I am a crook

The man in the audience said "You swamis are all the same! All are crooks!". To this Chidananda Puri, Swami, replied, "Yes, I am a crook.".

Being very curious and interested in philosophy, I attend talks by different religions, eager to learn. When I saw the advertisement for talks about Hinduism in English, I was excited. Talks about Hinduism in English are rare. Cleared my calendar to make sure I attend the talks.

I really enjoyed the talks. As usual, I am not that smart to understand all the topics presented. My attitude is if I can just get 10% or even 5% of what is taught, I am over the hill. 

Here is one story Chidananda Puri, Swami, shared that made an impact on me.

After Chidananda Puri, Swami, finished his talk, he open to the floor for question and answer. Unfortunately nobody was asking any questions. To get the ball rolling, Chidananda Puri, Swami, shared this incident that happened during one of his talks in India.

After the talk, the man in the audience said "You swamis are all the same! All are crooks!". Then Chidananda Puri, Swami, enquired, "Are there any more questions or statements to be made? If not, I will proceed to reply." The man replied, "No more."

"Ok, then I will reply to the two points raised. To the point that we swamis are the same, I disagree completely because no two individuals are the same. To the point that I am a crook, I agree with you completely.

From the time when I was born, I have been breathing oxygen from Mother Nature. Now I am in my thirties. For easy of calculation, let's say it is thirty years of breathing oxygen, 24hrs a day." (Chidananda Puri, Swami, started to calculate how much the oxygen would cost if he were to buy it from a commercial oxygen supplier. I cannot remember the calculation. Anyway the calculation is not important for this blog post)

Chidananda Puri, Swami, continued, "Now that we know how much it cost, did I give back to Mother Nature or back to the community what I have consumed? The answer is a big no. So I am a crook"

For me that was very profound and humbling. What have I done or contributed back to the community? I have received so much from the world and community. I am crook too. I have not given back enough.

Let this debt push me to contribute back to the world. Let it push me to help people, even in small things. I know I will never be able to settle this debt fully but that is ok.

Here is a link to his discourses. https://swamichidanandapuri.com/

There are many more in the internet. Just do a search.