Mind is Your Business is the book in focus here. It is published by Jaico.
Jaico is not considered as a publisher of the literature for academic purpose. It generally publishes general reading literature on varied topics.
There is no intention to show any disrespect to the publisher. This is what I understand. I can put it in other words. This is my impression and an opinion.
I have bought this book on March 13, 2017, along with the Inner Engineering. I had completed the reading on March 20, 2017. I am posting this after three days. There is a gap in recording. Due to time constraint, I am not able to write as per the actual motive of this blog. It has to be the first impression.
The title also displays the name of Sadhguru. The term appears as Sadhguru Yogi, Mystic and Visionary. The point is that it is not specifically declared that this book is written by him.
The book is published from Mumbai, India, in the year 2015. The ISBN number is
978-81-8495-695-5. The copyright is in favour of Isha Foundation. The description does not contain the name of the author. The cost of the title is ₹ 99. Similar titles in Penguin is also priced at ₹ 99 but therein, Sadhguru is shown as the author. They have a different set of chapters.
The book contains five chapters which are:
Introduction
The Circus of Mind
The Garbage Bin
A Ladder to the Divine
Isha Kriya.
There is another book with same design and outlay but with a different title. The title of that book is Body the Greatest Gadget.
It is about this book (Mind is Your Business), that a reader and buyer had recorded his dissatisfaction in the review section of the online Kindle bookstore of amazon. He wrote that this book was in question answer format. All that was written was already available on the Internet on different sites as well on YouTube. Well everyone has the right to express his opinion and impression about a thing which can be identified by others. That is the way of a testimony to show that the given thing is a fact.
However, there is another question. The question is that what actually is the inner content of the written words. What is the intrinsic value of the narration?
Sadhguru is best in expressing the abstruse thought in terms which can easily attract the attention of even an existentialist and materialists. One of the new features that one can easily discern is that he uses the present day terms, terminology and phrases to explain the contents and processes of esoteric science. One can read that Mind is a software and body is the hardware. How is that? Does it attract you? Will that make talks on Mind, body and soul as more meaningful? If so, then you will like to go through this book. He talks about the works of neurologists. In Inner Engineering he has virtually thrown a challenge to the neurologists. He has suggested that they would not reach the submit which the Yogis has reached. The neurologists are working in the field of material world only.
I had been reading W. W. Atkinson for some time. He also discusses the topics like Mind, Body, Prana or Energy, the real I and the Absolute. He wrote in 1910. He tried to explain these terms to the western world as the knowledge of East. He tried to interpret in scientific terms the processes and mechanism of esoteric science. He had used the scientific knowledge of the level as it had developed by 1910. He adopted the method of using evidences and testimonies by quoting the scholars and established thinkers of that period. He followed a literary style. I can not say that I understood everything which he explained. Somewhere, I received an impression from his writings. I can claim that I was not only receiving suggestions as desired by him but also learned few things. It was not a blind faith in whatsoever he said. But there was a learning along with the receiving the impressions by the writing of an expert writer.
In the case of Sadhguru, you also find that perfection which you find in the case of W. W. Atkinson. However, Jaggi Vasudev does not quote anyone to provide evidence or testimony to establish his views as facts. But, he is using the phrases of present times more dominated by computer sciences and neurology. He had the courage to even challenge the learning of the neurology. No doubt, his inimitable style is to use anecdotes and happenings of day to day life. He has a degree in English literature. He has written in his other book that he was a good reader. Therefore, he is also a master in writing.
Coming back to the chapters as given in the book, the first chapter is Introduction. It is not in question answer form. It is a full essay. It is an essay by the Isha foundation. It tells about the view of Sadhguru on Mind.
The second chapter is titled The Circus of Mind. Herein, it is work of Sadhguru. He had explained the contents in many of his YouTube publications. However, one has to remember that Mind has a special meaning in the realm of esoteric studies and Yogic Philosophy. It is not something which is explained in the field of psychology or philosophy. In order to appreciate the contents, one must understand the views of the Yogis about the Chitta or Mind. That is another thing, that Jaggi Vasudev had not used the term Chitta here. The essay will impart you a different meaning of Mind and problems associated with it.
The next chapter is titled The Garbage Bin. It is again an essay on the working of Mind as understood by the Yoga expert and problems related to it. They are not self improvement suggestion. I am highly infatuated by the subject of psychology. The Psychology is definitely adding to the knowledge of the humanity and helping in improving our lives in different spheres of activity, like Medical science, commerce, social problems, advertisement, personal management. However after reading about the concept of Mind as propounded by these Yogic talks, I am trying to review my attraction towards psychology. I believe that those who study these views may be able to recognize what I am trying to say.
The question answer format begins from the chapter The Garbage Bin.
After taking up many questions on Mind in the chapter of The Garbage Bin, the next chapter takes the issue of spiritualism. The title of the chapter is A Ladder to the Divine. In this chapter, one can find a set of questions which is related to the path of spiritualism and the role of Yoga in it. I would like to emphasise, that after reading two books by Sadhguru, I find that Sadhguru has his own way of talking about spiritual facts. All these Yogis talk about the same thing. However, Sadhguru has his own trademark when he takes up the question of Spiritualism.
The Isha Kriya is the last chapter. It directs to access the ishakriya.com. It contains instructions on the meditation. The similar instructions can be watched on YouTube. Even the diagrams given in the books also appear there.
Mind, Prana, Body or Matter are the three identities which are the subject of the Yogic Philosophy. The postures of the Yogic are one aspect only. One has to learn about the theory also which they propound. This book is about the Mind as talked about in Yogic Philosophy.
I must accept that I have read this book just after completing the reading of "Inner Engineering – A Yogi's Guide to Joy". I have already posted it here. I have to complete my version of that book. Somewhere, in this essay, I may have carried the impression of that book also.
There is another set of books which are published by Penguin. Sadhguru, The Three Truths of Being: ... In the case of that publisher, it is prominently displayed that the author of the titles is Sadhguru. It is in Penguin E-Single series. They are also priced for ₹. 99.
A very emphatic comment about the introduction on Sadhguru in most of the publications on him is, "Sadhguru, a profound mystic of our times". It continues to reappear in the different introduction to Jaggi Vasudev.
Advertisement:
Advertisement:
