Lecture of Guruji Mohan, Bremen, 25.07.1999: 

(ABOUT YOGA)  (…) then people in India say, he is not born. And he is, he will not die. Then he realized there are many births, many deaths. So it is useless to keep history. This history is useful only for the Western or US-people. We don’t keep any kind of history. There is no history of this founder, what he contributed towards yoga. This is very important for us. It is not important when he was born, where he was born. So first thing, this is clear, there is no history of this saint, of this founder. Now I want to give my own definition about his work. I want to collect some verses from his books. Patangali, he gives mathematical treatment. Before going to the verse, we have to understand some important things.

First thing – yoga is no religion. There is a difference between yoga and religion. You know physics, the formula of ethics, the formula of chemistry. You know this thing that if you heat water on a certain degree water will boil. There are certain principles. On the basis of principles you can predict something. There are certain principles of yoga. On the basis of these certain principles you can predict. Prediction is possible, in science it  is possible. So first important thing – yoga is not religion.

What is religion? Religion means there are certain kind(s) of dogmas, certain kind(s) of thoughts and certain kind(s) of belief. But yoga – this was discovered by this man. He himself criticized about religion and about sects. He says to the people if you fulfil (a) certain kind of condition then this will happen. So yoga is not religion. But (un?)fortunately this was discovered by Indian people, and Indian people, this is a tendency in Indian people, everything they want to put in religion. If there are certain kind(s) of materialist people, they want to put in religion also. If there is a tree they want to put in religion, if there is a river they want to put in religion. This is a fashion in India. So first thing, this is clear that this yoga is related with India but this is not related with any kind of sect, any kind of religion, any kind of Muslim, any kind of Hindu. A Christian can be a yogi, a Muslim can be a yogi. This is a formula like water’s formula, this is a formula like physics formula.

Second thing – I want to make clear, every religion is based on a certain kind of belief. Christianity is based on a certain kind of belief, Hinduism is based on a certain kind of belief, Muslims – this ‘ism is also based on a certain kind of belief. But in yoga there is no belief. Whether you believe or whether you don’t believe, this is meaningless. This is meaningless for yoga whether you are going to believe or whether you are not going to believe.

(A) little bit I want to describe about belief my own ideas:

What is belief? If you recall Gustav Jung - what is belief? Belief – you have certain ideas. These certain ideas are going to fulfil in a certain place. For instance, if you believe in me, at the same time you are not believing in (an)other person who is not fulfilling the qualities and character like me. I want to elaborate this thing: For example, if you believe in Jesus Christ, if you believe in church, this is the meaning that your belief is fulfilling certain kind(s) of conditions in your mind. At the same time you have disbelief in the institution or in Jesus, in the person who is not fulfilling the quality like Jesus Christ. For example, you have belief in Roman-Catholic church, and same time in your mind you have disbelief in Protestant. The science of belief creates disbelief in your mind. This is very logical, when you believe in a certain person at the same time you disbelieve in other persons also. So this kind of belief and disbelief, there is a fraction in your mind and this fraction hinders the circulation of energy. We read the history of mankind we read the history of our religion, history of believers, history of non-believers. In this history we find certain kind(s) of sects, certain kind(s) of  dogmas, and these dogmas, theses sects, they are quarrelling (against) one another and there is a war. And this war destroyed the unity of mankind. So yoga has not this kind of belief, whether you believe in yoga or whether you don’t believe in yoga. But if you will do certain kind(s) of things, then you will find certain kind(s) of achievement.

So two qualities I described:

First quality – yoga is not religion.

The second quality: yoga is not based on any kind of belief.  ((I think that she will describe – otherwise it will be so late))

I heard a story and this story is very interesting. I read a book, in this book the character is …

 Naseeruddin. Naseeruddin and his wife, they both were living happily. But unfortunately, they have no child in their house. This was the difficulty. They were trying to get (a) child from all means. Naseeruddin visited many doctors, many physicians, many tantrics – in Germany like Heilpraktiker. Naseeruddin saw many, many people to get a child because his age was growing and this was difficult in Indian society. This may be easy in Germany to live without (a) child. But this is very difficult to live in India without (a) child. If a man goes outside people start to point: This is the man who has no child. If a woman goes into the public  then they ask many, many questions: What is the reason that you have no child? Is Naseeruddin o.k. or Naseeruddin not o.k.? Is there some defect in Naseeruddin? These things were going on and this kind of talks gives frustration to this couple. His mind was obsessed with this frustration. His wife all the time thinks about the child. And one night Naseeruddin and his wife were sleeping in sleeping bed in their bed. Then the one (?)   night (the) woman asked a question: “Oh dear Naseeruddin, if we have a child, where  this child will sleep?” Naseeruddin posed his  body and laughed. “This child will sleep between us. In middle of both (of)  us.” Then again  the woman asked: “Oh dear Naseeruddin, if there is a second child, where this child will sleep? “Then Naseeruddin pushed his body little bit far and said: “The second child will sleep between us. “ Now Naseeruddin was on the edge of the bed. And they were talking like this. And you know, desires are desires.  They are not satisfied. In their dream, in their talks they found two sons, two children. But the woman was not satisfied. Now again the woman asked the question if Naseeruddin, third child is born, then where this child will sleep? Then Naseeruddin pushed little bit his body and fell down from the bed and his leg was broken.  When the leg was broken, then he cried. But at midnight, this was midnight, and he was crying. Neighbours heard this voice, they came: “What is the matter, Naseeruddin? What happened? “ And they opened the door. And this is (a) very important line: Naseeruddin was weeping. His leg was broken. Naseeruddin says: “ The child is not born but my leg is broken – what will happen when the child will be born? “

This is the story. And now you think yourself. Now you think about your mind – about your desire – about the truth. Nietzsche says: A man lives in lies, a man cannot come together with truth because his mind all the times creates hope. A man’s mind all the times creates dreams. You think yourself. You are living today because of tomorrow. And when tomorrow will come what will happen? Tomorrow will come as today but again you will push your desire for tomorrow. Unfortunately, you are not living today. You are making a certain kind of dream, certain kind of hope, certain kind of desire for tomorrow. Every day is going on like this. You are not actually living in (the) present. You are actually living in (the) future. You are making a nice dream. You are making a nice hope. You are making a nice desire – not for today, for tomorrow. This is the condition of every person. Yoga says: When your desire is lost, when your hope is lost, your state of mind becomes hopelessness. You are totally frustrated. Now Yoga: When your condition of mind becomes like this then you can know what is yoga. Patanjali says in the first verse, (Guruji rezitiert aus Patanjalis Versen) this is a Sanskrit verse. This is the meaning: “Now the discipline of yoga.” We have to understand every word.

 “Now the discipline of yoga.” What is the meaning of “now”? You have seen hopes. You have seen desires. You have created nice dreams. But you have experience also. You got experience of nice dreams, you got experience of nice desires. And when this (desire) is not fulfilled you are not satisfied, then you make a new desire. This is your fashion. Every day you make a new desire. Every time in one moment, five times, ten times you can create new desires because your mind is dreaming. You are physically here to listen (to) me – but unfortunately, you are thinking in some other way. You can hear me or you cannot hear me. Physically your ears are here, your eyes are here. I don’t know whether you are listening (to) me or not because in your mind there is a certain kind of dream, is going on. Your mind is occupied with a certain kind of dream. You are busy in a certain kind of dream. If you are busy in a certain kind of dream, if your mind is occupied in a certain kind of dream, unfortunately you will not hear me. “Now the discipline of yoga.” (Zwischenfrage…) I will give you later on time. First I will speak, you can write down if you want to ask something, I will give you time.

“Now the discipline of yoga.”  Patanjali says, when you are ready to listen, when you are ready to see, right knowledge, if you have right knowledge, right cognition – because you are based on your senses. All the time you see something, there is a mediator, you hear something, there is mediator. And this mediator maybe give(s) you false information or right information or wrong information. For example, at  night time you see a dream. Your eyes, your ears they can give you information. This information may be wrong or may be right. And this is possible. If you take LSD or (a) certain kind of drug then your senses can cheat you, then your senses can deceive you. I thought hard, last year when I  was reading (a) newspaper there was a news that a woman, a girl who was taking LSD every day in USA in New York city, and when she has taken LSD then she was thinking in her mind, in her dream: “I can fly, I have wings.” And she tried to fly. And when she tried to fly on seventeenth storey of the house she fell down and died.  These are your senses. One night you are passing in a dark corner and you sigh, oh, and all of a sudden your eyes give you information there is a snake and you’re running. For example, you love a woman. If the woman is ugly – but because of your love the woman is the most beautiful of the world. This is your senses. So you are based on your senses. When you are based on your senses you are based on your eyes, you are based on your ears, you have no direct contact.

When you have direct contact, Patanjali says: “Now the discipline of yoga starts.” The word “discipline” means  - three qualities. Three qualities in discipline because discipline (disciply)  is very near to disciple. Discipline means “to be  -  to know  -  and to learn”.  These are the three basic qualities of  discipline: 

Ø           To be  -  if you are here, totally here – body plus mind, this is to be.

Ø           To know  -  language is not (a) problem, whether I will speak in English or whether I will speak in Hindi, this is not a problem. If your unconscious is here, you can listen (to) me,  you can judge yourself  what I am talking.

Ø      To be, to learn and  > to know. Patanjali says if a person is ready to learn yoga, then he has to fulfil  

      these qualities. When he will fulfil these qualities, then the next step will come.

(Guruji rezitiert aus Patanjalis Versen) This is a Sanskrit verse. This Sanskrit verse is :”What is yoga?” This is a state of mind - is yoga. Let us describe (a) little bit what is mind. Biophysically and psychologically there is no substantial thing in your body. Mind is an activity. There is no substance. The modern scientists also agree with this argument. The mind is an activity. What is this? For example, you are walking and after some time you stop walking and sit down. This walking is an activity. But when you sit down, there is no walking. In other words, if you are laughing, this laughing is an activity. If you stop laughing, where is this laughing? Now there is no more laughing, laughing is stopped.  In the same way you are thinking all the time, just like walking, laughing – your mind is working all the time. Different kind(s) of thoughts are coming all the time in your mind. Different kind(s) of dreams all the time. You have no peace in your mind. All the time thinking goes on. I know   (tape-Wechsel……)     because of language. The word become “dschhana”(?) (Es folgen Sanskrit-Worte ….) And this „...dhyana....“ changed  „.dschana....“ in China. And this ideology travelled from China to Japan. Then in Japan this “dschana” changed and became “tschen (Jain--?)”, Jain-philosophy. According to Jain-phiosophy (Zen ?)– because Bodhidharma was the founder of Zen-philosophy  – so

Bodidharma travelled to China. When he came to China, then the king of China heard about him, about his mystery, how he works with the people. Then the king of China wanted to visit this saint. King went to see Bodidharma and asked a question: “ I have no peace in my mind.” Generally we ask this question because the king, you cannot expect the king that he will be a very spiritual man. This king asked the question from Bodidharma  that I have no peace in my mind. And Bodidharma laughed. And Bodidharma, he told the king, this time I am busy but you come tomorrow and bring your mind. King was thinking:  “What kind of madman this is, he is telling me bring your mind”. At night time king was sleeping in his palace, he was thinking about this saint, about this sage.   This sage told him to bring your mind “but my mind lives in my body”. He was thinking like this. Whether to visit this madman or not, this was the idea coming in the mind of the king. But at last he was thinking this is a charismatic man, mathematic man. Bodhidharma looks like a mehmet (?) Bodidharma looks like a charismatic man. Then (the) king decided to visit (him) again.  (The) Next day on the fixed time (the) king went there. Bodidharma was sitting there with all his stuff because he wanted to move in another town. Immediately Bodhidharma saw this king and asked the question: “Did you bring your mind? ” He told him “ My mind is in my body. “ Bodidharma laughed. “Oh, his is clear now that your mind lives in your body. Now you close your eyes and find out where is your mind.” Then the king closed his eyes and tried to find out where is mind. But this was difficult. Mind is not substantial thing. He was finding sometimes certain kind of thought, again certain (some)  kind of thought. When he was looking – thoughts, thoughts, thoughts. When he was looking in his mind the process of minding stopped. The process of walking stopped. The process of laughing stopped. Please listen (to) this thing carefully – what I am telling you. When Bodidharma told the king: “Find out your mind in your  body, close your eyes”, (the) king closed  the eyes and he started  to find out what is mind. But unfortunately, mind is not matter, mind is not (a) substantial thing. Mind is the subtle  part of your body. He could not find (the) mind but he found thoughts. And when he was looking towards the thoughts then these thoughts are going away. They are disappearing. When thoughts are disappearing, after some time, the king opened the eyes and his eyes was (were)  changed. His eyes were looking like silence. His eyes was (were) looking like peace.

I told you, mind is an activity. Just like walking is an activity, laughing is an activity. If you stop your activity then there is peace. Since that day Zen people started “No Mind”. This word – “No Mind”. If you will try to find out your mind in your body then what will happen? This is the meaning that now your energy is not cooperating the process of thoughts. When your energy is not cooperating the process of thoughts then this process will stop and you will be in “No Mind”. But the problem is this: Since many, many births you are used to thinking, millions of births, many, many births, you are thinking all the time. You gave so much momentum, so much energy to your mind. That’s why this mind is thinking all the time without your control. Bodidharma says that when you look (into) your mind, then slowly, slowly you are not cooperating your energy together with this momentum then slowly, slowly this momentum will go away and you will be in “No Mind”.

And what is “No Mind”? (Guruji rezitiert den Patanjali-Vers, Sanskrit) What is “No Mind”? Secession of  thought, secession of mind. What is “No Mind”?  Stoppage of thinking. What is”No Mind”? When you will stop thinking, when there will be no thought, then all of a sudden you will in present. Then all of a sudden you will encounter your reality. Then all of a sudden truth will be there. All of a sudden Nietzsche will be wrong. Because you believe in lies.

I don’t want to take much time, but (a) little bit more.

Xuantsu, this is a name, Xuantsu is a saint. He was born in (the) 14^th century. One night, he had big Ashram and many disciples, he was a guru, and many disciples were living there. He was also the  Zen teacher. This Xuantsu at night time saw a dream. In this dream he became (a) butterfly .He was looking his dream at night time, when he became (a) butterfly. In morning time, when he got up, he was very sad. Disciples gathered in morning time. Guru is very sad, what is the problem? Xuantsu told: “I saw a dream last night. In that dream I was a butterfly.” Disciples told him. “This is a common thing, every person see(s) the dream. But why you are so sad? Every person see(s) dreams, but you are looking very sad. You are not taking interest in any activity today.” Then Xuantsu describes: “I am sad. I was looking the dream. I was (a) butterfly. This may be possible that this butterfly maybe looking dream and this butterfly become Xuantsu ?” You understand like this: Xuantsu saw a dream, he became a butterfly and he was very sad. Morning time he got up and he was sad, the disciples asked the question: “What is the matter, you are looking sad.” Xuantsu told:” I am sad because I was looking in my dream,  a butterfly. I was flying off one flower to (an)other flower. But this maybe the possibility also that butterfly is looking a dream  that butterfly became Xuantsu. Now who is real? Butterfly is also thinking that he is Xuantsu and Xuantsu is also thinking that I am looking the dream – who is looking the dream? Who is real? Because of this reality I am sad. Maybe this butterfly is looking dream. In his dream I am present here.

Xuantsu says: When you reach “No Mind”, when this “No Mind” happens, when you don’t give momentum to your thoughts when you don’t cooperate (with)  your thoughts, when your thinking is stopped - when your thinking is stopped, definitely dreams are stopped. When dreams are stopped, then “yoga” (happens) (rezitiert Patanjali-Vers, Sanskrit): Patanjali says, the secession of mind is yoga. And this is the definition.

What is “yoga”? To stop the activity of your mind. When you will stop your activity, then you will experience in a different dimension. You will experience a different dimension – and that is reality, that is truth. And you can see what is truth.  Now I think that this is enough for you.

Fragen & Antoworten:

Frage: Wodurch unterscheidet sich Meditation von Yoga?

Yes, I understood. This man is asking what is the difference between meditation and yoga. Now this a very important question. I told you that I chose this topic. I want to describe what is yoga. He is thinking that yoga is just certain kind of exercise to sit (in a) certain kind of posture, meditation means to close the eyes and sit into the corner of your house. This is not meditation and this is not yoga. Because you are created because of your mind. You are here on this planet because of your mind. You chose this way, you chose this country, you chose your life according to your mind. And now this is the question: What is meditation?

Meditation means when you are aware in your activities, when you are aware in your activities this awareness creates meditation.

There are two ways:

One way is a warrior way.

Second way is a Brahman way. In Indian philosophy there are two ways, in other words I can describe like this. One person is extrovert, one person is introvert. Extrovert means - whose activities is going outside is known as extrovert. (A) hundred per cent extrovert never lives on the earth. (A) hundred per cent introvert  never lives on the earth. Every person is between these two extreme poles, between extrovert and introvert. A person is 60% introvert and 40% extrovert, a person is 70% extrovert and 30% introvert, every individual has (a) certain kind of proportion of extrovert and introvert. Now there are two ways.

The person who is towards introvert, he goes towards meditation. He will search his  mind. The person who is introvert, he will search meditation.

And the person who is extrovert, his activities going outside, all the thinking to do something, all the thinking to win the race, this person is yoga. This is a yoga-person, and this is a meditation-person.

Now how to find out this thing? This is very difficult. But I can give you one exercise – that when you get up early in (the) morning, you write down everything on a paper every hour, what is happening in your mind. When you look any kind of dream, you write down this dream. In 24 hours – what are your activities? When these activities may be more than 50% extrovert activities, then you’ll choose the path of yoga. When these activities more than 50% towards meditation, towards introvert, then you’ll choose the way of meditation. So there are two ways, there are two kind(s) of person. In the whole world, first person is meditation, second person is yoga. You can choose yoga according to your quality, you can choose meditation according to your quality. But you have to search yourself what type of man you are.

Frage: Dann ist ja die Frage, wie Yoga definiert ist; also es gibt ja Hatha-Yoga, es gibt Raya-Yoga. Ist es einfach der Geist des Yogas? Also, ich schätze mal, es ist der Geist des Yogas gemeint und nicht eine bestimmte Art, Yoga zu praktizieren.....

(The question is how you, how people could define yoga because there are different sorts…)

This is a very big question, Hatha-yoga and Kriya-yoga and Prana-yoga but I want to describe (a) little bit this thing that this … Yoga says: Mind and body – they are not two things. In the beginning of this century scientists, medicine, doctors, they were thinking that mind and body they are two things. Body is important and mind is not important. They are thinking like this. Body is primary thing and mind is shadow. Mind is by-product of body. If you change chemically in body, then there is no meaning of mind. Body is important. That’s why they started (to) search different kind(s) of meditions (medication) for the body. But slowly, slowly. They know this thing that mind is also important. They discovered antibiotics, they discovered sulphur, many, many meditions they discovered, but the illness of the body was growing faster. If you read the papers, when this ……. was found, at that time, you read the paper, at that time they were describing like this, now we have found everything, now nobody will be ill in the world. This illness is over. But after three months later, when they were describing this thing, after three months everything was finished. New disease came. New (kinds) of disease came. They discovered other thing(s). So my question is like this: Mind is also important. If you change something in your body chemically there will be (some) effect on (the) mind. And if you change in your mind, then there will be (an) effect on (the) body. This is my personal experience, I want to tell you. Some time before, I experimented how mind is important. I hypnotized a girl and I gave a suggestion in hypnotism. “Now I am putting a burning coal in your hand.” And all of a sudden this girl threw this coal, but this was not coal, this was a coin. Second time I gave suggestion that “now you cannot move your hand and I will put a burning coal in your hand and your hand will be burnt and there will be ……” And again I put the coin in the hand and this was very amazing. When I put the coin – because my suggestion was like this, you cannot move the hand – she could not move the hand. Her hand was burnt. Her hand was not burnt, she had a big wound in her leg, in her hand. When I woke up this girl, here was a wound. Now I gave suggestion for eight days that this wound will go away. And after eight days this wound was dry and (the) hand was normal. Now I want to tell you this truth: What is happening in your mind, this happening event will come on your body. Mind is also important. That’s why science started to say “psychosomatic disease”. If they don’t understand then they say “This is a psychosomatic disease because we have tried everything, we have given this medition (medication), that medition”. And then they started to say: “This is a psychosomatic disease”. Mind plus body, body is also important. And mind is subtle part of body. You cannot see this mind. But there is (an) effect of this mind on your body. I can give lot(s) of examples, but I want to explain this thing. Mind and body, they are not two – they are one. When there is one, there are not two. Then there are certain kind(s) of exercises. Yoga - yoga means if you sit in a posture every day for long time, then slowly, slowly your body will give message to your mind and mind will be standing still. This is yoga, Hatha-yoga. If you sit in a corner for ten days and slowly, slowly your body will give message to your mind, then mind will be like this. So Hatha-yoga – to catch your minds with “Hath’”.  “Hath’” means with your full speed of mind. Then this yoga is known as Hatha-yoga. I have seen a man in my country, and he, he was (a) Hatha-yogi. He started to rise his hand like this and for twelve years this hand was like this – and this was o.k. But there was a bird in his palm and gave birth (to) a child. This was also o.k. This is Hatha-yoga. You can do certain exercise with your mind, with the command of your mind to control your mind. Through your body you can control your mind, this is known as Hatha-yoga. Some other things Lord Krishna says: “Kriya-yoga”. Today I was listening that somebody was asking this question to me that this Kriya-yoga was brought by autobiography of the yogi Yogananda. This was the first man who explained what is Kriya-yoga. But I want to tell you the truth, this is not true. This Kriya-yoga is already described in Bhagawad-Ghita. This Kriya-yoga- Bhagawad-Ghita Krishna says: “Oh dear Ajun, this Kriya-yoga I explained to this son and son explained this Kiya-yoga to Ixuacu. And like this tradition this Kiya-yoga came on the earth. This Kriya-yoga is not a new technique, this Kriya-yoga is already described in Bhagawad-Ghita. This Kriya-yoga – to do a certain kind of “kriya” and your awareness is there and this awareness will create a yoga. This awareness will stand still your mind, this awareness will finish your mind and this is “kriya”. So she is asking about, very big question in one question. Hatha-yoga, Kriya-yoga and some other yoga. So if I describe one by one, then there will be a very big, long, long lecture, so I want to make discover like this. So I think that you will understand like this.

Copyright: Guruji Mohan, Abhimanyu Dhyan Yog Kendra, Nandeshwar Dham, P.O.Box No. 118, Udaipur (Raj.) 313 031, India

live-recording by: Gunda Drews.