by Swami Satchidananda

“In the process of letting go you will lose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.” – Deepak Chopra

Now why does anybody want to become a seeker. They can just enjoy life, whatever comes. They find name, fame, wealth, position and they can just enjoy these things. So, what is it that makes them become seekers? I will make a little pun: when they become a sicker. This means that when they realize they are sick and tired of everything, then they begin to seek. So, first, you become sick, and then you seek.

The world is very helpful in that respect; it makes you sick and tired, and the sooner the better. Then, you begin to seek. The Mother Nature is created for that very purpose. She is there to help you and to goad you toward the truth from the falsified, superficial, and shallow life. Know the nature and its nature first. Then, you will understand that there is nothing deep or permanent in it. Everything is impermanent. Power is impermanent. Position is impermanent. Name and fame are impermanent. Beauty is impermanent. Money is impermanent.

That is the lesson that Mother Nature is trying to tell us. It’s all right to use these things, enjoy material success, but do not depend on it for your permanent happiness. Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras says, “For a person who has the discriminative faculty, who can discriminate which is permanent and which is impermanent, for such a person, everything is painful.” It’s just what the Buddha says in the first Noble Truth. There is pain, suffering, and difficulty in this life. Nothing is really going to make you happy in this world. You get or achieve something and you become excited. You lose it and you become depressed. So, the world keeps on changing. That is what is meant by the impermanent nature of life.

At some point, you will become sick and tired of the whole show—of the continual dualities of loss and gain, pleasure and pain, and so on. Even people with a lot of money or a lot of fame—Hollywood people—want to drop out. Why? When we become sick of the ups and downs we start to ask ourselves, Where is the permanent happiness? How can I be permanently happy? All these things are going to make me miserable. Is there any other way? Then you begin to seek. You begin to look in the right place. It is at that point that you begin to question the value of the worldly things and the value of the real things.
Sri Swami Satchidananda (lovingly called “Sri Gurudev” by his students) was one of the first Yoga masters to bring the classical Yoga tradition to the West. Invited to America in 1966 by iconic pop artist Peter Max, the distinctive teachings he brought with him blend the physical discipline of Yoga and the spiritual philosophy of India, as well the interfaith ideals he pioneered. Surrounded by students eager to learn from him, the Integral Yoga Institute of New York opened in1966 and grew into the global Integral Yoga® organization. In 1969, he opened the Woodstock festival and became known to an entire generation as the “Woodstock Guru.” He made 8 world tours, 20 European tours, and logged nearly two million miles of travel around the globe sharing the Yoga teachings.
Further explore impermanence with Leslie Howard at our upcoming Death Cafe, Sunday, July 14 from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm PDT • In-person • $1-$15 or enroll for free, use promo code FREE.

At a Death Cafe people, often strangers, gather to eat cookies, drink tea and discuss death. The objective is ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’.