'In the Presence of the Master' is a series of stirring and insightful discourses given by Sadhguru. In his willingness to share, Sadhguru offers glimpses of the profound wisdom that is otherwise accessible to enlightened beings only. In modern societies, enhancing the quality of our life has become one of our main objectives. In this pursuit, we tend to emphasize on enhancing external situations our job, business, family and the abounding accumulation of material things; in spite of all the efforts, our personal and professional lives are too often painfully lacking happiness and fulfillment. In this volume, Sadhguru shifts our focus to the inside, pointing out a way to establish a true sense of inner peace and wellbeing by applying 'Inner Management'. Inner Management sacred space for self transformation Inner Management Sadhguru Isha Foundation Our lives become beautiful not because we are perfect. Our lives become beautiful because we put our heart into what we are doing. Inner Management - Sadhguru P & © 2006 Isha Foundation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews. Published by: Isha Foundation 15, Govindasamy Naidu Layout, Singanallur, Coimbatore - 641 005. India. Phone : 091 - 422 - 2319654 E-mail : [email protected] Website : www.ishafoundation.org First Edition : Isha Fest, September 2006 Our lives become beautiful not because we are perfect. Our lives become beautiful because we put our heart into what we are doing. Inner Management - Sadhguru P & © 2006 Isha Foundation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews. Published by: Isha Foundation 15, Govindasamy Naidu Layout, Singanallur, Coimbatore - 641 005. India. Phone : 091 - 422 - 2319654 E-mail : [email protected] Website : www.ishafoundation.org First Edition : Isha Fest, September 2006 Introduction Sadhguru is a self-realized and profound mystic of our times. He is an embodiment of the sages of the past who served as beacons of inspiration and guidance for entire civilizations; at the same time, he is acutely aware of current realities, making him a visionary humanitarian and a prominent spiritual leader of the world today. Also an author, poet, and internationally renowned speaker, Sadhguru's wit and piercing logic provoke and widen our perception of life. As someone who belongs to no particular tradition, Sadhguru's guidance and powerful scientific methods are totally relevant to the modern individual and institutions, allowing them to cross their limitations into a higher possibility. In this regard, he has been able to touch millions 1 of people, moving them towards realizing the In this volume, 'Inner Management', Sadhguru ultimate potential within. not only reveals effective tools to enhance our management capabilities, but also illuminates Sadhguru's multi-faceted personality can a way to open up a whole new dimension of life have a profound and enriching effect on anyone that frees us from the dependency on external who comes across him, and yet it can also stir them influences. into a state of confusion. At home in blue jeans as much as he is in a loincloth, or walking barefoot through the mighty Himalayas, or straddling a BMW motorcycle on the expressway, he shatters any preconceptions that one might have of a mystic. In the Presence of the Master series are discourses and answers to an intricate array of questions, by disciples and seekers amidst the challenges of life. Engulfed by Sadhguru's presence, the seeker is liberated from the pain of ignorance, firmly establishing the spiritual process within. 2 3 of people, moving them towards realizing the In this volume, 'Inner Management', Sadhguru ultimate potential within. not only reveals effective tools to enhance our management capabilities, but also illuminates Sadhguru's multi-faceted personality can a way to open up a whole new dimension of life have a profound and enriching effect on anyone that frees us from the dependency on external who comes across him, and yet it can also stir them influences. into a state of confusion. At home in blue jeans as much as he is in a loincloth, or walking barefoot through the mighty Himalayas, or straddling a BMW motorcycle on the expressway, he shatters any preconceptions that one might have of a mystic. In the Presence of the Master series are discourses and answers to an intricate array of questions, by disciples and seekers amidst the challenges of life. Engulfed by Sadhguru's presence, the seeker is liberated from the pain of ignorance, firmly establishing the spiritual process within. 2 3 Inner Management If we want to live well, both externally and internally, how well we live here simply depends on how well we manage our surroundings and how well we manage ourselves. Fundamentally, life is management. The quality of your life depends on how well you manage your body, your mind, your emotion, your situations, your home, your communities, nations, your life in general and the world. But generally we are thinking of management only in terms of business management, or industry management; generally we are talking management only with economic situations, not life as a whole. In many ways it is unfortunate that today the most predominant factor that rules the planet is economics. The other aspects of life have been 5 Inner Management If we want to live well, both externally and internally, how well we live here simply depends on how well we manage our surroundings and how well we manage ourselves. Fundamentally, life is management. The quality of your life depends on how well you manage your body, your mind, your emotion, your situations, your home, your communities, nations, your life in general and the world. But generally we are thinking of management only in terms of business management, or industry management; generally we are talking management only with economic situations, not life as a whole. In many ways it is unfortunate that today the most predominant factor that rules the planet is economics. The other aspects of life have been 5 Inner Management totally pushed to the corner. When economics you really happy? If you look at this, is the graph rules, when economics is the only thing that you going up or down? Down. So that means you are think about, you will tend to become very gross a bad manager, because after all, everything that and unhappy in so many ways. We are conducting you do in your life is in pursuit of happiness. You various levels of programs for top level executives educate yourself, you pursue careers, you build in major corporations in the world. What I see is, families, you run after your ambitions. So many people who have failed in their lives, they are things you do, because somewhere you believe suffering their failure. People who have succeeded fulfilling those things will bring you happiness. in their life, they are suffering their success. If you After doing all that, if happiness is not multiplying, suffer your failure it is okay, because failure comes it is going down, that means you are a bad easy. But something that you worked for, something manager of yourself. that you always longed for, something that you Anybody who does not know how to manage wanted to create in your life, when this happens, his own body, his own mind, his own emotion and if you start suffering it, that is the real tragedy of his energies, if he is managing outside situations, life. he is only managing them by accident, not by intent If you look at yourself and see, when you the way he wants it. When you manage situations were five years of age, how happy you were, and by accident, you exist as an accident. When you today, how happy you are. If we make a chart out exist as an accident, you are a potential calamity. of it, is it moving upward or downward? In When you exist as a potential calamity, being twenty-four hours time, how many moments are anxious all the time becomes a natural part of life. 6 7