The Art of Living ( Knowledge Blog ): rest and activity KS- 170/ Q&A's on common problems.

Knowledge Sheet 170 - Rest and Activity

Sep 10, 1998
Bangalore Ashram, India

Activity and rest are two vital aspects of life. To find a balance in them is a skill in itself. When to have what and how much to have is wisdom. Finding them in each other - activity in rest and rest in activity - is the ultimate freedom.

More tiring than the work itself is the memory of hard work. Thinking you have worked hard itself interferes with the quality of rest. Some people take pride in working hard without any results. And there are others who crave for long rest not knowing the rest is in non-doership. It is the quality of rest, even if it is short, that recuperates.

When rest is needed, your body will automatically take it. Resting, without thinking about the need for it, is more restful. Desirelessness, Dispassion, and Samadhi are the deepest rest.

Question: Our work is very stressful. We don't get enough time for the family. What do we do?

Answer: Do you spend quality time with your family? Even if you spend half an hour are you cordial and fully attentive to the needs of your family? It is not the length of time you spend with your family matters. What matters is the quality of time that you spend with them.

Jai Gurudev

Question by:
I am 7 year old mother.Woking. Sometimes I can't concentrate my work.How I can be systamatic in all matters.ie,House old and office,my children

Answer : SRI SRI : Make your home god's home and there will be light, love and abundance. Make your body god's abode and there will be peace and bliss. Feel that your mind is a toy of god and you'll watch and enjoy all its games. See this world as play and as a display of god himself and you will repose in the non-dual self.
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Question by:
Am a 21yr old engg student...i have done Y.L.T.P six months ago...i have two quetions...How does a person attain self control or have a control over his mind,i feel i really lack it,ur advice wil be of great help.secondly, At what age does a man stop growin tall? Am a 5ft 6inch...I hope to grow a little more taller,is there any chance..

Answer : SRI SRI : Be regular with your Sadhana. It doesnt matter how tall you are, but, heighten your awareness !
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Question by:
HIS HIGHNES, IS HUMAN BEINGS ARE LAST IN CYCLE OF BIRTH

Answer : SRI SRI : Our body is like a washing machine, our mind is like cloth, each lifetime is one run or cycle, and Knowledge is detergent. The mind comes into the body to get cleansed and pure. But instead of detergent, if you use dirt, then you have dirty clothes. Pure water is like love, Knowledge is like detergent, mind is like cloth, and the body like the washing machine. If you put in mud instead of detergent, your clothes become dirtier than before. You will have to go on putting clothes in the washing machine to get them cleaned. And the process repeats again and again. Similarly you will have many more births until you stop repeating the mistakes that you have made.

Question by:
Dear Guru,I am a 23yr Old male working in an Agency on Tamilnadu..I do not believe in that god is in Temple,church or in Mosque...My imagination of god is as a light..I am used to chant the gayathri mantra once in a day...My problem is that I cannot take firm decision and go with that..My mind is so much changing..!! So how can I help me to go beyond this limitation and can be a good person...

Answer : SRI SRI : Turn every problem into a wonder, every adventure into a joy. And this starts happening inside you with the very glimpse and experience of deep, pure, and divine Love.

Question by:
I OFTEN FEEL ANGRY WITH MY CHILDREN IF THEY DO NOT STUDY PROPERLY. THEN I SHOUT AT THEM. HOW SHOULD I DEAL WITH THEM OR COUNSEL THEM SO THAT I CAN REMOVE THIS NEGATIVE NATURE.

Answer : SRI SRI : When you are calm and peaceful, you will be to communicate skillfully and effectively. But, in case you have to scold them or show anger, do not regret after that. Often mothers do this, they scold their children, they get mad at their children and afterwards feel so guilty "Oh, poor thing, I got so angry and annoyed at my kid. Poor child, I should not have been done like this". Then you go on regretting and regretting and regretting, you know then you prepare yourself to get angry again !These are all part of life. Okay, you got angry at your kid once or twice,why? Beause lack of awareness was there, awareness was missing, so the anger came up. It happened, finished. Again come back to Now, Now, Now, Now. Do you see that?

"Celebrate Life. Care for others and share whatever you have with those less fortunate than you. Broaden your vision, for the whole world belongs to you."

- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder, Art of Living Foundation.

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