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Integral Yoga
L.M.: I hope so.
S. SATCH: Papa and mama had some fun, and you are here now. You are born of fun, you are a product of fun; you are living fun and your going out, your dying, is also fun. Everything is fun. That is what we call lila in the Hindu language, in India.
L.M.: That is the divine play.
S. SATCH: Divine play, the krishna lila-lila means play.
L.M.: So then we accept our role in the play, we stop resisting our path, our life.
S. SATCH: That's right, the whole world is a dramatic stage. We are all taking parts on that stage; we are all pawns in the hands of that puppeteer.
L.M.: Yet on the meditative path, on the yoga path, do we have a responsibility to reduce the suffering we see around us; or at least, not add to others' suffering?
S. SATCH: When you see others as others, and their suffering as their suffering, you are not seeing the ultimate goal. You have descended to a different level, the level of duality. And on that level, certainly you can do whatever you want, you can alleviate their suffering—that is your duty. But on the primary, nondualistic level, we have no duty. You are not doing anything, you are a puppet, you are made to do things.
L.M.: By God?
S. SATCH: By God, or by the ultimate reality. So let "that” use you in anyway it needs. “Make me a humble instrument,” Saint Francis prays. An instrument doesn't demand. The tape recorder didn't demand of you: “Record swami's life.” You could have recorded some rock and roll. Whatever you record, it doesn't bother the tape recorder. It's neutral. Everything is like that in nature. Is fire good or bad? Use it to cook food, it is good; use it to set fire to your house, it's bad. Is fire responsible for that?
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