How to deal with our emotions? Big problem!

How to deal with our emotions? Big problem!
 
Although we have grown older - beyond the 'teenage', we more often fail to grow beyond 'teenage' mentally. (Refer When your child turns teenage....Sri Sri ).You know, our body grows in a particular sequence.
 

In the first seven years, the physical body grows but the intellect does not grow;
then up to fourteen years, the intellect grows.
The period from 14 to 21 years is for emotional maturity.
 
So the general belief is that you become physically mature, then intellectually mature and finally, you become emotionally mature.

However, many do not grow to that maturity at all. Lack of emotional maturity is always worrying about your emotions - feeling as though you are a victim of your own emotions: "Oh! I feel like this! I feel like that! What to do?" What will you do? Who cares about your feelings?
 
Why do you worry so much about your feelings?
 
Your feelings keep changing. Sometimes you feel bad; but the bad feeling doesn't stay with you forever. It changes and you start feeling good once again; but even that 'good' feeling does not stay forever. Nobody can feel bad or good ALL the time; the good and bad feelings come like waves. You can't stop a wave that has already arisen; nor can you make a wave rise just like that.
 
Just as waves come and go, clouds come and go, so also emotions come and go.. Waves of different emotion come. And they disappear.
 
Sign of emotional immaturity:

 
But we make it such a big issue:
"Oh, I feel good! Oh, I feel bad!
I feel this way, I feel that way, nobody cares for me…" - all these complaints keep bombarding our minds. This emotional garbage is so useless; and it is also a sign of emotional immaturity.

A complete Personality :
 
 1 : Emotional maturity
 2 : intellectual maturity
 3 : physical maturity;
       
     you need all these three 'maturities' to be a complete personality.
 
Are you sharp and focused?
Are you interested in learning and in growth?
         
          If yes, you have matured intellectually. And once you have matured intellectually, do not let emotional immaturity cloud your intellect. By the age of 21, you're supposed to be emotionally and physically strong, and intellectually sharp. Hence, you acquire the right to vote, because you are supposed to be mature - an adult. But this seldom happens!

But what is the big deal about your feelings?
 
I tell you, bundle them up and throw them into the ocean!
 
Once you are rid of your 'feelings' you can be happy, in good spirits. Just examine why your spirits go down? More likely than not because somebody said something stupid to you. And why did they say a stupid thing? Because they had some garbage they needed to throw out; and you were there, ready to catch it. And once you have caught it, you hold on to it so passionately! Come on! Wake up! Don't let your smile be snatched away by anybody!

In this world, everything cannot be perfect all the time. Even the best, the greatest of actions, performed with the noblest of intentions, will have some imperfections. It is but natural. Unfortunately, the tendency of our mind is to grab the imperfection and hold on to it. And in the process, we end up making our moods, our minds imperfect. Our souls reel with this nonsense.

It is imperative to get out of these cycles, and to become strong and courageous from within. And that which gives you that strength, that courage, that smile and that helps you to become unconditionally happy and loving is what is called spirituality.

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  "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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Gurujis talk 09--04-09 /11-04-09

Saturday, April 11, 2009

What Sri Sri said today

'Silence increases our energy level, awareness'

Bali, April 10 (Friday): It was truly Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – a One World Family that gathered at the satsang this evening. The participants of the advanced meditation programme represented countries from across the globe. Their interaction with Sri Sri reflected common queries of people everywhere. Sri Sri's answers: simple knowledge tools, applicable to every human being.

Q. Could you please explain the significance of Easter?

A.: Easter is the symbol of spring, it welcomes the spring. There is a new resurgence. Everything is a celebration in life.

Take any excuse to celebrate. We don't have to wait for an occasion. Life itself is a celebration.

Q. Can you please tell us about ego?

A.: Ego? When someone insults you, they will tell you what it is. I don't have to tell you. You do some good job and somebody ignores you or gives you a derogatory remark: you will automatically know what ego is. And the antidote for ego is being natural. When you are natural, then the small ego cannot survive, then you expand. Or your ego should become so big that you take everybody in it. Then also it will not bother you.

Q. What is time? What is life? Is there any correlation between the two? Also, do parallel dimensions exist?

A.: Yes. Time is the measurement between two events. Space is the distance between two objects. That's it. Life is between birth and death. The distance between birth and death is called life.

Q. What is karma and how to reduce it?

A.: You know, you should read the book Celebrating Silence. Read the book and gift it to everyone you know.

I was travelling from Canada to the United States of America. A man at the security check came running to me and removed a copy of Celebrating Silence from his bag. 'You are the author of this book?' he asked me. I said, 'I suppose so.' He then told me that somebody presented the book to him for his birthday. 'My life has changed after reading the book,' he said. He hasn't done the course, doesn't know anything about the organisation, just reading some pages from the book made a difference. You all have the book Celebrating Silence and Celebrating Love? You should gift it to everyone. It makes a difference. All the knowledge is present there.

I have spoken in detail about karma in the book.

Q. The Sudarshan Kriya is too short. It starts and finishes in no time. Can it be made a bit longer?

A.: When you are happy, time appears to go very fast. Ask those who are here for the 21-day Teacher's Training Programme. Did you find it short? (People throw their hands in the air.) They also find it too short. That's because they are really enjoying it.

Meditate after short kriya.

Q. What is divine love?

A.: Love, itself, is divine. When it has no distortions, it is divine. When it is unconditional, it is divine. Conditions, such as, 'I love you, so you must love me', come from the small, small mind and small love. Divine love is unconditional. And always evolutionary.

Q. What is the origin of thought? There is a thought behind every discovery and behind every misery as well. Why does a thought occur?

A.: Where did these thoughts come in your head? It came in your head, right? Better find that out yourself. Before it comes, try to catch it. When you look inside, you will find that the thought is coming from an empty space. An empty space. And that empty space is the mother of all inventions, all creativity.

That's why, time and again, experience silence. You will get creative and innovative thoughts will come to you. Our mind is chattering all the time, 24 hours. That's why be silent. Silence increases our energy level, our sharpness and awareness level. It has enormous potential. Imagine someone with insomnia – they are tired the whole day and are unable to sleep at night too. They don't know how to rest. They chatter and chatter.

You continuously talk and listen to the television and radio. We get immersed in sound from morning to night, from the time we get out of bed till we go to bed again. Chatter, chatter! How much wear and tear would've happened to our brain! We don't give it any time to rest. There is so much disharmony around you. You know why you like music? Because music is a harmonious sound and all disharmonious sounds gets submerged in it.

You will start enjoying that quietness. That inner harmony and serenity is much more pleasurable than the best music you can ever listen to.

I am not saying you should never listen to music. It is necessary but don't overdo it. You should eat, but you shouldn't overeat. Similarly, you should listen to music, but not get obsessed with it.

Q. Silence is good, but in reality people who talk more, get more.

A.: When you are scared and afraid, you don't talk when you should be talking.

But when you are confident, you talk where you need to talk and don't talk when you don't need to.

Q. How would you know that I've make the right decision?

A.: Just wait for the result and you will know.

Q. Art of Living and meditation encourage a calm and slow mind. At work we need a fast and aggressive mind. How do I reconcile this?

A.: If fast and aggressive minds led to progress, then Iraq and Afghanistan should have been the most prosperous countries in the world. Afghanistan has had aggression for more than 30 years, they've seen nothing but war. The Human Rights Commissioner came to our German centre. He did the part I course and requested to be allowed to cook his own food. He was not eating anything. What was the matter? He thought everybody at the ashram ate drugged food because everyone was so happy.

He was scared to eat our food. Then, our people spoke to him, I also spoke to him. For the last 20 years, he had never seen happy people. And here he couldn't believe that people were so happy. He realised that people could be happy after doing the kriya. You don't need to be on drugs to be on a high. It was so funny.

Q. Are the kriya, meditation and seva enough for a peaceful life or should I read the Bhagwad Gita?

A.: You should read the Bhagwad Gita. It is an important book on yoga. It's good.

Q. You said that the past is a dream. People have been sexually, financially, spiritually abused. I have had nightmares about it. How do you say it can be dream?

A.: Listen, people have gone through abuse. Practices like the Sudarshan Kriya, pranayama, and yogasanas will help them to erase those impressions and move forward. Along with the kriya, see the whole event as a movie, a dream. This understanding, without giving them the depth of meditation, is incomplete.

This understanding and the practices complement each other. It's like watching television and listening to it. You have to do both.

Q. How can we find a cure for auto immune diseases?

A.: Have confidence, pray and leave the rest to the divine

Q: My mind is alright but the problem I face is with my heart. My heart keeps troubling. Sometimes I can feel my heart is bleeding.

A: Read knowledge books. Listen to the knowledge talks. That's why I have given a commentary on three types of knowledge talks. Patanjali Yogasutras – all about yoga and the mind. Bhakti Sutras which explain the different types of love. The Ashtavakra Gita which explain every aspect of life and awareness.

Q.: Could give us some suggestion on career development, especially during the economic crisis?

A.: This is just a passing phase, don't worry about it.

Q.: What is the soul?

A.: Soul is the one who is asking, the one who is understanding, sleeping, the one who is doing everything. See, there are different aspects: the individual self, small self and the big self. The small self has five aspects - ignorance, existence, ego, craving, aversion. Turn back and see your life: How ignorant you were and how much aversion you had. How are you now? It's reducing.

Once these things are reduced, you become one with the universe.

Q: When you were a child, did you ever get into a fight?

A.: I am still a child. My childhood will never finish, I will never let it finish.

Q: How did your parents raise you?

A.: Very good.. Always understanding and always cooperative.

© The Art of Living Foundation

Posted by WisdomfromSriSri at 11:24 AM 0 comments

Friday, April 10, 2009

What Sri Sri Said Today

Your armor

Bali, (Indonesia) April 9 (Thursday): During the satsang held tonight, advanced course participants heard Sri Sri give practical tips for daily living. Ancient wisdom revived for modern life.

Q: Kindly enlighten us on love and compassion.

A.: Remember that love is our nature. Don't ask for proof of someone's love for you. That's a big mistake. 'Do you really love me? Come on, prove it to me,' people often tell each other.

How can you put into words what you feel, right? People are doing a big mistake by asking this: 'Do you really love me?' That's a big mistake.

That's why the knowledge of the Bhakti Sutras is so essential. Before people get married, they should know this. Otherwise, what happens is that they get married and then start demanding proof of their love to each other. And it creates more doubt. Suppose a woman demands from a husband: 'Do you really love me? Show me. Prove it to me. Take me to a picnic, come home on time, do this, do that…..' It's such a big burden. A man has to prove himself everywhere in the world. At home too, he needs to prove himself that he is a loving person. It becomes a headache. How long can he do it? He does it for sometime and then he gets fed up and runs away. This applies to the man and the woman.

Love is our nature. And all other negative qualities in you are off springs of love. Jealousy comes to you because you love somebody so much. Greed is because you love material things more than somebody. You love your own position and status – that is called arrogance. Isn't that so? You love certain part of the body too much. It is called lust. You become angry because you love perfection so much that you cannot stand imperfection.

Obsession, greed, anger – all these are off springs of love. If you don't have love, you won't have any other problem. But now, we don't want greed, jealousy, arrogance or lust.

With wisdom and knowledge, love remains pure. It's like putting a preservative in love. So that love doesn't get distorted, it remains love.

Compassion is one of the flavors of love. Compassion is, in fact, an action for those who are miserable. Compassion disappears if nobody is miserable. For compassion to exist in life, you have to have someone in life who is suffering or miserable. And there are plenty of people who are like that.

For love, there are no such requirements.

There are four important moods or attitudes that we have to keep in our life.

1. Friendliness towards those who are happy. We need to be friendly with those who are enjoying their life and those who are on cloud nine. If we are friendly towards them, then there is no jealousy.

2. Compassion towards those people who are unhappy. If you are in the same boat, you cannot save them. So friendliness is no good with people who are miserable. What is good? Compassion. If your friend is miserable, if you are friendly with them, you will also get miserable. That's where the karma principle holds good. Compassion.

You should be happy when you see people who are doing good and meritorious work. Don't try to pull them down. Generally, you try to pull down someone who is progressing. The problem with journalists is that they criticise people when they see that they are progressing.

I'll give you an example. One of our teachers met a journalist and showed him all the work that we do – all over the world and in India. Around 10.6 million people participated in the Mission Green Earth project. A pledge was taken to plant and nurture 55 million trees. When this was presented to a committee, they commented that no work happened in Nagaland. My dear, there are already so many trees in Nagaland, why not look at the work that has been done elsewhere?

You try to find fault in everything. 'You are planting so many trees. Oh, you want publicity.' We don't need any publicity, we are getting enough already.

What do you call these minds? There is a term in the Bhagwad Gita – asuya. It means an intolerance towards good work. It is the tendency to find fault in anything.

In the Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna: you are anasuya, i.e. devoid of fault-finding eyes. Lord Krishna was also anasuya. That is why, many people would try to find fault in him.

3. Ignore the ones who commit sinful work. There could be someone who doesn't behave well with you, despite your good behavior towards them. Then it's their problem. They could be mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law or neighbours too. When you sit for meditation, then the neighbours will switch on loud music or increase the television's volume. They know the time that you sit for meditation and hence misbehave.

With people who do things that are incorrect, your attitude should be that of ignoring then. Then your action can be one of correctness. But if you are emotionally upset, then your mind starts thinking of ideas to teach them a lesson. Your behaviour indicates that you want them to change because it's inconvenient for you.

When you want to teach them a lesson, it never happens because you are doing it with anger. The one who has true compassion can teach people a real lesson. One who says, 'Look my dear, what you are doing is not good for you.' Then they will listen, it touches their heart. But if you say, 'What you are doing is hurting me, then they will not listen.'

Have this attitude: 'Come what may, I will not get hurt,. If someone is going to be nasty, I will learn to be compassionate.'

The anger is boiling inside them, so don't welcome their negativity into your system. That's where you need to shield your mind. We need to save our mind. We say – save the planet, save the environment, save this and that, but nobody says save the mind. Think they have left that task to us.

We have to go with this slogan – save your mind at all cost.

4. A sense of belongingness. When someone dear to you progresses in life, doesn't it make you happy? It does. That attitude is good. Say, a close friend gets selected for Miss Universe or becomes a champion in hockey. You feel happy that my friend won the gold medal in Olympics, long jump or 1,000 metres race. So, you feel proud and happy. That sense of happiness, of compassion, of joy, protects the mind. Maharishi Patanjali gave the sutra in yogasutras.

Your mind will float in grace, if you can have these four attitudes. Not going, 'Bang, bang bang… you are a cheater'. My dear, relax. Others may be a cheater and you are no better than a cheater, because you are also spreading negativity in a different fashion.

When you have these four types of attitudes, relax. Knowing that everything will be taken care makes a big difference in our lives. Otherwise, if you wake up and see, corruption is rampant. This corruption has entered every field, including religion. Many religious people try to convert people from one faith to another by giving money. Just to increase the number of followers! When you read about the actions of so-called religious priests in the newspapers, your mind will get agitated. And when you are angry, you cannot do anything that will bring you peace. An agitated person cannot bring peace to the world. If you yourself have been suffering with bondage, how can you liberate others? So, the way to make our mind strong, pure and clear is by having these four attitudes.

Otherwise, it's so difficult. Like when you commit a mistake, you expect others to excuse you. This is because the mistake happened in an unconscious state of mind.

Suppose someone invited you for a party at their home and you couldn't turn up or you went late. Suppose they are angry at that. And they hold on to that anger for all their life, what can you do? Small things are made into mountains. We need to check that. That's why we need all these silence programmes to introspect:

Are we so rigid that everyone wants to run away from us?

Are we so stiff that it becomes miserable for others to live around us?

How many people feel comfort around us or in our company?

Are you that pleasant personality that everyone feels comfortable around you?

And to what degree has it manifested in you?

Look back and see: How much were you unlikeable in the past and how much do people like you now. You don't have to make an effort for people to like you. Are you being pleasant? Even when you have to point out a mistake, you can do it in a skillful manner.

Suppose you have to work with a boss, who is foolish and nasty, how do you work with them? With skill. You have to tell the boss: 'You are the best, you know everything. I have an idea, but you know it better.' Then the boss will say: 'Yes, yes, it's correct.'

The boss will want to ascertain his position as boss. You are shaking his position to make an action come out of it. It's not going to work. Do you see what I am saying? People are so insecure: about money, relationships, health, friendship, prestige, status in society. They are insecure in every angle. You live in such a world, it's a mental case. It's a gone case. You hardly find people who are healthy and established in self.

In Bali, they say, Om swasti astu. Swasti means health, may health be upon you. Swasti really means the one who is established in spiritual health. Like your liver should function normally, heart should beat properly. Brain should perceive things related to this reality. When all the organs are doing their job, then you are healthy. Similarly, Swasti means being established in the Self. The greeting of Om swasti astu means 'May you be in yourself! May you be in the best of health: spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally.'

When you see people are not centered in their life, a small thing can trigger and put them off track. Isn't that so? And you have been doing that also. A small comment, someone criticizes you, you went off, not one day, but months together, refuse to see them.

Someone says, 'You look like a ghost.' Say, 'Yes, I am a holy ghost.' Have some humor. Humor can save you through all these rough weather.

Make it fun!

I heard that a minister in India once said, 'All these beautiful women are getting married to fools. They have fools as their husbands.' His wife said, 'Don't keep complimenting me all day. Enough is enough, you have complimented me enough.'

Instead of telling her husband, 'Why do you keep looking at beautiful women? Blah, blah, blah…' the wife skillfully silenced him.

So, when you tell people, 'Why do you love me so much?', their love increases. But if you ask them to prove it to you, then you are creating a situation which is so heavy, so unpleasant. Got it?

Now, there are two secrets: One for men and one for women.

Ladies first: Never step on the ego of your man because he will be nothing without his ego. The whole world can tell him that he has no brains, but a wife should never tell him that he is useless or that he has no brains. You should tell him, 'You are the best man in the whole world. The only thing is that you don't use your brain enough.'

You should always praise your man. Don't put him under your feet or squash him. Never. When he is tired of proving himself to the whole world, he comes home and at least he finds some peace. Always pump the ego of a man.

Now the secret for a man. Are you ready for it? Never step on the emotions of a woman. Give her the freedom to participate in religious programmes. Never say anything against her family. She may complain to you about them, but you had better not participate. If you do, she will turn against you the very next moment. She will change sides, so, never ever say anything negative about her family. And when she wants to go for shopping, never say no. Just give her your credit card.

So, keeping our mind, saving our mind at all costs is necessary.

Recently a couple came to see me in Germany. They were unhappy. The man said that his son hated him, despite him doing so much for the child. Since the father and son didn't get along, the mother was caught in between the two. I told them to send their son to me.

When the son came to see me the next day, I just told him one thing: 'Look, your father is so old, do you want him to die miserable? You can't change him. You expect him to change? And do you want him to be miserable when he breathes his last breath? Can you tell him something nice? Can you do that for me? Just one or two gestures?' The boy looked at me and said, "Yes, Guruji."

Then the boy changed. Once, he surprised his father by receiving him at the airport. He said some good words and suddenly the burden got lifted. The whole family became happy.

Each one is right in their place, but we forget that we live in a society, in an atmosphere with differences. Have you heard about this research that came in the newspapers recently? Two scientists from California and Russia were researching together for 20 years on the topic of happiness. What they found is that if the friend of a friend of a friend of yours is happy, then suddenly you find yourself happy. 20 percent of that happiness comes to you. We are living in a collective consciousness. We are enveloped in a collected consciousness. That's why satsangs are important, because it increases the vibrations of the whole environment around us.

In Sanskrit, it's called kavach, armor.

Group meditation, service projects all these are essential in life.

Q: What is the meaning of the phrase: 'Everything is there in everything'?

A: Just one drop of blood is enough to test the blood in your body. From just one drop of saliva, doctors can determine your DNA. The functioning of the kidney, pancreas… everything can be detected by one drop of saliva, one drop of blood. You can virtually create every possible creature from one human DNA. Did you know about this?

Scientists say a single human DNA has the DNA chains of all the animals on the planet. An elephant, crow, mosquito, even a hippo …. so there is a hippo hiding inside you. But inside a hippo, there is no human being. At least, science hasn't made any claims on this yet.

Modern science and ancient knowledge are in the same boat. The most ancient Vedic knowledge says the same thing.

There is a doctor from Germany who has scientifically proved that everything is nothing, the whole universe is nothing. What you think as a solid substance is actually nothing. People think he is crazy. But he gives scientific explanations for every fact.

It is startling to hear the same truth as the Vedantic Truth that has been around for thousands of years.

From subjective and objective analysis, they ultimately mean the same thing.

Anyways, enough discussion for today. Remember: Just drop all that is bothering you, if you are not free today, you can never be free anytime. Don't expect freedom to come to you.

Tonight I am free, everything is going to happen the way it is going to happen.

Posted by WisdomfromSriSri at 2:04 PM 0 comments

Thursday, April 9, 2009

What Sri Sri said today

What Sri Sri said today:

'Comfort is not just a nice bed and room, its inner comfort'

Bali, April 8, 2009 (Wednesday): The beach, open skies, gentle breeze and meditation: the biannual advanced meditation program in Bali began on April 7. Thousands have flocked from different parts of the world to listen to Sri Sri's knowledge and experience the program in his presence. Sri Sri's talks and programs appeal to people from diverse backgrounds, bridging together diverse communities and ideologies.

An excerpt of Sri Sri's talks during the satsang this evening:

****

 

Prakriti & Purusha

Our consciousness has three qualities, the whole universe has got five qualities.

1. Asti: Existance

2. Bhati: There is consciousness, it feels

3. Preeti: love

4. Nama: Name

5. Rupa: form

For every name, there is a form. In the material world, there is name and form. The body is a matter, mind is energy. The whole universe is made up of body and mind, matter and energy.

Energy exists, it is conscious and is love. Matter is just the name and the form.

The ancient people called this whole universe as prakriti and purusha, matter and consciousness. What do you think you are? Are you the body or mind? Most of the time we think we are the body. Our body is like the wick of a candle, the mind is like the glow all around it. Our mind or consciousness exists and it is called love.

Prakriti or matter changes. Everything is changing in the world, right? Purusha, the reference point, doesn't change.

So, think for a moment. Just wake up and think, "I am not the body, I am not the mind, not the matter." It brings such a shift, in your behaviour and in your interaction.

When you interact with somebody, who are you interacting with? That somebody is the body or mind, body or spirit. You don't know the spirit. You are simply caught up in the outer behaviour.

Obviously, you cannot communicate with a dead body. That is because the mind has gone from that body. Suddenly, you find your communication has got cut off. This is because you've been communicating with the complex called the mind.

A change in our attention is required. When you see the whole universe as the wick of a candle and the unseen consciousness as the glow, it makes a lot of difference in our lives.

It is important to understand that there is a distinction between the body and mind. Everyday, our body is changing. Many cells are dying and new cells are being born. This body is changing all the time and the spirit is unchanging. It's alive, it's love, it's consciousness.

It is the breath that connects the body and mind. It is the breath that brings you deep relaxation and good rest.

 

Astrology

The science of astrology is called jyotish which means the knowledge of light. Now, suppose all these are the bulbs, glowing bulbs. Astrology is the science of knowing the color of this bulb. It recognises that the bulb is glowing and understanding its light. Not that light (points to a tube light), but the light above called human light. Astrology will recognise whether this light is Capricorn, whether this glow has come from Capricorn or a Sagitarian. The science of astrology will explain the glow, how big or small it is, when it's going to blink. You see what I am saying?

 

Save the Mind

Events in our lives come and go. Right now, wake up and see. All that happened till now, is it not like a dream? Or is it, in anyway, more than a dream?

Yesterday you came here on an airplane. Those who came 20 days ago, you were packing your suitcases to come here, then boarded the plane. This moment when you wake up and see - it's like a dream, isn't it ?

The fact that a doubt never arises shows that it's a dream. When you dream, there is no logic. You are on a horse, suddenly you are in an ocean, you are driving into the ocean. There is no logic, nor doubts in a dream. I tell you, the same thing is happening in this world. We don't doubt what we need to doubt. This happening, is it real? All the conversations that you have in your own mind, or about the people around, are they real? All these years, we have blamed so many people. It has made you and others miserable. Is this what we need to do in our lives? We are miserable and make others miserable too.

Wake up and see, another 40 years. Doesn't it seem like a dream? We always want some perfection, we want the way it should be. So what? You will be here for a few years and the world will continue. There will be imperfections the way that are now. Your children and their children will do things that you don't like. So what? Is it going to change? Our hanging on to perfection, brings stiffness to our own minds? We are spoiling our health and causing misery around. Is this the way you want to live?

Wake up and see that all that has happened is a dream - some pleasant, some unpleasant. Will you get angry about the past? Is there any reason for getting angry about the past? Can you justify it? You can't be angry about the future, right?

You can be angry, but it shouldn't stay longer than the time you need to draw a line on water.

You should drop it and move on. Can you do that? That's it! Then you have won the race. Save that consciousness. Save this mind. When you meditate, how do you feel? Like a delicate flower within you. This mind needs protection. What can protect it? With knowledge, we raise to a higher level of awareness. That makes us so strong to deal with any situation, right now. And we will be able to do that with a smile.

 

Skill through silence

Suppose your mother is nagging or complaining all the time and you don't know how to handle her. It could be your niece or spouse too. You need skill to handle that. Right?

You get that skill by inner silence of the mind. Silence enhances our skill. In life, you need both. Comfort is not just a nice bed and room, its inner comfort.

Spiritual knowledge gives depth and comfort. Comfort to the soul and mind. Silence enhances our skill. Skill in dealing, working and in doing everything. Skill in speech, skill in action.

 

Divine Love

You know, when we think, I have nothing to do, just remember when you were a child, you couldn't even eat your own food. A baby needs to be fed by the mother, right? Somebody needs to feed a baby or an old person. Nature has made arrangements in such a way that you are taken care of, in the beginning and at the end.

If you see reality, divinity is taking care of you throughout your life. You were taken care of when we couldn't walk. Someone fed you, someone comforted you, someone put you to sleep. Somebody will take care of you towards the end of your life. That's not a person, who is taking total responsibility for everything.

That consciousness gave you love as a father, a mother, a teacher, a sister. It is the big mind that has been comforting you as a friend, a partner. One consciousness has played all those roles.

If you cannot understand this right away, just have some patience. You can go deep in meditation or study physics.

A physicist will call different substances or particulars as one wave. It's one electricity that is becoming the fan and the light bulb. The mind can argue: what does the fan have to do with light? This mind is not intelligent or informed enough. Almost everything - the television, fan, air conditioner, light bulb, water system - is run by electricity. In the same way, the whole universe is run by consciousness.

 

What we have always wanted, the deepest desire of every living being is to attain this higher level - right here, right now.

Q. Guruji, will divine love take care of my worries? Will divine love cure the illness of my loved ones?

A.: Divine love is not a currency that you can use for whatever you want. You cannot even use the same currency everywhere.

Definitely, divine love will take care of you but don't keep thinking about it as though that is the main problem. You know, love means letting go, not trying to grab. If you think god loves you, then god knows what is best for you. He doesn't need your recommendation. You see what I am saying? Nature knows. It will take care of things. We do our best, leave rest to nature.

© The Art of Living Foundation

Posted by WisdomfromSriSri at 12:34 PM 0 comments

 

7 alerts for a money crunch! (Interesting article)

Hi Guys..
I found this article very useful. Wanted to share it with you.
 
Regards
Rajesh
 
7 alerts for a money crunch!
http://www.rediff.com/money/2009/mar/31perfin-7-alerts-for-a-money-crunch.htm

Alert #1: You are terrible with bills and payments!
Maybe its forgetfulness or a laidback attitude or a chaotic lifestyle, whatever the reason, if you are laden with unpaid bills, get fined for late payments 70 per cent of the time, bounce a few cheques every 10 months, then it is time to take stock of your organisational skills, at least in your personal finance department.
 
Keep a monthly tracker, set reminders on your mobile, keep an online calendar that beeps when bill, insurance and other payment deadlines arrive, choose whatever means that you are comfortable with to meet the objective of being methodical with payments.
Sort bills in a folder, keep them accessible at one place.
 
Alert #2: You use your credit cards excessively and often take loans.
The golden rule is to spend less than you earn. Distinguish between your needs and desires. If you desire something too expensive, which you are tempted to purchase with your credit card, think twice.
 
Don't splurge, see if it should be on your priority list. If it is a must have and you need it that badly, save for it. That will help you decide if you feel it is worth the effort.
Remember, too much debt will eat into your monthly spending and put a road block to any kind of saving, as you will be busy paying off your credit card bills and EMIs on personal loans for you to set aside anything for a saving.
Instead, try to reap the power of compounding interest by saving some funds. Once you are sitting pretty on a pile of money, you could then indulge in a well-deserved vacation or that powerful music system, you always wanted as part of your relaxing Sundays.
 
Alert #3: Obsessive, compulsive, impulsive shopping.
Well, shopping malls, branded stores and supermarkets lined with tempting new entrants were designed with you in mind. These places you should avoid like the plague, if you are not someone who checks the price tags of goods, but instead rely on the 'I want it right NOW!' mind frame.
 
Don't stack your living room or your kitchen or your fridge, with things that are purchased without any rhyme or reason.
 
Take the example of Rema. She has to try out new brands, interesting gizmos that she has no use for, antiques that she fancies endlessly and also food stuffs, the packaged, canned, ready to serve, frozen variety. Her living room is stacked with odd, terribly expensive antique pieces that she does not even have the time to look at, her fridge overflows with canned foods that are well past their expiry dates and she owns three different kinds of mp3 players which she does not use! You are now thinking what a waste of money! Exactly!
 
It is painful routine, but make it a habit. Keep a tab on your money outflow, make a note of what, where, when, how you spend. At the end of every month, track your bills using an excel tracker or a good old accounting notebook and shred bills that are not required retaining warranty papers and bills, for goods that can be returned.
Rema did that and realized how much more she could save with a little discipline!
 
Alert #4: You are a debt juggler!
Do you have a priority list of debts that you clear based on how heavy the late fee or charges are going to be or when next you need to repeat the use of that particular service? If this is the kind of lifestyle you lead, you need help!
 
Find ways to cut back on your monthly expenses and pay off all your dues as quickly as you can. Don't let yourself into such a pins and needles situation again! Always cut back on spending, conserve on resources until to achieve control over your finances.
 
Alert #5: Cheques that bounce!
If you think you can write cheques that cannot be encashed and get away with it scot free, think again! Bounced cheques come with hefty fine amounts and establishing such patterns will not bode well for your financial track record.
 
Alert #6: Late and default payments.
It can be minor expenses like a fine for the video or book that you returned late or consistently incurred late payment charges on your credit cards or EMI payments. The former just piles on miscellaneous expenses that end up adding to a significant percentage, while the latter can lead to big trouble. Making a habit of this consistently can get you labeled as a defaulter. Your interest rates and lending rates could increase at an accelerated pace on the basis of your track record for late payments. Defaults will be reported to CIBIL. If a pattern is notice you will find taking a loan or applying for a credit card in future extremely difficult. CIBIL keeps track of all your credit and generates a report that clearly shows your past repayment track record. Nowadays banks are keeping a close tab on these credit reports and base their loan decisions on the financial health of the loan applicant.
 
Alert #7: You don't have back up funds in place!
Can you survive a job loss for six months? Do you have some funds stashed away for such emergencies until you gather your reins and surge ahead confidently with a new job and a new plan for the future in place? What about a medical emergency? Do you have resources that you can tap into for such a scenario. If the answer is NO, then it is time to take a serious look at how you manage your money. Give it plenty of thought, time, effort, patience, commitment and enforce a plan of action.  Small strategies will help go a long way! Keep watching this space on more such tips on managing your money. Here is a sample of a few things to start with, use your judgment and build on it.
 
a. Start a savings bank account that is different from your salary account. Determine how much money you would need to comfortably and prudently manage your monthly expenses then transfer the rest automatically to your savings account, every month and keep it inaccessible for routine needs and curb any temptation to eat into these savings.
 
b. Prepare a budget and stick to it.
 
c. Keep your credit cards locked away, at least until you take control of your spending habit. One can also use a credit card to wisely keep track of monthly payments, but that is for people who can differentiate between a want and a need. Until you find yourself in that place, lock it away!
 
It is better to start as early as possible before you find yourself in a financial mess. Before you land yourself in big trouble learn to implement some rescue measures well in advance!
 

The author is Head of Content & Research at BankBazaar.com

 
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