Every time I mention Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev in conversations of yoga or spirituality, I get asked this Question a lot. Because now that Sadhguru is so famous almost everybody knows him and often they have a strong opinion on him.
“What’s different about him?”, they ask.
I have until now fumbled up a reply because the question is so ODD. But let me now take the time and explain the problem with the question itself.
Well, firstly I am not clear, are we in a super market looking to buy a commodity? In the supermarket we have a large number of packets lying on the shelf which we compare with one another. And then we decide which one to buy. Is that what we are doing?
See, if you have a specific need like ‘want to learn yoga to cure so n so problem’ or ‘want to find an ashram to stay near and improve so n so sadhana’. Then you can start comparing the various aspects like, does Isha provide yoga programs near your house? Or can you get good accommodations to stay near their ashram? Or does Isha provide the kind of yoga you are interested in doing? And so on.
It is a bit like shopping. Because for a specific need, you need a specific solution.
But when it comes to finding your guru,
it is NOT SHOPPING.
Even a basic eastern cultural sense pegs a true Guru as something invaluable and enigmatic. It’s not something you buy off a market shelf. You don’t logically deduce by comparing the different Gurus.
So what is the purpose of asking this question “what’s different about Sadhguru?”.
Sadhguru doesn’t have to be different. He has to be authentic.
A guru has to be authentic. Only that.
Inevitably they will be different. Take your time to understand and appreciate that difference. But don’t be ridiculous with your questions.
The questions that should matter are,
Is this guy authentic?
This is a very pertinent question. And very tough to answer. But the best questions are that way. The journey to finding an answer to such questions, is the answer. Figuring out ways to gauge authenticity of a guru is a deep enquiry into the nature of spirituality and sadhana.
So it’s a good Q.
How can I find my Guru?
Not a yoga program or a side spiritual practice, but the true Guru, that settles and binds one in a very deep inner way.
People roam around everywhere to the mountains and ashrams for years to search for a Guru to happen (it’s not a logical decision, the guru happens). This is a part of your sadhana and spiritual seeking.
This is also a good Q.
Don’t be a shopper of gurus. Because that means you are incapable of understanding what a Guru is.
You don’t have to judge Sadhguru because he is famous. You don’t HAVE to have an opinion of him. Most people don’t know enough about the organization and the man. They don’t know what real work they are doing on the ground. I understand that. So you may not want to support or think him to be authentic. It is fine. But you also don’t have to think him fake.
So when you find a devotee like me who has made some judgement on him, you can ask me WHY. Why I believe / trust / find him authentic.
And that I may tell you. It is a Good Q for me also.
Ask the right questions.