You never think you are greedy. If you desire something, you think it is a need. If somebody else desires something, you think it is greed. There is no such thing as greed. Greed is a judgment you are making about somebody, but different people have different volumes of desire according to whatever they think is necessary for them.
In the very nature of life, a human being is made this way -- that wherever he is in life, he wants to be something more than what he is right now. What people desire for may be different. If you know only money, you are thinking of more money. If you know only knowledge, you are thinking of more knowledge. If you know only power, you are thinking of more power. Whether it is pleasure, love, knowledge or money, you are desiring to be more than what you are right now. It does not matter what kind of pacifist philosophies you are taught, this cannot be stopped in any human being. You might say, "I have given up all of my desires; I desire only for God." Someone else desires a small piece of creation, and you say he is greedy, but if you desire the very source of creation, are you not terribly greedy? Someone is willing to settle for a small piece of this planet, but you want the very Creator -- is this not greed?
Right now, you think that if "this one thing" happens, this is it. The moment that one thing happens you think that if the next thing happens "that" is it. If you carefully look at your desiring process, or your "greed" process, you will see that it is not about money, it is not about wealth. You want to expand; in some form, you want to expand. So if expansion is what you are seeking, how much expansion would settle you for good? If you were made king or queen of this planet, would you settle? No, you would then look at the stars. Is this not the nature of a human being?
There is something within you that wants to expand in a limitless way; there is something within you that does not like boundaries. The moment you feel a boundary, you want to push it. Suppose you are imprisoned in a 5x5 cubicle; you will feel horribly imprisoned. Tomorrow, if you were placed in a 10x10 cubicle, you will feel great for one day and then again you will feel terrible. If you were again released into a 100x100 prison, you will feel wonderful for one week and then again you will feel terrible. It does not matter what the size of the prison, there is something within you that cannot stand boundaries, that wants to become boundless.
So if boundlessness is what you are unconsciously seeking, what means are you employing to get there? Right now, your whole experience of life is limited to the five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. Do you know any other life? Even your imagination is fed only by these five senses. In the very nature of things, the five sense organs cannot perceive anything that is not physical. You can see, hear, smell, taste and touch only that which is physical. So through physical means you are trying to become boundless; this is like wanting to go to the moon, but you are on horseback. Somebody may tell you, "Get yourself a new whip, you will make it." Believe me, you may kill the horse, but you will not get to the moon. If you want to go to the moon, you need a completely different type of vehicle.
Yoga is a simple vehicle; it is a technology of transcending your limitations. Transcending your limitations can be described and defined in so many ways, but to put it very simply, yoga is a way of helping people experience that dimension that is not physical. The body, mind and everything that you know are physical aspects. But the physical is never fulfilling; people are always longing for more and more and more. Yoga becomes a technology for people to go beyond. A way to shift from more to all.
Sadhguru will teach Inner Engineering in Detroit Oct. 12-14, 2012.
Free Online Meditation: Isha Kriya is a simple yet powerful practice. Just 12-18 minutes of daily practice brings peace and well-being -- helping each individual to create life according to his own wish and vision.
For more by Sadhguru, click here.
For more on GPS for the Soul, click here.