IDEAL WORSHIP

For a flame to go up, you need space above. In the same way, for a man to rise up in his life, he needs an ideal, he needs something to adore and worship. Worship is the culmination of love and appreciation. Worship prevents love from turning into hatred or jealousy, and appreciation into low self-esteem. In life, if you do not adore or appreciate anything, you will be filled with negativity.

And a person who has nothing to worship or adore is sure to fall into depression.(Refer How to deal with our emotions? - Sri Sri ) Lack of adoration has led to many emotional, psychological and social problems in the society. If you have nothing to hold up high in life, selfishness, arrogance and violence are sure to follow. Adoring and honouring each other in society eliminates stress and fosters compassion and love.

In the previous century, it was thought that worshipping was an uncivilised and unintelligent thing to do. Worship was thought to rise from a slavish mentality. On the contrary, worship can only happen through gratefulness.

In worship, a sense of belongingness, love, honour and respect all come together. Without a sense of belongingness, worship or idealism can bring low self-esteem. The ancient people knew this so they insisted that people should feel part of what they worship. They encouraged people to worship the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, plants, animals and people.

Worship in a true sense is a sign of maturity and not weakness.
Reason is reeling in the known.
Faith is moving in the unknown.
Reason is repetition.
Faith is exploration.
Reason is routine.
 Faith is adventure.
They are completely opposite, yet an integral part of life.

Not having faith itself is misery; faith gives instant comfort. While reasoning keeps you sane and grounded, no miracle can happen without faith. Faith takes you beyond limitations. In faith you can transcend the laws of nature but it needs to be pure. Faith is beyond reason, yet you need to have faith in your own reasoning! (A sentence to be pondered on). Faith and reason cannot exist without each other. Every reason is based on some faith. Whenever reason or faith breaks, confusion and chaos prevails which is often a step for growth.

There are two types of faith.

 Faith out of fear, greed and insecurity;
 and faith born out of love like the faith between the mother and the child, the master and disciple. Whereas the faith out of love cannot be broken, faith out of fear and greed is shaky.

An atheist bases himself on reason, and a believer on faith. A believer uses God as an insurance policy! He thinks he is special. In the eyes of God there is no `mine' and `others'; all are the same. An atheist rationalises to keep his eyes shut to reality. Only a yogi - a wise one - remains unshaken. For that person has transcended both reason and faith.

You need a balance between faith and reason.
 
Jai Gurudev

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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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EVIAN WATER BABY AD : TOOOOOO CUUUUTE

 

 

Knowledge From Chicago - Discourse on Bhagwad Gita by Guruji on Guru Poornima

Knowledge From Chicago - Discourse on Bhagwad Gita by Guruji on Guru Poornima

Actions that are unintended, without effort they are our nature e.g. when we are thirsty, this action is routine and so does not create an impression.  Certain actions when we look for result create impressions.   So routine is a part of your life and those actions don't bind you.    Ex.  If you are an expert in your field then the job is effortless.  Seva is your nature… service  is a part of you, like your breath. Violence is taught in the military, people are being taught to be insensitive… such actions bind us, they cannot set us free.
When your mind is obsessed with too many desires then actions become imperfect… Do one thing at a time, be free from feverishness of the mind.  Act without expectations, then the actions become perfect and free from blemishes.  Otherwise even the best of actions has negative repercussions when done with feverishness.  Comparison with ones own performance is healthy.  Being free of jealousy, have an equanimous mind do not think of whether you will succeed or not.. give your 100% and don't worry whether you win or lose.  Then it is a real game… Work is like a game…  a yogi considers work as a game.  Yogi means one who does little things in perfection due to an equanimous mind.  That is YAGYA… it is that action which does not bind you…  but brings only good to you.  Realising your unity, oneness, is honouring the divine and knowledge.
 
There are 3 types of YAGYA's : 
1.  Deva Puja :  honouring and offering the elements
2. Sangati Karana:  taking all along with you. 
3.  Dana:  gifting and honouring.

The whole universe is a YAGYA.  All the elements help each other, they are all purifiers.    Breath itself is a YAGYA. Meditation and Seva they purify.
Anashudhi, grace before eating, during this time we put one spoon full of ghee on the rice.. actually according to the nutritionist, digestion takes a little longer with the ghee in the rice and it is better for you.  Dhanushudhi:  a portion of your income should be used in charity (money becomes pure when a little percent is put toward charity.
Sound, listening, pranayamas all are Yagya's.   Fasting is also a Yagya.  All traditions of the world, note that fasting and prayer are for body cleansing, not for God.  Withdrawing the mind from the senses that is Yagya, how beautiful, fresh it feels when you withdraw from the senses.

The wise, does Yagya by transcending to the level of Prana, Prana gets dissolved.  In meditation we offer our self.  The whole self, universe is Brahman..   Fire is Brahma, the one who makes an offering into the fire is Brahma in Dravya Yagya (offer 108 herbs)the offering itself is Brahma.   When you do Yagya, often the rain comes.  Agnihotra is being revived in India again from Peru.  Real action of Brahman is Samadhi… uniting with the cosmos is Yagya.

Tapo Yagy , sitting together, singing together, listening to knowledge together is all
Yagya.  All purify the planet.    The spirit being uplifted, feeling the support from nature that is Yagya.. One who does not engage in Yagya cannot be happy in this world or the other.  There are many different types of Yagyas…. Take pride in it…
Gyana Yagya is being immersed in knowledge, in self knowledge all action ends in knowledge.  When well founded in knowledge delusion does not come.   It is good to sit with the enlightened ones, serve them sit with them in knowledge.   Then you will not fall into delusion, knowing this you can act. 

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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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Guru and Teacher

 

A teacher takes responsibility of your growth

A Guru makes you responsible for your growth

 

A teacher gives you things you do not have and require

A Guru takes away things you have and do not require

 

A teacher answers your questions

A Guru questions your answers

 

A teacher helps you get out of the maze

A Guru destroys the maze

 

A teacher requires obedience and discipline from the pupil

A Guru requires trust and humility from the pupil

 

A teacher clothes you and prepares you for the outer journey

A Guru strips you naked and prepares you for the inner journey

 

A teacher is a guide on the path

A Guru is a pointer to the way

 

A teacher sends you on the road to success

A Guru sends you on the road to freedom

 

A teacher explains the world and its nature to you

A Guru explains yourself and your nature to you

 

A teacher makes you understand how to move about in the world

A Guru shows you where you stand in relation to the world

 

A teacher gives you knowledge and boosts your ego

A Guru takes away your knowledge and punctures your ego

 

A teacher instructs you

A Guru constructs you

 

A teacher sharpens your mind

A Guru opens your mind

 

A teacher shows you the way to prosperity

A Guru shows the way to serenity

 

A teacher reaches your mind

A Guru touches your soul

 

A teacher gives you knowledge

A Guru makes you wise

 

A teacher gives you maturity

A Guru returns you to innocence

 

A teacher instructs you on how to solve  problems

A Guru shows you how to resolve issues

 

A teacher is a systematic thinker

A Guru is a lateral thinker

 

A teacher will punish you with a stick

A Guru will punish you with compassion

 

A teacher is to pupil what a father is to son

A Guru is to pupil what mother is to her child

 

One can always find a teacher

But A Guru has to find and accept you

 

A teacher leads you by the hand

A Guru leads you by example

 

When a teacher finishes with you,

you graduate

When a Guru finishes with you,

you celebrate

 

When the course is over you are thankful to the teacher

When the discourse is over you are grateful to the Guru.

 

Jai Gurudev
Rajesh Gehani

Regular health mistakes

Regular Health Mistakes   All of us make  little health mistakes that cause damage to our bodies in the long run -  simply because we are unaware we are doing something wrong. Here are some of  the most common mistakes made by  many of us.   Crossing our  legs Do you cross  your legs at your  knees when sitting? Although we may believe that this is the  lady-like elegant  way to sit, sitting this way cuts down circulation to your legs. If you don't  want varicose veins to mar the beauty of your legs  and compromise your  health, uncross your legs every time you realise you have one knee on top of the  other. The best way to sit is to simply place both legs together on the  floor, balancing your weight equally. If you feel like changing position, instead of crossing your legs, simply move both  legs together to one side. As an alternative, you could also consider  crossing your legs loosely at the ankles. This is  a classically elegant  way to sit, and is far better for your legs and  your health than  sitting with your legs  crossed at your knees. Not changing our  toothbrush How often do  you change your toothbrush? Most of  us wait until most of the bristles have  either fallen off, or are in such bad  shape that we'd be embarrassed to pull out our brush in public. However,  since not many of us need to pull out our  brush in public, we carry on with our  frayed one until we lose it. Replace your  toothbrush often. Damaged  bristles can harm the enamel, and don't massage your  gums well. If you find brushing your teeth a pain like I do, but know you must do it, you  might as well be  doing it right. Imagine going through the  annoyance of brushing your teeth twice a  day only to find out that you're damaging your enamel every time you clean your  teeth. Also, use a brush with soft bristles unless your dentist has advised  otherwise. Eating out  often There are oils  that are high in  cholesterol, and oils that cause little harm and are better  for your heart.  However, no matter how light the oil is, it is never a good idea to  eat too much of it.  Avoid fried foods.Remember that in all probability your favorite Indian  food restaurant throws a huge, HUGE chunk of butter in a tiny bowl of dal. Rita,  who worked in the kitchen of a 5 star hotel, was shocked when she saw the cook  chop a 500gm butter slab in half, and throw half into a Paneer Makhani dish.  No wonder the  customers left licking their fingers. And no wonder they felt  so stuffed and heavy  afterwards. Limit outdoor eating unless you know that you're getting  served light and healthy food. Skipping  breakfast Never, ever  skip breakfast. Remember, when you wake up in the morning it's been  around 10-12 hours since your last meal. Your body needs food now, more than at  any other time. Eat a heavy breakfast. You will then be busy through the day,  and the calories will get expended quickly. If you are trying to diet, eat a  light dinner. Here are some more  common health mistakes we make.  Being informed and making a few  changes can help make us feel a whole lot  better. High  heels High heels sure  look great, but they're  murder for your back. This however doesn't mean you should steer clear of  stilettos. Wear them, but not when you know you will be walking around a lot. Wear  them when going out for lunch or dinner -  when the only walking you will be  doing is to your car, to the table, and back. Avoid high heels when you are  going somewhere on foot. If you are constantly tempted to wear your heels, take a good look at your flats. Is there something about them you dislike? Invest  in a new pair of beautiful flats or shoes with a low heel. Buy something you  love, that you will enjoy wearing. If possible, get a matching bag. You will  then enjoy your flats as  much as you do your heels. Sleeping on a soft  bed You don't have  to sleep on the floor be kind to your back,  but do make sure you have a firm  mattress. Although a mattress on springs  is soft and lovely to sink into, it's bad for your back. If you already have an old bed with springs, you don't need to invest in a new one - simply get a thick wooden plank put over the springs, and place the mattress on the plank.  Similarly, if your mattress is  old and lumpy, throw it out and get a new one. Your  neck and your back will thank you. The same rule applies to sofas. If  you will be spending  hours on a sofa, get a firm yet comfortable one. Sofas you  completely sink into are not the best idea. Pillows No matter how  comfortable sleeping with ten cushions is, have pity on your neck and resist.  Sleep with one pillow, and make sure it is not too thick.  If your pillow gets lumpy, discard it and go for a new one. Get a thin pillow  if you sleep on your stomach, and something a little thicker if you sleep on  your back, to give your neck adequate support. Not  exercising So all of us  know we should exercise more, but many of us don't. This is a  health mistake we consciously make! And why is that? Simply because we refuse  to admit the damage we are causing to our bodies by not working out. A number of people  only start working out once they've experienced a warning signal.  Don't wait for a heart attack to strike before you decide to opt for a lifestyle  change. Make the change now. You don't need to train for the marathon to be in  top shape. Half an hour of brisk walking three to four times a week will make a  world of difference to your health. You could then increase this to forty  minutes, four times a week - and you're all set. If you haven't  exercised for a week, you're making a mistake.   Today's Message of the Day is:

Life is short. Forgive quickly. Love truly. Laugh often, and never regret anything that made you smile.

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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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centenary celebrations of the Indian Institute of Science

Bangalore (India), May 25: HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was the key note speaker at the centenary celebrations of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.

http://www.artofliv ing.org/intl/ wisdomblog/ tabid/183/ Default.aspx

"Are you feeling at home?" asked Sri Sri right at the onset. He then shared: "Our ancient scriptures have always said that true learning happens in a relaxed environment where an exchange of ideas takes place through enquiry and questioning."
A Q&A session followed in the relaxed atmosphere of the auditorium.

Excerpts:

Q. Is life governed by free-will or destiny?

Sri Sri: Life is a combination of both. There are some things which are beyond your control. That is your destiny. Then there are things where you have a choice. That is free-will. If it's raining outside, it's your destiny as you have no control over the weather. However, to be wet or remain dry is your free-will.
Past is your destiny, future is your free-will. And be happy in the present. A foolish person looks at the past as free-will with regret, future as destiny and is miserable in the present.

Q. What is true love?
Sri Sri: If you have a doubt, it is true love. We always doubt the positives. We doubt our capabilities. We doubt our happiness but are 100 percent sure of our depression. We doubt a person's honesty and doubt the existence of higher power. So what is true love? Time will tell you.
Love is what we are made up of. All negative emotions are off springs of true love.
Love without wisdom makes life miserable…love with wisdom is bliss.

Q. How can we attain that wisdom?
Sri Sri: By adopting an attitude of enquiring.

Q. How can love move science?
Sri Sri: When love for science is intense, it is already moving the world.
The ultimate aim of a researcher is not to earn a livelihood. If the main aim of a researcher is to earn a livelihood, it is not a best quality research. It has to lead to a soul-search. Research is to know. The joy of knowing is itself the goal. Getting recognition is immaterial.

Q. How do you know what level of spirituality you are at?
Sri Sri: It depends on how often your buttons can be pushed. If you have no buttons to be pushed then you are very strong.

Q. Who am 'I'? And what 'that' is? Can these two questions coexist?
Sri Sri: Of course. Yes. The theory of relativity has already accepted this. The observer has an impact on the observed. This was taught some thousands of years ago. But people kept it a secret. This is where we missed out.

Q. What is true happiness?
Sri Sri: Know the reason of your unhappiness. If you remove it, then there will be happiness. Meditate. Just do the Sudarshan Kriya and you will find out.

Q. Why do thoughts come and where do they originate from? Why do the thoughts rule us?
Sri Sri: Where do the thoughts come from? From the mind, or the body? Close your eyes and think about it. That itself becomes a meditation. Then you will reach the point or space within you from where all the thoughts come. And that is fantastic.

Q. Some people have positive thoughts, while some have negative thoughts. How does one control this?
Sri Sri: By keeping a stress-free mind. If you have a stress-free mind, your thoughts will be positive.

Q. How do you know all these things?
Sri Sri: Life is a journey from an angry "I don't know" to a beautiful "I don't know!"

Q. What is wrong and what is right?
Sri Sri: Which gives you short term pleasure and long term misery is wrong and vice-versa.

Q. Why do other people's feelings inflict us?
Sri Sri: Because you are not a single individual but a part of a single collective consciousness.

Q. In spite of having so many great saints why is there so much of communal violence, cascades, conflicts. What is the problem with India? Are we going wrong somewhere?
Sri Sri: People who have been involved in these activities have never been in touch with any of these spiritual leaders.

Q. Why don't you suggest government to include spiritual knowledge at the level of class 10th, at least in India?
Sri Sri: I have been telling it. Now, you all should give voice too.

Q. How to forgive and let go of things?
Sri Sri: When you see a culprit from a broader perspective, forgiveness becomes natural.

Q. What do you consider success?
Sri Sri: A smile that nobody will take away from you - that is the greatest achievement.

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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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THE GINGHAM DRESS

 

This is an example of how some of us pre-judge people. If we don't take time to hear what someone has to say, we may never learn what is in their heart; regardless of their outer appearance, THE GINGHAM DRESS  A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun  threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston and walked timidly  without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer  office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods,  country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve  to be in Cambridge .  "We'd like to see the president," the man said softly.  "He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped.  "We'll wait," the lady replied.  For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would  finally become discouraged and go away.  They didn't, and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to  disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted.  "Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave," she said to  him.  He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance  obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested  gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The  president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple.  The lady told him, "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He  loved Harvard. He was happy here. But, about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to  him, somewhere on campus."  The president wasn't touched. He was shocked.  "Madam," he said, gruffly, "We can't put up a statue for every person  who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a  cemetery."  "Oh, no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue.  We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard." The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and  homespun suit and then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea  how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars  in the physical buildings here at Harvard."  For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he  could get rid of them now. The lady turned to her husband and said  quietly, "Is that all it cost to start a university? Why don't we just  start our own?"  Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and  bewilderment.  Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo  Alto, California where they established the university that bears their  name, Stanford University , a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer  cared about.  You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those  who they think can do nothing for them.  ---- A TRUE STORY by Malcolm Forbes "People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did.  But people will never forget how you made them feel."

 

Knowledge Sheet 208 - Blessed Are Those Who Are Bored

 

Knowledge Sheet 208 - Blessed Are Those Who Are Bored June 16, 1999 Arenal Volcano, Tabacon, Costa Rica Only a conscious, alert and dynamic person can get bored. A dull and inert person doesn't get bored. If you get bored, it indicates you are more alive and human. It is a sign that you are growing, that you are evolving. An animal, for example, keeps doing the same thing. It never gets bored. Cows, horses, birds do the same things over and over all their lives. People eat, watch television, change jobs, change partners to escape boredom. And they get frustrated. And frustration takes them back to inertia and unconsciousness. Only in two states the boredom does not occur: in a state of total inertia or in a state of Divine Consciousness. If you are bored, it indicates you are evolving. Boredom moves you. Jim: Boredom moves you towards the divine. Guruji: Yes. Be proud of your boredom and celebrate!!! !!!

Jai Gurudev

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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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What's wrong in being a fool? - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

What's wrong in being a fool?  - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

We want to find a reason for everything, a purpose for everything. We want to analyze and understand everything. People even try to understand their dreams. What is the use? Whatever dream you have had, so what? Whether you are sitting on horseback or on top of a train in your dream; whether you see a crow or a duck or a pigeon or swan or a mouse or a cat in your dream, what does it matter? Why do you waste so much time interpreting dreams, trying to know something about dreams? We call ourselves wise because we want to understand. We want to do something only if we get something out of it.

 A fool is somebody who does something and doesn't get anything out of it. Their foolish acts, even those you can interpret into meaning and purpose, you see they do them without any purpose, without any meaning. Since childhood we have been told, "Don't be a fool." What is wrong with being a fool? What is wrong with standing alone, apart from the crowd? Let the crowd act however it wants. I stand apart from that. I act my way!

A fool is somebody who does something very unique, which is not accepted by others. All entertainment, including games, are foolish acts. Just think of a person from another planet, maybe Mars, comes here and sees a huge crowd watching a team of boys on this side and another team on that side, trying to fight for a ball and put it into a basket. It would appear absolutely funny! One ball in the middle, a team of boys here, trying to push it there, trying to push it that way. Why all this trouble? Why don't they just take the ball and put it in the basket? What difference does it make whether they put it in this basket or that basket? It is so foolish, playing soccer, playing basketball. For hours together other people sit there, howling and yelling and clapping. George Bernard Shaw said somewhere, "Cricket is a game where eleven fools play and eleven thousand watch." It is true. All games are foolish acts. A game is a game because it is foolish. If you find meaning,

 purpose, aim and competition, you destroy the whole game.
 If you are not foolish in your life for some time if possible all the time, if not possible, at least some time-you miss your life. You miss the joy in life. If somebody calls you a fool, how do you act? Your eyes become red. You start grinding your teeth! However, it is a great compliment. You should wait for such a compliment because this is very difficult to get. People may feel that you are a fool and they often don't say it to you. If some people, with great courage, come and tell you that you are a fool, you should feel happy. The greatest problem for us is being a fool. We try not to be fool.

All our life we resist and fear arises in us. A fool is one who acts with freedom, who has all freedom, isn't it? That is how he could be a fool. If somebody has not experienced freedom, he cannot be a fool. Freedom is behind every fool. God loves you being a fool. He doesn't love wise men so much. He is bored of their philosophies. He is terribly bored by all the books written about Him.

Make the whole life a game. A game means there is no purpose, there is nothing. Just take it lightly, easily. Play the game. That is worship that is celebration. There is nothing that you do that will please God. There is nothing that you will do that will displease God. He is not waiting there with a staff, just waiting for you to do a mistake so He can punish you. Don?t have such cruel picture of God as someone who is judging, who is going to punish you if you do this or that. If He doesn't want you to do something, you can never do it. It is impossible. The very fact that He has allowed you so much freedom to do anything you like, means He says, Don't take anything seriously, it is all a game. It's all like a dream!

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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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Abraham Lincoln's Letter to Headmaster

Abraham Lincoln's Letter to Headmaster

A letter written by Abraham Lincoln to the Headmaster of a school in which his son was studying. It contains  advice, which is still
relevant today for executives, workers, teachers, parents and students.
 
A WORD TO TEACHERS

"My son  will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just and are not
true. But teach him if you can the wonder of books... but also give him
quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in
the sun and flowers on a green hillside.

In school, teach him it is far more honorable to fall than to cheat...
Teach to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him he is
wrong.

Teach him to be gentle with gentle people and tough with the tough.
Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when
everyone getting on the bandwagon...

Teach him to listen to all men; but teach him also to filter all he hears
on a screen of truth, and take only the good that comes through.

Teach him, if you can how to laugh when he is sad... Teach him there
is no shame in tears.

Teach him to scoff at cynics and to be aware of too much sweetness.

Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to highest bidders, but never to
put a price on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a
howling mob... and stand and fight if thinks he is right.

Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire
makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to be impatient. Let him
have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime
faith in himself, because then he will have faith in humankind.

This is a big order, but see what you can do. He is such a fine little
fellow my son !

 Abraham Lincoln

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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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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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P  Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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