Become an Empty Page

Sadhguru looks at what it takes to hold a relationship with the existence that goes beyond just the body, mind and emotion.

Sadhguru: Every creature here, however small or big, is continually in a relationship with the rest of creation and also with the source of creation. If there already is an inevitable relationship, what is there to do? Just change the quality of the relationship. You can sit here cursing this planet or you can sit here blessing this planet because it is giving you a piece of place to sit down upon. It is a big difference in the way you hold the relationship.

It is about changing the relationship. If the relationship is just physical, you will know certain things. If it is mental, you will know certain other things. If it is emotional, you will know different kinds of things. But you will still not know what it is. Do you see, from your birth to now, many things about your body have changed and are continuing to change. Similarly, many things about your mind and emotion are changing and continuing to change. Even if you have “frozen” it, still it is changing.

In a way, the whole spiritual process is just this – changing your relationship with the existence from being just of body, mind and emotion, to a subtler dimension of existence. All knowing comes just from this.

It is like this:

A scoundrel is knowledgeable
A fool will know
But a sage is an empty page

Because a sage is an empty page, just about anything can be grasped. If you already wrote something else upon it, it would be confusion.

All the big, elaborate and confusing talk about karma that is going on just means that you are not an empty page. Too much is written already so whatever else is written is going to be lost. It does not matter what is written on a page which is already full of stuff; whatever you write and however valuable what you write is, it is going to be messed. That is why in this country, people look at you and say, “Karma.”

All the spiritual sadhana is not to become knowledgeable, but just to become an empty page so that just anything can be projected. If you become an empty page and remain one, you can project life upon it. If you have been to the local theater, any number of movies have been played upon that screen, but it does not distort anything because light is a subtle thing. If they had used a crayon or a paint brush, those screens would have been discarded a long time ago.

So it is about moving your relationship with the existence from that which is physical, mental, and emotional – which will leave marks and never allow you to have an empty page – into an etheric state, where your relationship is far deeper and much more profound, but subtle in such a way that you can play any kind of cinema on it. The moment it is off, it is off; not a trace left. The previous movie, if it left even a little bit of trace upon the screen, the next movie would be a disaster. That is all that is happening right now. The previous movies have left impressions.

Are you ready for a joke? Shankaran Pillai went to the United States. He was sightseeing in Washington D.C. Particularly when you go on tour and when you go sightseeing, for many couples, that is when big arguments come because of all the suppressed aspirations the wife wants to express at that time. She wants to do this, she wants to see that, she wants to eat this, she wants to go here. Suddenly the husband is having problems with this new woman. This couple was walking on two sides of the street. As usual some long-haired people were protesting against the war in Iraq. Always there is some war and so, “Make love, not war” boards are everywhere in the city. Shankaran Pillai went and looked at it. He said, “Get married, you’ll have both.”

You just have to change your relationship with the existence and with the creator. How? You need to understand, this is not a relationship of choice. Whichever way, you have to hold a relationship; you cannot help it. Can you sit here not connected with any aspect of creation or creator? You may be unaware of it, but there is no way – unless you transcend everything that is physical absolutely. Otherwise, whichever way you sit, stand, or sleep, you are holding a relationship. You don’t have to try to hold a relationship. So fifty percent of the problem is solved. The other half is very simple – you do not make too much of yourself.

I am not giving a teaching, I am only giving a method. Do you know the distinction between the two? A teaching can be analyzed and understood. A method has to simply be used. It cannot be analyzed or understood. This is just a method. It does not take much effort. You just constantly see how small a creature you are in this existence.

Look at the mountain and see how small you are, look at the sky and see how small you are. Look at the distance into the sky and see how poor your vision is. Like this, put yourself into the right place. I am not saying depreciate yourself, I am saying be realistic as to who the hell you are in this Creation. You do not have to appreciate or depreciate; you do not have to lie to yourself. Simply see what is your place in the existence and constantly keep reminding yourself, “This is all I am, a speck of nothing in nothing.” Who the hell you are, what you think of yourself, your greatness – these do not mean anything. Even if you disappear tomorrow morning, the whole world will be fine. This is so for you, this is so for me, this is so for everyone. The more people do not understand this, the more idiotic their lives will be. The more they come to terms with it, the more intelligently they will live.

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