Kailash Chronicles — A Mystical Journey

Sadhguru: My great grandmother was a fantastic storyteller. I enjoyed the stories, but I never would believe what she said. But after being to Kailash, I'm willing to believe any grandmother's stories because it's too incredible. It's too fairytale-ish for anybody to believe – what is there. I would say, "The greatest mystical library on the planet." The very psychology of a civilization was completely geared towards ultimate liberation. The large parts of India was like this at one time. Even now, for 98 percent of the population in Nepal going to the temple and seeking their mukti, is still the highest thing in their mind. The whole geography of the place was created like a living body. They established, like how in the human body the energy centers are – like this, they established these bodies. Many kings sponsored this great adventures of turning their whole kingdom into a spiritual body. Nepal is one place where it is much more alive. Simply, because the whole culture supported it. One place that all of you must visit is Bhaktapur. It is one remnant of how this whole Eastern culture used to be at one time. Bhaktapur means "City of Devotion." The town was created in such a way that, you will not forget about the presence of the divine even for a moment. I want you to carefully keep your eyes open and observe – every step is actually a temple. If you look this way temple, if you look this way temple, every small utility is made like a temple. A water place is a temple, a washing place is a temple, a gossip center a temple. At every step they made it as a temple, with a tremendous sense of aesthetics. I want you to turn yourself back 1100 years ago, where mostly, in this culture woman would always been red. If you have red clothing, you should wear it when you are in Kathmandu. And men would always been white. No automobiles, no commercial boards, no other noises – traditional music. I want you to put yourself back, wear a thousand year old goggles and walk through the place and be careful enough to observe. Every step there is a temple, every step. So that no human being walks this space forgetting the presence of the divine. The idea is... that you are in a constant reminder, that you never go off. If you remain in that state for a period of time, rest you don't have to worry. Everything will open up in the universe, everything. Everything that's worth knowing will open up for a devotee, if he just allows himself to soak in it. You don't have to turn it on, you don't have to turn it off, it's simply on, on, on. Just getting yourself to that state is what is important. The language, the culture – every aspect sitting, standing is about – devotion out here. Because we always recognized emotion as a much... much more powerful and more intelligent system than the intellect. Always! Participant 1: Being here in Kathmandu, just walking on the streets itself is a devotional experience. Especially the people here are so simple, humble and highly devoted. I think it's a great, great opportunity to soak in this vibrant culture. Participant 2: One common thing in the temples was that... they were very raw and ancient. Participant 3: This is my first time in Kathmandu. And we came to the temple right after we got out from the airplane. And once we step into the temple, we know that we don't want to go anywhere else. Participant 4: We really can't explain, why I want to be here. It's just a burning desire that I've had, ever since I knew that, this could be a possibility for me, and the desire has never left me. Participant 5: It's just the first day and, as soon as , we came here, and we did our sadhna today in the morning, suddenly everything has changed. I feel more settled. Participant 6: What people say, "This is... a once-in-a-lifetime experience." But to be honest, it's actually much more than that, at least to me. Because, you don't encounter a living Guru, who's as powerful as Sadhguru for thousands of years. Sadhguru: Namaskram. Kailash, though it is a physical presence, for those who are willing, it's not in Tibet. It's wherever you want it. All very powerfully energized spaces are like that. For those who are willing, it's available wherever, because there is no here and there, for that which is boundless. So, pilgrimage is about turning inward. Don't make this into... some kind of a duet, doesn't work like that. It'll become a social process. Spiritual process, you can only do within you. What you do around you, is for support. But you should not need support within yourself, because that's not how life is made. That is anti-life, "I want you to know." The moment you think, "How you are," needs to be supported constantly by somebody – you have turned against your own life. Yeah, "I want all of you to be together, but it's good to be by yourself." Even here, create an atmosphere of striving, rather than of company and relaxation. These fifteen days, just make one priority, that you need to break some limitation within you, and experience something little more than what you are right now. We want you to become a striving – a very strong striving. If you are striving, "Who can stop you?" Nobody can stop you, that's the beauty of this. Because there is nobody else here, but you. Once you turn inward, nobody can stop you, because nobody's there. "Wonderful life, isn't it?" As we go into the mountains, whatever we say about it is meaningless. So, tomorrow we're flying to Nepalgunj and from there we're driving. Participant 7: All my life I thought, "I'm very busy, I can't take time off, I can't do this, I can't do that." But this time I told myself, "No, I have to do this, I'm going to do this." And I'm glad I actually took the time off and made this a priority. Sadhguru: Somebody holds you, you don't even know they're holding you, but they hold you, that's important. Now, in many ways, that is the idea of creating an energy form like Devi. She holds you, and you don't even know that she holds you. Devi comes into life. These forms and now the pilgrimage that you're taking, this comes into your life, only because your striving has become beyond survival. You must be available, that's all. You must become little more than who you are, not in the head, just as life. So, we're going to Kailash, "All the best for you." I don't have the right kind of passport. So I'm stopping at the border. "Do yourself, stay safe." And be there, okay? "I'm with you." Participants: Thankyou. Sadhguru: If you're fully focused, "I'm with you, in every step." Participants: Yes. Sadhguru: Let's make it happen. Participant 8: Ready to go. Participant 9: Well, this looks like a ticket to freedom. Sadhguru: Here we are – Kathmandu to Nepalgunj. We are going into... a land which has legends about Mahabharat. Bharatam Mahabharatam, wherever you go. Participant 10: Evening, we've arrived at Surkhet, which is such a cute little place surrounded by hills. We received such a warm welcome by the local people and especially little kids who were wearing the traditional attire. Participant 11: Very, very excited. Participant 12 : This is a very great experience to have... Sadhguru landed his feet in Surkhet. We are very blessed and lucky to have him. Participant 13: They had organized a cultural program where all of them were singing and dancing, and it was so refreshing and so wonderful to see them all perform together. Participant: "Kids performed so beautifully! I can't take my eyes off. I felt like dancing along with them." Sadhguru: Thank you very much, for coming and us here. Nepal has become an annual journey for me. In the last eighteen years, I'm coming every year for this town, Surkhet. Speaker : "Sur" means the consciousness. Sadhguru: Hmm... hmm Sadhguru: and "Khet" means field. Sadhguru: Oh. Speaker: Field of consciousness, you see? Sadhguru: What can I do? Speaker: For that? Sadhguru: Because right --- xpected. Sadhguru: When you see these mountain people, weather beaten and guileless. Simply, straight looking faces. There is something... while probably in another 25-30 years' – take time, not a single face like that may be left. So, I thought, "I should capture it." Will be making a book of "Vanishing faces of the Himalayas." Participant 31: Day four, and today we have been driving for more than eight hours, and the road condition is really tough. Participant 32: I was on like the edge, where you could look... over the cliff and we had to keep our tires, our wheels, just in these ruts, right? And like... any second it was like, going to drag you over to the edge. We're here, we made it. No problem. Participant 33: On our way to Jumla. We're in the middle. We'll stop for lunch here. The river is so wild here. Participant 34: We've gone from an Alpine altitude to back down to Tropical. We've dropped, a couple of thousand meters altogether. Participant 35: I came here to see Sadhguru. So, I'm a really lucky man, because I'm going to encounter with a Mystic. I love Sadhguru. Sadhguru: Here we are at Talcot. At an altitude 2726 meters and the roughest road you can think of, "Can't call it a road." The vehicles have taken the beating, no breakdowns, all of us got here. This was supposed to be a 12 hour drive. We pushed it a bit, and made it about eight-and-a-half hours. We're here! Not bad timing, vehicles need some rest, for sure. Participant 36: It's another world. You are so... so small. Wherever I look, there is just mountain, mountains beyond mountains. Away from the poles of society. What was there to do, but look inside. Participant 37: Everything was just so still, but still vibrant with life. Participant 38: Himalaya, I think is enigmatic, mysterious and such a beautiful sight. Sadhguru: Someone was asking me, "Sadhguru, we've seen you in so many ways. No one human being they've ever seen in so many ways. Are you some kind of a messiah?" I said, "I'm definitely not a messiah. I'm like manure. If you put your roots into me, for sure you will flower. If you simply look at me, you won't figure what the hell it is." When your body loosens its grip on you, this is a good time to establish a different dimension within ourselves, which is beyond physical nature – this is why mountains. Speaker 1: I would like to welcome you and your entire team for your presence and presentation. Sadhguru: Dhanyabad. Speaker 1: I was watching your… each and every day your video. So, "I was your crazy man, the way you empower _____" Sadhguru: Now you've become sane. Speaker 1: One question, I have... Sadhguru: Hmm... hmm. Speaker 1: How can we internalize the truth? Sadhguru: Truth is there, you don't have to do anything about it. It's only a question of realization. In this part of the world, we never talked about enlightenment as an attainment. We only talked about it as a realization. Realization means what? "Something that was always here. Only today, you saw." So, you don't have to internalize, externalize. Inside, outside, it's the same truth, but you have to see it. Why is it that, we are not able to see? If our eyes are closed, obviously we cannot see. So, you need to sharpen your way of seeing. So, the whole Yogic process is about sharpening our perception. So that, we see much more than what we are seeing right now. Otherwise, truth is always here. Truth is the foundation upon which life is happening, creation is happening. But, we seeing only the surface. We have to look little deeper. Thank you, for having us here. Please, "All of you, should come and visit us sometime." Namaskaram. Participants: Namaskaram. Sadhguru: How are you all doing? Participants: Good. Sadhguru: There are a few options today. One thing is, we can walk down to the river, or you can have breakfast, have a satsang in the afternoon... Tell me, what you want to do? Participants: River. Sadhguru: Everybody river? Participants: Yes. Sadhguru: Okay then, breakfast and river. Participant 40: Where are we going today? We're going to walk down to the river, it's 30 minutes down, about an hour and 15 back up. We have to walk first, satsang later. Participant 41: Before we left, there was a small group of women who had traveled from the village. And that morning, I had seen them like hours ago. So, I knew that they had already been waiting. What really drew me to them was they were dressed up so nice. They are kind of non-chalantly waiting for Sadhguru. They don't know that they're going to see him, but they were just there waiting, for so long. Sadguru did meet them. They sang an ancient melody, maybe related to some kind of ritual. And they didn't really, you know, ask him any questions, they didn't really speak to him, other than singing. Participant 35 : This is the gracious and _____ God, and you are like a God. So, that's why we came here with the traditional mantra and traditional song, "Magal. " This is specially dedicated to Sadhguru. And we are happy in that sense, because the God has come in our land. It will bring something better in our life. Sadhguru: Living in such a beautiful place for thousands of years, you have maintained your culture, tradition, your clothing, your mantras, your cooking, all this, you must keep this up. It's very valuable in the world, and this can become a great asset. It can bring many, many interesting people to this... land. It could become a way of livelihood and prosperity for all of you. We should not think becoming like, "Westerners is our future." Keeping our culture, our religion, our clothing, our food is the future. Thank you very much, for all of you. Sadhguru: "Dhanyawad." Participant 41: And then we start off, going down the hill to the river. Sadhguru: Namaskar. Namaskaram. "Kya bacchen, sab school jaata hain? (Referring to Hindi – kids, do you all go to school? You don't study anything? You don't want to study in school?)" Participant 41: As we walk, we just passed more and more villagers. Later found out that over 3000 people, men, women, children, had gathered from the surrounding villages. They had walked three, four hours barefoot, and some of them were carrying babies, they had traveled so far to see Sadhguru. Participant 42: I was surprised! How did these people all find out? Because they heard that a great Guru was coming. Like a mass of villagers coming, from very far. Sadhguru: Who called them here? Why are we going to the river? "I didn't know so many people are coming. They're coming and they're going away." Participant 43: This is from a far away. Sadhguru: Right now it is twelve o'clock. I will turn back. If you wish you can go to the river and come. I will meet all of them. If you also want to come and be a part of that,"We can do that." Participant: Yes. Sadhguru: Is that fine? Participant: Yes... fine. Sadhguru: 1:30, "Ask all of them to come." Participant 44: There were twenty-six villages. People walked three-four hours. They all came to see Sadhguru. Participant 45: I think that was just... that shows the love and the compassion in his heart, and it was raining. It was raining pretty hard. Participant 46: Guru was... being welcomed by all the local villagers. You can see this enthusiasm, they heard that the Guru is coming – very simple and pure love. They all came to this place, and we had a great celebration. Participant 47: Neighbouring villages, they have all set up. This very intimate, small event for all of us. Participant 48: So, endearing to see them receive Sadhguru, with so much gratitude – love basically. It was just, love in the air. Participant 49: They just want to... be in the presence of something greater than themselves. Participant 50: That was one of the days, that really, really impacted me. Participant 51: It's a "Mela." Overwhelming! Looking at these people makes you think, there is so much to life. Sadhguru: To all the peop --- p all the time. We don't know what to expect. We're finding this out just on the go. Sadhguru: If I go in, will you let me out or no? Participant: So we get to the school, 150 or 200 children, just so excited to see him. Sadhguru: Who are the people who wrote that letter? Student: We, he and me. Sadhguru: You grabbed me like that. Student: We feel really privileged and honoured to have you in our school. Sadhguru: My privilege to see all the children. We're going to make some music for you. Will you all dance with the music? Participant: Seeing Sadhguru walking, seeing him interacting with the children, and he's just like so enamored to be in that situation with them. You know, I got sort of swept up in it too. So it's like I'm shooting, but you know, seeing this beautiful thing happen, and it's like I'm feeling like swept up in all the energy that's happening there. Sadhguru: All the children of Jumla Dynamic School, all of you should study well and do well and build a very wonderful Nepal. Thank you for having us here. Student: Thank you Sadhguru. Participant: All these beautiful children seem to have fun. This is how school should be. Participant: We get to a point in the road at switchbacks going down, and we see an avalanche that had just happened. We had been receiving so much rain the previous two days. There is a landslide in the process, rocks are still coming down, blocked the road. Fortunately, very quickly the poke line has come. This is part of Himalayan life. These roads are new, being carved out. Probably best time to travel because if you come here next time, maybe part of the road. We still have nearly thirty vehicles to cross. I hope it holds up, if rain doesn't pick up, it should be all right, everybody will cross. The rain is absolutely spectacular. Vehicles complaining a little bit because they're taking all the beating, we are doing fine. Participant: Magnitude of those mountains, that's what Sadhguru talks about, you know, makes you realize you're a speck, you're a speck of a speck. Participant: Each time I would tell myself, there's nothing that could top this experience today. And the next thing that happens always tops the previous experience. Participant: We have, we still have like a long journey ahead, we're in the car for most of the day. Sadhguru: How did this happen? At the front right wheel, we had a flat, we don't have a full-sized spare wheel. So every ten to fifteen minutes, we are pumping it up and driving forty-five minutes to an hour to drive, stretch the terrain, but we will make it flat tire. Participant: Finally, we get to the National Forest Reserve, I see these two luxury tour buses. So we grab the nearest local and we ask, "How in the world did these buses get here?" And the locals are like, "Oh, they took a much easier and shorter path than you all did." It was in that moment that experientially, Sadhguru was serious about us really being pilgrims on a spiritual journey. To get us mentally and also our bodies to a state where we throw conclusions out the window and we're really paying attention to what's happening. Participant: It was such a task to get here, last night it was pitch dark, our cars got stuck and we had to walk all the way down forty minutes. I was literally thinking that why Sadhguru chose this hike? Participant: We just woke up, we opened our tent. Participant: It was like, whoa, it's a magical, magical space. I had written off in my mind that I'm gonna go to Mansarovar this year. But when I woke up, this looks just like Mansarovar, right? It's very sacred to the villages around the area as well. The water is so clear that I'm trying to look into the lake and I can see right below it, very clearly. I wouldn't have ever by myself, in all my capacity, been able to come at such a raw, untouched place before. Participant: Every single day as we go by, we increase the altitudes, but also build up of emotions and expectations and just intensity approaching Kailash growth. Participant: So I was sitting by the riverside and I was looking at these beautiful mountains and that's what I just wrote. Participant: He took moments with us. In these small moments, he is constantly guiding us. Participant: We are chanting in the boat. Shambho, shambho, shambho. My heart. I don't know why my tears come out a lot. Participant: We are going to a Shiva temple. Participant: No wonder why yogis came and stayed in these kind of places because just sitting here is something. I felt like very strong surge in energy sitting and meditating. Sadhguru: Do not talk about anything which is not yet in your experience because you'll end up talking rubbish to yourself and start believing the rubbish. D o not misunderstand hallucination as a solution to life. It never is. Hallucination is a distraction. Don't do this to yourself. You don't know, you don't know. That's all. Be straight about this. But you know, if you strive in body, in mind, in emotion, in energy, you can enhance yourself. Just strive. If you start looking for Shiva, he'll start dancing all over the place. You're not looking for that. You're just looking. See the nature of this light is, you think that light is designed only to shine on me? No. If a cockroach is sitting here, light will show that also. Yes or no? Light is designed to show what is there. Seeking is just that. Seeking is designed to make you realize whatever is there, not what you have assumed, not what is in the popular culture, whatever is there. Whatever is true, we want to see that, not what we assume. When you are seeking, you go where it takes you. I'm seeking but I'll go only where my dog goes. That's not seeking. I will go only where my children are. That's not seeking. This is not about going on clouds. This is about standing firmly on the ground. When you seek, you must be in that condition in your heart that wherever it takes you, you go. Physically going somewhere is not the thing. Internally, you could go somewhere and it should be all right. Just do the striving. Guidance will come where needed. It is not the question of months or years that we put in which make us available. It is the intensity. A guru's life goes waste, mixing mild cocktails all his life. Because if he puts the punch in it, then their lives will completely change. They'll have to give up their dogs. See, if I mix very strong drinks, they will say he's an extremist. But for those who are willing, I am an extremist. Because if you don't go to the extremes of life at the earliest possible time in your life, I think it's a wasted life. That's just my opinion. You can ignore that. I've caused some depression to some people, please liven them up a little bit. We are seeing how to make some changes if the logistics work out. We'll spend a little more time in the mountains because weather seems to be holding up. I think we can take a day's risk. I'm still not done with the road. We'll see you at Simikot and a strange place. Be ready for that. Riding to Chankil Pass, which is the nearest point to Simikot. We didn't want to miss this road. This is like a small goat track. In many places, it's barely fits in two wheels. This village roads in many ways. And drivers dream, if anybody is dreaming of driving through really tough terrain, come here in monsoons, drive from Nepalgunj to Chankil Pass. You will have your heart's fill of driving. Namaste, all of you. What school is everyone going to? Which class are you in? Local Student: 10th. 25 kilometers per hour. I can't believe this. Participant: We are in Simikot. Participant: It's a very nice little town. Very friendly people. Participant: These are the remotest part of Nepal. And it's not that Sadhguru is often visited over here. But the way people had been over there, whether it's welcoming him or just being there in his presence, which was deeply touching. Participant: We are driving to Limi --- you'll growl. Sometimes, either by accident or by intent, people work against you – happens all the time. You may get angry. But from now on, no angry words. If you get angry, shut up and sit down. Okay? That much you can do? Hello? If you get angry, keep it to yourself. Don't share it with the world. Will you do this much for me? Participants: Yes Sadhguru. Sadhguru: You can get angry, you can do nonsense, but no angry words. If you get angry, put your hands together. Will you do this for me? At least angry words, leave it here and go. You will be better, world will be better. You know, life, it does things that you don't expect. The moment we think life should happen the way I want, then you will make your world so small, because you're afraid. If you make it big, so many things will not go the way you want. Not even two percent of my life goes the way I want, ninety-eight percent all going wrong. The problem is not in the world. The problem is how we are, how we hold the world within ourselves. If you become little more conscious... Do you go sit in your office ---- and do that? No. You're that conscious, not bad. There are many people who are not that conscious, yes or no? You're that conscious. Can you do the same thing with your thought, you don't poke it like this? Hello, that's all it takes — little more conscious. How to conduct yourself in the world? There is no perfect way. Whatever you do, somebody will find fault with it – whatever you do. So, the important thing is you learn how to conduct yourself within yourself. Here,(Referring to oneself) you know how to conduct yourself. Well, you do your best. Somebody thinks your best is fantastic, somebody else thinks your best is nonsense. It's okay, but you're doing your best, that's all. You know how to conduct yourself here and in the world you're doing your best, that's all there is to life. Simply that's all. Is as simple as that. If you don't understand this, then you will make your way of being conditional to the world's way of being, you're finished. You don't have to live your life. Right now, I will tell you your life is over. Am I being too harsh to you? But that's how it is. If you do not make your way of being independent of everything around you, if somebody else, something else determines how you are right now, then we don't have to... See, we can write your history right now. By the end of your life how you will be, we can write right now. Because it's finished. So this is what the significant aspect of spiritual process is that you realize you are the maker of your life. You're not looking somewhere, you're turning inward. You're looking for every support you need on the way. No... no problem with that. But you understand you are the maker of your life, that's the only way it can work. If that one thing is missed, then we will go round and round and round and round, not getting anywhere. Limi Valley here, this has become a base camp for us to go towards Kailash. And after four days of being here, weather has been very kind. We are leaving Limi Valley right now. Back to Simikot and then back to Kathmandu. Participants: Thank you Sadhguru. Thank you. Sadhguru: Namaskaram. Speaker: Safe journey back home. Speaker: Thank you so much. Sadhguru: That's good. All the (Bhandaran?) people singing. Yesterday's ride was okay, all of you safe? Participants: Yes. Participants: Sad, now. Sadhguru: So next year, we are unfolding the Conscious Planet movement. Be a part of it, there's a lot to be done. Participants: Yes, we will. Sadhguru: We want three billion people to close their eyes for fifteen minutes. This is for one's mental health. If you want to have a sane world, this needs to happen. Namaskaram, all of you. What is the basis of human suffering? Something happens, they suffer. Nothing happens, they suffer immensely. If every day, if they are suffering their own mind in the form of stress, tension, anger, anxiety, they are all held together by very flimsy things. If you take away their phones, if you take away their drink and drug, maybe a carrier, maybe a family, maybe a dog, maybe a cat, maybe drink, take these things away. All of you should do this for yourself. Take everything away. Just sit for three days, you will know what is your condition and 98 percent of the world is in that condition. Only with distractions, they are going on. Distraction is not a solution. Distraction is a way of avoiding something. We are not avoiding illness, we are avoiding life. The only and only thing we have is life. But we have found so many devices, how to avoid life? Madness and addiction – this will be the way forward for humanity in the next 10 to 15 years. You see, I am not a doomsday sayer, okay? Looking at the trajectory in which human beings are handling themselves right now, in 15 to 20 years, there will not be a single family without a mentally ill person. Very rapidly going there. And the less you have to do about your life, the more crazy you will go about your life. If all of us want to live well, everybody around us need to be healthy. If everybody is a nutcase, how to live there? Hello? If you have one person who is mentally ill in your family, you know what it means. It is the most goddamn painful thing, a cancer is better. At least you know where you are going. This you don't know where you are going, one day up, one day down, one day up, one day down, you just don't know. No, no, stress is natural. My psychiatrist said, "It is very natural to be depressed when somebody died". This happened, that happened, I lost my job. God damn it, you are not born with a job, nor with a husband or a wife or a bloody dog in your life. Were you born with it or are you willing to die with it? Both you are not ready, you are just bullshitting yourself to death. If you damage this one, don't you believe that you are good and you will not damage anybody, you naturally will. Once you start poking yourself, you are damaging life on this planet. If you do not transform this, transforming something else is out of question. It's just empty talk. Because you don't want to stand up and look at what can be done about this, about myself and what's around us. Is there a solution? Of course, when we can create a problem, we can find a solution. Because the problem is not created by life process, problem is created by misdirecting humanity as to how we can mess ourselves up. Complete wrong approach to life. The important thing is, we need to understand this is about life, this is not about lifestyle. It's not about what I wear, it's not about what I possess, it's not about who is around me, it is about "How I am within myself." If this is not addressed seriously, the level of suffering that we will bring into human life will be too much. Oh, can this all be turned around by meditating? It can be turned around if individual human beings transform. But today we have means that sitting here we can make every goddamn individual on the planet to be touched by it. That is a possibility. Never before possibility. Many great beings have come in this world, but when they came, they didn't even have this. Hello? If we do not transform or turn humanity around, it just shows we don't have enough love in our heart. It just shows your heart is barren for life. I don't want to be that person. I don't want any of you to be that person. Let's make it happen, I'm saying. Participant: I believed in life as fun, adventure. Never in my dream I thought of going to Kailash. Definitely something happened on that mountain. I just cried and cried and I can clearly see the course of my life changing. I can see myself as a different person from back then to now. Participant: I'm so blessed to have, living in the same era. A true master who knows life through and through. And you impart your life energy into us and making us part of you without saying anything.