the interview
Not until the spry age of seventy-five years did the Master retire altogether from journalism. It was therefore around the year 1975 that the saint began his full-time private practice. Though demand was enormous, he met the challenge squarely, displaying such unwavering stamina and force that the people around him were often astounded. "It's a good occupation for an old man," he said. "I like to be useful."
Therapeutics
In the early 1980's Thai Television came to the ashram and interviewed Guru Chod. The old man spoke with unrivaled authority concerning the therapeutic science of yoga. For once thing, he explained how 'yogis knew about the circulation of the blood in the human body long before the so-called discovery was made in the West by Dr. William Harvey, the brilliant 17th century English physician. Harvey studied medicine at Padua, Italy and wrote his famous findings in Latin, An Anatomical Experiment Concerning the Movement of the Heart but often called De motu cordis for short. It was actually published in Frankfurt am Main in 1628. But yogis already knew about this,' Guru Chod explained. 'They also knew that the pulse beats were generated by the heart and had discovered that these pulse beats could be made stronger or weaker by controlling the breathing. They knew that the nerves could also be excited or slowed down through the conscious control of the mind.'
"The discovery of the thyroid gland" Chod told the interviewer, "and recent experiments concerning its function is nothing new to yogis. They were fully aware of its existence and function – and the others glands too – long before western science found these things out. Only the ancient sages gave different names to these glands. For example the pituitary gland was called the 'nectar-rayed moon' and the pineal gland was called the 'eye of Śiva,' and so on."
Yet no matter how comparable yoga may be with so-called modern medical science, yoga is not to be viewed as a medicine. Why? Because yoga is something far better than medicine. And if any good comparison is ever drawn between the science of yoga and allopathic medicine, yoga should be viewed as a preventative form of medicine. Doubtless, yoga has profound healing qualities, and within the realm of the healing arts its validity is unparalleled. This is why many chronic disorders be cured through the yoga. Through regular practice one derives a lightness of body, renewed vitality, and splendid health. A brilliance of complexion and eyes will be noticed. One experiences a positive outlook on life; one will always be cheerful and filled with a sense of inner well-being. It's even contagious!
Extolling the glories of self-reliance, yoga teaches people how to cure themselves.
Sitting right in front of the television camera the Master explained how all these things became known to him as he advanced to the higher forms of yoga, sometimes also called tantra yoga.
'Yogis also had an intimate knowledge of the nervous system and the spinal cord,' Guru Chod explined. 'They gave their own names to the various parts of the nervous system and knew more about their function than western science has yet discovered.' Simply stated, 'yogis knew that by developing the health of the physical body, its organs and fluids, and by bringing it under the intelligent control of the mind, they could at will slow these processes down and regulate or stop the flow of certain fluids to cure any disease in the body.'
"I spent five years in Rishikesh" he said, "and then I stayed three more for special training."
Cured indeed. "I have not suffered any disease in forty years," Guru Chod affirmed in his eighty-fourth year.
Awed by such a statement the interviewer asked him, "Not even a headache?"
Confronting Life's Problems Through Yoga A year before the Master left this world the Thai journalist Promporn Pramularatana conducted her famous interview. She entitled her article Confronting Life's Problems Through Yoga[17] and focused on what she described as "the octogenarian's aim of life."
"He wants to show people how to alleviate problems and difficulties through yoga," she thoughtfully observed. "When he talks, he brims with health and happiness. But in an interview, the Guru will evade all questions concerning self, that is, anything about his personal history."
"That's old hat now," he frankly told her. "People already know me. Editors of books and magazines have interviewed me. Television stations have sent their crews to film me. I've been doing it so long! I'd rather give your readers tips on how to stay healthy and young."
She was charmed by his simple and open manner.
He talks to you—to me, to friends, to strangers and wandering travelers, all with equal respect. The gates of his home are always open. As he talks, he either sits casually or walks back and forth to the other room where two or three women are practicing yoga. One woman is standing on her head in the śirsha pose, and he gives her moral support by counting the seconds.
"Life can be compared to a boxing arena," the Master remarked, "but in the boxing arena, you have only one opponent. In life there are many more. Even if you lose, you will still have to fight."
"What does yoga do to help?" she asked.
"Yoga eliminates fear," he told her, "and lays the groundwork for samādhi, or concentration, which leads to peace of mind."
"But literally, how can you eliminate fear by simply lifting up your hands or standing on your head?"
"You are not just lifting up your hands or merely standing on your head," he explained. "You are practicing the āsana (physical posture) as your mind concentrates on prānāyāma or the regulation of breath. At a more advanced stage, the practitioner will actually meditate while performing the āsanas."
"But when you are suffering from stress, wouldn't it be better to take a vacation?"
"That's the Western concept of alleviating problems," he replied. "Taking a vacation or going to the cinema is merely a diversion. In the long run, the person has to come back to face up to the circumstances anyway, that is, if he is a responsible person. In the Buddhist faith, you learn to avoid the consequences brought about by complications; but in yoga, you learn to confront them. In yoga you learn to analyse the suffering."
Religion of the Heart
Throughout Guru Chod's more than forty-year career, he initiated thousands in the Timeless Yoga. He furthermore imbued his precious teaching with a cogent appraisal of the ancient Buddha-Dharma, the religious culture in which he was born. For the Guru was by no means a divisive rebel. It is in fact incumbent on any individual who has managed that leap beyond the quagmire of nescience, to stand as a glowing illustration of the clear cut fact that the whole of humankind belongs to one great religion, the religion of the heart.
"In actual fact," the Master explained, "a yogī, or yoginī, is just one type of religious ascetic who is searching for an end to suffering. Speaking metaphorically, the goal of all religions is to reach the summit of a glorious mountain. Yoga is just one path among many. Though yoga is not a religion initself, it has always been adopted, adapted, and applied by all religions"[18].
Broadly speaking, the Vedic term yoga pertains to any form of asceticism or meditative technique, including prayer. Though methods and philosophies differ greatly, the various paths approach the same goal. To embrace all religions is to fully comprehend that you are not alone in your need to surmount human suffering, such nostalgia being, in effect, universal.
Enter the Rishi
In Yoga, one of Guru Chod's three published books in Thai, he explains why people generally – and Thais especially – hold many vague and incorrect ideas about yoga. He makes it clear why people in Thailand think that a yogī is the same as a hermit. This is because in the Thai language a hermit is called a rūēsī, (Khmer, rosei) from Sanskrit rishi, that is, "a forest dwelling visionary." Writes the saint,
Due to customary Thai folklore, people commonly picture yogīs as bearded, unkempt and unclean ascetics, living naked and alone in the forest depths while subsisting on gathered herbs and vegetables. Through piercing concentration and arcane sorcery, they imagine that yogīs can lie on beds of nails, be buried alive and withstand extreme temperatures while standing on their heads. They believe that yogīs can perform marvellous feats, such as flying about on magic carpets, or creating goddesses out of thin air and making them their spiritual consorts!"But don't be misled," the Master warns,
A practitioner of yoga is by no means required to retire from the secular world, sever all relations with human society and dwell in the seclusion of a comfortless cave. He can go on leading a fully active mundane existence, and when he walks down the road he can be quite sure that nobody would take a second look at him, or find in him anything peculiar.As a matter of fact, in the oldest surviving Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha himself is referred to as the "rishi" in the Pāli form īsi [19].
The Royal Eight-Fold Path of Yoga
Throughout Guru Chod's long and illustrious career, he stove to reveal the great similarities between the two remotely ancient systems of Buddhism and Yoga. Only Guru Chod and Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu possessed the knowledge and guts to speak and write openly on what they knew as Rāja-yoga. Rāja-yoga represents the oldest known school of Classical Yoga. It dates back more than two thousand years. In the Sanskrit language, rāja means, "king." This Kingly Yoga was first given shape by the time-honoured Indian sage Maharishi Patañjali in his classic work Yoga Sūtras (Yoga Aphorisms). It is also known as Ashtānga-yoga. In Sanskrit, ashta means "eight," anga means "part." This is why Patañjali's Rāja-yoga is also referred to as The Royal Eight-Fold Path of Yoga.
You're Liable to get Shot
While undergoing training at Wat Suan Mokh, the famous forest hermitage of Maharishi Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu,[20] the present writer was exceptionally honoured to have gained private meetings with the age stricken patriarch of Southern Thai Buddhism. Our talks were wide-ranging but consistently centered on the topics of Buddhism, Vedānta and Yoga. Buddhadāsa said, "It is proper for monks to practice yoga; but in private."
One cool morning as I sat on the pebbles, among the rich foliage and towering trees, the venerable sir confided in me, saying, "Anyone that understands the essence of his own religion understands the essence of all religions."
The Maharishi's progressive view greatly moved me. Later up in Bangkok, I related this to Guru Chod. He paused in deference and lowered his tone. He said, "Of course there should only be one world religion. I know that and you know that. But be careful. If you go around trying to tell others of that, you're liable to get shot."
[Note: For most recent edition see pdf file saint guru chod (1900-1988).]
