Worry And Feelings

WORRY AND FEELINGS The head worries and the heart feels. They cannot function at the same time. When your feelings dominate, worry dissolves. If you worry a lot, your feelings are dead; you are stuck in the head. Worrying makes your mind and heart inert and dull. Worries are like a rock in the head. Worry entangles you. Worry puts you in a cage. When you feel, you do not worry. Feelings are like flowers, they come up, they blossom and they die. Feelings rise, they fall and then disappear. When feelings are expressed, you feel relieved. When you are angry, you express your anger and the next moment you are all right. Or you are upset, you cry and you get over it. Feelings last for some short time and then they drop, but worry eats at you for a longer period of time, and eventually eats you up. Feelings make you spontaneous. Children feel, so they are spontaneous. Adults put brakes on their feelings and they start worrying. Worrying about anything obstructs action while feelings propel action. Worrying about negative feelings is a blessing because it puts the brakes on those feelings, preventing you from acting on them. Usually one never worries about positive feelings. Worries are uncertain. Worrying takes away your energy; you cannot think clearly when you worry. Offering your worries is prayer and prayer moves you in feelings. When you think you are feeling too much then you start worrying about your feelings. Let?s not worry about it and feel our food!

Jai GuruDev.

Surrender And Resposibility

SURRENDER AND RESPONSIBILITY Setting up a time-bound goal gives direction to the life force. Imagination is essential for this. Most people have a small imagination and are stuck with that, and that causes frustration. But if you are a devotee, you say "Let Thy Will be done" and then you will step lightly to the goal. You will take it easy. We have to make a distinction. Some people say "Let God do everything and surrender" and others say "I have to be responsible." Surrender is saying "Let Thy Will be done" and "Thy Will" for you is to take responsibility for the whole world. It appears to be opposing and conflicting in nature -- in fact they are two sides of the same coin. The more you surrender, the more responsive you become. One who is irresponsible cannot surrender either. Why is someone irresponsible? They are lazy or fearful or both. If you are lazy or fearful, you cannot be in love. Total responsibility is total surrender. It's a little hard to chew, but this is the truth. People usually say either I take responsibility or surrender, but I tell you they go hand in hand. Suppose you are surrendered to the Knowledge. That means you are committed to sharing it with others. You take responsibility to see that it flourishes. Question: The confusion comes with the doership? Answer: When you are taking responsibility and you find blocks, remember "surrender." That gives you strength to move ahead. It releases you from the weight of the doership. Responsibility is the dynamic expression of life in the present moment. When you are shaken, remember the basis of responsibility as surrender. Taking responsibility or surrendering without doership is the skill of the wise. Total irresponsibility is impossible for you. Limited responsibility makes you weak. A little water in the sun will evaporate but the ocean never dries up. Limited responsibility tires you out. Unlimited responsibility empowers you and brings you joy. Jai Guru Dev

Doubt

DOUBT A doubt is a gray area. Gray is something which is neither white nor black. Now, how to solve the doubt? An event, knowledge, convention cannot help. Then what can help? Accepting it either as black or as white. Put it either as black and accept it or as white and accept it -- whether or not it is black or white. And see the gray as a shade of black or white. Either way you accept it. Honest or dishonest -- accept it. Then the mind is quiet. You are not in the gray area. See, the eyes are dark, eyebrows are dark, the thymus -- the most powerful organ of the body -- is black. Hemoglobin -- the main force of the body -- is black. You cannot survive without black. It is part of you. Or see it as white. Eye is also white. Bones are white; the structure on which the whole body stands is white. Put it in a category of black -- no problem -- accept. Put it in a category of white -- no problem -- doubt is not there. Have conviction. "I accept. They are dishonest and still part of me." That's it. Finished. Jai Guru Dev.

Balance And Discipline

BALANCE AND DISCIPLINE People who are free, regret that they don't have discipline. They keep promising that they will become disciplined. People who are disciplined look for the end. (Discipline is not an end in itself, it is a means.) Look at the people who have no discipline; they are miserable. Freedom without discipline is absolute misery. Discipline without freedom is suffocating. Orderliness is monotonous and chaos is stressful. We have to make the discipline free and the freedom disciplined. People who are in company all the time, they look for the comforts of solitude. People who are in solitude, feel so lonely and want to be in company. People who are in a cold place want to be in a warm place. People who are in a warm place love something cool. This is the dilemma of life: Everyone is looking for perfect balance. Perfect balance is like a razor's edge. It can only be found in the self. There is no road to this town and there are no steps to this house. How do you get in? Figure it all out. Jai Guru Dev.

The Heat Of Knowledge

THE HEAT OF KNOWLEDGE For your prayer to be answered, the desire has to be intense. The greater the intensity of desire and the later it gets fulfilled, then greater will be the gratitude. lntense desire leads you to devotion. For desire to get intense, time and the need for the desire are required. The feeling of gratitude is so overwhelming after the fulfillment of desire that it's achievement loses its charm and significance. The son of a farmer in India had a life-long desire to go to England and he prayed deeply for it. Even the news of his trip to England materializing filled him with immense gratitude -- he did not even care whether he went or not. Often people think that they are unfortunate if their desires don't get fulfilled quickly. lntense desire can frustrate you or make you prayerful. In prayerfulness, there is gratitude and devotion. Any intense experience makes you whole. Your consciousness is like corn. With the heat of Knowledge, consciousness pops ups and becomes white and fluffy. Jai Gurudev.

Attachments

Attachments cause feverish breath and feverish breath takes away peace of mind. Then you are in pieces and fall prey to misery. Before you get scattered too much, gather yourself and rid your breath of the feverishness through surrender and sadhana. Unfortunately most people do not notice this until it is too late.When someone is drowning in the ocean of attachments, surrender is the life jacket they can put on and wait for the rescue team. Without fighting the attachments, observe the feverish breath and go to the cool place of silence within. Your first step in this direction is directing your attachment to the Knowledge, to the Divine.Your non-attachment to the mundane is your charm. Your attachment to the Divine is your beauty. - Sri Sri Jai Gurudev.

Form&Formless,Agression And Intuition

A: Form and Formless Life is a combination of form and formless. Feelings have no form but their expressions have form. The Self has no form but its abode has form. Similarly, wisdom and grace have no form but are expressed through form. Discarding the formless, you become inert, materialistic and paranoid. Discarding the form, you become a lost ascetic, a space cadet or an emotional junk! B: Aggression and Intuition Aggression and assertiveness overshadow intuition. Often, people who are sensitive tend to become aggressive in order to avoid being hurt. In this process, they lose sight of the fine intuition. Fine intuition needs sensitivity; sensitivity is often painful. In order to avoid pain one becomes aggressive and assertive, and in turn loses one's intuitive ability. Intuition is close to the truth. To be truthful, you don't need to be aggressive and assertive! Often, aggression and assertiveness thrive on the idea of truthfulness. Jai gurudev.

Faith And Alertness!!

Faith and alertness appear to be completely opposite in nature. When you are alert, usually there is no faith and you feel restless and insecure. When there is faith the mind is secure and rested and you are not alert. There are three types of faith: Tamasic faith which is because of dullness. Like when you do not want to take responsibility or action and you say, "Oh it doesn't matter, anyway God will take care of all these things!" (laughter) Rajasic faith which is brought on by intense compulsion of desires and ambition. The ambition keeps the faith alive.Satvic faith is innocent and is born out of fullness of consciousness. Faith and alertness, though apparently opposite in nature, are actually complementary to each other. In the absence of faith there can be no growth, and without alertness there can be no correct understanding. Faith can make you complacent. Alertness makes you tense.If there is no faith, there is fear. And when there is no alertness one cannot perceive or express properly. A combination of both is essential. In Gyana (state of wisdom) there is alertness without tension and faith without complacency. The purpose of education should be to remove the element of dullness from faith and the element of fear from alertness. This is a unique and rare combination. If you have faith and alertness at the same time, then you will become a true Gyani (the Wise One)! - Sri Sri Jai Guru Dev

Worries And Feelings

The head worries and the heart feels. They cannot function at the same time.When your feelings dominate, worry dissolves.If you worry a lot, your feelings are dead; you are stuck in the head. Worrying makes your mind and heart inert and dull. Worries are like a rock in the head. Worry entangles you. Worry puts you in a cage.When you feel, you do not worry.Feelings are like flowers, they come up, they blossom and they die. Feelings rise, they fall and then disappear. When feelings are expressed, you feel relieved. When you are angry, you express your anger and the next moment you are all right. Or you are upset, you cry and you get over it.Feelings last for some short time and then they drop, but worry eats at you for a longer period of time, and eventually eats you up.Feelings make you spontaneous. Children feel, so they are spontaneous. Adults put brakes on their feelings and they start worrying. Worrying about anything obstructs action while feelings propel action. Worrying about negative feelings is a blessing because it puts the brakes on those feelings, preventing you from acting on them. Usually one never worries about positive feelings. Worries are uncertain. Worrying takes away your energy; you cannot think clearly when you worry.Offering your worries is prayer and prayer moves you in feelings.When you think you are feeling too much then you start worrying about your feelings. Let's not worry about it and feel our food! - Sri Sri Jai Guru Dev

VICES

EXPAND YOUR VICES

If you cannot get rid of vices, increase them. Worry, pride, anger, lust, grief - give them a bigger dimension and a different direction.

Anger - what is the point of getting angry about small events? Be angry about the infinite, about Brahma.

Ego, pride - If you cannot get rid of pride, take pride in owning THE DIVINE.

Greed - Be greedy for SATSANG.

Craving - Crave for truth.

Aversion - Be averse to aversions.

Jealousy - Be jealous about SEVA.

Intoxication - Get intoxicated in the DIVINE.

Attachment - Attach yourself to the guru.

Joy is love for what is.

Sorrow is love for what is not.-

Sri Sri

Jai Guru Dev

Tolerance

Neither Accept People As They Are Nor Tolerate ThemSri Sri: Many people think tolerance is a virtue.Tolerance is a negative term. If you like something you don't have to tolerate. Tolerance indicates a deep sense of dislike, which can at any time turn into hatred. It indicates a sense of separateness . . small mindedness . . limitation of consciousness.When you are tolerating, it is a temporary state. Tolerance is a potential volcano. If you are tolerating it means you are holding on.Acceptance is also negative. You accept that which is not lovable.Question: Don't you need a sense of self-assurance to then go and love people?This is our company. The Self-Assurance Company. It is only the Self that is always assuring. Nothing else.Tolerance and acceptance come with judgment and separation. These words which are used, tolerance and acceptance are thought to be positive. I say they are not. Question: But aren't we supposed to accept people as they are?If you don't love them, then you have to accept them. DON'T ACCEPT PEOPLE AS THEY ARE. JUST LOVE THEM AS THEY ARE. Jai Guru Dev

Signs Of A Seeker

Six Signs Of A Seeker 1. Acknowledging that one knows very little.Many people think they know, without knowing or they get stuck in their limited knowledge. So they never learn. So the first thing is to acknowledge that one knows very little. 2. Willingness to know.Many people acknowledge that they do not know, but they are not ready to learn. 3. Being non-judgmental and open-minded.Some people would like to learn but their judgmental attitude and close-mindedness does not allow them to learn. 4. Total commitment and one-pointedness to the path one has chosen.Some people are open-minded but lack commitment and one-pointedness. They keep shopping here and there and never progress. 5. Always putting truth and service before pleasure.Sometimes even committed and one-pointed people stay away from the path in pursuit of momentary pleasures. 6. Patience and perseverance.Some people are not swayed by pleasures and are committed and one-pointed, but if they lack patience and perseverance, they become restless and dejected. - Sri Sri Jai Guru Dev

Satsangh, Meditataion&Pranayama Is The Best Gift For You

Sri Sri: You know, when one accepts that one is a fool then he is actually intelligent. A real fool does not recognize his foolishness. We are in a universe full of secrets. We are floating in the ocean of infinite secrets. There are infinite secrets in every atom. Science tries to discover and reveal these secrets but this attempt is like trying to discover the ocean in a small boat. It is that small, and there is so much more left to discover, which is impossible. And when science tries to find one secret, ten more arise. No scientist can say that, ‘I know all the secrets of the universe’. No one can say that. As science discovers more, it finds that there is so much more that is unknown, a secret. So, love the secret! Honor the secret! This is the Chidambara rahasya. There are infinite secrets in the consciousness. You can’t understand all of them. The sky is endless. Like the sky, even secrets are endless. Our ancestors honored secrecy. A mantra is kept secret when we want to do japa (chant). What you keep as a secret, grows. We don’t express our love, we don’t say ‘I love you’ everyday. When you are so deeply in love, just one glance is enough. Sometimes by saying it so many times, the love diminishes. If you do not express yourself at all, then also it is of no use. There is the appropriate way to express your life experiences. It should be like sowing a seed. It is a sown a few inches deep, not just on the surface level nor too deep. Then the relationship lasts for the whole lifetime. No child tells the mother, ‘I love you’, all the time- it is shown through his actions. A yogi always does things in moderation - neither too much work nor sleep. Neither too much food nor too much fasting is favorable. It is not a favorable solution. If you don’t eat for days or do such things then it is not only a torture for your body but also a torture for your soul. So have moderation in your food, interactions and speech. Then yoga siddhi (state of perfection) is attained and all sadness fades away. So, to become free from sorrow continue to do your sadhana and meditation. Meditation happens to us. We don’t have to do it, with an effort. And the solution to be free from any obstacle to meditation is to sit in that space of the beautiful ‘I don’t know’. In the Chidambaram temple, there is a screen and behind it there is only a wall. It looks as if you are bowing down to a wall but there is a deeper meaning behind it. It signifies the akasha tattva (the space principle). When you move the screen, the space is revealed. When you remove the veil of illusion and desires, you experience the vast infinite inner space. For a few moments your mind becomes free from thoughts. We realize that there is some secret of which we have had a small glimpse, like a flash, and this experience brings a transformation in life. Q) How do you go beyond karma? When did it start and when will it end? Sri Sri: When did the world begin? Audience: I don't know! Sri Sri: When will the world end? Audience: I don't know! Sri Sri: This question is also like that. We don’t know when the cycle of karma started. We don’t know the beginning but the seeds of karma can be burnt in the fire of knowledge. Q) Guruji, why do we have to suffer because of our past impressions? In the present we are innocent. Sri Sri: If you plant a coconut tree three years back then you enjoy the fruit later. You put money in the bank and expect it back with interest isn't it? Will you agree if the bank tells you to forget about it because it was so many years ago that you put the money? You want only the fruits which are favorable! We need to realize, accept our mistake and move on. Then the intensity of the karma reduces. Asking forgiveness for all mistakes made knowingly and unknowingly is part of our pujas also. Q) Guruji, there are so many spiritual leaders, do we need to visit all and read their teachings? Sri Sri: Respect and honor everybody. Follow one path. Suppose you meet four gurus and you take four mantras and techniques, which one will you use? It is like trying to reach your destination on four different boats at the same time! You will reach nowhere. If you had a guru before and you have come here now, know that he sent you here. Even saying 'all gurus' is wrong. There is only one guru principle. And all the Masters want only your happiness. When you want to dig a well, if you dig two feet deep in ten places, you will not find water. You need to go deep in just one place. There is no need to go everywhere, it’s not necessary. When you have faith in one path and move ahead then for sure you will reach your destination. Q) How do I free myself from weaknesses? Does performing puja help? Sri Sri: Satsang, meditation and pranayama is the best gift to you. Chanting mantras, doing pujas has its place. Don’t worry too much about it. Meditate and do a little puja. Don’t leave it out completely nor overdo it. Q) How do I see God? Sri Sri: Have you seen the breeze? Yet you know it is there. You can feel it. Similarly you can’t see God but the heart feels the presence, the prana (life-force). Q) Guruji, you have said to love the secret, but I feel curious to know it also! Sri Sri: Curiosity is natural. It sharpens the intellect. Loving the secret refines the feeling level. Life is a balance of the intellect and the feelings. Q) Technology and science have advanced so much, when will spirituality grow? Sri Sri: It’s already happening. So many of you are here. In our country science and spirituality are not in conflict. They complement each other. Both are necessary. Bhava (heart level) and buddhi (head level) are both required. When you watch TV, seeing and listening is important. Q) Guruji, when I heard that the world is going to come to an end in 2012, it was a blessing in disguise for me because I was able to stop my racing and really look at myself and do the things I really wanted to. I could bring some rest for my mind. Sri Sri: Pralaya (dissolution) can happen anytime. Thousands of black holes can swallow the solar systems, the sun is carefully moving through them. Whether dissolution happens or not, you still keep your calm and work to uphold justice and the truth without being caught up in craving and aversion. Do what you can. Jai Gurudev.

The One In Many

It is the intellect that divides and that synthesizes. Some creatures in the world only synthesize and some creatures only divide. But the human being has both abilities, he divides and synthesizes. Ants only synthesize, they bring Things Together And Build An Ant Hill. But Monkeys Cannot Synthesize, They Can Only Divide Everything. You Give Them a garland for example, and they tear it to pieces and throw it all over the place. A monkey can only divide, or analyze. But a beaver synthesizes, it brings all the wood together and builds a dam. Birds also synthesize such as the Weaver birds.A human being both analyzes and synthesizes. So you analyze from the relative world and synthesize to find the one. The intellect divides to find the truth. Truth once found synthesizes everything.When the intellect becomes quiet, it brings out the intelligence. Often people think that gathering information makes one intelligent. This is not so. It is the "samadhi" which brings out the intelligence.An unintelligent man, in spite of having all the information, cannot be creative. An intelligent man without much information can be creative.A sign of intelligence is to see the one in many and find the many in one.There is an old Sanskrit proverb: The first sign of intelligence is not to start anything. The second sign of intelligence is if you have started something, you have to continue it to the end.

If you have annoyed somebody, don't stop it in the middle, take him to the edge. (Laughter)

Jai Gurudev.

Silence

Guruji's Knowledge Sheet:

Silence - The Goal of All Answers Some questions can be answered only in Silence. Silence is the goal of all answers. If an answer does not silence the mind it is "no" answer. Thoughts are not the goal in themselves. Their goal is Silence. When you ask the question "Who am I?" you get no answer, there is silence. That is the real answer. For your soul is solidified silence. This solidified silence is wisdom, is knowledge. The easy way to silence the thoughts is to arouse the feelings. For through feelings only peace, joy and love dawn. And they are all your very nature. To the question "Who am I?" the only relevant answer is silence. You need to discard all answers in words, including "I am Nothing" or "I am the Cosmic Self" or "I am the Self" - and just stick to the question "Who am I?". All other answers are just thoughts. Thoughts can never be complete. Only Silence is complete. Sri Sri Jai Guru Dev

FIRE

FIRE The senses are like fire. Your life is also like fire. In the fire of senses, whatever you put in burns. If you burn tires, it creates pollution and bad smell. But if you burn sandalwood, it creates fragrance.Celebration happens around the bonfire. Grief happens around the fire of cremation. The same fire that supports life in winter, can also destroy. One fire, like a ghee lamp, lights your way and purifies. Another fire made of toxic material creates pollution.You are also like fire. Are you the fire that creates smoke and pollution or the flame of camphor which creates light and fragrance? A saint is like a camphor flame that creates light and the fragrance of love. He is the friend of life.The fire that creates light and warmth and is useful is of higher quality. The fire that creates light and a little smoke as well is of medium quality. The fire that creates darkness and only smoke is of low quality. Learn to distinguish the different fires. If your senses are engaged in goodness, then you will create light and fragrance. If engaged in impurity, you create smoke and darkness. It is samyama that transforms the quality of fire in you. Next week we will discuss samyama.- Sri Sri Jai Guru Dev

The Secrets Of Life

There are five secrets which are sacred and are guarded by the subtle beings and angels in this creation. They are: 1. Jananarahasya (the secret of birth)Birth is a secret. How a soul takes a body, the criteria for selecting the place of birth, time of birth, type of body, parents, etc are all a secret. 2. Maranarahasya (the secret of death)Death is a highly guarded secret. Death remains a mystery. The process of separation of spirit from matter and its journey from then on is a secret. 3. Rajarahasya (the royal secret, the secret of ruling)The principles of governing; the principles of maintaining the orderliness in creation are a secret .4. Prakritirahasya (the secret of nature)Nature is a mystery. The more you know about nature, the mystery deepens. The more a scientist knows, the more he feels there is much more to know. Science, though appearing to resolve the mystery in creation, has deepened it. The knowledge of particles, wave functions, black holes, the vacuum state, etc have only deepened the mystery. 5. Mantrarahasya (secret of mantras)The mantras and their effect, influence, method and mode of working are all a mystery. Mantras are the impulses or rhythms of consciousness, which itself is a mystery.Usually in the West, a secret is shameful and dishonest. But in the East, it is honored and regarded as sacred.- Sri Sri Jai Guru Dev

Respect

Q: What do you do if people don't respect you? Sri Sri : Thank them. They have given you freedom. (Laughter and amazement) When people respect you, they often take away your freedom. They expect you to smile at them, recognize them, behave in a certain way with them.If they don't respect you, you are not obliged to answer their questions and you can drop all the formalities. Either you will be naturally smiling or frowning. So you will be complete.When people love and respect you, you are obliged to return their courtesies because you don't want to hurt them. When they don't respect or love you, they will not be hurt by your actions and expressions. So they set you free.When you gain respect, you often do it at the cost of your freedom. Wisdom is to put the freedom first and not bother about respect. Q: Will freedom not bring arrogance? Sri Sri: True freedom is not an "I don't care" attitude. It is lightness from within, a genuine smile and not stiffness.When someone is stiff and arrogant, they are not really free. True love blossoms only in such freedom.And when there is genuine love, respect simply follows you. Jai Guru Dev

SatSangh

SATSANG IS THE SHELTER Why do people need homes? Can they live like animals in the forest without shelter? Even intelligent animals make their homes. Man needs protection from changing nature. So he builds a shelter for physical comforts. In the same way, for spiritual and mental comfort - Satsang is the shelter.One who does not do Satsang is like a wild animal. Satsang alone makes one civilized. Satsang is the shelter from the changing times and its harsh influence on life.Satsang is the nest in which you can rest.If you are a taker of happiness, you get misery.If you are a giver of happiness, you get joy and love. Sri Sri Jai Guru Dev

REVERANCE

Adulation shows the magnanimity of the one who adores, rather than the one who is adored!Adulation indicates that the ego has become transparent; the best antidote for ego is adulation.Adulation works in three ways: If it is for someone else, it is not palatable to an egoistic person. If it is for you, it boosts your ego.If you adore somebody, it dissolves your ego and makes you magnanimous. Unanimous chorus : When Guruji is adulated, E V E R Y O N E adores it! (laughter) Adulation indicates the magnanimity of the person who is adoring. And the one who is great, does not get swayed by adulation. So the test of the greatness of a person is that he is not shaken by any amount of adulation.A desire for adulation is a sign of immaturity.Aversion to adulation is small-mindedness.Lack of adulation in life is dryness and boredom.A healthy mind would always like to adulate, to elevate others.An unhealthy mind would like to pull down everything.Adulation indicates the trust, enthusiasm and richness in a culture.Lack of adulation is a self-centred, small-minded, fearful and culturally-impoverished society.Being indifferent to adulation when it comes to you and being magnanimous when it is to be given, is the way of the wise! - Sri Sri Jai Guru Dev

PADMANABHA-----THE LOTUS NAVEL

PADMANABHA -- THE LOTUS NAVEL

Different organs of our body are governed by different devas. The solar plexus is connected with the sun, that's why it is called "solar" plexus. When the first rays of the sun fall on the solar plexus, it is very good for your body. Doing Surya Namaskar ("sun salutation") yoga asana in the early morning is very good. The solar plexus has a profound impact on the central nervous system, optic nerves, stomach, and what we usually call "gut feeling." It is the second brain in your body. Usually the solar plexus is slightly bigger than an almond. Studies have shown that with the practice of yoga, meditation, and Sudarshan Kriya, the solar plexus can become as a large as the size of the palm. Then it performs better. It balances the body functions. When the solar plexus expands, the intuitive mind works better. The mind becomes clear and focussed. When the solar plexus contracts, one feels horrible, sad, depressed, and all the negative feelings come.Krishna was called Padmanabha, meaning "whose navel is the size of a lotus flower." If you become Padmanabha, you become absolutely creative. Brahma, the Creator, is born out of a blossomed solar plexus.These days, the solar plexus remains small, but the tummy keeps getting bigger.

Jai Gurudev.

Facing Tomorrow

Sri Sri's interview with Dan Shilon President Shimon Peres' Presidential Conference 'Facing Tomorrow' Oct 21 '09, Jerusalem　 Dan Shilon: You must be very disappointed with this age. Sri Sri: Do I look disappointed?Dan Shilon: The world is not going your way. Sri Sri: I have patience and perseverance and I know it will come right. Dan Shilon: How old are you? Sri Sri: I am a little over half a century but I still have a few more years. You know everybody wants peace. Peace is the innate need of people but they don’t know how to get rid of the negative emotions, tendencies, anger and frustrations. Education is needed in the world today to teach people how to let go of the negativity, let go of the past and move on to the future. Dan Shilon: Your quote on how to measure your success by your smile, how does that relate to the world. The world is not smiling anymore? Sri Sri: I know there is a lot of work that needs to be done. There is work for the reformers, work for the doctors. The doctor’s job is to treat the patient but if the doctor falls sick there is no hope for patient! So if we lose our smile we cannot bring a smile onto the face of others. We need to be centered; we need to work hard to bring the smile back onto the faces of the people. Dan Shilon: When you say lets stop the world for an hour, for 10 days. What do you mean by that? Sri Sri: Stopping our mind, stopping the racing mind. It is always thinking about the past or it is always thinking about the future. We are angry about the past or anxious about the future. To take a fresh look at the world, the situation, you need to wake up and see, - as Mahatma Gandhi used to say never look back. He would say lets see what we should do now and for the future. That gives a lot of energy, encouragement, enthusiasm, and lifts you up from the ashes even though there are ashes around you. Dan Shilon: And all this starts in India? Sri Sri: Exactly, perhaps it may be in other parts of the world as well. Dan Shilon: I wonder why so many of our children are going to India. Why are they so fascinated with this place? Sri Sri: India has a long history of spiritual upliftment. When you see that everything is collapsing, all doors are shut, and there is no hope and depression sets in, India gives a vision of something higher. The power of your thought and mind can create your reality, your world and allow you to move in that direction. You may not be successful immediately or tomorrow but the vision and the mission will always take you forward. Dan Shilon: You are the one who tries to form a bridge between the business world and political world. Is it bridgeable at all? Sri Sri: Basically we are all human beings. There is humanness in everybody and I feel the reformers, the rulers and the providers they all have to work together only then can society really come together. Dan Shilon: Are you a little concerned about this mixture between politicians and business leaders? Sometimes it brings corruption. We know it is in this country and in other western countries? Sri Sri: It is everywhere; even in India there is corruption. Corruption begins when the sense of belongingness ends. If you draw a circle of belongingness around you corruption only begins after that. Politicians need to be more spiritual. By spiritual I mean, have a sense of belongingness towards people. Mahatma Gandhi is an example of this, in this century. He was a spiritual person and at the same time he was a politician too. He had the sense of sacrifice. ‘I want nothing for myself but I want it for my people’. That spirit is going down somewhere along the line. That is why there is corruption and all sorts of unethical businesses have sprung up. We need to inculcate those value systems again, both in politics and in business. Trust is the backbone of business. From what we’ve seen in last 10 months, it took 10 years for communism to collapse, it took less than 10 months for capitalism to collapse, and the reason is that we have ignored our value system and ethics in business.We have ignored the human values of caring and sharing, of dedication and devotion. If we can somehow re-inculcate these values in our youth, I tell you the youth are ready for it. They want this because they have seen the older generation just running. It is like running on the treadmill that is going nowhere. Dan Shilon: What is wrong with the current leadership in the world and perhaps our visionary leadership? Sri Sri: I would say that the sense of belongingness is shrinking. There is a more self-centered, self-serving attitude rather than a sense of sacrifice for the cause. The vision and mission is really lacking. Dan Shilon: You once said that forgiveness is a cure. Is forgiveness the formula to make peace between Israelis and Arabs? Sri Sri: Let go of the past and find a new future. From independence to inter-dependence. That is what we have to understand. Independence was a slogan of the past era. Everyone wanted to be independent so that they could be prosperous, but today prosperity does not come from independence it comes from understanding the inter-dependence. This needs to be educated to people. There is also an identity crisis. A person thinks ‘I am a Muslim’ or ‘I am a Christian’ or ‘I am a Hindu’ or ‘ I am Buddhist’ and those who are not, do not belong to me. They look like an enemy.They need to shift this type of thinking to: - first and foremost, our identity is that we are all human beings. Then, we belong to a certain gender of either male or female. The third identity is that of religion and then finally to a particular nation. If the priority of identity is in the right place I think conflicts can be resolved very quickly. Dan Shilon: How would you like to see the stereotype of the future leader? Sri Sri: I feel through education we can change and unite the hearts and minds of people. This cannot be done by the people who are in power. People who are in authority cannot unite the hearts and minds of the people. It is the voluntary organizations, social workers and reformers that have to bring about this change in the mindset and bring the hearts and minds of people together. Dan Shilon: Are you optimistic like Jimmy Wales? Sri Sri: I am realistic. Optimism is just hope but when you see it is possible it is practical then I think I am realistic. It is going to happen. People cannot stand tension or stress for too long, somewhere one has to give up. You cannot hold a fist for so long at some point you have to relax and when you relax you see the whole sky is in your hands. This has already begun in the world. Take a look at France and Germany, and in Western Europe. There were so many conflicts in the previous era but now the borders are gone. It has become one currency yet it was unthinkable in the 19th Century. So in the same way I am sure the Middle East crisis could be solved through educating people with a multicultural, multi-religious and broader spectrum of knowledge. Jai Gurudev　

Love And Lust

Guruji's Knowledge Sheet: Love & Lust Doubt cannot come where there is a sense of closeness. Doubt needs a distance to appear. You never doubt something that is dear to you, close to you. In love even an object gains life. Stones speak to you, trees speak to you, the sun, the moon and the whole creation becomes alive, Divine. In lust even a living being becomes a mere object. You want to use even people like objects. Here are some salient attributes of love and lust. They are so different yet so close! If you find more you may add to the list. Lust bring tension. Love brings relaxation. Lust focuses on the part. Love focuses on the whole. Lust brings violence. Love brings sacrifice. In lust you want to grab and possess. In love you want to give and surrender. Lust says all I want you to have is what I want. Love says I want you to have what you want. In lust there is effort. Love is effortless. Lust causes feverishness and frustration. Love causes longing and pain. Lust imprisons and destroys. Love liberates and sets you free. Lust demands. Love commands. Lust gets you mixed up and confused. In love you are focused and spaced out!! Lust is only dark and monotonous. Love has many modes and colours. If someone's lust is interrupted they get angry and start hating. Hatred in the world today is not out of love, it is out of lust. Love is playfulness and in lust there is cunningness and manipulation. Shiva, the embodiment of innocence and love was meditating. His meditation was disturbed by an arrow of flowers from the lord of lust. As soon as Shiva woke up he opened his third eye and the lord of lust, Manmatha (one who churns the mind) was reduced to ashes. Everybody celebrated by throwing colors on each other realising that life is full of colours. We play many roles in our life. If all the roles get mixed up it becomes dark, like when you mix all the colours. The wise play each role distinctively side by side, like colors displayed side by side form a rainbow. JAl GURU DEV

Neagtivity Needs An Anchor

Guruji's Knowledge Sheet: Negativity needs an anchor Negativity cannot remain without a support. Positivity, happiness can be without any reason. The mind goes on trying to find support for its negativity. It looks for a hook to hang its negativity on - if not this person, then that thing or that person and so on. This perpetuates the maya! The creeper of negativity needs a support in order to grow. But negativity or a version for even one person can guarantee a one-way ticket to hell - you need nothing else! All negativity is a pointer to move to the centre and broaden the vision to the cosmic intelligence. Instead of focusing your attention on support for your negativity, look at the seed of negativity. With meditation, silence, kriya, the source of negativity is nipped at the root. Jai Guru Dev

Each One Of You Is A Light To Yourself

Each one of you is a light to yourself ---- Sri Sri Ravishankar,Oct.17 '09, Germany

Today is the festival of lights. Diwali means the festival of lights. Each one of you is a light to yourself. This festival is celebrated throughout India, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Mauritius, Suriname, Trinidad, and South Africa. People wish each other ‘Happy Diwali’ and exchange sweets.During Diwali, we let go of all the past burdens in the mind. Whatever is suppressed in the mind, you light firecrackers and let it go. Like crackers, the past is gone, all burnt out and a fresh new mind begins. This is Diwali.One candle is not enough. Everyone has to be happy and light up. Everyone has to be happy and wise. The light of wisdom is lit. Symbolically, we will light the light of wisdom and celebrate today. What do you say? The Diwali message is: Let go of the past. Celebrate life with wisdom. Without wisdom it is not true celebration at all. The wisdom is in knowing that the divinity is with me. Today is the day that you also look at all the wealth you have. You remember you have so much wealth and feel the abundance. Otherwise the mind is always in the space of lack, - ‘oh! This is not there, that is not there, sorry for this, sorry for that’. From lack, move on to abundance. The ancient custom is to put in front of you all the gold and silver coins. You bring all your wealth in front of you nd say, ‘look God has given me all this. I am so thankful! ‘ The Bible says,’ those who have more will be given to them; those who do not have, whatever little they have will also be taken away’. Feeling that abundance, you recognize you have been given plenty. Then we do Laxmi Pooja. The Goddess of wealth and prosperity is worshipped, and Lord Ganesh – that impulse of consciousness that removes all the obstacles in our path to happiness – that chanting is done today. For each country we will light one lamp. There are 27 countries in Europe. We will light one lamp for each country.Then we will meditate for a few minutes. When we meditate we thank the Universal spirit, power for giving us in abundance. We also pray for more so that we can serve more. Yes? Gold, silver is all just an outer symbol. The real wealth is deep within us. There is so much love, peace and joy. What more wealth do you need than this? Wisdom is the real wealth. Your character, your peace and confidence are the real wealth. When you move with a connection to the divinity there is nothing that is richer than this. That rich feeling comes inside you when you feel connected to the divinity, connected to the infinite. When the wave remembers that it is connected to the ocean, that it is part of the ocean, that strength is enormous!

Jai Gurudev

Diwali Message

Diwali Message---- Sri Sri Ravishankar

Diwali is lighting:

The lamp of love in one's heart;

The lamp of abundance in one's home;

The lamp of compassion to serve others;

The lamp of Knowledge to dispel darkness

Every lamp that you light is symbolic of a good quality. There are good qualities in every human being. Some have forbearance, some have love, strength, generosity; others have the ability to accept all as one' own, yet others have a scientific temperament that will uplift humanity; and others have the ability to unite people from all religions. A latent talent is a lamp. When latent talents awaken, that is Diwali. Don't be satisfied with simply lighting one lamp; light a thousand. Eg. If you are a good sevak, don't be satisfied only with that; light the lamp of wisdom in you. Acquire knowledge. If you are interested in acquiring knowledge, don't limit yourself only to that. Take an interest in the creative arts, in dance, music etc. Do you know why we do aarti? It is so that light of our life always rotates around the Divine. Do you know why we burst crackers? We suppress many emotions within ourselves; cravings, aversions, hatred or too much attachment and we reach bursting point.When there are a lot of worries, people say, "I feel my head is going to burst." If there is a lot of sorrow, people say, "My heart is going to burst." Knowing this experience, the ancient people said that when you see an explosion outside, you feel similar sensations within you as well. Along with the explosion, there is so much light. Similarly by lighting the crackers, when there is an explosion outside, you release the suppressed emotions and become hollow and empty. You become free and are able to celebrate the festival and distribute sweets. The darkness is dispelled, light has come into the house, and joy spreads. This is a festival of joy. It is said that for the fool, Diwali only comes once a year. But for the wise man, Diwali is every moment and every day. I would like you all to be wise and to celebrate Diwali every moment and every day of your life.

Jai Gurudev

WHO CONFERENCE KEY NOTE ADDRESS

WHO Conference Key note address [verbatim] by H.H. Sri Sri RavishankarOct.6th, '09, Sri Lanka Om shanti shanti shanti.Honorable Minister, His Excellencies and Dignitaries on the dais, friends and distinguished guests.As I was listening to our Honorable Minster of Health speak about mental well being, it came to my mind, you know the word for health in Sanskrit is Swastha that means one who is established in oneself, Swa means self Stha means one who is established in self. If you go to Bali island in Indonesia they greet you with OM SWASTHI RASTU – (may you have health), meaning well being, mental, physical, emotional, it includes everything, total well being. In the east, as it was being earlier mentioned that 2500 years ago we have had this education, common masses, I would take it even further back 5110 years it was in Bhagvat Gita concept of well being, social well being is mentioned and even earlier Maharishi Patanjali made this whole treatise on yoga and how you can be happy physically, mentally and socially. If someone is obsessed with hatred, anger and jealousy they are not considered to be socially well ; of course it is an ancient concept to have this mind which is a container of all knowledge, which is a container of intelligence, emotion and life force as such cleansed to keep it healthy and to get rid of this jealousy, hatred etc.If you analyze today's problem there is hatred in society, there is greed, there is fear and because of this, depression sets. It was appalling to hear that depression will be the Number 1 disease in the coming decades in the world. In Europe nearly 30% of the population suffers from mental depression, 30% of the population!!! I was invited to address the psychiatrists in Europe and they said you know "we expect this rate of mental depression to go up to 48% in the coming decade'' and you can't feed half the population Prozac or other anti- depressant, you need other ways, you have to change life styles, bring certain changes in our life styles and educate our self, what I would call as mental hygiene, you know dental hygiene, oral hygiene we teach people how to keep their teeth intact but we are not teaching how to keep our mind sane or behavior pattern sane.I am happy that the World Health Organization has taken up this project now. It should have been taken a few decades before. We could have saved our planet from so much of this terrorism, hatred, ethnic conflicts, religious strives and emotional upheavals, traumas, but never the less we are now taking action. It has to take a fast track -educative and preventive programs throughout the world, even if one small pocket of the planet is left uneducated about mental well being you are not in a safe world. Terrorism is one such example of extreme mental sickness. So, in this august meeting, we will all have to sit and think of how we can reach sanity to every nook and corner of the planet. One idea is to bring the spiritual knowledge, ancient knowledge we have in this part of the world, bring a more secular, scientific attitude or temperament so that spirituality is accepted by all sections of society. It has to be free from dogmas. Scientific and secular spirituality is what we need, that would give to the world a mind which is healthy which can take any stress or pressure that the modern society is posing in front of us. It is unfortunate that in some countries yoga is banned. Yoga is a very simple way to keep your system free from stress, to keep happy, to keep contented. I think it is just because of lack of education. If the World Health Organization takes such a role to convey to the people, countries, and the health ministers of the various countries where they are trying to ban or partially ban yoga and yogic practices, to realize the importance of it.And usually we say there are 4 sources of energy, 1st source is food that everybody agrees and we all know and there is lot of education on nutrition today and the 2nd source of energy is sleep, you give someone enough food and you don't let them sleep they go mad, they go insane. A good amount of sleep, not too much and not too little, someone sleeps 10hrs everyday they get duller and duller day by day. So the right amount of sleep 6 to 8hrs of sleep would give you enough energy not less. 3rd source of energy is breathing as our honorable guest from Thailand emphasized on the breathing. I would say most of the illness can be handled through breathing exercises. Proper breathing can improve the blood circulation, neurological health, physical health and mental health - breathing is very important for energising our system. 4th source of energy I would say is a happy mind, meditative mind.A meditative mind gives you so much energy. You might have experienced in your own life you know, when there is a function at home and you have to work 16-18hours a wedding or housewarming ceremony or any new project which is very emotionally dear to you, you work 18hours, 20hrs you don't get tired but in the office you are asked to take 2 more hours to work you feel exhausted, so the mind plays an important role. The commitment in the mind, the focus in the mind brings lots of energy too. So meditation is the 4th source of energy. So you need to educate the population on this, and all the 4 different sources of energy so that they can benefit by attending to them.Mental well being to me is improved perception, improved observation and improved expression. Like, the body grows from the time you are born to the age 21, 22 and then the body starts deteriorating, our mental age, our mental well being should grow simultaneously from childhood we need to keep improving our perception, observation and our expression this has no age, usually psychologists say 50 or 40 it stops, middle age our mental observation, expression starts deteriorating. I say if you are practicing yoga or meditation this doesn't happen. There is no decay of your mental well being. You know the other day a psychologist came to me, he has opened a clinic and says ''Guruji, please give me blessings ''. I said ''what?!!’’, I don't get patients, please bless me so that I get at least 3-4patients, I can break even, I can make some money”. Asking me to give blessing so that patients come to them, probably the psychologist would be happy to hear that there is one suicide every 40second so that there is dearth for patients. There is a taboo about mental well being, it is not that there no mentally sick people but unlike going to a doctor if you have some other illness, if you are mentally not well you go to a doctor then that is taboo, there is stigma attached to it, so you feel very down, the family and the society looks down upon you. We need to correct this through education, educating people you know it is ok to go and see psychiatrist / psychologist and it is normal. In some countries it is a fashion, at least one member in a family goes to a counselor in Argentina, if you go to Buenos Aires you find lot of people go to psychologist even though they are well, they have no mental illness. It is a sort of fashion to go to a psychologist / psychiatrist / counselor, to talk about how you feel and what's your problem in your life, but in South Asian countries you have big taboo about it. We have to get rid of this stigma , we have to get rid of the stigma no doubt, also, we have to educate people in our own ways of meditation, of yoga, breathing techniques, of spirituality of community living, community service, singing, dancing, participating in social activities, games, all these can help in the mental well being.You know, I heard that a very well know industrialist in India, he would call all doctors at his house, anyone says he is a doctor he would invite him / her and give them the fees, take the prescription whatever they give and then get all the medicines as well ! So his attendant asked him,'' why do you call all these doctors?'' , he replied,'' so that they will live, make a living'' Then the attendant asked, ‘why do you buy all the medicines they prescribe - Unani, ayurveda, alopathy, homeopathy- why do you buy all the medicines sir ???''. He replied,'' so that the pharmaceutical companies can live''. ''But sir, you don't take any of these medicines??''...he replied,'' So that I could live myself! ''(laughter). You know the irony is medicine is not the answer for all this, placebo effect has demonstrated to the world over and over that it is not just swallowing pills that you can get well or taking more and more of these vitamins and minerals that you are going to be better. You need to attend to lifestyle, you need to attend to your food habits, you need to attend to how you interact with people, what are you taking from every interaction.As I am speaking, see if you observe the mind, mind is saying ''yes or no'', mind is accepting that which it already agrees and knows, or every few minutes mentally we go for a cappuccino or a cup of tea, or presence of mind is not there! And this is a problem in our schools and colleges, children say we study for whole day but nothing remains in our mind, retention power has become so less, you ask today's youth to narrate one movie or story he has seen, you know he can't do it completely he will mix it up with 2/3 movies that he has seen, because the stimulus bombardment to our mind is so high we are not recuperating that energy, that mental energy, a sense of well being. We are not attending to the container; we are simply dumping things into the container. Information is being pumped into the container; we are not expanding the capacity of the container or attending to its cleanliness. Mind is our container, container of our life, we need to expand it and this happens through a few moments of silence, few moments of meditation, few moments of deep relaxation and I am so glad that this breakthrough has happened in the world today through the World Health Organization recognizing this mental well being. Recognizing that the people's behavioral pattern had to be attended to, otherwise they are not healthy. You know in many meetings people sit and talk for hours together and argue and counter argue really not being aware of what they are saying. I would like you to ponder on this, - come up with practical solutions, and create teams, combined efforts of NGOs, governmental agencies, civil society, everyone together, religious bodies, religious institutions should get on to this project, a combined effort of all of us, of this different aspect of society, to make society, the world, a better place, a better human being for the coming generations. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Jai Gurudev

Preciousness Within

Preciousness withinObjects will gain value and lose value, but space will never lose value. When you buy a cup, what do you give the value for? Do you give money for the space inside, or for the outer material? Have you ever thought about it? If you have a lump of clay in your hand, is there any value for it? But when the lump of clay is made into a cup, you give value for the space. And that value will never diminish. The purpose of the space is always served. Whether it is a stainless steel glass, stainless steel cup, or glass, or china clay, or silver cup, the space inside the cup is what really serves, isn't it? That is what really matters. Space can never lose its value. So what is precious? Whatever you think is very precious is very costly, very expensive. The most expensive things are least used! They are least useful. How do you put value on something ,“ by its utility, or by its rareness of availability? If something is available in plenty, you don't value it more. Why do you value gold so much, or diamonds so much, or any precious stones so much? It is because they are not easily available. If diamond is just found on all over the street or if the mountains are just diamonds, everywhere, who would value diamonds, right? So what is more valuable? It is that which is useful. Take, for example, iron and gold. Gold is more expensive and iron is basically essential and useful. Without iron, you will collapse. Your body needs iron every second to survive. Iron is valuable, because it is the most useful thing. And whatever is most useful, what is most valuable for your life is available in plenty. Water is most essential in life. You value water, air etc which are so essential in life, and they are available in plenty. Isn't it? Now which is precious “ iron or gold? You can live without gold, but you cannot live without iron. We have a whole wrong system of evaluation in the world! We value useless things a lot. A piece of stone, red, or yellow, or pink, or whatever, is very rarely available and so we want it even if it is so expensive! We put all our earnings, all our money into it. But that is not essential to life at all! To have that diamond, emerald or jade etc, people breathe in all the polluted air all the time, work day and night, earn a lot of money, and put them in the jewellery. Is this not utter foolishness? What is most precious, your health, you are destroying. You are not breathing in good air, but you are buying diamond and what not,all those precious stones! This is lack of education! There are two types of sadhaks or seekers. 1 : The first type of seekers is those having the capability and capacity to digest knowledge, and act according to knowledge. 2 : The other type of seekers are those who make mistakes, knowingly make mistakes and feel sorry for them later on. To repeat, the second type of sadhaks is those who make mistakes but who are pained by their own mistakes. Even then, you are on the path of devotion, because the pain of not having done something that you should be doing or should have done will make you deep. If you cover your mistake, you will not even feel bad about it deeply. If you feel deeply bad about it, you feel your helplessness, your weakness, that weakness itself can make you a prayerful seeker. And then you will see whatever that was bothering you will fall away from you. Whatever habit you don't want to have, you'll feel that it has fallen off from you when you cry for help. It is said, the Divine dawns in you when you cry for it, when you sing for it. When you sing, very quickly the Divine love comes back to you, dawns on you again; it comes to one's experiences. This is for sure! The Divine is only waiting for you to dig a little deeper into yourself; that is all. Because it can then fill you with much more nectar! The deeper you are, you'll be filled with more nectar. Divine is waiting to give you more. It wants you to create more space in you. Cry from your soul for help. This is for those seekers who are weak. Those seekers who are strong, for them, with the power of knowledge they can sing with that joy of what they have achieved! Sing with the gratitude in your heart. Sing the glory of the Divine. The moment you sing in gratitude, in glory of the Divine, it immediately dawns in you, and fills you up again. There are two aspects. 1 : One is a seeker who is grateful for all his growth and all that he has received, so grateful with the knowledge. 2 : The other is so helpless and weak due to own weakness. And both will be helped. And both can grow when they both sing. Because in that singing, either with pain or with joy and gratitude, the Divine dawns and the experience happens, for sure! Of all the truths in the world, Divine love alone is the supreme. Because anything else you do, be it a righteous action, if it has no love behind it, that action is worthless. Suppose you have knowledge and the knowledge does not create love and totality of awareness in you, that knowledge is useless! How can you even have the knowledge if there is no love? If you love astronomy then you will go more deep into it. Of the eternal truth, only love stands, and it is the most important. And what is Love? Love is not just an emotion,Oh, I love you so much. That is not love. Love is seeing that there is no difference. I am you, you are me. You are part of me, I am part of you. Feeling that oneness is love. And it's not just an intellectual understanding, but coming in the level of experience and living that. Living life as joy and ease is spirituality. Spirituality is not some ritual, or doing something. It's a very pleasant, uplifted state of your being and seeing that the whole world is all spirit or consciousness. Seeing that there is one Big Mind among all the human beings, animals and all the life in the world is spirituality, and that Love is the essence of Life.

Jai Gurudev

Our Layers Of Existence

OUR LAYERS OF EXISTENCE-------- Sri Sri Ravishankar

If you are thinking only of the ground reality then no creativity will come and if you are only on imagination, then too there is no creativity. A balance is needed. See, life is also like that — a balance between our intellect and our heart, or feeling, or intuition. Listening to our gut feeling, developing that intuitive ability within us is another aspect of creativity. So, when such blocks come into us, there is a way to eliminate them. How? By studying our own seven layers of our existence. I call science as a study of “what is this” and spirituality as a study of “who am I?”. They are not at loggerheads at all, they go hand in hand. So study about yourself, your seven layers of existence. What are they?

1. The Body.

2. The Breath — are you all breathing now? See, many times we are not even aware that we are breathing. That something, which keeps our body alive, we don’t care to look into it. Our breath has great secrets to offer.

3. Then comes the Mind. Mind is perception, observation and expression.

4. Then is the Intellect — the judgement, the arguments, the agreement or disagreement that happens within us is all part of our intellect.

5. The Memory — if you observe the memory, it stores the memory of unpleasant things much more than the pleasant. We take the insults and preserve it in our memory much more than the pleasant events. This is the nature of memory.

6. Then comes the Ego — the more we study, the more learned we become; we become so stiff. We lose our smile, we lose our innocence, we lose our friendliness. Learned people get a sort of an ego — that I am much better than the other, more learned, I know better than them — this ego of “I know better” takes away certain beautiful things from your life. One should have a sense of belongingness with everybody, naturalness. Ego dampens one’s personality. Today, what we lack is really good examples of personality. Knowledge is there in all the libraries — but what the books cannot transmit is the personal charisma, the vibration a person emits. The friendly and warm atmosphere a person carries along with him/her.

7. The seventh layer is the Self. Self is that something that is the reference point of all changes in life. We notice that everything is changing in our life — our body, our mind, our thought, our environment, and our behaviour. If everything is changing then how do we know the change? Because there is a reference point, something that doesn’t change, we are able to notice the change. And this reference point, the non-changing something that is in every one of us, I would call the Self.

The scriptures would call it atman.A little bit of knowledge about these seven layers of existence makes a big, big difference in our lives. It brings cheer, freshness, and we become so alive and childlike. If you are cheerful, you will be creative.

Otherwise you are so dull.

Jai Gurudev !

Life And Love

Life and Love......"Sri Sri Ravishankar" If you just look into all the pleasures or joy that you get in life from the world, from anything---they all come with a tax. You have to pay a tax for them. And this tax is sorrow. The direction of life is towards one thing: that is love. You be prosperous and have no love, that prosperity has no value. You are on spiritual path but you don’t experience love, then that spiritual path is no path, it is very dry. When we express love too much, then also it disappears, dies out. It’s like when you keep the seed on the surface of the soil, not a little deep inside, it doesn’t grow.All these different desires for experiences, for living, for knowing -- they arise and they get fulfilled and they move. Is there anybody who has not fulfilled any desire? Or is there anybody who has fulfilled all the desires? Is there any end for it? Want, or desire, arises when you are not happy. Have you seen this? When you are very happy then there is contentment. "Contentment" means "no want." To your very dear and loved ones, you say this: "If you need me, I am here. I am here for you. I am here to make you comfortable." Those are the moments that you have really lived your life. There is no way---not by any action or by words---that you can ever convince anybody that you really love them. The more we try to do it, the more we are doing the contrary. When you tell somebody you love them, make sure you are not saying it out of your "vasanas," your own cravings, your own impressions, your own craving for some joy.If you make someone feel guilty about their mistake, then you have not forgiven them. That guilt itself is a punishment. See a mistake as a mistake , not as "my" or "his" mistake. "My" mistake means guilt over oneself ; "his" mistake means anger towards the other person. Someone else throws a garbage and we are ready to take it all in. Someone got hurt and they are thro wing all anger, frustration; and you hear [them]. You say, "Oh, why did so-and-so say such things!" And you immediately grasp those things, and you store it in your mind. Now not only that person has been in misery, you have shared that misery with that person, taken it on you.Why ? The question mark is like a hook. That means you hook the past. So you ask, "Why did it happen?" and you hook the past, hook with a question, and you go on grumbling and grinding and grinding in your mind. If you are against someone, you have no freedom from them. If you find fault in someone, and your mind is set against them, know that you are stuck with them, glued with them! Super glue! See the nature of mind: if there are ten good qualities and one negative, the mind clings on to that one negative. Ten compliments and one insult, the mind will forget all the ten compliments. It hangs on to the one insult and goes on and on and on about it. To break free, you have to totally surrender. There is no freedom at all without surrender, and when you surrender you get infinite freedom. The greater your surrender is, the greater your freedom, that much the load is taken off of you. The greatest power is in surrender---surrender to the Divine. How can we not see this? That everything in the body is happening by itself. Everything in creation is happening by itself. The flowers are blossoming, the leaves are becoming green, the petals are becoming yellow, the sun is rising, setting---how could one be so blind not to see an "unseen hand" behind this whole creation? If a flower does not remind you of the eternal Truth, then it has not fulfilled its purpose.Life begins when we step out of the small chattering mind. How do we do that ? Through samadhi ! When you meditate, you are not just bringing a harmony within yourself, but you are influencing the subtle layers of creation, the subtle bodies of all the different levels of existence in the creation. The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched, pure and ever green, blissful area of our Self. Bondage is not anywhere outside. It is in the mind, in the consciousness. The transcendental principal, the fourth state of our consciousness, rules over all the other influences of all the planets or cosmic rays. So, if you could meditate, you nullify all the undesirable effects of the cosmic rays, the cosmos. Singing, chanting, meditating can eliminate all those undesirable effects.The purpose of every practice — spiritual practice, meditation,breathing techniques, and kriya, all this — is to uncover something that blocks the expression of Divine Love. Let go of all your efforts, searches and desires, for God can be felt only in deep peace and stillness.Our senses have a limited capacity to enjoy, but the desire in the mind to enjoy is infinite. This is where opposition begins: the mind wants to enjoy, but your body is too tired to enjoy. You sit and think; you sit and feel. Do you think that feeling just remains with you? It reaches far beyond this Universe. Your intentions, your feelings get spread much faster than the radiation. It is spread all over this globe and far, far beyond.When you see this whole flow of events in life as temporary, as nonexistent, then, even when someone scolds at you, you smile.The Divine is only waiting for you to dig a little deeper into yourself, that is all. Jai Gurudev !

The Five Insights

The Five Insights---- Sri Sri Ravishankar, September '07 Love is your nature.In the process of its expression, you often get caught up in the object. This is when your sight is caught outside. To return back to your nature, you need insight. 1. Pain is the first insight.It takes you away from the object and turns you towards your body and mind. 2. Energy is the second insight.A bolt of energy brings you back to your Self. 3. Divine Love is the third insight.A glimpse of Divine love makes you so complete and over rules all the relative pleasures. 4. Trance is the fourth insight.An elevation of consciousness and partial awareness of the physicalreality around is Trance. 5. Non-dual existence, that all is made up of one and only one, is the fifth insight. When love glows, it is bliss, When it flows, it is compassion, When it blows, it is anger, When it ferments, it is jealously, When it is all "No"'s, it is hatred, When it acts, it is perfection, When love Knows, it is ME! Jai Gurudev

The Six Signs OF A Seeker

The Six Signs Of A Seeker---- Sri Sri Ravishankar, September '07 1.Acknowledging that one knows very little.Many people think they know, without knowing or they get stuck in their limited knowledge. So they never learn. So the first thing is to acknowledge that one knows very little. 2. Willingness to know.Many people acknowledge that they do not know, but they are not ready to learn. 3. Being non-judgmental and open-minded.Some people would like to learn but their judgmental attitude and close-mindedness does not allow them to learn. 4. Total commitment and one-pointed ness to the path one has chosen.Some people are open-minded but lack commitment and one-pointedness. They keep shopping here and there and never progress. 5. Always putting truth and service before pleasure.Sometimes even committed and one-pointed people stay away from the path in pursuit of momentary pleasures. 6. Patience and perseverance.Some people are not swayed by pleasures and are committed and one-pointed, but if they lack patience and perseverance, they become restless and dejected. Jai Gurudev. __________________

Money Creates A False Sense Of Independence

Money gives one a sense of freedom and ownership. We believe that with money we can own anything, that we can put a price tag on anybody’s services. Ownership of something means total control of its existence. When we buy apiece of land, we feel that we own it, although the land continues to existeven after the owner is no more. How can we own something that outlives us?

Money also gives the idea that we are powerful and independent, blinding usto the fact that we live in a world of interdependence. We depend onfarmers, cooks, drivers and the services of so many people around us. Even an expert surgeon cannot operate by herself. She depends on others. Becausewe pay for their services, we overlook the fact that we depend on them.If we look at why most people with money are arrogant we will find it is because of the feeling of independence that money brings.

The awareness of dependence on the other hand makes one humble. The basic human quality of humility is taken away by a false feeling of independence.Can money really reflect the worth of a person? We cannot put a value to human life. Wealth can be attained through one's skills, abilities,inheritance, or through corrupt means. The means of attaining wealth brings its own consequences. The very motive for corruption is peace and happiness.Yet peace and happiness remain elusive when the means are corrupt.As possession of money creates the illusion of independence, money is often referred to as maya. A Sanskrit phrase sums it up: 'Miyate anaya iti maya' –That which can be measured is maya.

On the other hand, some people blame money for all the ills in society.There are others who even consider it an evil. Just as possessing money brings arrogance, rejecting it too makes one arrogant. Some people who renounce money take pride in their poverty to draw attention and sympathy.

However, ancient sages honoured money or maya as a part of the divine and transcended the grip of its illusion. They knew that when we reject or hate something, we can never transcend it.They honoured wealth as Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Narayana. She is born out of yoga. It is yoga that transforms the bad karma and brings out latent skills and talents. It also brings up ashtasiddhis, the eight perfections and nav nidhis, the nine wealths.Yoga helps one move from arrogance to self-confidence, meekness to humility,dependence to interdependence, from craving for freedom to the recognitionof unboundedness and from a limited ownership to oneness with the whole.

When people lack faith in the Divine or in their own abilities or in the goodness of society they suffer from a deep sense of insecurity. As a result all that appears to provide security is money. They rely on something that is not certain, and end up getting upset. Uncertainty causes craving for stability.The world is of change; the Self is of non-change. We have to rely on the non-change and accept the change. This is like perceiving the real as unrealand unreal as real. In fact, all miseries are unreal. A wise man knows that happiness is real, as it is our very nature. Unhappiness is unreal because it is inflicted by memory. When we see everything as a dream, then we abidein our true nature -- love, joy and peace. We then understand that money isnot all-important. Values, sense of belonging, love and care are more important.

Jai Gurudev.

PROBLEMS IN LIFE

Problems in Life---- Sri Sri Ravishankar, Bangalore Ashram , June 10 '07,

Final day of the Women's Conference

After the initial set of bhajans in the Satsang, Guruji spoke about problems in our life. He said there are four different varieties of problems which everybody has to deal with in one’s life and they can be categorized in separate baskets.

They are,1 - Finance related problems: These problems include all the aspects related to the material world e.g. one's home, education, job, vehicle etc. It includes all the things, where money becomes an important aspect. These can be put in one basket. In one's life one goes on filling this basket of problems and it is overflowing in majority of the cases.

2 - Health related problems: The second type of problem one deals with is related to health. Everyone has faced one or the other health problem in one's life. These can be put in the second basket and this basket overflows as well.

3 - Relationship related problems: The third type of problem includes relationships; for eg. what people think about me; I had to say this, but I have not said; I should have given him a good reply; these are the problems related to relationships with our family members, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and people whom we do not know also. These can be put in the third basket and this too overflows all the time.

4 - Society related problems: The Fourth type of problem is in the category of bigger problems related to society, country, the world eg. pollutions-related issues, Global warming, Female Foeticide, environmental and ecological problems, corruption etc. These are in general, problems of our local and global society as a whole. In some or the other way these problems also worries human beings. These big problems can be put in the fourth basket.

Often the first three baskets are full and we keep on filling them. However the fourth basket which is the basket of bigger problems is filled seldom or remains empty for most of time.We never bother to fill it at all as our mind is already preoccupied with the first three baskets of problems. Now is the time to think of filling this fourth basket. You start filling the fourth basket and work for the society, I shall take care of your other three remaining baskets - I promise !

Jai Gurudev

Pearls Of Knowledge

Pearls of knowledge - His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Drop all the divisions (of the mind), altogether. This is what is holding you back from enlightenment. This is what is holding you back from your very nature. Drop those right now. Your own judgement brings the barrier, separates you, makes you behave so funny. When you are judging, you are judging your own self, but you are super-imposing it on this, or this, or this, or this, or this. The entire universe is just an expression, projection, of the Being, of the Self.Within this small body, you are able to experience the infinite space. Though enlightenment is one in the world, there are many different flavors. A poor man celebrates the new year once a year. A rich man celebrates each day. But the richest man celebrates every moment. Abiding in the self you become the valentine for the whole world. Spirit is the valentine of matter and matter is the valentine of the spirit. Enlightenment is beyond seasons like the evergreen coconut tree. The world appears imperfect on the surface but underneath, all is perfect. Perfection hides; imperfection shows off. Sincerity is being in touch with your Depth. A big Mind that is God. And your mind is part of that big Mind. You are total. You are full. You have all that you need. Do not underestimate yourself. A devotee will never fall. He cannot fall. There is no chance for it. Abundance is a state of mind within you. If you just look at "lack," the lack increases in life. The best "puja," the best form of worship, is to be happy, to be grateful. Over-indulgence in anything reduces the beauty. Behind every activity, pleasant, unpleasant, chaotic, harmonious, is one Divinity. Basing your life on words is very superficial. Whatever you want for others will happen to you. See a mistake as a mistake, not as "my" or "his" mistake. "My" means guilt; "his" means anger. "Want" is always hanging on to the "I." When the "I" itself is dissolving, "want" also dissolves, disappears. See, ninety percent of this body is only space, and space, and space. And what is in this space? That is mind; that is consciousness; that is intelligence. Without being critical, the intellect cannot progress. But that criticism should not come from the heart; it can come from the throat. If any has to be given, this is the blessing that has to be given: "Be devoid of feverishness." The Self is the center of the whole creation. If you are passionate, be passionate for the highest, the most wonderful, the most beautiful. Be passionate for this entire creation-everything is so beautiful Truth cannot be understood through proof. Anything that can be proven can be disproven also. Truth is beyond proof or disproof. Take a while and just relax. Repose in the depth of your being. Forgetfulness is one of the greatest blessings. Events cannot stick on to you. You are like the pure crystal. Niranjanah---untouched, unstained by anything. Beauty has three levels: indication, expression, and exposure. Spirituality indicates, art expresses, and science exposes. You are Divine. You are part of me. I am part of you. Life is a package of surprise gifts for you. When heart speaks and heart listens, harmony is produced. It is always so. When head talks and head listens, argument is produced.

Jai Gurudev

CLOSE TO THE MASTER

June 21, 1995 California, U.S.A. CLOSE TO THE MASTER If you're not feeling close to the Guru, it's because of you. Because of your mind, because of your ego concepts. Share with the Guru that which is very important or intimate to you. Share that. Do not feel shame, shy, or judgmental about yourself. Unless you express to the Master that which is very intimate and important to you, just being on the formal and informal communication levels cannot make you feel close. "How are you, where are you going? How have you been?" Stop formal and superficial conversations with the Master and speak with your heart that which is very important and intimate, very deep to your life. Don't just say how much the squash costs, 30 cents or whatever. If you don't feel close to the Master, there's no point in having a Master. It is just another burden to you. You have enough already. Just say "Goodbye," get rid of it. Question: When you play little games and push us away, how can we feel close to you? Answer: You should feel more close if you are pushed away, scolded or ignored. Because to ignore somebody takes a lot of effort. When a Master does not even ignore wrapping paper, or a flower that is in a vase, how can he ignore a walking, talking, breathing human being who is connected? How could that be ignored? So when you understand this, you already feel close. Question: Can we call you every week? Response from the room: Call Guruji every week and if he doesn't answer the phone then you know you are loved. Answer: Yes, put that in. (Laughter) You are with the Master to share the joy of the Master, to share the consciousness of the Master. For that, you have to empty your cup of what is already in it. So you share that with the Master. You share whatever you have and don't judge, "Oh, that is garbage." The Master is ready to accept any garbage of any extent. However you are, he will embrace you. He is ready to share. You only have to share from your side. Jai Guru Dev

HOW TO FORGIVE...

How to forgive (a story) ‐ Sri Sri A story from Buddha’s life ‐ Sri Sri : Once Buddha was in an assembly when a man walked in looking furious. He thought Buddha was doing something wrong. He was a restless businessman and he had found that his children were spending hours with Buddha when they could have engaged themselves in business at that time, making more and more money. He felt that spending four hours of their day seated next to someone whose eyes were always closed was incredulous. This was what had upset the businessman. So, with furiousness walked straight up to Buddha looked him the eye and spat. He was so angry, he could not find the words to exprss them that he merely spat at Budha. Buddha simply smiled. He showed no anger, though the disciples around him were angry. They would have liked to react but could not because Buddha was there. So, everybody was holding their lips and fists tight. After the businessman spat at Buddha and realised his action was not drawing a reaction, simply walked away in a huff. Buddha did not react or say anything. He just smiled. And that was enough to shock the angry man. For the first time in his life, the man had met someone who would just smile when he spat on his face. That man could not sleep all night and his whole body underwent such a transformation. He was shivering, shaking. He felt as if the whole world had turned upside down. The next day he went and fell at Buddha’s feet and said, “Please forgive me. I did not know what I did.” To which Buddha replied, “I cannot excuse you!” Everyone including the man and Buddha’s disciples were flabbergasted. Buddha then explained the reason for his statement. He said, “Why should I forgive you when you have done nothing wrong”. The businessman looked a little more surprised and told Buddha that it was he who had wronged him by spitting on him. Buddha simply said, “Oh! That person is not there now. If I ever meet that person whom you spat on, I will tell him to excuse you. To this person who is here, you have done no wrong.” That is real compassion. MORAL : Compassion is not saying, “I forgive you.” Your forgiveness should be such that the person who is forgiven, does not even know that you are forgiving them. They should not even feel guilty about their mistake. YOU HAVE TO DO IS... If someone holds on to you for something you did in the past, just laugh at them. This is because you are not the same person now. You see it as though somebody else did it. This is because the samskara of your consciousness has been erased, those things of the past have been erased. This makes you a new person, every time, every day. This is pure knowledge.

Jai Gurudev

NIMIT Instrument Of THe Divine

New Delhi 15 Nov 2000 India NIMIT - INSTRUMENT OF THE DIVINE

When you are neither clear nor confused, only then can you be a perfect instrument of the Divine! How would an instrument know what is going to be, and when? How can an instrument be confused, and how can an instrument be clear! This state is called Nimit - just being an instrument of the Divine. Being very clear means not opening to new possibilities and can lead to limitations. Unlimited possibilities are open to one who is not clear and not confused. Your mind swings from clarity to confusion and confusion to clarity but the state in which there is no doership nor inertia is the most creative and progressive state. Will this not lead to lethargy? Sri Sri: No. A sharp instrument does its job perfectly, effortlessly. What about focus? Sri Sri: Focus is natural to a dynamic consciousness. Confusion arises when new information flows in and clarity is lost. Then confusion again seeks clarity. Clarity constricts the possibility of new information. A confused consciousness seeks clarity and every confusion is breaking away from clarity. If there is only confusion, there is frustration. If there is only clarity, there is rigidity. After giving contradictory knowledge, Krishna tells Arjuna, "Just be Nimit!" And to be an instrument, the prerequisite is to be madly in love! That's why in love there is neither confusion nor clarity; or there is both - confusion and clarity! Is truth more important than love? Sri Sri: I'm confused! Is it clear? (laughter)

Jai Gurudev.

WHAT IS LIFE ? WHY AM I HERE?

25th June 2006 What is life? Why am I here? Certain questions indicate the maturity of our mind. Do you know what those questions are? They are: What is life? What is the purpose of my life? Why am I here? What do I want? If these questions arise in your mind, it is a sign of the mind or intellect getting matured. Otherwise the mind is just in routine doing the same thing again and again, not even introspecting looking into the source of life. These questions are vital. Where am I? Are you aware you are on this planet Earth? Have you ever thought “I am on planet Earth and this planet is in the solar system”? So, I am in the solar system. The solar system is just a dot in the Milky Way. So, I am in the Milky Way. This expansion of awareness to the macrocosm and being aware of where you are in this body is important. Just sit with your eyes closed and ask yourself “where am I in this body”? Am I in the head, in the nose, in the heart? Where am I in the body? Then the sharpness of the mind happens, awareness happens. You are able to perceive that you are nowhere and you are everywhere in the body. A shift in the quality of awareness happens instantaneously. And it is this awareness that can eliminate stresses and sorrows from life. This awareness is called wisdom. Every living being wants happiness, everyone wants to be in love. Everyone wants to be loved and everyone wants to give love. Right? There is not a single creature on this planet that doesn’t like love. And do you know that love is the cause of all misery also? Love is the cause of jealousy, anger, hatred, fear, everything. The basis of all problems in the world is again love! You have two choices. You can be indifferent or be in love and go through the suffering. Is there any other third hope for being in love and not facing all the miseries? Yes. It is through awareness. When we raise our consciousness, we become more aware of the sensation that is happening in the body and we see that the sensations change. An intense sensation that is pain and an intense sensation that is pleasure, both become pleasurable. Love and pain, they are very closely related. The symbol of Jesus on the cross means that the cross is pain and Jesus is love. One is with the other. The transformation of this pain into bliss, the love into bliss is what happens with awareness. The same happens with doubts. Have you noticed doubts are always about something positive? We never doubt anything negative in life. You never doubt someone else’s anger or your anger. You never doubt your depression. Nobody ever doubts his/her depression. But when one is happy, one doubts, am I really happy? If someone tells you they hate you, you don’t doubt it but if someone tells you they love you, you say: “Really? Are you sure?” If we can doubt in the negativity of people, we become close to the reality. Do you see what I am saying? We take it for granted that everybody is a hoax or a fraud and then we try to find somebody we can trust. It becomes so difficult in the world. Sometimes you have a lot of doubts in your mind. But when you increase the energy level in your body, you will see that the doubts disappear. There is more clarity in the mind. Confusion goes away from the mind. Without this awareness the mind shrinks. When the mind shrinks, the joy diminishes. Whenever we are happy, we feel that something in us is expanding and the expression of sadness is the contraction of mind. Meditation is a technique where the mind expands and relaxes. And whenever we are relaxed, we are expanding automatically. It is worth knowing this expansion because then nothing can disturb us or take our smile away. Otherwise, some small things can throw us off the balance. It is not worth letting your mind or your life undergo such suffering, such misery. Do you see that?

Jai Gurudev

Happiness Is..........

11th June 2006 Happiness is... Every moment that you spend here on this planet, know that you are for a unique, big purpose, far greater than just to eat, sleep and talk. You are here for a greater cause. Just remember that. Take a challenge — “Come what may, I am going to smile today and be happy!” For our growth, and to strengthen our lives, we need to follow some rules. These rules are called “yama” (social ethics) and “niyama”(personal ethics). They are the first two steps (or limbs) of yoga of inner union. Yama There are five rules to living peacefully in society and the environment: The first rule is “ahimsa” or non-violence. Non-violence unites you with the whole of creation. Just as you don’t harm yourself, you don’t harm the rest of creation. Everything is part of you, so how can you harm anything? Ahimsa is the practice of yoga, of not harming, and realising that everything is here. The second rule is “satyam” or truthfulness. You don’t lie to yourself, do you? You can’t lie to yourself. If you are weaving beads, you don’t say, “I am not weaving beads.” You are, and you know it. When you have chocolate in your hand, you don’t say, “I don’t have chocolate in my hand.” You do have chocolate in your hand! The third is “astheya”, meaning, not missing what you don’t have at this moment, nor wishing things were different from what they are at the moment — not regretting. Astheya is not: “I wish I had a voice like that person! I wish I could sing like that person. I wish I were young like that person. I wish I could run like that person. I wish I could be as intelligent as that person…” It is not comparing yourself with others, and wishing for what they have and you don’t have. Fourth is “brahmacharya”, meaning, not interested in the shapes and forms of the body. The mind, here, sees beyond the physical, to the infinite. Brahmacharya is keeping the mind on bigger things. “Brahma” means big; moving in bigger things. “I am small”, “I am a man”, “I am a woman”, “I am a good person”, “I am a bad person”, “I am hopeless” — all these are small identifications. Fifth is “aparigraha”, meaning, not taking what people give you. You know, it is surprising that you often take the insults people give you, much more than their compliments! Right? Sometimes, they are not even “giving” you these insults — they are simply taking the insults “out of their pockets”, but you grab them, and keep them very safe with you! If someone is giving you garbage, they may not even really be giving you the garbage — they may simply be throwing it out, but you collect the garbage and hold on to it very safely! This is what most people do. They are ready to bounce up, take negativity and keep it to themselves. Don’t take anything from anybody, including insults! Of course, compliments don’t really bother us! They just go to our heads! What really bother us are the insults, the hurt, and all the negative words that we take from people. Don’t take them! Do you understand? This is aparigraha. Niyama There are five rules for one’s inner development: The first is “shaucha”, everyday cleanliness. It includes showering and keeping yourself clean, wearing clean clothes, and seeing that you don’t have bad breath. If someone stinks, they don’t notice it, but those sitting next to them do! The second is “santosha” or contentment… happiness. Be happy! If you don’t take a step towards being happy, nothing in this world can make you happy, and you go on complaining about this and that. Once, a farmer was complaining that the apples on his trees were not too good. Then, one year, he had very good apples! He had apples in plenty — three times more than the usual crop! Then he started complaining about having too much work to do, about having to pick all those apples, about how many were rotting, and about how the prices had gone down! There’s no end to complaining — but life goes on anyway! It flows like a river. How do you want to live the rest of your life — the remaining 30, 40, or 50 years? Smiling… or grumbling, feeling horrible about yourself, and blaming the whole world? So, the second rule is to be happy and content. Third is “tapas” — forbearance or penance — meaning, something is uncomfortable, but you still put up with it happily. It’s like people who go on marathon walks for 20 miles or 20 kilometres. If we had to simply walk 20 kilometres, we would grumble, but when it’s a marathon, then one says, “Oh! I am going to walk!” Whether you walk in a marathon, or you walk because your car broke down, your legs go through the same pain! But when you think you’re in a marathon, you come back the same, sweating and tired, but with a smile: “Oh! I did it!” This is tapas — willingly taking it. Suppose you have to travel in a plane for a long time — say eight or ten hours — what do you do? If you were asked to sit for ten hours, you would never do it, but in a plane, there is no way out! You have to sit… with a seatbelt on! You can watch TV to keep your mind occupied, but you still have to sit! So, willingly accepting opposites is tapas. This makes your body and mind strong. Whatever you can change, change. What you cannot change, accept. If it is too cold, put on a sweater. It’s as simple as that! When it is raining very heavily, and you get wet, inspite of an umbrella — get wet! Fourth is self-study — “swadhyaya”. Observe your mind, see what your mind says, how you behave, how you act, how you feel… Do you feel good? Do you feel bad? If you are feeling bad, just observe, you start feeling good again. When you are feeling good, observe. All feelings — good or bad — will change. Swadhyaya is self-study, self-observation. Fifth is “ishwara pranidhaana”, meaning, love for the Divine. Surrender to the Divine. When you feel you are helpless, you say, “Oh, God! You take whatever it is that I am feeling!” These are the ten rules that will make you strong, and feel whole and complete.

Jai Gurudev