Your hankering for pleasure is causing depression in you. Wake up and see all pleasures are momentary. How long will it stay? See they are so momentary, 5 to 10 minutes you find joy in them and it’s gone.
Then what other things do you hanker about? Some people appreciating you? My dear, it has no meaning. People may appreciate you in front of you; behind you they may feel jealous about you. That’s what happens. They praise criticize you today, tomorrow they criticize you. So what? Do you see what I’m saying?
What are you hankering for? Appreciation from people? What is appreciation? Just a few thoughts that are passing through their mind and you think they are going to do it forever? They have limitations. So what? Good comments come; some people have bad comments, so what. They criticise you, so what? Those who criticise you are also going to die, so what? All finished! And you the one being criticised will also die one day.
Why are we so much bothered about adulations, somebody’s appreciation, or criticism? Why can’t we just be our self? You know it takes such a big load off our head, not being bothered by anybody’s criticism, anybody’s adulations we are just ourselves, natural.
If you live so lightly where is the question of depression? Do you see what I’m saying? So those who get these thoughts of committing suicide, it is just your prana which is low, so do more pranayama and dedicate your life to a higher cause.
If you live so lightly where is the question of depression? Do you see what I’m saying? So those who get these thoughts of committing suicide, it is just your prana which is low, so do more pranayama and dedicate your life to a higher cause.
There are millions of people who are suffering more than you, look at them. One, when your suffering becomes smaller you will never think that you want to commit suicide, number one.
Second, you know that you are needed, you are useful. You have to do something in the world. Know that.
Third is, forget about what people think about you. People commit suicide because they think they lose their prestige, their status. What status? What is prestige? Who has time? Everybody is entangled in their own problems, their own mind. They can’t step out of their own mind. Where do they have time to think about you?
You know, I remember a case of a very respectable lady in India. She was very proud of her family and her children. Her son went and married a girl from a lower class, lower strata of society. They are from a higher class and much wealthier and he married a girl from a very poor family and it was not a match; her shape and look was very different from his. It was very different.
So the mother got so upset she said how can I go meet anybody. I cannot see anybody. And she went into such depression. I called her one day and told her, ‘Look, who has the time to think about you?’ The whole time she was like, ‘How can I show my face to others? How can I go to others weddings? They will all make fun of me.’ I said, ‘Who has time for you? It’s all in your head.’
She would not go to any other party, anybody’s wedding, nothing. She would sit in her own house; blame herself or her daughter-in-law or son for being very miserable. I told her, ‘No! You get up and go.’ You know it just needs that little push. Once she started going she found suddenly, she realized that ‘Yes, I was just caught in my own maya of my own mind.’ Everyone welcomed her properly, there was no need to put her head down and melt in such shame. These types of tendencies come because you think others are going to disrespect you. Many people do this.
Honour killing that happens in many places; it’s horrible. Honour killing is not because God is going to be angry with you. It is, ‘How to face the society, how to face people around you?’ This is what bothers many people and they commit suicide. I tell you it is worthless; what the society thinks of you is useless.
Recently it did happen, that one monk, a swami wanted to marry. I said, ‘yes, you can marry, no problem. I don’t mind what people think, don’t worry what people think. If you want to marry you marry.’
But I said, ‘You don’t remain a swami. You should write a one line letter that I don’t want to be swami because this life, monastic life is very difficult for me. So I would like to renounce this and not be a swami’, and everyone will accept.
There is no problem. It’s okay. He couldn’t be a monk he married. So what? But he said, ‘No, no, I want to keep it secret. I want to be a Swami and also live somewhere else in Europe secretly, six months there and six months here.’
I said, ‘I won’t like that. I would not let anyone deceive anybody else. This is deception. On one hand you pose to be a swami and on the other hand you want to keep it a secret.’
I said, ‘I will not talk about that. Why you are worried what people think about it?’ Do you see what I’m saying? These are the things that arise because of a person's inner anxiety. So be natural and be open.
I don’t find it is difficult, I find it’s the easiest.
