
There’s something in us, in our nature, which compels us to
discover.
I remember a very powerful moment with the old guru who I studied with, Nisargadatta Maharaj, who taught the way of Nisarga Yoga. “Nisarga” means natural. The basic translation of his name was “Mr. Natural”. He was this 80-year old cigarette-smoking man. He had a little cigarette stand. He was kind of a combination like Krishnamurti and Fritz Perls. He would put you on the hot seat when you came in and ask you about your spiritual life.
One day we were in a room about this big. People were coming in and asking questions. Somebody came in and asked a question and was a little bit dissatisfied and left. And another person raised their hand and said, “Maharaj, what will happen to that person who came and asked that question and left? Is it all over for them in this life? They didn’t stay here. You are a great guru, and they weren’t interested, and they went home.”
And he twinkled at that moment, he really lit up, and he said, “It’s too late. Even the fact that they put their foot in this room, even if they hadn’t asked the question, means that somewhere in there there’s a seed of really knowing who we are and what this life is about. Not what you were taught in elementary school or what’s on TV or the newspapers, but a deep seed of knowing our true nature, that wants to discover; it’s like coming home. The fact that he just walked in the room means that that seed has started to sprout. And no matter if he tries to forget it and goes back and gets lost, sooner or later that will manifest in awakening.” Read more