Why does meditation involve an initiation? Requiring more than just a set of instructions, as Sadhguru explains, initiation is fundamentally an energy process, much like flipping the switch of an induction motor. Though all the ingredients required for meditation may already be present, a certain energy must be applied to set everything into motion.

Full Transcript:

Sadhguru: What is the significance of initiation? Initiation is not about a bundle of instructions. In fact, in any initiation process, instructions are a kind of disturbance, it’s a nuisance. I am saying it’s a nuisance because… We are still giving instructions because most people… because today they have all become educated, everything has to be told, you know, or it must be printed (Laughs) these days. If you tell them also it’s not enough, they wanted a printed sheet, the instructions of the initiation because they are all educated. Their brains are full of words, not of life. Too many words, so everything has to be verbal. Even saying it is not good enough, you have to print it or you have to record it and give it to them so that they can put headphones and listen to the instructions every time. Initiation is not a bundle of words.

If we have to use an analogy, if you know something about electricity – in electrical imple… you know, motors and stuff, there is something called as induction. The power is there, the motor is there, everything is there, but without an induction switch it will not go. All the ingredients are there but still it will not happen because there’s no induction of energy. So initiation is like an induction. You have all the ingredients to be meditative but it doesn’t happen (Laughs). Why does it not happen? Because this is the way the creation itself happened. If you go by the traditional explanation – one way, if you go by the modern scientific way – it’s the same thing said in a different language. Modern science is talking about how everything was empty space. Now they are removing the word empty and saying it was space. There is no physicality there but there seems to be something else there. What that something else, we don’t know, as per the science. And today they’ve made experiments where in vacuum state, if you apply a certain energy around it – not into it, around it – suddenly virtual protons and virtual neutrons will spill out. That means creation begins just because there’s energy playing around. There is a beautiful story in the yogic tradition. Shiva… You must understand the word Shiva. Shiva means, shi-va means that which is not. Appropriate description for space. That which is, is physical creation. That which is not, is non-physical dimension of the existence. So Shiva means that which is not. Shiva was lying, his body spread across the cosmos. But he is not, he doesn’t exist, he doesn’t have a physical manifestation. Then Shakti, a certain dimension of energy, came and danced around him and then he came alive. Then he started spitting galaxies out of his mouth. This is the most (Laughs) appropriate description of how creation happened. Still spitting galaxies, new galaxies, it’s continuously happening, simply because a certain energy touched it. Everything that was needed for creation was already there in him but he needed induction. So, initiation is a kind of an induction process. But unfortunately today, if I just ask people to just sit here, we’ll do things for you, they’ll “Nothing happening, why is he not doing anything” (Laughs)? You are supposed to say something. So what to do? For modern times, we say a lot of things, we hang out with you (Laughter). Today if you go and sit in the Dhyanalinga temple, without instruction you can become meditative. I can do that to you here now. (Talks aside: What’s her name, this girl?) Heena. Heena, you are in UK, if you’re willing to just sit there, I can do it to you now, wherever you are. But right now, you got too… you are a student, still educating (Laughs). Maybe you are a possibility, not fully educated (Laughter).

Too many words in your head, the only thing you understand is words. Because of that, instructions have come. Otherwise, initiation is not about instruction. There (is?) really no instruction in it. Initiation is just an induction process, it’s an energy process. But we have to talk about energy, tch, you know. We have to talk a lot about energy before they open their mouth and (Gestures) “Ohh, appadiya” (Laughter)? Tough times for gurus (Laughter), too much talking (Laughs). If you don’t talk, nobody will be here. Very few can really understand - if we simply sit here and reverberate, they will also sit here and reverberate. Those numbers are small. Well, in Isha, those numbers are increasing, I don’t have to say much (Applause). But in the larger world, you have to… tch, you have to talk, talk, talk and talk, hang out with people (Laughter) – global gossip.