See, religion essentially means belief in something. Whenever somebody says, “I’m a religious person,” they refer to themselves as “believers.” Yes? “Believers.” “Believe” means what? Means you do not know something, but you’re not willing to admit, “I do not know”, so you believe it. I am saying, if you do not know something, why don’t you just say, “I do not know”? Hello? Is it okay?

Participants: Yes!

Sadhguru: I do not know something, I say, “I do not know”, because “I do not know” is a tremendous possibility. Only when you say “I do not know”, the longing to know, the seeking to know and the possibility of knowing becomes a living reality in your life. Everything “I do not know”, I believe. This has led to a whole lot of things. One thing it does is, it brings you confidence. “I believe!” means it brings you confidence. But confidence without clarity is a disaster. This is a disaster that is unfolding in the world in many different levels. People who don’t know a damn thing, who can’t see what’s in front of them, they are super confident. It’s dangerous. If you cannot see, at least you must be hesitant, isn’t it? Hello? If you cannot see, you must at least be hesitant. But you cannot see, but you’re confident. This is what belief gives you – confidence without clarity.

How do you arrive at your belief? There’re many ways. Can I tell you a joke? Is it okay, it’s a serious question?

Participants: Yes.

Sadhguru: Is… are you okay?

Participants: Yes.

Sadhguru: You’re looking so serious, I’m scared of you (Laughter).

This happened in New York City. A eight year old boy came home from school in the afternoon. At home, he had a very progressive mother. Obviously, she was single. He came home and asked, “Momma, is God man or a woman?” See this is a big debate in America. Is God a man or a woman is a very big debate in America. You know in the last election, they tried to settle it and you know what happened (Few laugh). The mother thought, being a progressive woman, she thought through this, all this gender politics that are going on in the country and after much thinking, she said, “Both!” Then the boy went into deep thought. After sometime, he came back and asked, “Momma, is God black or white?” You know in the previous election, they tried to settle this issue (Few laugh), because racial politics is a very big thing. She thought through all the racial politics that are going on in the country. After much, much thinking, she said, “Both!” Then the boy went into profound thought. After much thinking, he came back and asked, “Momma, is God straight or gay?” She thought through all the politics concerned with that aspect of life, and she said, “Both!” Then the boy jumped in joy, “I got it! I got it! It’s Michael Jackson (Laughter/Applause)!” I don’t know how you arrived at yours (Few laugh).

You must understand, this is a Godless culture. In this culture, we always told you, “Your life is your karma.” Yes or no?

Participants: Yes.

Sadhguru: You’ve forgotten. In this culture, we always told you, “Your life is your karma,” this means your life is your making. There’s nobody managing you from there (Gestures). Your life is entirely your karma. You are tall, you are short, you are capable, you are incapable, you can do something, you cannot do something, we say, “Ayyo karma (Laughter).” We are… we’ve been telling you forever, “Your life is entirely your making.” But this we have turned it into something else and now we are also start looking up, Upar Waala! You are all engineering students. You tell me, is this planet round or flat?

Participants: Round.

Sadhguru: Really? It’s round?

Participants: Yes.

Sadhguru: Some of you saying no. This girl (Laughter). Is it a round planet, I’m asking you.

Participants: Yes.

Sadhguru: Yes. Is it spinning?

Participants: Yes.

Sadhguru: So you are not even on the North Pole, you are at this Chennai. Here, if you look up and the planet is spinning, you are inevitably looking up in the wrong direction. Hello?

Participants: Yes.

Sadhguru: You don’t even know which is up. In this cosmos, do you know which is up and which is down? Hello? Is it somewhere marked “This side up”? Can you ever figure out which side is up in this cosmos?

Participants: No.

Sadhguru: No. Then you’re looking up at what? When you do not even know what is up, how do you know who is up (Applause)? Does it mean to say, I created the universe? No. Obviously before you and me came, everything was here, isn’t it? So now you must at least say, “I really don’t know.”

The problem is, somebody is a theist, somebody is an atheist. They are not different people, just different clothing, same nonsense (Few laugh). One person believes what he does not know in a positive way, another person believes what he does not know in a negative way. Both of them are believers of something that they do not know, isn’t it (Applause)? What is the problem with the human being that you cannot admit “I do not know?” It’s so wonderful of you, so human of you to say “I do not know”, isn’t it? If you do not know, if you realize that you truly do not know, your intelligence will be always alert, it never sleeps. Always, every moment of your life. Even in your sleep, it’ll stay awake, if you realize “I truly do not know.” This believing has made you just eat pongal and (Gestures) (Few laugh) you know, just become lethargic. The world has become lethargic. When I say lethargic, not physically, intelligence has become lethargic, because they believe something. Everybody believes some nonsense. Can we be straight enough, the youth of this nation, I am asking you. The youth of this nation, are we straight enough to say, “What I know, I know, what I do not know, I do not know.” Is this okay with you?

Participants: Yes.

Sadhguru: The youth of India, I’m asking you.

Participants: Yes!

Sadhguru: (Continuing) I'm glad you're enthusiastic. So, as we were discussing, the youth of this nation have a vital role to play in embracing the humility of admitting what they do not know. This acknowledgment opens the door to a world of learning and exploration.

Consider this: every scientific breakthrough, every philosophical inquiry, every artistic creation has its roots in the recognition of ignorance. It's the curiosity that arises from not knowing that propels us forward as individuals and as a society.

But somewhere along the way, we've lost touch with this fundamental aspect of our humanity. We've become entrenched in our beliefs, clinging to them as if they were unassailable truths. And in doing so, we've closed ourselves off to the vast expanse of knowledge that lies beyond our current understanding.

Imagine if instead of insisting on the certainty of our convictions, we embraced the uncertainty of our ignorance. What wonders might we uncover? What new horizons might we explore?

This is not to say that belief has no place in our lives. Belief can be a powerful force for motivation and inspiration. But it should never be a substitute for genuine inquiry and exploration. We must be willing to question our beliefs, to challenge them, and to discard them if they no longer serve us.

So, my dear friends, I urge you to embrace the unknown. Embrace the uncertainty. For it is in the vastness of our ignorance that the true beauty of life resides. Let us be seekers of truth, explorers of the unknown, and humble stewards of our own ignorance.

And remember, it's okay to say, "I do not know." In fact, it's more than okay – it's liberating. It's the first step on a journey of discovery that has the potential to transform not only our own lives but the world around us.

So let us embrace our ignorance, let us celebrate our curiosity, and let us embark together on a journey of discovery that knows no bounds.

Thank you.

Moderator: Religions in this world proclaim that God has created human beings, but our evolutionary science is saying that human beings have come from monkeys. Which one should I believe in?

Sadhguru: What do you feel closer to? (Laughter)

Moderator: Being a human, I think that I have evolved from humans. (Sadhguru laughs)

Sadhguru: See... if you're someone who is on a reverse gear, then you must choose the first one. Your religious people telling you, you came from God because you're going in that direction, better not go in the direction of a monkey. Go back to God. But if you’re planning to evolve, then better go with Darwin. Because... is there room for evolution for you, or are you super evolved already? I'm asking?

Moderator: There is room for evolution.

Sadhguru: There is room for evolution. If there is room for evolution, that means there is a possibility that you can become a better man than what you are today. So, if you're going in forward gear, go with Darwin, if you're in reverse gear, go with God. (Laughter/Applause) Yes, because if you want to go on that path, that needs devotion. Devotion means… the word “devotion” comes from the word “dissolution.” You want to dissolve into your object of devotion – whatever it is. You want to dissolve into it. So, in a way, it is a way of making yourself less, and less, and less, so that you become nothing, literally. It’s a wonderful way to live. It is not sounding good when you speak in language that you want to become less and less. No. When you become really nothing, you become limitless also. So, devotion is one way to go. But you don’t have that, because you’ve gone through little bit of modern education, and you’re beginning to think logically. Now if you think logically, naturally you can see life has evolved on this planet – there’s no question about that. So, if you want to go forward, you must see: just behind you, is the monkey. One step backward – you will be right there! Better you move forward, quickly. (Laughter) Because some of the scientists are saying today that the DNA difference between you and a chimpanzee is only 1.23%. 1.23% is not much of a difference, isn’t it? (Laughter) So, if you're not happy with 1.23%, you must accelerate your evolution. The entire system of yoga is just this: how to accelerate your evolution; in every dimension of who you are, how to hasten this process. Now that you're talking about evolution, whatever Charles Darwin said, a goat could have become a giraffe, it took so many millions of years. A pig could have become an elephant, and it took so many million years. And a monkey became a man, and it happened rather quickly – to such a point, anthropologist are saying that there must be a missing link somewhere. It happened rather very quickly. So now, if evolution happened, when you were a monkey you did not desire, “I want to be a human being.” There's no such desire in you, nature just pushed you on. It’s just life’s longing – it’s not a conscious thing. It’s just life’s longing to get better. From an amoeba to here, just imagine the volume of work that’s been done! Incredible, isn’t it? Whatever amount of time it took from a single-celled creature to the human being, what a tremendous amount of work has been done! But now you've been rendered in a space where your evolution has to be conscious. 15,000 years ago, over 15,000 years ago, Adiyogi said this. When his 7 sages asked, his 7 disciples asked this question, "How did life happen?" You have heard of the 9 avataras? What are they?

Moderator: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Vamana, Narasimha, Parashurama, Krishna, Buddha, Kalki. (Cheers/Applause)

Sadhguru: So, please look at what he is saying. This is very much in parallel with what Charles Darwin is saying. First is fish (Matsya Avatara), next is amphibious turtle, then he is skipping all the other small forms and coming to the mammals. The first mammal we're talking about, a boar or a pig, the hardest animal to kill is always a boar, because it’s so rooted in the body. Even today, if you behave badly the girls will say, “he's like a pig.” Yes, or no? (Laughs) So, if something is very crude, you say it’s like a pig. So, first animal – mammal – is the pig. What’s next? Narasimha. Narasimha means half-man, half-animal. Next is Vamana – means a dwarfed man; next is Parashurama – a full-fledged man, but explosive and uncontrolled, volatile; next one is Rama – a peaceful man; next one is Krishna – a loving man, an exuberant man; next one is Buddha, who is a meditative man; next one is supposed to be a mystical man. This is not about those individual people, this is just... these people are being used as milestones. This is the nature of development of life. In many ways, this is running parallel to Darwin’s theory of evolution. Darwin’s theory of evolution is only 152 years old, Adiyogi spoke about this over 15,000 years ago. (Applause) And then, naturally, the next question is: can we evolve further? Because you find right now, when you want to study for your examination, you wish you had little more brain. Hello? Does it happen, or no? Participants: Yes.

Sadhguru: So naturally, question “Can I evolve further?” If a single-celled animal can become this much, can I go further? So, Adiyogi said this. Modern neurologists are saying the very same thing in a different language. Adiyogi said, considering the nature of the solar system, and the arithmetic, the way the planet, the moon, the sun – these 3 are very important, this is why the entire yogic system is around these 3 aspects. These 3 have significant roles; unless something fundamental about the solar system changes, he said your body cannot evolve further, but you can evolve consciously. When we say we can evolve consciously, I can show you, or we can take you as an experiment if you're willing.

Moderator: Yes.

Sadhguru: Hmm? We can put you on something, and show you that your very fundamental genetics will change within a matter of 3 to 9 months by doing certain things with your system. If you know... if you're willing to give yourself to a certain discipline, your very genetics can be altered, your level of intelligence can be changed, the way you experience life can be changed. So he said, you can evolve consciously, but physically you cannot

You

evolve, unless something about the planetary system changes. Modern neurologists are saying something very similar. So, if you're going forward, choose Darwin; if you want to go backwards – backwards is not a bad place – if you want to dissolve, you go towards God. If you want to evolve, this is one way. These are two different ways of doing the same thing.

Now, let’s address the essence of evolution. Life has progressed from one stage to another over millions of years. From single-celled organisms to complex beings such as human beings, the journey has been awe-inspiring. Adiyogi, over 15,000 years ago, delineated this evolutionary process using the metaphor of the avatars. Each avatar represents a distinct stage in the journey of life.

The significance of this understanding lies in recognizing the potential for further evolution. As human beings, we possess the ability to consciously evolve beyond our current state. While physical evolution may be constrained by the planetary system, conscious evolution knows no bounds.

Consider the impact of yoga and meditation on human evolution. These practices have the power to reshape our genetics, enhance our intelligence, and transform our experience of life. Through discipline and dedication, we can tap into this potential for conscious evolution.

So, whether you choose to align with the theory of evolution proposed by Darwin or embrace the concept of creation by a higher power, the ultimate goal remains the same – to evolve consciously and unlock the boundless potential within us.

In conclusion, the choice between evolution and creation is a personal one, influenced by our beliefs, experiences, and aspirations. But regardless of our perspective, let us remember that the journey of evolution is ongoing, and each of us has the opportunity to play a part in its unfolding.

Thank you.