6 ms·

Inner Engineering by Sadhguru. For me it was an unexpectedly transformational when I read it 6 months ago. Unlike the stoicism books that teach you to conditio

by gbuk2013 7y ago

Inner Engineering by Sadhguru. For me it was an unexpectedly transformational when I read it 6 months ago. Unlike the stoicism books that teach you to condition yourself to be unaffected by external events, this is a method for taking charge of what goes on inside the body and (in my case) in the mind and emotions. As an aside, if you haven’t tried audiobooks, I would recommend trying. I find that after a while day of staring at the screen I really don’t want to stare at anything else, so my book consumption dropped considerably. With audiobooks I was able to restore it somewhat (and it’s great for filling in lost time during driving).

Dowwie 7y ago
Could you share more about the personal transformation you experienced?
- gbuk2013 7y ago
  Sure, if you really want to know. To put it into perspective: I live a life most people can only dream of - I have good looks, excellent physical condition and health, a loving family, a partner who adores me, a very comfortable income and circumstances, a job where I am made to feel valued, lots of experiences from travelling all around the world - everything that I can think of that would make one happy. And yet, for years I have suffered from an underlying unhappiness that would periodically surface into week-long periods of depression. This has been following me for at least 20 years. I have spent 15 years practising internal arts and they have helped me immensely - without doubt they are the foundation of a lot of the good things that I have listed above. But I still could not get at the root of my problem. But about 7 months ago something happened. The circumstances around it are too long and frankly too weird to discuss in place like HN, but it led me to re-discover Sadhguru's teachings (I had come across him about 7 years ago but, although I appreciated the wisdom, at the time it did not connect with me). After 6 months of practice I really feel that finally I got at that problem root and am having a good go at tugging it out and it is me who is doing it, not hoping for someone to come and magically fix it for me. I can't tell you how it feels. :) Of course it was not just the book - it was a result of all the work I put in before over the years, but it's as good a place to start as any as recommendation for others since, in my experience, the technology there is universally applicable.
  - Dowwie 7y ago
    Thanks for sharing. :) Congratulations on sorting your self out. I imagine it feels like you've lost an old, all too familiar pain.
wes-k 7y ago
I’d also recommend searching for Sadhguru on YouTube and watching any of his answers that peak your interest. I can’t help but feel that he has tapped into some stream of wisdom we can only hope to catch a glimpse of.
- kranner 7y ago
  His answers such as water retaining emotional memories? Trapping spirits in boxes after Tantric rituals like Ghostbusters? No thanks, it's plainly nonsense.
  - wes-k 7y ago
    Yes he’s a Mystic so not everything fits within our western beliefs. I assume you don’t dismiss someone once you find out they believe in God? Search for topics of his that interest you as appose to looking for reasons to dismiss him. The man has done some incredible work through his non profit Isha. Look at Rally for Rivers or the green hands project or Youth and Truth.
    - kranner 7y ago
      I do think belief in God is irrational, but I don't dismiss people for being religious because I understand that such belief offers great emotional support. There is a difference between someone who holds personal religious beliefs and someone who is trying to convert people to their belief system for personal gain. This is what people like Sadhguru do, but at massive scale. He is a classic cult leader, a more sophisticated Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh catering to a more sophisticated and English-speaking audience. Organisations like his Isha are non-profit for tax benefits as they don't end up paying income taxes and donations to them are tax-deductible almost worldwide. And of course they are massive vote banks which is why they are protected by politicians. I don't have a problem with non-western beliefs. I've had a daily meditation practice for years, currently at least an hour everyday. But it's just psychological exercise. Nobody should have to pay $400 to Sadhguru's rebranding of these public domain practices, even if Sadhguru exclaims it is not for profit as he rides into the sunset on his BMW motorcycle or private jet.
yangikan 7y ago
Not to take away anything from your experience. Obviously Sadhguru and his teachings worked for you. To me Sadhguru comes across as a person who made a good living for himself by telling others what they want to hear. As a person of science, I can't tolerate his 'scientific' theories which are downright wrong. This is person who said he can figure out if a food is spoiled by looking at the direction of rotation of a rudhraksha necklace held above it! You can find more examples here: https://scroll.in/article/927625/opinion-the-disturbing-irrationalism-of-jaggi-vasudev https://scroll.in/article/927625/opinion-the-disturbing-irra...
- gbuk2013 7y ago
  Your perspective is yours to chose. I chose to see him as a great human being who inspires many people to do a lot of good for his country and the world. [1] Really, the state the world is in, the fact that he is really big on planting trees means I don’t care if he’s into Xenu - just keep planting those trees man! ;) Jokes aside though, my perspective allowed me to benefit from his teaching and yours precludes you from doing so. Interesting, isn’t it? As for “science”: the only thing I care about is what I know through direct experience. So I follow the simple rule of practicing something for 3 months without questioning and evaluating the results. If it works, I keep at it - so I’m keeping at it. I also recently took the opportunity to meet Sadhguru in person. This to me is better “science” than theoretical discussions. [1] https://isha.sadhguru.org/sites/default/files/uploadpdf/OUT18_Anukampa-IshaOutreachReport-Interactive.pdf https://isha.sadhguru.org/sites/default/files/uploadpdf/OUT1...

Dowwie 7y ago

Could you share more about the personal transformation you experienced?

gbuk2013 7y ago
Sure, if you really want to know. To put it into perspective: I live a life most people can only dream of - I have good looks, excellent physical condition and health, a loving family, a partner who adores me, a very comfortable income and circumstances, a job where I am made to feel valued, lots of experiences from travelling all around the world - everything that I can think of that would make one happy. And yet, for years I have suffered from an underlying unhappiness that would periodically surface into week-long periods of depression. This has been following me for at least 20 years. I have spent 15 years practising internal arts and they have helped me immensely - without doubt they are the foundation of a lot of the good things that I have listed above. But I still could not get at the root of my problem. But about 7 months ago something happened. The circumstances around it are too long and frankly too weird to discuss in place like HN, but it led me to re-discover Sadhguru's teachings (I had come across him about 7 years ago but, although I appreciated the wisdom, at the time it did not connect with me). After 6 months of practice I really feel that finally I got at that problem root and am having a good go at tugging it out and it is me who is doing it, not hoping for someone to come and magically fix it for me. I can't tell you how it feels. :) Of course it was not just the book - it was a result of all the work I put in before over the years, but it's as good a place to start as any as recommendation for others since, in my experience, the technology there is universally applicable.
- Dowwie 7y ago
  Thanks for sharing. :) Congratulations on sorting your self out. I imagine it feels like you've lost an old, all too familiar pain.

wes-k 7y ago

I’d also recommend searching for Sadhguru on YouTube and watching any of his answers that peak your interest. I can’t help but feel that he has tapped into some stream of wisdom we can only hope to catch a glimpse of.

kranner 7y ago
His answers such as water retaining emotional memories? Trapping spirits in boxes after Tantric rituals like Ghostbusters? No thanks, it's plainly nonsense.
- wes-k 7y ago
  Yes he’s a Mystic so not everything fits within our western beliefs. I assume you don’t dismiss someone once you find out they believe in God? Search for topics of his that interest you as appose to looking for reasons to dismiss him. The man has done some incredible work through his non profit Isha. Look at Rally for Rivers or the green hands project or Youth and Truth.
  - kranner 7y ago
    I do think belief in God is irrational, but I don't dismiss people for being religious because I understand that such belief offers great emotional support. There is a difference between someone who holds personal religious beliefs and someone who is trying to convert people to their belief system for personal gain. This is what people like Sadhguru do, but at massive scale. He is a classic cult leader, a more sophisticated Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh catering to a more sophisticated and English-speaking audience. Organisations like his Isha are non-profit for tax benefits as they don't end up paying income taxes and donations to them are tax-deductible almost worldwide. And of course they are massive vote banks which is why they are protected by politicians. I don't have a problem with non-western beliefs. I've had a daily meditation practice for years, currently at least an hour everyday. But it's just psychological exercise. Nobody should have to pay $400 to Sadhguru's rebranding of these public domain practices, even if Sadhguru exclaims it is not for profit as he rides into the sunset on his BMW motorcycle or private jet.

yangikan 7y ago

Not to take away anything from your experience. Obviously Sadhguru and his teachings worked for you. To me Sadhguru comes across as a person who made a good living for himself by telling others what they want to hear. As a person of science, I can't tolerate his 'scientific' theories which are downright wrong. This is person who said he can figure out if a food is spoiled by looking at the direction of rotation of a rudhraksha necklace held above it! You can find more examples here: https://scroll.in/article/927625/opinion-the-disturbing-irrationalism-of-jaggi-vasudev https://scroll.in/article/927625/opinion-the-disturbing-irra...

gbuk2013 7y ago
Your perspective is yours to chose. I chose to see him as a great human being who inspires many people to do a lot of good for his country and the world. [1] Really, the state the world is in, the fact that he is really big on planting trees means I don’t care if he’s into Xenu - just keep planting those trees man! ;) Jokes aside though, my perspective allowed me to benefit from his teaching and yours precludes you from doing so. Interesting, isn’t it? As for “science”: the only thing I care about is what I know through direct experience. So I follow the simple rule of practicing something for 3 months without questioning and evaluating the results. If it works, I keep at it - so I’m keeping at it. I also recently took the opportunity to meet Sadhguru in person. This to me is better “science” than theoretical discussions. [1] https://isha.sadhguru.org/sites/default/files/uploadpdf/OUT18_Anukampa-IshaOutreachReport-Interactive.pdf https://isha.sadhguru.org/sites/default/files/uploadpdf/OUT1...