Sadhguru looks at how an ill mind can create a poisonous chemical soup within the body. He explains how modern society sees disease as a normal fact of life, which is a serious mistake. But a human being is capable of creating a wonderful “soup” and going through life blissfully.

Questioner: Sadhguru, Namaskaram. You mentioned in your previous discourses that thirty percent of the illnesses are body while the rest are mind-created. I just want to know in case you do get an illness, how do you know that it's mind-created or it's of the body? And in case it's psychosomatic in nature, what would be the emotional and the thought pattern that’s behind it? How would you find that out and correct it if possible? Thank you.

Sadhguru: You’re sounding like a disciple of Freud (Laughter). Only recently, in the last few years, there has been certain letters that Sigmund Freud wrote to certain people - it's all come into public domain now. It’s unbelievable – a man who is seen as the father of modern psychoanalysis, the one… People have even credit him… credited him with the title, “He invented human mind” (Laughs). You should see the hollowness of the man - unbelievable!

So don’t go like this – just a simple thing. Suppose right now your right hand gets up – do it. Let your right hand get up – not like that. And it acts funny, simply (Gestures). Do it, do it. No, that’s not funny. Do something more funny. And it beats you up (Laughter). Do you have an ailment or no? Suppose your right hand gets up and does funny things and smashes you, pokes your eyes (Gestures) (Laughter), do you have an ailment or no? Yes, isn't it? For sure you have. That’s exactly what your mind is doing, isn't it? It gets up, pops around, hurts you, pokes you, makes you cry, makes you (Laughs) suffer - do you have an ailment or no? Too many people are with you (Laughter) so you can form an army of sick people. When there’s an army in front of you, sick or otherwise, you don't argue with them (Laughs). What's the point? Especially if it’s a sick army, what is the point arguing with them? Just bow down to them and keep going.

That’s what morse… most enlightened beings have done. They looked… They closed their eyes and things happened, then they looked… (Gestures) (Laughs). Some fools stand up to speak and it goes on endlessly. If… If your hand started pocking at you, hitting you, beating you up, definitely you are sick, isn't it? Yes. So if your thoughts and emotions are poking you, str… strangling you and torturing you every day, aren’t you sick I’m asking? Hmm? By your own definition I’m going (Laughs).

Time 57:00

So because this sickness is on, it will manifest in so many ways in the physical body. There is no question anymore. Every thought, every reverberation on the level of the mind, depending upon the type of reverberation you create, the whole chemistry is going through a change. It's all been measured. Right now you sit here and think about tigers, you have one kind of chemistry - chemical changes happen. You think about flowers, another kind of chemical change happens. All this has been measured. So for every thought, if the whole chemistry is going through thing – if your mind is in this state, you know what kind of soup you’re making? You’re a lousy soup (Laughs). Not just lousy, poisonous.

If you’re soaked in this poisonous soup on a daily basis, how to know well-being? It’ll not happen like that. We don’t have so much control today in the world as to what we eat, what we drink, what we breathe - all of it is somewhat poisoned. But if you’re on self-help, not on industrial help, not on… the world trying to poison you in some way, you’re on self-help. You know self-help is best help; you may succeed. Yes. Depending upon how hard you strive, you will succeed. Modern societies have started treating disease, ailment as a natural process, which is a serious mistake. Ancient societies always saw disease as something wrong – that’s not how a man is shou… man should be. A human being should not be in any state of illness bec… Illness means something fundamentally wrong. But modern societies have started treating this as normal because there’s an industry which thrives on you (Laughs), very major industry. The second largest industry on the planet is pharmaceuticals because you have a bad soup going, because you have a lousy or nasty soup going within you. See, if a good chef or a cook serves you soup, if you drink it, “Wow, nice!” (Gestures) “Uchhk.” Put salt, put pepper, do this (Gestures), do this (Gestures) means what? Lousy cook, isn't it?

So if the second largest industry on the planet is pharmaceuticals, there’s too much lousy soup (Laughs), isn't it? Every day you have to add something to this to make it (Gestures). No, if you’re willing we can make this (Referring to oneself) into a very wonderful soup. The chemistry is in a fantastic state - to be blissful is natural. If you do this, believe me seventy percent of the ailments will vanish from the planet. Another thirty percent – there are many external influences which are not always in control. You cannot control that, only to some extent. You don't know whether a bird is sitting next to you or a pig or a cow. No, I mean to say whether you’re going to get bird flu, or swine flu, or mad-cow disease. You don't know because we don't know who is sitting next to you (Laughs). You cannot control it all the time. To some extent we can take care but you cannot control that absolutely. But what you’re doing from within, if you’re willing one hundred percent you can take it into your hands.

So if you’re constantly creating a nasty chemistry within you, how is life within you supposed to understand you’re seeking well-being? How? It's just unfair (Laughs). Life within you thinks, “He likes ailments,” and gives it to you. Yes? Some people may have a… a strong… a robust system which will take a whole lot of beating, some people will fall at the very first lousy soup that you do. The very first assault some will… some will fall. Some have a more robust system, they will last little longer but how can it not get you, tell me? If you’re poisoning your system from within for which there is substantial proof for every thought and emotion the chemical composition of your body is changing, if you’re creating poison from within you and you want to live well, how is it? Life doesn’t work like that. Unless you do the right things, right things will not happen to you.

I know when somebody says, “I’m not well,” you’re supposed to sweet-talk them – “Don’t worry, everything will be okay,” but I’m like this, what to do? Because I’m not a solace, I’m a solution.