Sadhguru explains the difference between fate and destiny, arguing that karma is about your own actions, not cosmic punishment. He says viewing life as "my karma" means you're responsible for crafting your destiny instead of living accidentally.
Chapters
Why is it that gurus always have to grow a beard?
No, it's not that gurus have to grow a beard. It grows on every man. Why some men have to remove it? That's a question they must answer. I didn't do anything. Why are you asking me?
Why don't you trim it?
But why? Why don't you trim your nose? Have you ever thought about trimming your nose?
Today's guest is the famous Indian yogi, mystic and visionary Sadhguru. And he is blowing up across the world right now. You may have seen the recent Instagram post from Will Smith when Will was hosting Sadhguru in his home. What I like about Sadhguru is that he is, in every sense of the word, a mystic. He is a yogi, but he's also a guy who rides around the United States on a motorbike. And as I'm interviewing him right now, he is in a trailer in Monterey, traveling across the country.
I'm crossing Texas. Keep the cowboys off me.
Come on. You'll fit right in here.
Come on in, Aldi.
This is the man who has been named one of India's 50 most influential people by India Today, he holds the Guinness World Record for Project Greenhands, where he was involved in planting over 800,000 trees in three days with 200,000 volunteers. He's been invited to speak at the United nations, the World Economics Forum, Ted Google, Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, and other esteemed organizations. Now Sadhguru is out with a new book called Karma. And I'd like to kick off with the first question. What is karma? And why did you write this book?
Karma means action. Whose action? My action. Whose responsibility? My responsibility. Karma is the most dynamic way to exist. In the sense karma essentially means. When you say my life is my karma. It means my life is my making. The moment you see it's my karma. Your successes and your failures are yours. The moment you see it is all yours. You will do the best you can. When you leave your destiny from your hands and think it just happens to you, we can call that fate. So crafting your destiny is possible, only possible for one who sees my life is my karma, whether he or she uses that word or not. In so many ways, human beings around the world have realized that it is their thought, their emotion, their actions, their focus and orientation within themselves which gets them where they want to go. Others think it is happening from somewhere else. So those who think it will happen from somewhere else will live accidental lives. And they always have somebody else to blame for things that did not happen in their lives. For things that they are not. They think it's because of somebody. You could be in the best place and be absolutely miserable. You can live in a palace and be horrendously miserable. You can live on the street and be exuberantly joyful. Both are possible. Human experience is caused from within. Pain and pleasure, joy and misery, agony and ecstasy happens from within us. So when it is happening from within us, at least what is happening from within us must happen my way. What is happening from within me must happen my way. What is around me is not all mine. Everybody has their peace in it. Maybe I also have a peace. I can push for a bigger peace, but that's it. There is never going to be any time for any human being where the external situations will be 100% the way you want it. It never ever will happen. But what is within me must be hundred percent the way I want. Otherwise I'm a lost case. This is what karma means. That you take charge of all that you can take charge. There are few things that won't happen in our lives if we do not do what we cannot do. That's not the issue. But if we do not do what we can do, we are a disaster. Once you see my life is my karma, you will not be such a disaster. That is the important aspect.
