Book Review

Inner Engineering

By: Sadhguru

September 1, 2022

Is This Book Right for me?

Summary: “Inner Engineering” is a powerful and transformative book that delves into the ancient science of yoga and how it can be used to achieve a greater sense of inner peace, balance, and overall well-being. Written by the renowned spiritual leader and teacher, Sadhguru, the book guides readers on a journey of self-discovery and provides practical tools and techniques for achieving a more fulfilling and meaningful life. With wisdom and insight, Sadhguru explains how to tap into the hidden potential within us all, and how to use the power of yoga to transform our lives and reach our highest potential. A perfect blend of ancient wisdom and modern practicality, “Inner Engineering” is a must-read for anyone seeking to deepen their spiritual understanding and improve their overall well-being.

“My aim in this book is to help make joy your constant companion. The book offers not a sermon, but a science; not a teaching, but a technology; not a precept, but a path.” Sadhguru (Author)

The book can be found here: Link

Recommendation: Must read – expect to get various new insights into how to life a more fulfilled life as well as several practical exercises

4.6/5

Level: Intermediate – before starting this book I´d recommend reading more books on spirituality and the eastern cultures 

Intermediate
Storyline (not 1:1 according to chapters in the book)
  • Intro – The four letter word
    •  The word “guru” nowadays is used often in ways that are different from the real meaning which is “dispeller of darkness”
    • A guru can throw light on dimensions beyond sensory perception and on the very nature of existence (which we usually unable to perceive)
    • The author who refers to himself as a guru who has “no doctrine to teach, no philosophy to impart, no belief to propagate”
    • The only thing that he can do is guiding you on a path of self-transformation which is the cure to “ills of this world”
    • Since the inner dimension is for most people uncharted terrain, a road map/ GPS (=guru) is helpful to give directions to get faster to your goal; that is the only reason why the four letter word exists
  • Chapter 1: When I lost my sense: The book opens with an invitation to embark on a journey of self-discovery and inner transformation. The author, Sadhguru, sets the scene by sharing his own personal story of how he discovered the ancient science of yoga and how it changed his life. He explains how this science can be used to achieve a greater sense of inner peace, balance, and overall well-being. He also provides a glimpse of the key themes and ideas that will be explored throughout the book, inviting the readers to join him on this journey of self-discovery.
  • Chapter 2: The way out is in: In this chapter, Sadhguru guides readers through the ancient science of yoga and how it can be used to achieve inner transformation. He shares stories and examples of how different practices and techniques of yoga have helped people to improve their lives, and provides an in-depth understanding of the key principles and practices of yoga. He also explains how these ancient practices can be adapted to modern life to achieve greater self-awareness and inner peace.
  • Chapter 3: Design your destiny: The author delves into the nature of the mind and how it shapes our perceptions and experiences. He explains how the mind works, its capabilities and its limitations, and how it can be used to achieve a greater sense of inner balance. He shares practical techniques and tools that can be used to gain control over the mind and achieve inner peace.
  • Chapter 4: “… and now Yoga”: In this chapter, Sadhguru focuses on the importance of breath in yoga and how it can be used to achieve inner balance and clarity. He shares stories of how different breathing techniques have helped people to improve their health and well-being. He also provides practical tips and techniques for developing a daily breath practice.
  • Chapter 5: Body: The author explores the connection between the body and the mind, and how the body can be used as a tool for inner transformation. He shares stories of how different yoga postures and exercises have helped people to achieve greater physical and mental balance. He also provides practical tips and techniques for developing a daily body practice.
  • The Art of Meditation: In this chapter, Sadhguru explains the different types of meditation and how they can be used to achieve inner peace and focus. He shares stories of how meditation has helped people to improve their lives, and provides practical tips and techniques for developing a daily meditation practice.
  • The Science of Inner Engineering: This chapter brings together all the concepts and ideas explored throughout the book, and provides a comprehensive guide to inner engineering and how it can be used to achieve a sense of inner peace and balance in our lives. It serves as a culmination of the journey and provides a roadmap for the readers to continue on their path of self-discovery.
  • Conclusion: In the final chapter, Sadhguru reflects on the journey of inner engineering and the transformative power of yoga. He encourages readers to continue to explore the practices and techniques introduced in the book, to use them in their daily lives, and to use them to achieve greater self-awareness and inner peace. He reminds us that this is a lifelong journey and that the key is to keep going on this path of self-discovery.
  • Part 1 – When I lost my sense
    •  The author describes the story how he lost his senses (and himself) and touched enlightenment for the first time; he is describing it as “What was me was literally everywhere. Everything was exploding beyond defined boundaries; everything was exploding into everything else. It was a dimensionless unity of absolute perfection.”
    • Then the author describes his early childhood and how he became familiar with meditative states, was fascinated by the world and tried to understand the essence of the physical nature and how the analysis of himself led to the melt down of “me” and a deeper sense of what it is to be a human being opened up
    • The he summarizes his early adulthood including his time at university and the success with building a farm and later a construction business until he first touched enlightenment 
    • After having touched this deep state of “no senses” and “timelessness” it occurred more frequently during everyday life and he describes some of the occasion and how he felt in this state and how his environment was reacting to that
    • Another topic that comes up in this first chapter is around yoga and how yogic practices not only physically but also mentally transformed the author and made him “ready” for the experience of “oneness” with existence
    • “Even if you get into yoga for the wrong reasons, it still works” (wrong reasons here merely physical fitness)
  • Part 1 – They way out is in
    • This chapter serves as an introduction to joy and pleasantness, and why it is so important for our world; this chapter is serves as the reason why the author wants to give us tools and a guide to joy
    • The start of this chapter is about how everyone on this planet is doing what they are doing just for one simple thing which is joy/pleasantness (e.g. career, money, family, want to go to heave, food etc.); in the author´s view we face the challenge – compared to other creatures like dogs and cats – that once our need for survival (e.g., food) is satisfied, it does mean anything to us anymore and 100 other problems come up; our life begin with survival
    • The author then introduces his view on joy which is the main theme of his book (title: A yogi´s guide to joy) compares our current society against former generations and his view on well-being/pleasantness and how the latter is the “insurance” to a peaceful society and better world: If you are pleasant within you will be pleasant to your outside world (not scriptures or laws are needed to guide your behavior)
    • The latter part of this chapter is then around why joy can only come from within us and that we are too dependent on outside factors (maybe something you have heard a couple of times before, however, the way he describes this is very compelling and definitely worth reading).He then introduces the term “inner engineering” as a technology for creating a chemical basis for a more joyful existence which he is going to teach us, but a fundamental shift in thinking has to happen
Key Insights & Concepts
  • If you really want to know spirituality, don´t look for anything. People think they have to look for god or the truth or the ultimate. The problem is you have already defined what you are looking for. It is not the object of your search that is important; it is the faculty of looking. The ability to simply look without motive is missing in the world today. Seeking is about enhancing your perception, your very faculty of seeing without assigning meaning or judging. 
  • Tap into the real nature of reality/ all powerful intelligence that is guiding the universe cannot be reached by merely using our intellectual properties which are limited; it has to come out of experience without they try to understand it
  • Theory about the search for freedom/ longing for boundless:
    •  Human nature is that we always want more than we have right now, but no matter how much we achieve we always want more – so we could say that human beings are longing for the infinite / for all
    • Example: Imagine being locked in a small cubicle 5×5 feet; no matter how comfortable in the beginning, you want to be free and more space; then you get a 10×10 feet one and the same thing happens – this goes on and on given that once we become conscious of the boundaries that are there no matter how big the longing to break free of this is instinctive
    • We need to realize that human desire is not for any particular thing but to expand illimitably
  • We are the most comfortable generation that has ever lived on this planet (in most countries of the world) and yet we are by far not the most joyful, loving or peaceful generation; the reason being that while we are very good at taking care of our external environment (that is why we live so comfortable) we are very bad of taking care of our internal environment which makes us less happy than other generation; the funny story here is that in particular the fact that previous  generations had not so great “external environments” made them focus more on the internal development and therefore potentially happier; how can we knowing this still continue on this path following the same route again and again that has not worked over the last hundreds of years? maybe there is a shift in thinking needed and that is why we see so much people getting interested in eastern culture and Buddhism (especially scientists; and you given that you read these lines here).
  • Joy can only come from within us
    • The only thing that stands between us and a joyful state is that we “have allowed our thoughts and emotions to take instructions from the outside rather than the inside”.
    • If we cannot control the world outside of us (which can never be predicted or planned given the plethora of factors that are influencing every outcome everyday) we should be able to control the life within us; however, most of us cannot do that because we are handling our human mechanism accidentally; as long as we are enslaved by external conditions life will remain unstable and unpredictable
    • “The human mechanism is the most sophisticated physical form on the planet. You are the greatest piece of technology, but the problem is you do not know where the keyboard is […] Just to earn a living, to reproduce, to raise a family, and then one day to fall dead – what a challenge! It is amazing hw human beings struggle just to do what every worm, insect, bird and animal does quite effortlessly.”
    • The true source of every experience always comes from within us – an external stimulus may be a trigger but the experience itself comes from within; let us consider the following: You are on your way to the office and it suddenly starts raining and you get extremely wet? (most likely you would feel very unhappy as most people do) Now think about the fact, that there is another person who actually loves some fresh rain on their skin and do not care to get wet but see this as a blessing for the earth. The same external event triggers a different response.; another example which as not as obvious: where can you see the text that you are reading right now? You potentially say, on my screen and point your finger towards it. Is that true though? Actually, the image that you see is a reflection of light falling from the screen entering your eyes – so actually you see the text within you. Even if someone touches you it is happening within you and not on the outside part where a person has touched you. “All human experience is hundred percent self-created”
  •  Joy and peace as the basic requirements for a life o well-being; not the goals of spiritual life
    • Peace and joy are not things that you attain at the end – that are the ultimate goals because then you will just “rest in peace”
    • Rather see both of them as states that you have to have now to enjoy your dinner, your time with your family, your vacation
    • We can say that joy and peace are actually requirements for spirituality rather than the other way round; how can you be in a state of bliss when you are struggling to be joyful; only if peaceful and joyful states are not efforts anymore, then you can start seeking the nature of life; only when you are in the highest state of your being then you are receptive to experience something as the ultimate nature of life
  •  The main problem of the 21st century
    •  People are not able to joyful by their own nature so now being joyful is made out to be the most significant problem in human existence; however, by pursuing this nature externally (since we lost the ability to do it internally) we are ripping the world apart and never really come close to be really joyful
  •  “if you do not identify with anything you have accumulated over time, including your body and mind, you will be able to experience a deep feeling of love and inclusiveness. Enlightenment is not an attainment or an achievement, it is a homecoming. Your senses give you the impression that you are experiencing the outside but you never have experienced the outside. When you realize that all that you experience is within, the absolute homecoming is enlightenment.” Or in my own words: As long as enlightenment is an object you pursue, you are still attached to something external (here the feeling of enlightenment) which goes directly against the requirement to be free from external attachment to reach enlightenment.
  • Wisdom of Adiyogi (the first yogi)
    • “Up and down, good or bad, sacred and profane: these are all assumed. But inward and outward: this is the one context we are sure of, the one context we can work with. The only way out is in”.
    • “If you go outward it is an endless journey. If you turn inward, it is just one moment. In that one moment, everything changes. In that one moment, you are not in pursuit of joy anymore. Instead, your life will become an expression of your joyfulness.”