The Truth About A Guru’s Answers

Sadhguru: You have come to me thinking, I'm going to give you a new religion. No! I'm not going to give you such comfort, so that you can sleep well. No, I want you disturbed, so… as it is my commitment and duty to show people what I see. Speaker: Sadhguru, many times you spoke about great masters confusing their disciples with contradictory answers. Does a master or guru always speak the truth? Or would he avoid saying the truth, if that is what is needed for a disciple’s growth? Jasmeet from Punjab. Sadhguru: Who’s that? Speaker: Jasmeet. Sadhguru: Oh… Uh… I think, in a way, I've already answered this question. You are in the absolutist mode. There was… I had a grand uncle who passed away a few years ago at… at the age of one-zero-one. He was a very humorous and gregarious man. [Laughs] So, he had a son – an adopted son. And that boy… just not interested in education. Nor was I, but I was… I always made sure I went to the next class, because I didn't want to be left behind. But that boy, sort of not doing well in school. So, when we went for vacation to their place, so… my grand uncle asked me, “What class are you?” I said, “I'm 6th standard.” He said, “You liar! Just last year you told me 5, and now you're saying 6? Look at our boy, always he's in number 5! [Laughter] He tells the truth.” This is the kind of question this is. Yes. I said, “It’s sunrise.” Evening you asked me, “What is it?” I said, “Sunset.” “Oh, you're lying.” What can I do for you, ah? Hello? [Laughs] You flipped a coin and it fell. I said, “It's heads.” You flipped a coin. I said, “Oh, it's tails.” “Oh, you're lying.” But suppose if it's multifaceted, let's say you threw dice. I said 1, I said 4, I said 2, I said 3, I said 6. I'm lying! What can I do with you? [Laughs] You should live on a flat Earth. Unfortunately it's round, and it's spinning. It never shows the same face to you again. This is why there are 2 dimensions of life. There's one called, you know, one that is absolute. There are certain dimensions of life which are absolute, certain other dimensions of life which are constantly changing. In a way, this is represented within us as energy, and in the world as… well, in human terms, masculine and feminine, Pingala and Ida, sun and moon. The sun is always round, every day round, perfect round. Hello? Did you ever see a square one? [Laughter] Aye, in California you might have, when you are on certain things. [Laughter] One day it came up square like that, you know? [Laughs] But look at the damn moon: every day it's a different shape. Hello? One or two days it even disappears. Every day, different shape. So, this is what is confounding people even about women, because every day, different shape. [Laughter] Man is very solar-oriented. He wants every day round, like that. Like somebody said… [Laughs] I don't remember, some American author I think said this. He said, the difference between men and women is… – in marriage – women are always expecting the man to change, and they are disappointed he is not changing, he is still the same young brat. Men are always expecting the woman should not change; as she was at 18, the same way she should be when she's 60. [Laughs] See? One is moon, another is sun. [Laughs] Everyday round – this is not like that, every day it’s different, wonky. [Laughs] So, if I say, “The moon is round,” am I lying? If I say, “The moon is just a sliver today,” am I lying? No, no, that's how it is! But you are an absolutist. You have come to me thinking I'm going to give you a new religion. No! I'm not going to give you such comfort, so that you can sleep well. No, I want you disturbed. Hello? I want you disturbed, because if ignorance does not make you sleep less… then that is a tragedy. You are ignorant and you can sleep well – that is a tragedy. People think, ‘ignorance is bliss.’ No, ignorance is a tragedy! What do you think? Hello? Ignorance is the worst tragedy that human beings have always suffered, and continue to suffer. Yes, or no? But somebody says, ‘ignorance is bliss.’ All the best for them! This happened. In the American Airlines, a man was sitting in the 1st class compartment, and to his amazement, a macaw parrot was in his neighboring seat, wearing a seat belt, and [Gestures] sitting like that. And then, before the airplane takes off, the parrot asks, “I want Scotch whisky.” The hostess says, “No, till we take off, we cannot serve you.” And, in the choicest of words, the parrot abuses her, a whole litany of everything, you know? You are in Los Angeles, I don't have to teach you anything. [Few laugh] Full dictionary throws at the woman, and she is like… doesn't know what to do. But abuses her. Then, after it takes off, again the parrot screams, “I want my Scotch!” So, on the other side, they are doing ting-ting, tong-ting, you know? Bottles, and glasses, and something. And the parrot screamed, “You moron! What are you doing there? Why so much delay?" The man orders a Coke. And he waits, and looks at the parrot’s power, that it screams and yells, the way it treats people, puts its weight around, quite a bit. Then he sees this, and he is very impressed by the parrot. Then parrot orders one more round, and again screams at everybody because it's delayed. And the man orders another Coke. Now he thought, he should also do it, "I'm just sitting like a wimp, not asking for my…” He also yells. Then this match continues, that it asks for food and yells, and this guy asks for food and yells at the thing. Then the crew has a small conference. They consult the pilot, and they come, they pick up both of them, open the door, and throw them out of the flight. Both of them are going down, and the parrot says, “You really have guts, for a man without wings!” [Laughter] This is like that. Ignorance is not bliss, because life is a phenomena, a most dynamic phenomena, but you want to be a fossil. Hello? You want to be a fossil, everything dead certain, because you suffer uncertainty, isn't it? Hello? What is called as security in life is fossilized life – nothing should change. No, it changes – what to do? All the time it's changing, it's very dynamic. So, as it's my commitment and duty, and it's my mission to see, or… to show people what I see. Today, the moon is just a sliver. Should I say, “Moon is round?” Yes, it is round somewhere, I know that. If you look at it from the other side, it is round, but in our experience, it is just a sliver today. Hello? “No, moon is round.” It is not like that. Life… on one level it is round, it is true it is round, always round. But in our experience, it keeps changing. So, there are different aspects to life. If you think everything is black and white, everything is yes–no, then… you must join the Communist Party. What is useful, what is not useful – it’s just decided. Nothing is not useful. Hello? Hello…? Is there anything not useful? You may think it's not useful – it has its own life, it has its own use.