Sadhguru - Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev: Encounter the Enlightened

ISBN No: 978-81-87910-22-0

Copyright 2012 Isha Foundation

First Digital Edition: July 2012

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.

For comments and enquiries regarding the book please contact: englishpublications@ishafoundation.org

Published by:

Isha Foundation

Velliangiri Foothills,

Semmedu (P.O.),

Coimbatore - 641 114, INDIA

Tel: 91-422-2515345

Email: info@ishafoundation.org

Website: www.ishafoundation.org

S ince offering myself in service to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and Isha Foundation several years ago, I have witnessed the transformation of thousands of people in audiences as varied as humanity itself. Whether in the company of the worlds most prominent spiritual leaders at the United Nations, eighty million saints and pilgrims at the Maha Kumbha Mela, or surrounded by prisoners on death row, the Master has an ability to arouse passion for truth and an illuminating power that amplifies our hidden Divinity.

As he tirelessly teaches the fundamental elements of inner peace and harmony, which are requirements to deeper inner discovery, I have followed in his footsteps as a volunteer assistant. I am always mindful of what his energy contributes to every being he meets and how he changes the world through his interactions with it moment to moment. His presence makes deep impressions on all who see him. Even in the West, where Gurus and spiritual Masters are not part of our culture, every head turns as he passes. People, unaware of who he is, are compelled to approach him and seek his blessing. Small children call him holy man and relate his wondrous presence to their innocent understanding of omnipotence - Santa! Many compare him to Jesus due to his beautiful demeanor, but always people want to know more about him. The Masters presence inevitably raises questions: Who is this person, what does he teach and how can I learn more?

As my involvement with Sadhguru expands, I am filled with love, gratitude, joy and the companionship of hundreds of thousands of the people who are also drawn to him. As the intensity and momentum of his presence continues to grow around the world, I feel an awed excitement as I watch the powerful impact he makes on our world. Yet in amusement, I reflect back on my initial encounter with the enlightened.

When I first met Sadhguru, I wasnt even sure he could speak English, and I didnt care. The energy transmitted by him coursed through my body, making every hair stand erect. Then he spoke. Simply, directly, with uncanny logic that cant be denied, yet with words that seemed to portray a deeper meaning that penetrated my heart and soul.

For years I had ached for a spiritual guide, and with painful intensity I prayed for a living Master from the East - one who knew Truth. In 1997 those prayers manifested when Sadhguru made his first U.S.A. visit to Nashville, Tennessee. Shocking he was, to a Westerner who had ingested a lifetime of solace disguised as spirituality. Yet despite my lack of prior exposure to, or intellectual understanding of the Eastern esoteric sciences and yoga, his every word resonated within me. I knew it was Truth. He disarmed me with his honesty and straight talk, burning through the cultural conditioning and resistance that separated me from Truth. His presence was like fresh water dropping on a parched spirit. He transformed me with his patience and grace and I feel an urgency to help make this opportunity available to others.

But how does one share an experience of Truth? Sadhguru says the unbounded is always there for all who can embrace it; yet like me, most of us take a series of small steps to approach the threshold of Truth. We need a Master to lead us through the process of identifying what we are not, in order to move into something greater. Using books and language for the purpose of dissolving into the formless Divine appears to be a contradiction. But when you have found water in a desert full of thirsty people, you must shout, There is water here!

Therefore, despite the limitations of using printed language to share this being we experience as Sadhguru, it is worth the risk. His knowing glance, the inflection of his voice, his wonderful humor, infectious laughter and his powerful physical presence will be absent from these pages. But the mystery and grace of such a Divine Being can never be limited. It is the hope of countless disciples and Isha Foundation volunteers that this simple introduction to Sadhguru will ignite a flame of passionate inquiry within all who read his words.