When you set a goal, do you think about what you’ll have to sacrifice to get it? Or, do you think about everything you’ll gain once you achieve it? Can you keep focused on what you want the most or do you trade that for things you want in the meantime? Whether it’s something as small as giving up your morning coffee or as big as maintaining celibacy like a monk, a brahmacharya, when on the spiritual path, it might be helpful to focus on what you will gain instead of what you might need to give up. In this video, Sadhguru encourages us with his explanation of what is really at stake on the spiritual path starting with the definition of Brahmacharya.
What is Brahmacharya?
“The word celibacy is not the right translation for brahmacharya. Brahma means the ultimate; charya means the path you’re on. The path of the ultimate is brahmacharya. Celibacy is talking only about the physical aspect of holding yourself back from a natural urge which is going on in the body and, more in the mind. So, celibacy is not the right thing to say. When we say brahmacharya it means you are working to organize your energies in such a way that your joy, your love, everything that you need, is within yourself.”
“You have enough experience in life to know that nobody is 24 hours reliable. So a brahmachari is somebody who is trying to organize his energies in such a way to be peaceful and joyful all on his own. Once a human being’s way has become like this he has the necessary background to spring up to another dimension. If this is not there he will naturally get entangled in compulsive activity. So, brahmacharya on one level fundamentally means to move from being a compulsive human being to a conscious human being.”
Choosing Between Compulsive and Conscious
“You may decorate your compulsiveness with all kinds of romance around it. But do you see it’s a compulsive behavior, not a conscious behavior? You can write poems about it, you can write great stories about it, you can make movies about it but, fundamentally it’s a compulsive behavior which you’re trying to cloak in so many beautiful clothes just to not face the reality.”
“I’m not trying to take all the romance out of your life. Once someone understands that, ‘If I’m involved in compulsive activity I will never go where I want to go,’ then they’ll see compulsiveness means a very deep sense of slavery.”
“One who has realized this naturally seeks to become conscious. So, it is from this understanding that we said if you are really wanting to make a journey you should drop your compulsiveness and bring consciousness to every aspect of your life. That is brahmacharya.”
“Celibacy is an ugly word because without the necessary understanding, sadhana, or energy, you are just trying to hold yourself back. Then, you will suffer. If your energies were organized in such a way that all the time you are high within yourself, you won’t lean on anybody for these things. But, these things don’t come unless you make some effort.”
“One can go through life with compulsive patterns without much effort. You can allow life to carry you. Being a part of life, being involved with the process of life, on the surface is one thing. At the core it’s another thing. Nature is on two different levels.”
Choosing Between Two Levels of Nature
“One aspect of nature knows nothing other than self-preservation and procreation. This is the surface of nature. There is another dimension of nature within you which wants to expand in an unbounded way. Which one you give into is subject to who you are.”
“If you give into the physical nature all you will know is just this. If you give in to the inner nature – which wants to become boundless – then life is different.”
“So, if you have seen the ways of the inner nature are far beyond the ways of the physical nature, naturally you will choose to create a situation (celibacy in this case) in your life that is conducive to that. It is from this understanding that brahmacharya became a part of the spiritual process.”
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