Question: People often say meditation 'does not work' or that they 'cannot do it ' - where are they going wrong?

Sadhguru: The word "meditation" does not mean anything because if you sit with closed eyes, you are "meditating." But with eyes closed, you could do many things - japa, tapa, dharana, dhyana, samadhi, shoonya. Or you might have mastered the art of sleeping in vertical postures!

Generally, when people use the word meditation, they are referring to what we call dhyana. The main aspect of meditation is, right now your mind is the boss and you are the slave. As you become more meditative, you become the boss and your mind becomes the slave - and that is how it should always be. If you allow the mind to rule, it is a terrible master. It will put you through all kinds of endless suffering. But as a slave, the mind is wonderful - it is a miraculous slave.

The reason why most people who have tried meditation have come to the conclusion that it is very difficult or impossible is because they are trying to do meditation. Meditation is not something that you can do. But you can become meditative. Meditation is a certain quality, not a certain act. If you cultivate your body, mind, energies and emotions to a certain level of maturity, meditation naturally happens. It is just like if you keep the soil fertile, if you give it the necessary manure and water and if the right kind of seed is there, it will grow and bloom into flowers and fruits.

Flowers and fruits will come out of a plant not because you want it, but simply because you created a conducive atmosphere. Similarly, if you create the necessary atmosphere within yourself, meditation naturally flowers within you. It is a certain fragrance that one can enjoy within oneself.

Why is it said that it is a bad omen if a cat crosses your path? Is it some superstition or is it true?

Sadhguru: When they said this, they were not talking about house cats; they were talking about the big cats in the forest. For any big cat like a panther or a tiger, after they cross a clearing in the forest, it is a natural instinct for them to sit in a bush, look back and wait for some time. Even today, if you are driving on the road and a tiger crosses, it will not run away. It will go into a bush, sit there and watch, because that is its instinct.

This is the reason why they said if you are walking on a forest pathway, if you see a big cat crossing, you do not walk immediately because he will be sitting there. You wait for 5 to 10 minutes because he sits there for some time, checks his tracks and goes on. This is about big cats – not about a house cat, and not when he is crossing a highway and you are sitting in a car.

If you look back at many things which have ended up as superstitions today, you will see most of them have a scientific basis, relevant for people who lived in those days. We are continuing the same things in exaggerated ways today, which is a silly thing to do.

Do you believe in pre-destiny? Do we control our own destiny

Sadhguru: What you refer to as ‘destiny’ are those situations which are going on without your permission; without your intent they seem to be unfolding themselves. Yes? These are situations on which you have no control. You like to call that destiny. You wouldn’t want to call yourself as the man who lost control over his life. If good things happen you call it destiny; if bad things happen you call it fate! Whatever you call destiny is something you have created unconsciously.

You are doing more things unconsciously than consciously. I would say, for most average, educated, intelligent human being, only about two percent of their life is conscious. So, they create enormous amount of stuff unconsciously, which leads them into so many directions. Because they have no clue as to how it is going to unfold, the concept of destiny comes as a solace; that somebody above is creating your life. It’s just your own unconscious creation. I would say, if you become conscious, you can choose the very process of life and death. If you become fully conscious, you can choose your destiny to the point that you even choose the womb that you are born in. Even now you choose, but you choose unconsciously.

In his Ask Sadhguru column, the spiritual leader talks about intelligence being important to live life sensibly

Sadhguru is a Yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author. He is also the founder of Conscious Planet – Save Soil