Who is a yogi in today’s world? Is he the one who chucks up his householders duties and goes to the Himalayas? Or is it someone who joins some ashram and stays there in austere surroundings? Or someone who discards his entire life and becomes a sanyasi? Who could be called a yogi in today’s scenario?
Joining some baba or swami in some cult or group and doing weird poojas and performing death defying feats of hatha yoga doesn’t mean becoming a yogi. Wearing some orange or white clothes and carrying Malas or beads doesn’t mean you have become godly. Almost all Buddhists who join the sanghas do that. Even Christians twirl the beads. Doesn’t have any semblance to becoming a holy man.
First the Himalayas are not friendly enough for the modern man to run to. Yes, you could join some weird looking guys for reaching the divine. They may live on frugal food or marihuana. Doesn’t come close to divine anyway. You could become a hippy who does the same. Saying hooooo or throwing arms in the air doesn’t comprise that too. Breathing deep and light and feeling heady or crossing legs and saying some syllable doesn’t mean anything at all. So also reading heavy spiritual texts and reciting some words by heart doesn’t take anyone to god! If it could then birds would be there first. They parrot everything.
So let’s come to who can become a yogi. Yoga clearly translates into union with God. So any kind of yogic activity comprises trying to reach god. So stop saying it’s an exercise. You may say some syllable and that too about some god so it’s all about god alone. If you are an atheist then don’t call it yoga. Maybe you can say exercises or something. Just as god is a term shunned by atheists so also yoga is union with god. Atheists may not like it so why bother about the term?
A yogi is a person who searches for God. Better still he is called a sadhak. Or someone who is in search of God. Now did you notice god and God written here. Both are different. The small g is deity or Yaldaboath or Demiurge. Not the real God. But created one. The capital G is the real God or as we say Highest Consciousness or Father in heaven. So now what are you seeking? Small god or big God?
It’s not necessary for you to run away to become a sadhak. You can stay at home and do the same. To begin with you first need the grace of God to become one. You can’t force yourself into being one. Next you need a guide to get there. You can’t find guides at roadside. The Guru actually finds you out and not the other way round. So if you haven’t found anyone as yet then he has to still come in your life. There are no ordaining ceremonies for becoming one so stop telling yourself that you are one. Btw, if you are that one amongst thousands who have got mass ordination then forget it. You are no way close to anything. Stop kidding yourself. Twirling some beads doesn’t mean being with God! Saying long and tongue twisting words or mantras doesn’t mean spirituality. Even an iPod can do that. Sing weird words, I mean.
So let’s list the things down systematically for your pea brain to understand.
1. You need grace of God to come into spiritual. Stop kidding yourself there if you can’t think of God the whole day, then you are eliminated. Your life path is to reach God only.
2. Your Guru or Spiritual Master appears. He seeks you out and not the other way round. He doesn’t boast or takes money from you. Remember no money or gifts to be given. If he demands then he is a fake. No sexual or other favors too.
3. You have complete disgust of the material world. You don’t seem to like anything or anyone. That is called dispassion. You become dispassionate to everything. Everything seems worthless except God. If you don’t understand the word then Google or Wiki it.
4. Your relationship with people have no bindings remaining. You want to run away from all imposing relationships. No mother, father, brother, sister, relatives interests you. You just want to divorce all. No bonds of any kind. Suppose you have a feeling for one also then consider yourself not there at all. This is called detachment. No desires of any kind at all. You want to move or get far removed of any kind of ties. You may stay at some house but have no feelings for any kind of relationship. Detachment- google it if you wish to.
5. Last but not the least is the knowledge that this world is a fake or unreal and only God is real. Not some deity in some temple. So if you think going to some temple or place of worship means finding God, then you are on the wrong track. Seeking God within is the correct path. No God lives in places of worship of some cold mountains. Got that? Seek God inside of you.
So now tell me did I mention anywhere all those things in the starting paragraphs? So stop going to mountains, running away somewhere, joining some cult or group, doing funny exercises, spending silly money on some goons or gods, doing unnecessary poojas or prayers, going to fortune tellers or people who take money for services, reading heavy texts, talking strange old languages to impress others, watching stupid god programs on the Telly, subscribing to some godforsaken channels or magazines, drinking holy or some weird stuff, etc. etc.. Just follow the above mentioned five steps then you are on your way. Anything else is bullshit and nonsense.
You want proof of it then ask yourself this question- did any great sages of today like Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, Ramanna Maharishi, Saibaba, Meerabai, Kabir or Guru Nanak do any of the above? They all followed the five steps. Never did anything like exercises or chanting or whatever! Get it! So why are you doing it or wanting to do it? Answer that!!!
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