u/nirvikara26

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Sadhguru is coming to Switzerland this November, which is wonderful. I have been volunteering with Isha Foundation for some time, and there is something about the current ticketing system that I genuinely struggle with.

A few years ago, everyone paid the same ticket price. Even volunteers had to pay, which I was completely fine with. If you wanted to sit closer to Sadhguru, you simply arrived early and found a place closer to the front.

Now the system seems very different. There are Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond and Black tickets, with the most expensive tickets reportedly costing around €1,200 and giving access to the seats closest to Sadhguru.

I honestly wonder: what is the reasoning behind this system?

It creates the impression that the people who can afford the most money are given privileged physical access to Sadhguru, while those with less financial means are placed further away.

I find this difficult to reconcile with the spiritual values that Isha promotes. If this is a spiritual gathering, shouldn't access to Sadhguru be based on participation rather than purchasing power?

I would genuinely like to understand the reasoning behind this change. Has Isha Foundation considered whether a tiered system like this creates an unnecessary distinction between people based on their financial circumstances?

Is spirituality becoming something where the wealthy can literally buy a place closer to the Guru?

How does this fit with the values of equality and inclusiveness?

Probably you have come across this question dozens of times, but I am still curious about it.

I have been on a spiritual path for the last 12 years, and for the past five years I have been listening to Swami's online teachings. I have even attended some of his retreats. I love his knowledge of the Upanishads and how clearly he explains them. I admire him and have great respect for him.

But recently I found out that he eats fish. This disturbed me because I wonder: how can someone teach ahimsa and eat animals? If there were some medical condition, I could understand it. But eating fish simply because you like it seems to contradict the teaching of ahimsa.

So I contacted another Swami from the Ramakrishna Order, and he told me that consuming meat and fish is allowed within the Ramakrishna Order. The argument was that if someone is dedicating their life to God, why should there be a problem? He also said that there is no explicit prohibition against eating meat in the scriptures.

I am struggling to understand this. Which aspect of ahimsa am I missing?