"This SECRET Was Kept By Monks" - How To Achieve SELF MASTERY | Gauranga Das & Jay Shetty

problems in life may not diminish. but our consciousness can rise much. above those so-called problems so that. the entire perspective changes. i want to start with talking to you. about how. what people i've mentioned about you. before when i've spoken about you but. people may not have as a perception of. monks i think people often think of. monks as either we know nothing about. them. or we think maybe they're lazy and they. don't want to do any work or we think. maybe they're uneducated and they didn't.

have another path. or maybe we think they were very. religious growing up. but when i met you what i got fascinated. by is that you didn't really fit into. any of those categories you were. extremely educated you are extremely. educated you come from a spiritual. background but it's not that you were. you were a normal person at college. growing up. i just want to hear a bit about. how you decided that this path was right. for you. because. when i heard. what you'd done i was so impressed that.

someone of your caliber who had. everything that me and my friends were. seeking were able to give it up so. easily for this life so what brought you. to this stage tell me about what you. wanted to become growing up and then why. you became this. well thanks jeff for asking that. question. yes it's true that as i was in iit. i did not have this idea of becoming a. monk. but. i came across a few incidents and.

those were some of the turning points in. my life. one of my friends. who was pretty. well to do in terms of education and. studies. he once attempted a suicide. and that really shook me up. and then for the first time i started. understanding that. life is. much more than just achievements. but there is also a feeling of. experience which each one of us is. processing from within.

so we are improving technology we are. improving systems but what about the. human experience which is happening. behind those systems and behind those. machines. on the other hand i also found that. in my class there were. some other students. who had failed in quite a few subjects. but they were not at all affected and. they were going around the campus as if. nothing has happened. so i was pretty bewildered because i. thought. those were the ones who should be in. anxiety.

and when i asked them they would respond. by saying that. our philosophy in life is simple to. enter the college is our job to take us. out of the college's college's job. so why should we be worried. so i realized that. beyond. all the various external. technologies. systems that's the talk about gdp and. everything. there is something which is not. described in great detail. in any of our textbooks.

and that is. the perceptions and the experiences. which each one of us have. as a soul. and that really made me. to seek answers. in books. which are beyond the regular ones. and then i came across the bhagavad-gita. and then i started getting answers. to one of the most important principles. in life. circumstances are beyond our control.

and we have limited control over our. circumstances. but we have. unlimited control over our consciousness. and therefore. i thought. that was pretty deep. when an airplane flies. it takes off. and as soon as it takes off. you see the same buildings look pretty. insignificant. so we may not have control over the size. of the buildings. but we have control over.

how high we can go. and similarly problems in life may not. diminish. but our consciousness can rise much. above those so-called problems so that. the entire perspective changes. so when i read the gita i realized that. one of the core principles to remain. enthusiastic. positive. full of enthusiasm and energy in your. whole life is. the flexibility and the agility with. which. you can choose different lenses.

at any particular given moment. because. sometimes a lens can make an object look. very tiny and another lens can make the. same object look. very huge. and appear to be extremely close to your. eyes and there are other lenses. which do not magnify at all. so therefore depending on the situation. and circumstance how can we choose those. lenses is something which. is described in great detail in the.

ancient vedic wisdom. and i got drawn to that. i started reading it. and i didn't realize that. my journey will. take me one day to london so that our. paths cross. yeah that's so beautifully explained and. thank you for sharing that because i. think. so many people who will be listening and. watching today. so many of them may have that experience. at college too. that people are facing so much stress. and anxiety people are trying to become. something that they don't want to be but.

maybe their parents want them to be here. or. maybe their friends or their. peers think that that is what success is. in society how did you when you decided. to become a monk i'm guessing that not. everyone around you was celebrating. like it may have been a tough choice or. a tough decision. how were you able to make this tough. step. because even if people are not becoming. monks everyone sometimes has to make. choices in life. where people around you may not agree.

and how were you able to do that i know. you do that now as well in your work so. many times you're having to make tough. decisions where everyone may not agree. with you how did you do that in the. first instance of becoming a mum. well to be honest. uh i was also. not very sure whether. you know i would be able to sustain this. path because. practically nobody in my family has ever. done it before. and. i was thinking how will society respond.

to this. and whether i'm making the right. decision. and i was thinking how should i process. this moving forward. but then an incident happened which. completely changed my perspective. i was on the road traveling with one. other senior monk he was driving me. and we were on the highway. and this was november of 1993. and then as we were moving on the. highway.

our vehicle hit against another truck. and there was an accident on the highway. and our car got badly smashed. luckily in spite of being injured. quite heavily. i survived. it was a very. transformative moment for me. because i saw my whole body filled with. blood. and the doctor spent practically five to.

six hours in the operation theater. taking out the glass pieces which had. entered into my body. and then as i was recovering i started. contemplating. that. well. as far as my life is concerned. even an inch here or there would have. been the end of my life. and i'm only 22. and i could as well be dead by now. but looks like i've been given another. chance. so whether someone in society.

or anyone else. connected. whatever may be their. feelings or background. whatever their responses may be. today. i am alive and i have been given a. second chance let me use this second. chance. to do something great to serve others. and therefore. i decided that i will use this. opportunity. every breath which has been given to me.

back. as a second chance as an opportunity to. share and spread this message. which has benefited me so much. so there are moments like this. where you are practically hopeless. and then. a small window of hope opens up. and then you see everything from a. different perspective. so for me it was that moment. which gave me that conviction. to sustain. this determination.

i love that i think we all have such. similar moments in our life whether. they're near-death experiences like. yours maybe not as extreme but i think. everyone who's listening and watching. right now can relate to the fact that we. all get these choices in life sometimes. it's a second chance sometimes it's an. opening or an opportunity and. we. at that point have a choice to make. whether we want to carry on living. unconsciously and. without thought or without purpose or. whether we want to live with deeper.

meaning and purpose like you chose. and i mean you've really lived up to. that because i remember when i met you. and even now like today we're sitting in. an eco village that of course there's. been a community behind but you've led. the development of. there's the incredible food distribution. work. that you've definitely been involved in. spearheading the incredible work that's. happening with the community in mumbai. you know you've been a part of affecting. thousands and thousands and millions of. lives. and i think you've definitely lived up.

to that. incredible commitment thank you thank. you so much. it's uh it's really special actually. because i think that. it's one thing to say those things but. to actually. authentically live up to it and i can. see you're always challenging yourself. to the next level and i guess that's. that's what i love about our path. of of being a monk is that. and i was speaking about this with. brotherhood swami too that we have self. and service. so you have your own personal meditation.

you have your own personal prayer and. your sadhana and your practices. and then you're going and extending. yourself for the world right and i feel. like you've found a way of using all. your talents. in service of humanity so it's not that. you became a monk and thought okay now i. need to let go of this. you've actually believed that. the gifts that you've been given or the. talents you've been given can actually. be used to help serve the world which i. think is a really important thing could.

you share a bit on that sure. and why that's important. that's a beautiful question. the word monk. in the christian tradition. it comes from the root word in latin. monchos. which basically means. solitude. and typically. monks. would contemplate in solitude. but there are several monks who would.

also engage in community work. in the buddhist tradition the monks are. known as. bhikkhu. or. bikshu it has two meanings one is beggar. second is. which means. one who is able to see and perceive. danger. and that's a very interesting definition.

because monks were those. who would lead their life understanding. the knowledge. and protect themselves and people from. the danger of ignorance. [Music]. in the hindu tradition. monks are known as sannyasis. sannyasi word consists of three parts. sum. plus ni. plus asa. so sum means. totally.

means to go down and asa means to. approve. so sannyasi basically means one who is. dedicating himself. to completely uproot. go down and approve. all the negativities and. negative desires from within. he does that for himself. and he helps others also in their. journey. another word. in sanskrit for monk is.

vairagi. and that also comes. from a very beautiful. tapestry of syllables. v. and raga. so we means without and raga means. attachment. without attachment. and another meaning is. v plus ranj. plus bhan. which means. without color. so that is a very interesting definition.

which very much correlates to the. question you are asking. which means that. a sannyasi or a vairagi. or a renunciant or a monk is one. who can be fully engaged in productive. activities which was a benefit to. society. but remains uncolored. by any of that. he remains unaffected. so that is one of the interesting. perspectives of.

vairagya or renunciation. therefore. one of the core principles in the. renounced order. is. absorption absorption i would divide in. two important elements. one is the intention. and second is action. intention. towards. selfless service. intention towards.

tireless service. and intention towards. pleasing selflessly. so the two elements are intention and. action. monkhood is all about. how we can. selflessly please others. and how we can tirelessly serve others. so the combination of this intention. of selfless pleasing.

and tireless serving. it combines into giving an experience of. total absorption. and that absorption. is something which then expands. in the form of compassion. and we include everyone else within that. expanding circle of compassion. and round the whole world. in peace and harmony. now you can see why i think he's amazing. that was brilliant i've never heard that. before i've never heard the breakdown of.

the. the words of the definition of monk in. different traditions i think that's. incredible to hear that and i think. that's what i find so special. about this path is that it allows the. ability to serve as well not just to. live in solitude and and that's why my. next question is. i've written my book called think like a. monk. and the reason why i called it that is. because i believe that you don't have to. necessarily live like a monk to think.

like one. that it is a beautiful opportunity if. you can. but we all we both know that for 99.9. of the world it's not going to be. something that people are going to do. but i really believe that the mindset. that a monk is encouraged to cultivate. of service of. self-growth of. removing unwanted negative tendencies. and implications these are things that. anyone can do and in one sense we all. must do to live a peaceful and. purposeful life so i'd love to hear from.

you. what you think thinking like a monk in. your opinion. is relevant for the modern people in. modern world and for people like me now. who also live in the city have normal. jobs are married how does thinking like. a monk actually help that person. bhagavad-gita. describes. four principles. which are extremely important for us to. follow. one of the greatest challenges.

in remaining grounded in life. is our inability. to tolerate provoking situations. whether one is a monk. or one is in household life. or in a corporate life. any kind of a relationship or doing any. kind of activity or occupation we are. constantly being provoked. and therefore. gita first talks about. what is known as. vega.

which means. we have to tolerate. our urges. so i would say. tolerating. our urge to consume. the second principle is. dwanvy. duality. we have to tolerate. various dualities which come in our life. and remain humble. and aware of the fact that.

we cannot control all situations. so therefore. we have to. tolerate the urge to control. third is para mata sahishnatha. we are so convinced about our opinions. and our standpoint and our viewpoint. that we want others also to buy into. that. so many arguments differences of opinion. happen relationships break down.

because we have a strong urge. to convince others. so we have to tolerate that urge. to convince others in certain situations. and the fourth. is the urge. to compete. and that is known as. paratkarsha. certain people will do much better than. us in so many different ways.

we should feel happy. when we see that. and remember that we have a role to play. and we should resist the temptation and. the urge to compete. so gita focuses. on how to elevate one's consciousness. above these urges. to control. to convince. to compete.

and then. we are actually able to rise above all. of these. and realize. that yes. i have a role to play. to serve each and everyone in society to. the best of my ability. and therefore. people who are engaged in society. are in anxiety because. many times they are trying to compare. with others. and this comparison. is a huge cancer of the mind.

today every single day in india. 371 people commit suicide. every. every day every day. every single day. 300 million people across the world are. experiencing mental health disorders. every single day. 18 billion cigarettes are being smoked. 6.75 trillion cigarettes smoked every. year 1 billion people across the world.

experiencing. addiction to cigarette smoking and. unable to give up. so practically each one of us have our. internal challenges. and therefore gita focuses on. first managing oneself. and then based on how we manage. ourselves. we can manage others. and in my own experience i've found that. when people irrespective of whatever.

occupation and profession they may be. when they cannot control these urges. to consume to control to convince to. compete. then invariably they land up in so many. difficulties so many challenges. social issues. may not be described. emotional issues may not be described. personal issues may not be described in. books of technology and management.

but all of those issues have a major. role to play. in our overall experience as individuals. and in our contribution to society. for example the word family. may not. pop up anywhere. in your management books or in your. technology books. but today. because of a lack of emphasis on family. values. and because of inability for people to.

control their urges. so many differences of opinion are. cropping up. a country like luxembourg has a divorce. rate of 87 percent. spain has a divorce rate of 65 percent. france has a divorce rate of 55 percent. russia 51 percent america has divorce. rate of 46 percent the global divorce. rate is 44 percent. and therefore. it's very important for us to realize.

that there may not be much focus on. instilling values in individuals. and institutions as families. but. if you do not focus and emphasize and. invest in something. in due course of time you'll lose it. and therefore. it was not empty rhetoric when people. would say. a family which prays together stays. together. and therefore it's very important for us.

to introspect. which way we are going as a society. how much. are. all these values crucial and critical. for self-conservation. and conserving. relationships in society. conserving mental health and sanity in. society. because sometimes we may just think. that these are not irrelevant because. you cannot connect a dollar value to. these values.

absolutely yeah no that's a fantastic. answer because. i think that's the key. thing that's missing that we live in a. world that. believes if you actually. chase the satisfaction of your urges. then that is freedom that real success. is actually. following your urges. or whatever urge you have if you want to. compete with someone compete if you want. to compare with someone compare if you. want to say anything about someone you.

can say it and we see that as freedom. but actually what you're suggesting and. what the text is suggesting is that. we actually gain real freedom when we. don't need to do those things and we. don't feel the need to do those things. so so on that point let's let's. extrapolate that because i think that's. a really powerful point what is the. beginning of the step-by-step process of. starting to. create self-control because i think we. see self-control as such a negative. thing because it's seen as restrictive. or it's seen as.

like almost being imprisoned but. actually we're imprisoned by our desires. but that's still a. it's like a massive paradigm shift for a. lot of individuals today and even for. myself when i first met you and i first. came to this so explain why actually. freedom comes from. controlling your urges. the gita says.

this is a beautiful verse where krishna. says. that. freedom. from all of our. base desires comes. when we are able to control our mind. and follow a strict discipline. of applying ourselves. to follow a certain regimen. the word used is regulative principles. of freedom.

it may sound contradictory. because. self-control. or discipline. seems to have a connotation of. being bound as a prisoner. but i'll give two examples. one. if someone is flying a kite. the question is is the rope. binding the movement. of the kite. or the rope becomes an instrument. for helping the kite fly higher.

so if someone says why is the kite bound. let us cut the rope. so the kite may fly for some time but. then again it will crash. so the rope is binding the kite. but the rope should not be seen. as limiting the movement of the kite but. facilitating the upliftment of the kite. similarly. if you are caught in a traffic jam. you cannot move.

and sometimes when the signals don't. work. or if the policeman is not there in. sight then there may be a huge traffic. jam. but actually. the traffic laws. and the signals. facilitate. proper movement of the vehicles. so it is not to be seen as limiting but. facilitating. therefore. when we look at discipline. discipline is something which enables us.

to experience. greater freedom. and that's what the bhagavad-gita is. talking about. the art of self-control the art of mind. control. and by practicing this. each one of us will actually experience. an enhancement. of our consciousness. and i think we've all experienced that i. think everyone knows that when you. you feel like you're letting loose in.

the beginning it feels good in the. beginning. but then after a bit of time it starts. to feel really painful. yeah like for example when the british. were in india. they saw that at one point of time. maybe a century. ago the cobra population in delhi was. increasing. so they made a ruling. in order to control the cobra population. if anyone.

gets a dead cobra and submits to the. government office. they will get a financial reward. and they thought by announcing this. people would go out get inspired to kill. cobras and the cobra population would be. control. but then quite a few people got inspired. to rare cobra farms. and they started rearing cobra snakes. and farms around delhi the cobra. population started increasing. when the government realized that they. scrapped the scheme. the guys who were wearing the cobras.

became angry released the cobras in the. city no way and therefore this is known. as the cobra effect oh wow. where the proposed solution of a problem. is worse than the original problem. and therefore. people are in distress. they are depressed. they are unhappy. and they decide. let me consume alcohol let me take drugs. let me do this let me do that.

so various momentary titillations. which they provide to their mind and. their senses. may sometimes. increase and enhance the problem. then solve it. therefore the submission is. try to understand. how the system is designed. understand. how. these issues can be resolved in the best. possible way within the design.

and if there is a computer it has a hard. disk. if the hard disk gets a virus. then the computer just crashes. however beautiful the screen may look. but the hard disk is corrupted. similarly people invest a lot of time. and energy. building their body building their. physique keeping themselves physically. fit. but they fail to realize. that a very important component of our. system. is the mind.

and mind is like the hard disk. for this. computer-like body. and if sufficient investment is not made. to keep the mind fit. then in due course of time one will be. overwhelmed with negativities. and therefore. this kind of mental fitness. is what is known as meditation. so meditation is the gym.

where you actually perform. various kinds of exercises. to keep the mind fit. well after all these years of meditating. for so many hours per day. and. leading so many other meditation. workshops yourself what would you say. for you has been the greatest gift that. meditation has given you personally. everybody is looking for love. many people think. love is all about pleasure.

but in response to your question on. meditation. the greatest gift which meditation has. bestowed upon me. is. a proper understanding of what is love. and i realized. that love is about. pain. and not pleasure. in the chaitanya tamil there is a. beautiful description which.

defines love. in this it is described. that. in every relationship. there could be. various problems. scarcity. impediment. discomfort. unhappiness.

change. uncertainty. lack of reciprocation and separation. all of these may happen in a. relationship but if the relationship. continues. then that. is defined as. love. and as i described before. how to please selflessly. the object of your love. and how to serve. tirelessly.

and so. in my experience. love is something. which is extremely rare extremely. valuable. and extremely difficult. to process. unless we are willing to put ourselves. through a system of purification. and then when we purify ourselves.

then lust which is like iron. transforms into. love which is like gold. so in my experience for several years. meditation. has. really given me. an entrance. into this arena. of a totally new paradigm of what love. is. which scriptures describe as. devotional service.

service. without any selfish considerations. i shared this example. that when we began our govinda's. restaurant. in our. chapati temple many years ago. we decided that we will have pizza. and it was radha swami's idea to have. pizza. this was 2004. and we were not really experienced.

in making pizzas and you know some of us. used to make our own version of pizza. which was. you know. take a couple of loaves of bread and put. some tomato ketchup and have some fried. vegetables and. it was what we would call as pizza. and we thought that is it. so when mara said we should have pizza i. said i i mentioned to him. i don't think this is an item which we. can sell in a restaurant. and he looked at me and said.

which pizza are you referring to the one. which you guys feed me. i said. that's what pizza vino. and he looked at me and said. that. which you feed me is not pizza it's a. perverted reflection of pizza. and then we had someone come from new. york. and he gave us the entire recipe of. an authentic italian new york pizza. thin crust. and for the first time in life i saw.

artichoke hearts and i didn't know any. of this and i was initiated. into appreciating what a pizza is. so the word pizza. was being used by us. but the experience was something else. the word pizza remained the same. but we were ascribing or superimposing. the word pizza on some other product. which was giving a different experience. the whole world is speaking about.

love. songs are being sung. by movie actors and actresses. and singers and rock stars about love. novels are being sold in the millions. which are centered around the theme of. love. but. all of these descriptions. are referring. to an experience of. selfish personal pleasure.

whereas. the description as given. in the vedic scriptures. is love means. service without selfish consideration. so this has been the greatest revelation. as far as meditation is concerned. for me in my own life. and my journey with radha swami. and my other monks. amazing people often question uh. how can anything be truly selfless if.

you know that it's good for you. and i want to hear your perspective on. that because i'm sure people have said. to you that how can anything be selfless. because if i know that it's good for me. to do service and i'm serving then it's. not selfless so how do you respond to. that. the soul by nature. is designed to serve. so sugar by nature is sweet. and water by nature is liquid. so when we perform an activity and.

function which is as per nature. and as how it has been designed. one experiences harmony and that harmony. produces. the greatest. efficiency. and so the soul by nature is designed to. serve. when we engage in serving and pleasing. that effect of serving and pleasing. it actually produces the greatest joy. from within.

and therefore. there are. four levels of motivation. and that's what has kept me going in my. 30 years as a monk. the lowest level. is motivation by desire. the lowest level is motivation by fear. the next is motivation by. desire. above that is motivation by the sense of. duty.

and the highest. is to be motivated. by the sense of love. so if you analyze all these four levels. you will see. actions motivated by. fear and desire is simply a transaction. actions motivated by. duty. may result in transparency. but it is only actions inspired by love.

which takes us. to trance. and therefore. we have to decide. we want to lead a life based on. transaction. or we want to lead a life based on trans. and so again referring to the chaitanya. tamara i quote. bahubari.

a great saint. he indulged. in. very hard work. to. get. madrid a great saint. he actually got a whole load of. sandalwood. to please his worshipable lord gopal. and in that process he experienced so. many impediments and difficulties.

but this verse reveals. that ananda badhilamane. dukhana ganila his bliss increased. and he did not consider that in any way. shape or form. to be creating any distress for him. and a very important word is used. ganila. basically means. count. to keep an account. when we keep an account.

it is a business transaction. when we are serious about something. when we mean business. we keep account. if i lend money to someone. and if i am running a business so i keep. a count of how much i have earned how. much i have spent. if someone is intent upon losing weight. they count their calories. so whenever there is seriousness and. business-like dealing.

the principle of keeping account comes. means. is our relationship. a business-like transaction. where i keep account of how much i have. done for you. and how much distress i have gone. through and how many difficulties i have. gone through. in this relationship. if i keep account of that. then it is a business-like relationship.

when a child is screaming in the middle. of the night. the mother spontaneously gets up to. pacify the child. the mother never tells. other other people in the family. i am not on night shift. or i don't have overtime. how much will you pay no because. she is just concerned out of a principle. of selfless service to the child. and therefore.

in a relationship inspired by love. one is in trance. because. we do not keep count. of what difficulties we have to go. through. in that relationship because we are. simply concerned with. pleasing the other person. and i believe. that when. i have led my life. in this particular capacity as a.

monk. it has been keeping in mind a higher. principle. a soldier. fights. to protect others home and earth. among fights. to protect others hopes. and therefore when people go to a. pharmacy shop they know. they'll get medicine when they go to a. bookstore they know they'll get a book. when they come.

to a spiritual place. where such spiritual discussions are. going on. why are they coming. why are they listening to you. why are they connecting with anything. from any of our traditions. because they are coming to receive. hope. and therefore. people may think. wealth is my greatest asset. position is my greatest asset good looks. are my greatest asset.

political influence is my greatest asset. social acceptance is my greatest asset. but all of these are assets which can be. finished and destroyed at any moment. as per bhagavad-gita the greatest asset. is our hope. if someone has hope. even if he loses all the other things. he can still in due course of time. do his best.

and therefore these kind of discussions. evoke. growth. of the most important asset which each. one of us have. the power and the ability. to hope. absolutely that's yeah that's an amazing. perspective in looking in that way. i'm going to shift the conversation. slightly so hopefully this will be fun. for all of you i wanted to ask. some questions. uh about our relationship because uh.

he's known me since i was 18 years old. i'm 32 now so it's been a fair amount of. time and we've spent a lot of quality. time together in that time so i wanted. to ask him a few questions so my first. question was and and i want you to be. honest you have to be honest no uh you. don't have to sugarcoat what was the. first thing you thought of me when we. first met. around that time yeah i was in london. and jay walks in. with one more friend. and then i look at him and i think oh.

this guy looks like tom cruise. and then you know he starts asking. you know all kinds of questions. and i think. maybe he's in distress because his. girlfriend has ditched him. so honestly. you know i didn't think that you were so. serious about uh wisdom. and wanting to know more. at least it didn't appear at that time. so those were my first impressions i.

hope i'm not being offensive. no it's true it's true i was never uh i. wasn't spiritually inclined as a young. kid. and even in my teens i was not so. spiritually inclined i think that's why. i meant at the beginning that meeting. you was a real. turning point for me because. even though i had some friends that went. into spirituality my family of course my. father and everything. i didn't really. i didn't really see my place i couldn't. really understand how someone like me. could be spiritual and i think that's.

why i'm so. proactive in wanting to share it with. people in the way i do. is because i want. to. share wisdom in a way that people like. me. who didn't really think they were. spiritual or could access it can. actually find their parts so i think. you're right i'm gonna i would agree. with that uh okay good and then and then. did you ever think that i would become a. monk because i used to tell you. probably every time we met between 18 to. 22 that i wanted to be one.

whenever i would hear that. i would think this guy has gone nuts. and i was worried because. you know definitely it was so sincere. and your. your intention. to become a monk was coming from. somewhere really deep. but because i had spent already so many. years by that time as a monk. i knew that life was pretty rough. in terms of. you know relentless a need for being.

disciplined and. you know it's going to be extremely. difficult and tough. and you came across to me as someone so. fragile. and uh someone who's like a mama's boy. that i would always think that oh man. how will this guy. tolerate all the hardships as a monk and. i was trying to discourage you for sure. for all those years so but you know what. happened later was of course. your call.

see this is good i want you all to. listen to this because i want you to. realize how much. growth someone has to make i think. sometimes when i'm when i'm speaking now. or you hear me. a lot of the time people feel that oh. you've always been this way or you've. always had it figured out. and and the answer is we don't no one. has it figured out and we're all. figuring out all the time. and. emotionally we changed as well i was. definitely i think when i first met you. i don't think i was thick-skinned i. don't think that i was resilient i don't.

think that i was i think i was fragile. emotionally i think i was very sensitive. like all of these things were and i was. 18 years old so. could should i really put myself under. pressure to be more maybe not because. you're only 18 years old but now when i. look back. and i think about how i've been able to. grow and change. it's. it's fun to see it from that perspective. it's fun to look in the mirror with. someone that has known you for a while. and realize how far you've come.

and and for you to see how far anyone. can come as well including yourself so. okay that's good and then when i became. a monk. then we traveled together as well. uh what did you think during that time. what was what was your thoughts were. they changing did i did i impress you. did i did i prove you wrong or did where. did it go from there. no i must be very honest that you know i. never imagined that. you know you'll come to where you are. today. because at that point of time i remember.

so many times you would break down. and cry and. i was i was wondering. that uh. how will. this guy survive his ears as a monk. and. i still cry. if if someone had told me that one day. this boy is going to become a social. media celebrity. i would have said good luck. but. i definitely was impressed number one.

with your sincerity. in wanting to know and learn. [Music]. so i think. that was a very very important. value system. and attitude which you had even then. an eagerness to know and learn. which was so sincere that i remember. that in all our travels. one thing which struck me was. how precisely you would keep notes.

i don't know if you still have those. notes. i still have them from there. but. what struck me more. was. you have one of the. neatest and the most beautiful. handwritings. and i don't know whether you know those. who are following you really have seen. your handwriting. but it's. mind-boggling. and i still remember that although i. have not seen it for a long time but the. way you would capture the notes.

was very inspiring because it was very. clear that you were wanting to. understand very systematically. all of that wisdom. and. it has been an amazing experience to see. how all of that unfolded in due course. of time. another thing i would like to share is. that in our travels. i could also see. a very deep urge within you. to share this wisdom.

and that was pretty obvious because. you know i was a speaker and. so many people would come around and i. would not have time to speak to all of. them but you would immediately start. sharing. wisdom with others just after the event. and that irresistible desire to share. the knowledge and wisdom and help others. was. something which i observed even then. and also. that desire was so strong that you would.

see best practices. happening in different parts of the. world and especially at his concho party. and you immediately would try to do. something in london. and one example of that was how. you really tried to help the youth in. london. by creating a beautiful house for the. youth to stay. right around the college campus. where they could experience a proper. ecosystem for spiritual advancement and. i think it was totally your initiative.

which was born of your experience of. seeing something like that in india and. i was pretty impressed but in spite of. you know your emotional side. i could always also see. very strong resilience. and the ability to withstand. opposition. challenges difficulties. and. unwillingness to take no for an answer. and you know some examples of that was.

like some of the initiatives which you. took at that particular point of time. with respect to. how to connect with the youth and there. were a lot of people who had other ideas. but. you were convinced of certain ideas and. you really felt it was the best thing to. do. and you were willing to put your weight. behind that and that really impressed me. because i thought oh. here is someone who comes across as very. emotional and fragile but. he still has the guts to lead. with a certain kind of determination.

which does not come across immediately. so you know i did notice that and i. remember when we were in florida and we. were about to catch a flight. and. you know two airlines attendant girls. came up and. they looked at you and said hey. you look so happy and cute. and i remember that and you know i. looked at you and i looked at them and i. was thinking. why is this guy a monk maybe he'll be. more effective if he's out there amongst.

the people and as part of society and at. that point of time. there was practically no clue and what. your future is going to be. but. i could see that you had a tremendous. ability. to connect with people and reach out to. people in ways which were pretty deep. and. something which not everybody could do. so these are some of my. memories of those times seeing. you know the soft side of your.

personality. but at the same time your steel-like. determination. which seemed to be couched. under that. external cover of. emotional softness. but i do believe that without having. that kind of dedication and. determination. you could not have spent. you know those three years. as a monk with many of us. and i remember you know putting you. through the grind in the kitchen.

you know in front of. a blazing fire we would be cooking and. you would be assisting and even while. the construction of this eco village was. happening you were out there in the sun. helping with. bringing various materials and assisting. but all through all of these. the common thread which i saw was. you had an enthusiasm and a zeal. to serve. and that i feel is. a very very important character element.

which has really brought you to where. you are and and i'm so glad that you. know millions of people who are. connecting to you. are extremely fortunate. to have a guide who is connected. with the authentic wisdom. thank you so much for watching that. video if you enjoyed it here's another. one i think you'll love you have to. have experience love in order to create. love and then you bring into action it.

starts with empathy which is feeling. what others are feeling. compassion which is the desire to. alleviate suffering. and if you have that then that is the. basis of all love. but then love has to move into action as. well.