowed. So there are certain circumstances you have to tolerate. It is very simple, a good discipline, and I tell you, in one year you will feel completely different. --- Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Weekend seminar

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.

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