Video details
The Axe and the Tree: A Lesson on Desire and Destruction
A morning satsang on discerning technology use and the inner causes of suffering, inspired by a forest walk.
"Use it, but don’t abuse it. If you have such discernment, you will be happy and are a yogī."
"The misfortune was that some of our relatives befriended and joined that axe, and that was the handle... that was the cause of our damage."
The lecturer addresses retreat participants and webcast viewers, discussing the wise use of technology and modern comforts. He shares a parable about an ancient forest destroyed by an axe, whose wooden handle represents our own desires and senses joining with ambition to cause self-destruction. The talk explores themes of inner enemies like desire and attachment, advocating for discernment, renunciation, and finding contentment in simple family and spiritual life.
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
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
