Sharanagati

If we live, than we shall find the best way how to live and for what purpose to live. Because we have to examine this problem of life in different ways: why did we come here, how we should live and what should be the goal of our life. If we want to put it in three words: life is all about live, love and leave.

The wisdom is to do all these things in a perfect and correct way.

I would like to draw your attention to ten principles, we can say the ten commandments of Yoga. There are five “don’ts” that you should avoid and five “does” that you should practice.

The first thing that should be avoided is violence. If we avoid violence, than we shall be peaceful. Ahimsa – you remember the great teaching of Mahatma Gandhi. He was helping people to understand the power of non-violence. Usually we think that if some powerful attack is coming to us, we should attack in the same way. But a person is very much protected by ahimsa; you can try it next time when you have some trouble.

The second thing that we should avoid is telling lies; we should be truthful. Because if we start telling lies, then the whole system becomes very complicated – you will forget to whom which version you gave. So it’s better to stick to the truth. Then you will have very simple version AND this will give you inner power.

The third thing that we should avoid is stealing – I think that is obvious, we don’t enter into details in this respect.

The fourth is: you should avoid uncontrolled activities in the different levels of your life – like brahmacharya, to control your energies. We can say self-control; and by the control of the self, of the different levels and energies of our life, we can achieve a very powerful and very productive life.

And finally the fifth thing that should be avoided is over-collecting. It is said that a western person has TEN THOUSAND I can tell you practically useless things in his home! When you go home, just count, start counting – how much unnecessary things you have at your home. So we should find the level of enough – what is enough for us.

So these things are to be avoided – then what to do? First we should practice purity. Purity outside and inside – bodily and mental purity.

Then we should practice contentment – we should be satisfied. I don’t know how it is happening here, but usually people like to complain – in most of the cases with no reason. All the information, all the media tries to suggest us that we should desire more and more! Better we cultivate the philosophy of contentment.

Then the third thing that should be practiced is simple lifestyle. Because the simplicity is very close to religion. Usually we over-complicate our lives from outside and become very – we can say – stupid inside. Better have a simple lifestyle and high type of thinking.

The fourth thing is learning, spiritual studies. We have to understand who we are, we have to understand where do we belong, we have to identify what is our goal. So in that respect information means that I am a spirit soul, I’m not the body; and wisdom means that I belong to God. And if we study the scriptures – the Bible, the “Bhagavad Gita” or whatever revelation from God – then we associate with very high principles.

And ultimately these ten commandments of Yoga say: isvara pranithana – worship, service of God. So in this way from a very basic elementary information – how to perfect our life, how to control ourselves– we can come to the divine service. This should be our meditation, this should be our practice and this should be our prospect.