Q: How to overcome laziness?
Are you lazy all the time? So, you are lazy sometimes and you are not lazy sometimes. When are you lazy? When can you go lazy? See, when there is a medical emergency, you will forget that you are lazy and run. When there is a threat, somebody comes and puts a gun to your head, you will not be lazy. So, when there is a threat or fear, we cannot be lazy, isn’t it? True?
And also, we are not lazy when there is something attractive going on, something very interesting. Like, people are waiting for the India-Pakistan cricket match. They want to finish all their work and sit and watch the match. So, when something is very attractive, you are not lazy. When something is very fearful, then also you are not lazy. So, then when are you lazy? When these two conditions are not met, then you are lazy. Something which is not really attractive and something which is not really fearful, then things will keep on piling up. That is laziness.
Now, let us come to Sadhana. In sadhana, the spiritual practice, you have laziness. If you really get a small glimpse or taste of that inner Conscious, Supreme Conscious or bliss, then you will be waiting for doing your sadhana. You will be struggling, trying to finish all the work and get into sadhana. If you start getting that taste and if there is something really attractive, something nice is happening, definitely you want to get to that. If it is boring, you will not get to that. So, have you got the taste of sadhana? Have you got the taste of the Bliss? If you start getting that taste of bliss, you will just try to complete all the work, and try to get into that.
I used to go to my office work at 7.30-8 in the morning, work till 8 or 9 in the night, long working hours, come home and then sit for meditation, from 9pm to 1am in the night. I was waiting for that time. When the deep inner bliss sets in, you are looking for that opportunity, you are waiting for that. So, the question is, have you got that experience of Bliss? If you have not then that’s one reason for that laziness. Second thing, I told you is fear. Fear also is a factor in sadhana. This human birth is very rare, it is not easy. After human birth, there is no guarantee that we get human birth again. So, in this human birth, whatever best possible I need to do, you have to do.
We have spent lot of time and energy in education, in taking care of somethings, survival and all those things. But, really for our upliftment, our enlightenment, our liberation, how much we have done? Also, what is the guarantee that somebody will be alive tomorrow? Time runs out. So, for sadhana, both things will push. One is time pressure, and the second thing is bliss. So, both will make the focus very sharp.
One of my close friends, in my office, died. He died in a car accident, at a very young age, 28 or 29. That made me think, what is life worth? Is there a guarantee in life? How long I can be alive? I mean, when you look at it really, there is no guarantee that a person who sleeps on the bed, gets up in the morning. No doctors in the world can guarantee. So, there is always a feeling that time is running out. Let me try to use the time in the best possible way, and the best possible way is to spend the time on self-realization and meditation. That is a fear factor. And the pressure factor is that as you start getting the bliss, the joy, the peace, you look forward to the sadhana. All this is supported by the Satsang group and spiritual talks and all. But there is no other way. It is like, once you understand something is very valuable. First of all, you have to understand the spiritual sadhana, how valuable it is and why it is. It is Self-realization. It is understanding yourself. It is realizing your own true nature as God. And is there something greater than that? Something more than that possible? So, something really worth is available.
So, now another problem is there. Something really worth is available. If you have a feeling that, I cannot get it, then also you will not put effort. For eg: President of India post is vacant. You know that, anyway I cannot get it, why should I bother? So, if the goal is too high, then I cannot get it. Then, there will not be energy to do it. There will be a fear factor, there may be attraction factor, but it seems to be far away. Certainly, you will not put the effort.
But, in case of Self-realization, if you get a clear teachings from the Master, clear teachings from the Guru, if you are convinced that it is possible for you then all the focus will come naturally. If it is not for me, then you will not be able to get the effort.
The question in your case is which of these factors? The fear factor is there, or the attraction factor is there, or it is not for me. Which one is the cause? The fear factor has to be there. In the sense, for any of us, there is no guarantee in life. So, the attraction factor is there. Do you feel joy, bliss and meditation and all? So, you are good, as long as you come to Satsang. You need a support system. For anything in life, a good group or company is required. That I agree. What you call, for people who go for smoking, somebody to come with them for company. Alcoholics, they want company. Similarly, in Satsang also, I want the company of people, it gives momentary, it gives energy. That is called Satsang.
Then, there is Sadguru, a realized Master. The presence of realized Master, teachings of realized Master gives a conviction “Yes! It is possible”. Otherwise, everything appears to be far off, for somebody, somewhere, something. The presence of realized Master, the talks, the teachings, will give the confidence “Yes! This is what I can do”. Sadguru, satang and then, sastra or listening to teachings, study, scriptures, will help to motivate.
Sadhana is what you do individually. But once in a while, periodically you do sadhana in a group. That sadhana gets strengthened, isn’t it? It is like, every day you do, but once in a while if you do together, maybe periodically, once in a week or 10 days, Satsang or group, what happens is the energy gets revitalized. So, once in a while attend talks of sadguru, listen to the words, that gives reinforcement. Some of them, you have to do independently, on your own. So, when the battery becomes weak, individual sadhana becomes weak, you have to recharge it in Satsang or sadguru. Then, of course, some practice of seva, services.
The idea why I prescribe service is that when you try to do service collectively, a group of people doing some service, then what will happen is, you will try to get the company of such people, positive mind people. Otherwise, what is the point in being in the company of people, who are always cribbing that this is not working, that is not working? Seva group is, at any difficulty, I will do or help people, I will do service. So this group is also a motivating factor. That is why, I say, there are six pillars: Sadguru, Satsang, Seva, Sadhana, Sastra and Sharanagati.
So, you have to surrender to God, surrender to the Divine, show me the way, have a deep trust that you will be guided and whatever is happening in your life is, the right thing to happen. In this way, your energy and motivation will increase. Yes, the Satsang group is important. If not big group, even one or two people, like-minded, it will make you a lot of difference in life.
I am giving you the feeling of confidence that something is achievable in your hands. It is not a dream. Being a householder, being with all responsibilities, the realization is something possible. I myself, being a householder, have gone through a lot of struggles in life. I have seen how challenging a life of a house holder is and how challenging it is to understand spiritual truth, how challenging is to go to Satsang with time pressure.
So, with all this, with my understanding, my technology, my sadhana, with technology help, I am trying to solve this problem. It is not complex. It can be solved. Please understand, human beings are Divine. When God makes up a mind, nothing can stop. The only thing God doesn’t make mind so easily. God has to prayed. Please get up. Uthishto uthishta, getup, help us.
Human beings are like Gods. Once you desire something, there will be nothing which can stop you.
Pranams.
References:
SK 15
SelfKnowledge Talks_T15_Overcome Laziness_11Apr2016