*2nd November 2007***
*Bangalore** Ashram*
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*Guruji:* So we saw that there are two kinds of experience Pleasant and
Unpleasant.
There are 5 kinds of Brittis that is responsible for the unpleasant
experience.
*Pramana*
*Viparyaya*
*Vikalpa*
*Smriti*
*Nidra*
How to stop these brittis?
*A) **Abhyasa (by Practice)*
*B) **Vairagya (by Dispassion)*
The next sutra says, "*Tatra sthitobhayase* "
By establishing in the self, on the seer permanently. By just being in the
moment. The mind vacillates between the past and the future. We need to
bring the mind in the present moment. And how do we bring the mind in the
present moment? By practicing yoga (abhayasa). It does not happen in one
day! It needs practicing continuously. One or two days you may drop out, but
it should not be the other way.
You know someone asked a person, "Why are you crying?" The person replied,
"I am not crying, my face itself is like that!" (Laughter!!) When you
complain from morning till night, then your face becomes like that grumpy!
There are some parents who go on scolding their children. After a while it
doesn't affect the children at all. They become thick skin! Like a buffalo.
So whatever you practice consistently then that becomes like your nature. If
you cry, scold and have negative thoughts that becomes your practice. It
becomes almost like your nature! Do you see what I saying?
'*Nirantar*' continuously… Not to leave it practice for a long time. You
know these priests in the temple are so used to continuous chanting, they
hardly feel any thing. Its like a part of the daily activity. While if you
look at the visitors who go to the temple, they offer with so much devotion
that they have better experiences that the priests! Auspicious ness.
Similarly when you sit for meditation, just know that it is a very very
auspicious thing that you are doing. When we do it with sacredness then we
become strong within us. When you fold your hands, you know you join your
hands, infront of the deity or anyone, it means you are joining your mind
too. This means that the mind is also uniting! Sacredness! For example, if
you pick up a book, if it is any other book you can casually pick up. But if
it is a book like Bhagwat Geeta, or the Guru Granth sahib, you pick it up
with so much of reverence. Automatically your mind unites, it gets focused.
Do you see this? The mind gets attached to the sacredness!
In India we pray to the river, this way you feel the river is sacred then
you pray to the river. You don't contaminate the river. You keep it clean.
Similarly, the mountains, you feel sacredness towards the mountains, then
you don't try to blow it up by a dynamite burst! Then we even pray to the
women, and this way you feel sacredness towards women. Also when you see
sacredness towards the cows you protect them, right? You don't kill them.
Therefore when we see sacredness, then the consciousness starts revering
back, starts respecting. Yoga is unity. You are uniting with your beloved,
which is your self. You must make it a practice to do yoga continuously.
*Abhayasa (Practice)*: Whatever you practice, it becomes a part of your
nature. Like for example it you practice sleeping in the afternoon then
wherever you are you will feel sleepy. Whether you are in the office, or in
the bus or anywhere, you feel sleepy. Similarly if you inculcate the habit
of smoking then it's difficult for you to leave it. I heard from certain
people, that initially when you start smoking you don't like the taste. But
just to show off you start it with the influence of some friends. Then one
day it becomes your habit! Then it starts smoking you! Similarly alcohol!
Man gets cling on to the negative very easily. To get attached to the
positive it takes time. Gunas (good values) are our very nature. It is in
our very system. We are made up of something which is only good. But it is
hiding somewhere.
*Vaigagya (Dispassion) *: When does greed come to our mind? Some people tell
the others "Do this and you will become a millionaire. " Immediately the
person agrees, "oh really? Ok ok I'll do it!" if you want to make someone
greedy then just make the person see or hear something! (laughter!!) With
more greed the mind wanders.
There are two kinds of greed
A) Greed towards the object and
B) Greed towards the human being, which is called lust.
The more the greed increases the more one burns out within. To calm the burn
one needs to get dispassion. Until the mind focuses towards the truth you
don't be dispassionate. So longing for the object is called Avairagya. And
the longing for the truth and knowledge takes one forward in life. All the
crimes all over the world are happening because of the greed! Therefore when
the mind is under total control then it is centered and that state is called
dispassion.
Apart from these two that we have spoken there is one more. In this state
when someone gets more than the person had thought of. Then the dispassion
dawns in you. The mind shifts from trivial things. For example you like
sugar; you are eating sugar, and then suddenly gives you gulab jamun! Then
you get dispassionate about the sugar. Similarly if you are holding to a
torch and there is bright light from somewhere, will you still hold on to
the torch? No, you will let go of it. That's why they say that when you get
a Divine love in love from a Guru in your life then small trivial things
don't attract your attention any more! The great Shankaracharya said, I am
so totally immersed in my self that I have no time to look into what's
happening in others life! And there is no two! Who else should I look into?
There is yet one more kind of Vairagya. It is called Smashan Vairagya. In
this state, whatever you cannot achieve in your life you get dispassionate
about it. And you say"oh it was no good"! That which you did not get in your
life, because you could not do it, you thought it's not worth doing it!
Will end it here for today. Does anyone have any question?
*Question:* Guruji I have just finished the Part I program and I feel that
the Sudarshan Kriya is the best scientific process of releasing stress from
one's system. I think the course should have the mane of the 'Science of
breathing' instead of the 'Art of living'!! What are you comments?
*Guruji:* (Laughter) you know not too many people appreciate science, but
everyone loves art. I can tell you among 6 billion people in the
world, 5.99billion people appreciate art. Even the scientists love
art. The top
scientists of the world are either a piano player or a guitar player or a
something. Ever our President Sri Abdul Kalam plays Veena! However the ideal
situation is where we have a balance of both science and arts. So I thought
in this way Art of Living will reach out to all the people who are in need
of the science. Look at this turban, (Holding a decorated colorful cloth
turban in His hand), this turban is made by some of our devotee girls, and
then they pasted some shiny decorative things on it. Is n't it a beautiful
art? Life when appreciated becomes art! Otherwise it lands up in a lot of
crime. Today there are so much crime all over the world because people have
forgotten to appreciate life! But I'll tell you a real secret! I never kept
the name 'Art of Living at all'!! Initially when we started, people were
coming up with several names! Some called, 'way of life' then some one said,
'real way of life'!! yet someome again came up with the name 'real art of
life' (laughter!!) Further that got changed, then someone said, 'real art of
living'. In course of time the word 'real' got dropped off and we are left
with the "Art of Living"!!
*Question:* Guruji can I ask you a simple question? What is the truth?
*Guruji:* (Laughter!!) Can I give you a simple answer to that? That, which
is not false, is the truth. And what is false? That, which is affected by
time and space. There has been this absolutely mind boggling definition
given by the great "Adishankaracharya" . It is like this, If I say, "it is
raining now". Will this sentence be true tomorrow? Will this sentence hold
good day after? No! Again when you are dreaming, You are dreaming something
and you feel that whatever is happening in the dream is true!! Like I heard
about this scientist who dreamt all night of fighting with a lion and woke
up with a broken leg, because he was kicking the wall all
night!!(Laughter! !) I am explaining it a little long and elaborate though
the question was simple! (laughter!!) Shankaracharya said, "Trikalabhaditam
yat satyam". That which is not affected by the time and space is the truth.
*Question:* Guruji how does one wake up before this life gets over?
*Guruji:* Are you awake now?
*Devotee:* No.
*Guruji:* You are not awake now? That means you are awake. If you are lying
down with your eyes closed and not sleeping then you will know that a
question is asked and you will answer. That's exactly you are doing right
now!
*Question:* Everywhere we go the only topic of discussion is global warming!
How do we react to it? What is that we need to do to combat it?
*Guruji:* It's true. We need to think about our actions related to
pollutions etc. But I tell you often people make it exaggerating. Do you
remember how the situation was during 1999 end of December? So much we
heard!! All the computers will shut down! Everything will clash! There will
be famine!! People got scared and were buying large quantities! So many
things! In India it was much less, but I tell you in the US and other
countries, it was horrible! Some people hype up and take advantage of the
insecure mind of the common people! Similarly AIDS is another issue. There
are some reports which say that 50 crore people are suffering in this
country!! (Laughter!!) Unbelievable figures!! There are 100 crore people in
this country and out of that 50 crores are suffering AIDS?!?! Is that
something you can digest? I tell you there are several crores of money the
NGO's and the govt. is getting from the foreign financial institutions.
Where are the money going? There is this place called Vidharva, an NGO
collected huge fund by saying that everyone in that village has AIDS!!
Thankfully the villagers in that village were very strong. They chased those
people out! I tell you India is in a much better position.
*Question: *Guruji, how to handle transition in life?
*Guruji:* With patience and perseverance. There are two things that can
happen.
1.) When there is a quick transition, you are too shocked. In that case
anyway you don't handle the situation, the situation handles you!
2.) The second thing is when the transition period is slow, even then if
you look at it the situation is actually handling you! Take it easy and move
through it!
*Question:* Guruji I am forgetting what I learnt yesterday since I am too
much in the present moment! What should I do? How should I write exams?
*Guruji:* (Laughter!!) But the more you are in the moment the more your
intellect gets sharpened! You know while I walk several people talk to me.
There are some people who think that oh Guruji did not listen to me! I often
point it to them and tell them you are telling this to me for the third
time! I can also tell the places where you told me the ather two times!!!
JAI GURUDEV
RAJESH
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