through carelessness, arrogance, or laxity of practice, the fire will lose
its transforming heat. I have not retired and never shall. I will always
keep the inner fire burning.
That is why practice (sadhana) cannot be stopped. Of course I age
and regress at certain levels. But my body and mind are the servers and
followers of the soul. The unity of these three gives me the right to call
myself a yogi. But even though I am on a spiritual level, I will never say
that practice is not required.
I am old, and death inevitably approaches. But both birth and
death are beyond the will of a human being. They are not my domain.
I do not think about it. Yoga has taught me to think of only working
to live a useful life. The complexity of the life of the mind comes to an
end at death, with all its sadness and happiness. If one is already free
from that complexity, death comes naturally and smoothly. If you live
holistically at every moment, as yoga teaches, even though the ego is
annihilated, I will not say, "Die before you die." I would rather say,
"Live before you die, so that death is also a lively celebration."
Hokkusei, the great Japanese artist, said when he was already in
his seventies, that given another ten years, he would be a great artist. I
salute his humility. Let me conclude by quoting the words of the
Spanish artist Goya who, in the seventy-eighth year of his life, when he
was already deaf and debilitated, said, Aun aprendo-"1 am still
learning." It is true for me too. I will never stop learning, and I have
tried to share some of these lessons with you. I do pray that my ending
will be your beginning. The great rewards and the countless blessings
of a life spent following the Inward Journey await you.
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