Opening up To Higher Possibilities

The situation of almost every human being in the world is such that, simply because of their security concerns, by responding to their own basic sense of survival in the world, their body, mind, emotions and energy created certain cocoons. In limited atmospheres, these cocoons helped them protect themselves but when your longing reaches for other dimensions, the same things which were protecting you are a huge restriction. For example, when you were a little kid, your parents protected you. It was nice and you enjoyed the protection and comfort of being hugged and held in their lap, but once you grew up a little, you wanted to get off their lap and run around. If they had continued to hold you on their lap, you would have started struggling and hating that which held you down.

These cocoons, this closed-ness, has happened because of the structures that we have built over a period of time. These structures are what we call karmas. In India, we call them vasanas or samskaras. It means that you build limited structures around you. These structures were essential for your survival, but because your whole focus was on survival, you strengthened these structures so much that after some time, this structure which protected you is restricting you. You do not want it now but you do not know how to get rid of it. It is just like closing the window to protect yourself from the sun and dust. Once the weather changes, you want to open the window but if the bolts are stuck, you cannot open it. Now it becomes desperation. Karma is just like this. This is not a question of right or wrong. This was created with a certain understanding of a certain sense of wellbeing, which is limited. When that is fulfilled and your being naturally longs for the next thing, that becomes a restriction.

Whatever the spiritual processes, we start on all the levels of body, mind, emotion, and energy – so that slowly all these dimensions are handled. But one thing which is easily at hand for you is the mind and emotion. Making yourself mentally open is very fundamental and very crucial because this is something that is immediately in your hands. Your energy is not in your hands; you do not know how to open it. Even your physical body, you do not know how to keep it open. But mind is something that you can consciously open. That is why there is a lot of talk about opening the mind, not because it is the most important but because right now, that is what is most available for people.

(Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service).