There is little use in having a machine which you cannot operate without a manual. Spiritual knowledge is like the manual for life. Just like to drive a car, we have to learn how to operate the steering wheel, the clutch, the brake and so on, to move towards stability of the mind, we must know the basic principles about our life force energy. This is the whole science of pranayama. When our prana or life force keeps fluctuating, our mind also goes up and down through the roller coaster of emotions.
People who commit suicide find themselves there because they are so attached to life. They are so attached to some pleasure, so attached to some joy, that they want to kill themselves. And when they kill themselves, they find themselves in a greater dilemma.
The restlessness and desires which had created such intense agony inside them do not go away. Their body has gone, but the agony remains.
It is like, someone is shivering in the cold, and he goes out in the open and says: I am so cold and removes all his clothes. Will the cold become any less? No!
It is only through the body that you can dispel the agony and get rid of misery. Instead, you destroy the very instrument by which you can get rid of agony. That is why this knowledge is so important. We must realize that suicide is the worst thing. It is not the solution.
If you or anyone you know get thoughts of committing suicide:
1. Know that you are needed, you are useful. You have to do something in the world: After so many different lives and different bodies you get a human body; a human birth. After being a worm, a frog, a scorpion, a chicken, a mouse somewhere in some hole, a cat jumping around here and there, a dog, a bird, then you get a human life, after going through all those births. It is very precious!
2. Look at the millions of people who are suffering more than you: What is it that you are hankering for in life? Are you hankering for love? Attention? Money? Pleasure? What is it that you are hankering? These hankerings are boiling desires, and they are creating this foolish idea inside you to commit suicide.
Dedicate your life to a social cause; for some higher cause. When your suffering becomes smaller, you will never think of committing suicide.
3. Forget about what people think of you: Everybody is entangled with their problems, with his/ her own mind. They can’t step out of their minds, where do they have the time to think about you? Those who criticize you are also going to die, and you, the one being criticized are also going to die. One day, all will be finished! Why bother with somebody’s appreciation, or criticism?
It takes such a big load off your head not being bothered by anybody’s criticism or adulations. You can just be yourself; be natural.
4. Understand the secret of your breath: Know that it is just your prana which is low, so do more pranayama. Knowing the secret of breath can transform lives. Breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya stabilize our life force and consequently the mind. The inner dimension unveiled by the practice of meditation deeply enriches us, and its impact slowly spills over to all aspects of life. As prana rises in the body, one starts to feel a transformation as direct experience and not as a forced mental exercise. One starts becoming happier, creative and more in command of their mind and emotions.
Life is a combination of happiness and pain. Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Having a broad perspective on life gives you the strength to move forward through painful times. Know that you are very much needed in this world. With all its infinite possibilities, this life is a gift for it can become a fountain of joy and happiness not just for oneself but for many others as well.