BHOGI OR YOGI?

A bhogi or pleasure-seeker, does not mean, indulging oneself in worldly pleasures. Not at all. A bhogi is one, whose energy is, always, flowing in one direction i.e. in the direction of the physical or the world because world is physical. Mentally, he is always occupied in the thoughts and thoughts are of the world and about the world only. Thoughts are about forms and objects. There cannot be any thought about the emptiness, about the nonphysical. Thoughts provide a direction to your energy. Physical action or body is just a tool in the hands of your mind.

A bhogi, too, is a yogi in one sense, which is that, he is also in union –yoga means union- but his is union is of the different level, of the lowest level. A bhogi is in union, with the gross. Thus, he always, exists at the lowest level. Physical is the lowest. Living at the physical level or seeking company of the physical is, to live at the lowest level. A bhogi or worldly person, thus, lives a horizontal existence, meaning, he lives around his body. His body is the center of his existence. All his activities are, thus, centered around the physical. He knows nothing beyond the physical i.e. body and mind. He is always throwing his energies around i.e. in gathering more and more physical possessions which he knows as ‘me’ and ‘mine’. His entire focus, thus, is on spreading himself around. He is, always busy expanding himself around or horizontally, like a king expands his kingdom around him. A bhogi thus lives as a body and for the body only. Animals exist as pure bodies and for the bodies only. A bhogi, thus, is totally outwardly focussed or outward bound.

A yogi, on the other hand exists at the highest level because he is always in the union (yoga) of the highest i.e. in the company of the divine or the highest. A yogi, thus, lives a vertical existence because, his energies are not moving out, into the world or towards the physical but his energies are always rising above the physical. His energies are always seeking company of that which is nonphysical. He is not throwing his energies out, in the world, in expansion of his ‘me’ and ‘mine’ but he is always ‘home’, always ‘centered’ and hence his energies are staying within. The energy, when stops moving out and stays within, the same energy becomes the stillness or the consciousness. A yogi, thus, is inwardly focussed.

A bhogi, thus, is unconscious or ignorant of his reality and he, thus, lives his life in ignorance or unconsciousness. Animals are total unconsciousness. A yogi, on the other hand, is living a life of consciousness or awareness because he is always, in touch with his reality. Thus, what makes you a bhogi or yogi is, not your place of living or type of clothes, you wear but the direction of your energy, direction of your focus. If you are focussed on the outside, you are a bhogi, you are a grahsthi even if, you live in jungles and if, you are focussed within, you are a yogi, you are a sanyasi, even if, you stay with your family.

Now, these are the only two possibilities to exist here – outward bound or inward bound; bhogi or yogi; worldly or spiritual; physical or nonphysical; lowest or highest; horizontal or vertical; grahsthi or a sanyasi etc. A bhogi or worldly person is preparing to come back to this physical world in yet another body but a yogi is preparing to go beyond this bodily existence. This is so, because, your focus or attention decides, what you will attain to. Meditation or being spiritual means, turning direction of your energy from outward to inward and thus turning from a bhogi to a yogi; from a worldly to a spiritual one. Spirituality is nothing but just a shift of focus, from outward to inward.