Monday, May 31, 2010

Anaadhi

“No End to Beginninglessness”

[ Anaadhi Sathsang with Sadhguru at the iii, USA]



246 meditators, supported by 17 volunteers, gathered at the Isha Institute of Inner Sciences (iii) between 20 and 21 March for a Sathsang with Sadhguru as part of the application process to attend the Anaadhi program. This 90-day residential program is to be held at the iii from 3 May to 31 July 2010. It is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Isha meditators in the USA to truly transform themselves in the lap of the Master.

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There was a decidedly different tenor to this event than other programs, as people weighed the gravity of this 90-day commitment for themselves; for their family, friends, colleagues, and for Sadhguru himself. This was a filtering process and a time for all to consider their personal situations, their family and financial responsibilities, before stepping into this. Participating would come at a great cost and everyone recognized that this would change their lives, but what motivated them to want this, and were they ready for it? Sadhguru asked everyone present to consider why they were there and what they hoped would happen during and after the completion of the 90-day program. This deep, inner looking resulted in almost as many responses as there were people present, with some admitting that they could find no “reasonable” answer. In the presence of a Master, one must face his own truth, and while this weekend was billed as an interview, it was really a “view inward,” a time for the stark truth of making this commitment. With clarity and firmness, Sadhguru helped those present identify the resistance in themselves and encouraged them to acknowledge the responsibilities that needed to be addressed before they could commit to Anaadhi.

Sadhguru related that the first 90-day program in India initially was taken up as part of the development of the Dhyanalinga, but that the experience became something other than they could have planned for. He explained that the Sanskrit word anaadhi means “beginningless.” Hence, what was being offered naturally is also endless, because something that does not have a beginning also cannot have an end. Once this spiritual process is on, there is just no stopping it.

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Alongside with Anaadhi, Sadhguru is offering three-week Sadhana (spiritual practices towards inner growth) for Isha meditators in the US who are not able to come for the three months, so that they are still able to make use of the opportunity for their growth and wellbeing.



After being through some incredible sights, smells and tastes of West Asia, here I am at the 3 “i”s – Isha Institute of Inner Sciences. Some hard-core spiritual situation here. We are at Anaadhi (THE BEGINNINGLESS), a 90-day retreat for hard-core seekers. Anaadhi is about introducing people to a completely different level of sadhana and exploration. After sifting through close to 500 applications, we arrived at a little over 200 participants.

This is quite a stretch both physically and mentally. Above all, it demands extreme discipline. This type of sadhana and exploration probably has never happened in this part of the world till now – at least not to my knowledge. It is great to see American meditators gearing up to go through this; each one of them I am sure had to sacrifice something they value to be here. The hope is to build spiritually profound people with great strength, character, commitment and above all clarity. As a part of this, we are also having a 10-day Samyama program for 400 participants – served by a little over 25 volunteers. It is very touching to see how things are being done.

It is their fortune that the Buddha Pournima happens to be during Samyama – that full moon day when Gautama attained became the basis of a spiritual wave that has left an indelible mark upon humanity.

Love and Blessings

Sadhguru