Jimi Bostock

A Day With Deepak

---

I checked in on my FaceBook early Friday morning. I was chuffed to see a message from an old friend inviting me to be their guest at a Deepak Chopra gig.

I knew he was on his way to Australia. Twitter made it pretty hard to not know. Deepak gives good Twitter.

I have read quite a few of his books and watched a hell of a lot of YouTubes of him both being interviewed and interviewing. He is a prolific content creator.

His most recent book arrived at the same time as I was finally biting the bullet on my weight. The book was a resounding encapsulation of the things I needed to know. I did think about the synchronicity of that.

And obviously, as a semi-serious Yoga devotee for more than 25 years, Deepak has always been a fascination.

I am not sure what I really thought about him. I do know what some of my yogi friends think. I remember a conversation once about Deepak. It was about 15 years ago. I think I might have mentioned that I had just read something good he had written.

The response was short, sharp, and withering. The saffron robes of my conversation partner almost rippled with disdain. His shiny, bald head shook with sadness.

Deepak Chopra was a fool. He was a man who knew nothing but had worked out how to sell that nothing to people. He peered into my eyes and told me that I needed to stay away from such “devils”.

Now, for context, this fellow is a pretty serious yogi dude. When he says something yogi, lots of people listen. I listen. Have listened for years prior. I am still listening.

The first time you hear a yogi ‘guru’ go off on another guru, it can be a bit disconcerting. But it happens all the time. And it can be pretty torrid stuff. After all, they are talking about spiritual life and death matters. So, the stakes are high and they can tend to take the matter seriously.

Of course, this stern warning never stopped me reading, listening, and watching Deepak.

So, there I was on Friday morning, with that background. I did not think twice. First, the inviter is someone who I dearly love to catch up with. So, if it was a ticket to the national tidily-winks comp, I would have gone.

But also, the opportunity to be in the same room as Deepak Chopra is an opportunity I was not going to miss. So, I jumped in the car and headed to Sydney.

So, I have now finally heard from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. What is my take-out?

Well, I would be remiss to say that, for me, it was a little 101. Not that I am any good at any of it, but I have certainly heard most of what Deepak shared with his audience. From a show of hands, the audience was majority newcomers to his talks, so I am sure he adjusted on that basis.

So, OK, I must have not got anything much.

Not so.

Indeed, I think one of my big take-outs from Deepak today is something that the big-hitters I have studied under may well be reminded about.

Deepak urged the assembled to abandon certainty. Bingo!

There it is. If one wishes to step out on any form of a spiritual (or wellbeing) path, abandon certainty.

That, my friends, is a key to it all. All certainties you have. All the things you are certain about others. All the theories you have taken on, be they scientific, religious, or whatever, run from them as quick as you can.

Well, I lie. Grab the certainties and hold them up to the light. Inspect them closely. How do you know the things that make up your certainty? Did they come from another person? Where did they get the info?

No certainty, properly inspected, will stand the test.

But more importantly, cultivate an uncertainty consciousness. Start avoiding certainty as standard practice.

That is a shining example of what Deepak said today. He said a lot more good stuff.

With all due respect to the teachers who say Deepak is a false guru – you are wrong. He is the real deal. He speaks nice and true words. He brings many to the path.

For that, I salute him. For his ability to bring the most profound into the realm of the neophyte, I salute him.