Dhyanalinga – Science and Mysticism

Questioner: Sadhguru, what is the difference, if any, between you and the Dhyanalinga?

Sadhguru: There’s no difference. It’s just that I still have the problems of eating and sleeping. He doesn’t. Otherwise, there’s no difference, except that I can walk; he can’t. Now, what you’re referring to as the Dhyanalinga is the highest possible subtle body. It is at its peak vibration with all the seven chakras intact. It was consecrated by creating a certain vortex, which drew in enormous amounts of energy. Another difference is that I took three lifetimes to become like this; he managed it in three years. That’s a big difference. The etheric body, or the subtle body, was constructed using enormous amounts of energy. If we had made it any more intense, it couldn’t have retained a form; it was in that level of intensity. This was the peak of intensity that you could hold within the dimensions of a form.

The Dhyanalinga is the highest possible being sitting there all the time, stable, steady, always the same way because he has no problems of a mental body, karmic body or physical body. He is always the same because he’s just a subtle body.

In theory, it is possible to slowly construct a human physical body for the Dhyanalinga, and to create a being like that – somebody who will walk – if we’re willing to work towards this. In theory, it is possible, but to get all the ingredients and all the forces together is an enormous job. Once we create a physical body, to sustain himself in such peak energies, he would have to do so many things. Above all, once you have a physical body, people’s ability to experience what’s beyond that will decrease, because once you see a person, you start judging – seeing what’s right and wrong about him, what appeals to you or doesn’t. All these judgments will take away your ability to experience that being. That’s the huge difference. 

To create the subtle body itself took enormous amounts of work. If we want to create grosser dimensions of the body, we can create a very beautiful human being without him being born through a womb, because the subtle body is properly established. It would be like having Shiva back, alive, walking, but it wouldn’t serve any purpose and would involve too much. It’s very difficult to tell you logically or sensibly what this is all about.

This reminds me: when Vivekananda was a highly energetic and intense young boy, he was very skeptical and full of questions. He wanted to investigate everything. He had won many awards in debates and was always looking for more debates with whomever he met. When he met Ramakrishna he asked him, “You’re always talking about God. What is the proof that there is God?” He was expecting some great explanation, which he obviously had the logic to break down, and he would defeat him. Ramakrishna said, “I am the proof.” Vivekananda didn’t expect this answer. He was expecting some explanation as to how there’s a creation and a creator. So when Ramakrishna said, “I am the proof,” he didn’t know what to say. He sat there, bewildered. Ramakrishna thought this fellow’s snooty logic was making him stupid.

Vivekananda had enormous intensity, but he was missing the whole point. So Ramakrishna just took his foot and placed it on Vivekananda’s chest. He lost all of his logic, and tears started flowing. Tears and Vivekananda were impossible. Logical people cannot shed a tear unless they’re touched in their innermost depth. Tears just started flowing and then he said, “I’m very sorry I even asked you such a question.”

Now, if you think logically, it seems impossible that there is no difference between the Dhyanalinga and me. Even if you have experienced the Dhyanalinga in some way for a moment, it still sounds absolutely egoistic for me to say this. But really, there’s no difference. If you don’t like it, I can’t help it. Slowly you will see, as the days pass, I won’t be interested in keeping up any façade for anybody’s sake. We have done enough of that in order to bring about the necessary goodwill and understanding into people so that they could become receptive enough. We don’t have to continue doing that for a lifetime. Those who are too logical and whose ability to live life is very much on the surface, may fall off. I don’t want them to fall off, but they may, because I am too blunt. It’s all right. This is how it is.

When you go to the Dhyanalinga, just sit there – you don’t have to believe or disbelieve anything. It’s as if a good dinner is being served in front of you. You’re not overly hungry nor do you dislike the food. Simply sit there, not trying to grab it. Just be willing, open, not making any judgments about the food in front of you. You must sit in front of the Dhyanalinga like that, not doing anything, but not putting your foot into the food either. Sit there with a certain willingness and openness; then you will see that this is not just a symbol. The Dhyanalinga is not just a stone standing there anymore. You will see it is like a living being in every way.

Somebody who doesn’t have a physical, mental or karmic body but only has a subtle body – spiritual or etheric body – can only touch you on that level. If we teach you hatha yoga, kriyas, or if we change your mental attitude through the programs, and you practice for some time and then give it up, you will see you will go back to square one. But once you’re touched at the level of your etheric body, you can’t get rid of it. Whether you live or die, it still goes with you. This is what initiation means. It’s not just a bundle of instructions. The idea is to touch you on the level of your etheric body so that it can never be taken away, no matter what kind of life you live, or how ignorantly you live. The seed can’t die; that’s how it is put across. That’s what an initiation means.

When you sit in front of a living Guru, you have many problems, judgments, likes and dislikes, because invariably you end up looking at his personality. People have left their Gurus for all kinds of frivolous things. This happened with J. Krishnamurti, a Realized being and very wonderful man. There was a certain lady who was very close to him and deeply involved with his work. She was always around him and traveled to many places with him. Once when he was in Amsterdam, Holland, he went into a shop to buy a tie for himself. He was so meticulous about choosing a tie, because he was very conscious about everything and also what he wore. He could throw the tie away if he wanted to, but when he wears it, he wants it to be in a certain way. So he went into the shop and spent nearly four hours picking out one tie. He pulled out every tie in the shop, looked at it, put it on, and then said, “No.” It took him four hours to select just one tie. This woman watched and watched and watched, and as minutes passed, in her mind his Enlightenment receded. She thought a man who could be so concerned about  what kind of tie he wears couldn’t be Enlightened, and she left him. Many such stupid things are done because of your judgments.

People have left their Gurus for even more frivolous things. This is simply because, in your day-to-day life, you are deeply caught up with your own physical and mental bodies. What has happened within you on deeper dimensions is not in your moment-to-moment awareness. Certain moments you know this is the deepest thing that has happened to you in your life. The rest of the time your mind will argue and prove to you that it’s not so. With Dhyanalinga, you don’t have these problems because it doesn’t carry a physical or mental body. If you experience him once, every time you sit, you will look up to him reverentially. If he had a physical body, one moment you would be looking up to him reverentially, the next moment you would be judging him and condemning him for something. It’s bound to happen. So he has come with extra advantages.