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

BIG MIND

September 27, 1995 India BIG MIND You know there is a Big Mind and a small mind. Sometimes the Big Mind wins over the small mind and sometimes it is the other way around. When the small mind wins over, it is misery and when the Big Mind wins, it is joy. Small mind promises joy and leaves your hand empty. Big Mind may bring resistance in the beginning but fills you with joy. The word Guru means great. Jaya means victory. Deva means one who is funloving, playful, light. One who is playful is often not dignified and when one is dignified, he is often not playful. Jai Guru Dev is victory to the Big Mind in you that is both dignified and playful. That is what Jai Guru Dev means: "Victory to the Greatness in you." You do not say victory or hail to the Master as he has won over already. You say victory to your own Self, your own Mind, which is being veiled by the small mind. Jai Guru Dev

Vision For A Better Tomorrow

31st July 2005 Vision for a better tomorrow The health of a society is determined by the number of beds available in its hospitals and the occupancy of its prisons. In many developed countries prison occupancy touches around 160 percent and there is a need to build new prisons in these so-called developed countries. I would not call that a healthy society. A society where one-third of the population sees jail at one time or another maybe advanced in terms of economic indices, but it is not a developed society. If one in every five children goes to a psychiatrist, then that is not a healthy society. The health of a society depends on the wellbeing of its people, on the availability of places in hospitals and prisons. We do not need to build more hospitals. We need to teach people how to be healthy. Charity is not the only language we need to speak today. Today, we need to build the selfesteem of people. Of course you need to help them financially. At the same time, they should be made aware that they have the means to create something. We need to give them a vision. I have seen that people who have a vision or a dream contribute to the development of their society. People who encounter an urgent need too facilitate in society's development. Out of a need or a dream, a person gets motivated to do something. Today we lack both. We are not giving our people a vision, or a dream about one's village, society, or the world. There is no urgent need in our time. But see when the Tsunami disaster occurred everyone pitched in, everybody got together. Such an urgency or need such as a calamity makes people active. It brings the pro-activity in a person to the fore. In absence of such a need, people should have a dream, a vision about their country, their state, or their village. When there is a lack of these two things, we will have a slow and underdeveloped economy. I like the example of the sun drawing water from the earth and giving it back. We are dependent on the society and in turn society expects something from us, citizens. Each one of us is situated in that equation. We just need to attend this idea in our minds: What can I do for the society? What type of society do I want to leave behind for my children? One that is more beautiful than what we have inherited or one, which is more terror-stricken, unsafe, where we feel insecure and depleted of natural resources? These thoughts, ideas and such attitude of questioning have to be cultivated and ingrained in us. This can be brought about through education. I believe rural India does not lack in resources. But we have used the wrong channels. A white collared person earns less than a coolie or a labourer in a village, and he spends sixty percent of his income towards liquor. There is an absence of direction and focus. Drug abuse and alcoholism are principal factors contributing to the poverty in our country. These are the issues we need to address. And a third factor is violence, particularly domestic violence. So much is lost when violence takes over one's life, one's mind. The cause for violence is very simple to identify. It is stress, lack of understanding and a narrow vision of life. Don't you agree with this? I feel the success in life is measured by the smile you have on your face. A child smiles four hundred times in a day. An adolescent smiles only seventeen times and an adult doesn't smile at all. The same thing is replicated in bureaucracy. As one gets to a higher post, the more grim and stiff they become. One becomes more and inaccessible to people. Most of our development initiatives are hindered by such an attitude, which causes a lack of communication with people. Improvement of communication, sensitivity towards the environment, broader understanding about inter-dependence and a long-term vision, these are the basic factors that will bring about sustainable development. Without these, development will be like a stool that has no legs. Without these I do not see how sustainable development can be maintained or furthered. In all of this, the media has an important role to play. In this country, we have a blame culture. We blame ourselves. When there was natural disaster in Gujarat the media was at loss. They couldn't blame the government. They couldn't blame God because they didn't believe in Him. Whom to blame? We waste so much of energy in this blame culture. Whenever something wrong happens we blame others. We point a finger at someone else -- that they did something wrong. This attitude indicates a lack of taking responsibility. Not taking responsibility leads us to nowhere. You cannot progress in society without taking responsibility. We need to know this. Our main responsibility is to make people responsible. And this is what Yoga is all about. Yoga means that you take responsibility - you take responsibility for your feelings, for the way things are in your life and then you take responsibility for the whole world. The entire Vedanta and the Darshanas of this land have brought this knowledge to us. They emphasize that one takes responsibility. You are responsible for everything. And I think this one principle can help people go a long way.

Jai Gurudev.

Finding Life's Direction

14th August 2005 Finding life’s direction A river needs two bunks to flow. The difference between flood and a flowing river is water flows regulated in a direction in a river. During floods the water is muddled and has no direction. Similarly, the energy in our life needs some direction to flow. If you don’t give direction, it is all confusion. Today most of the people are in confusion because there is no direction in life. When you are happy, there is so much of life energy in you; but when this life energy doesn’t know where to go, how to go, it gets stuck. When it stagnates, it rots! Just like how the water has to keep flowing, in the same way, life has to keep moving. For life energy to move in a direction, commitment is essential. Life runs with commitment. If you observe every small thing or big thing in life, it goes with certain commitment. A student takes admission in a school or college with a commitment. You go to a doctor with a commitment saying that you are going to take the medication or listen to whatever the doctor says, right? The banks work on commitment. Government works on commitment. Needless to say, a family runs on commitment: mother is committed to the child, child is committed to the parents, husband is committed to wife, and wife is committed to husband. Whether it is love or business or friendship or at work or any area of life you take, there is commitment, isn’t it? What would really irritate you is non-commitment. If you just observe, you expect some commitment from someone and when they don’t do it, you get upset. Or when someone doesn’t keep up his or her commitment, you get upset. Commitment is essential in life. You cannot stand someone who does not commit, but see how much commitment have you taken in your life? Of course our commitment is proportional to what we have, our power, our capacity or capability. If you are committed to taking care of your family, that much capacity or power you gain. If your commitment is for the community, you will get that much energy, joy, that much power. In life, what you always want is more joy, more power, more energy, isn’t it? You want more, anything you are given, you want more, more money, more fame, more beauty, more joy, more pleasure …this “wanting something more” bugs in your mind and that you do not look to your capabilities. More will be given to you only if you utilise properly what you already have! This is a law in nature. Why should the nature give you more when you are stuck with your little mind? This tendency of wanting more is there in you; you only have to give a twist to it. Instead of “what more I can have”, just turn it around and start asking yourself “what more I can do?”. Then you will see that there is joy. Nature of joy is to give because you are the source of joy! The more responsibility you take on, the more energy/power will come on to you. Greater the commitment you take, greater the energy/power you gain to fulfil that commitment. Greater the commitment, easier things are. Smaller the commitment, suffocating it is for you. Smaller commitments suffocate you because you have more capacity, but you are stuck in a small hole! When you have ten things to do and even if one thing goes wrong, you can keep doing the ten things, that thing that has gone wrong will set right itself! But if you have only one thing to do and that goes wrong, then you are stuck with it. Usually we think we should have resource and then we will commit. Greater the commitment you take, greater the resources will come to you automatically. You don’t have to sit and worry how you will get resources. When you have the intention to do something, resources simply flow when it is needed and how much it is needed. In doing what you can do, there is nothing much about it, there is no growth. Stretching a little beyond your capacity will increase your capacity. If you can take care of your town or your society, there is nothing great about doing that because it is within your capacity or capability. But if you stretch it and little more and take commitment to take care of the whole state, then you gain that much more power. As much as you take on the responsibility on your self, that much your capacity increases, your capability increases, your talents increase, your joy increases and that much you become one with the divine force. In whatever capacity you do something for the society, for the environment, for the creation, that much you progress further both materially and spiritually (value wise). The heart opens up with a feeling that you are part of everyone. The technique to get depressed is to sit and think only about you! If you just sit and think, “what about me, what will happen to me?” you will thoroughly get depressed. The way to expand from individual to universal consciousness is to share others sorrow and joy. As you grow, your consciousness should also grow. When you expand in Knowledge with time, then depression is not possible. Your inner most source is joy. The way to overcome personal misery is to share universal misery! The way to expand personal joy is to share universal joy. Instead of thinking “what about me?” “What can I gain from this world?” Think “what can I do for the world?” When everyone comes from the point of contributing to society, you have a Divine society. We have to educate and culture our individual consciousness in order to expand in time with the Knowledge from “what about me?” to “what can I contribute?” A commitment can only be felt when it oversteps convenience. That which is convenient, you do not call commitment. If you just go on your convenience, your commitment falls apart causing more inconvenience! If you keep dropping your commitment because it is inconvenient, can you be comfortable? Often, what is convenient does not bring comfort, but gives an illusion of comfort. Whatever you are committed to brings you strength. If you are committed to your family then your family supports you, if you are committed to your society, you enjoy the support of society. If you are committed to God, God gives you strength. If you are committed to Truth, Truth brings you strength. Often one is not aware of this idea and that is why one is hesitant to commit to a greater cause. Also there is a fear that commitment would weaken one or take away one’s freedom. To the wise, their commitment is their comfort. Whenever their commitment is shaken, their comfort is also shaken. To the lazy, commitment is torture though it is the best remedy! Your commitment to a cause is bound to bring you comfort in the long run. Are there any commitments that can be given up? Yes, commitments made with shortsightedness can be given up because when you are committed without a vision, you feel stifled when your vision expands. When your commitment brings misery to many in the long run, it can be given up. Just like you run out of fuel in the car and you have to refill it again and again, in the same way your dedication and commitment runs out in the course of time and it needs constant renewal! Commitment in life grows toward a higher cause. The higher the commitment, greater is the good for all.

Jai Gurudev.

11th September 2005 A fresh breath of… Ayurveda Life has four characteristics: it exists, evolves, expresses and extinguishes. And for these, it depends on five elements: the earth, water, air, ether and fire. These correspond to the five senses: sight, smell, taste, sound and touch. Ayurveda is the study of life — Veda means to know and Ayur is life. According to Ayurveda, life or existence is not rigid compartments — it is a harmonious flow. Even the five elements are not tight compartments of defined objects — they flow into one another. Each one of the elements contains the other four. So, the approach of Ayurveda towards life is holistic. The subtlest element in us is space, which the mind is made up of, and the grossest element is the earth, which our bones, skin and body structure are made up of. To understand the physiology, its characteristics and its reflection on the mind, the human system is divided into three Doshas or imbalances: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When an illness arises, it manifests first in the thought form, which is the subtlest aspect, and then in the sound form. Thereafter it manifests in the light form, that is, in the aura. It is only then that the illness manifests itself in the body. To begin with, simple symptoms arise in the fluid form, which can be eradicated, and then only they manifest in the grossest form, where they need medication. In aromatherapy, an illness can be cured just through fragrance. It is mostly focussed on the preventive aspect. The holistic approach of Ayurveda includes exercising, breathing and meditation. Breath is synonymous to life. For all practical purposes, if someone is not breathing, that's the sign that there is no life there. It is very interesting to notice the relationship between breath and the three Doshas in the body. These Doshas affect certain parts of the body more than the others. For example, Vata Dosha is predominant in the lower part of the body — stomach, intestine etc. Diseases like gastric problems and joint aches are caused due to this. Kapha Dosha is predominant in the middle part of the body. Cough is mainly a result of Kapha imbalance. Pitta affects the upper part of the body i.e., the head — short temper is a sign of Pitta. In the breathing techniques, the three-stage pranayama has effect on these three Doshas. Among different breathing techniques, there are specific breathing exercises for lower, middle and upper parts of the body. After the three-stage pranayama, you would feel that the Doshas in your body have altered. Something in the body changes; you no longer feel the same, you feel more balanced. The pranayama brings that balance in the system. Once you get in the rhythm of the pranayama, you will find the balance setting in. Making it a habit is difficult, but not the practice itself. Definite rhythms or breathing patterns correct these Doshas and bring the balance to the connected parts of the body. You can also find the three Doshas in our fingers and the nerve endings. For example, the index finger is Kapha; the middle finger is Vata, and the ring finger, Pitta. You can discern the Doshas running in the body by the shape of someone's fingers. Practice of Mudra pranayamas, i.e., gently pressing the nerve endings in the fingertips in a subtle way and breathing with the Ujjayi breath, also balances the Doshas in the body. How to bring good health to a system? First, attend to the ether element that is the mind element. If your mind is clogged with too many impressions and thoughts, it is draining you of your resistance power and is preparing your body for some illness. If the mind is clear, calm, meditative and pleasant, the resistance in the body increases. It would not allow an illness to come into the body. Thus, the first remedy is to calm down the mind, provided by the ether. Then come to the air element, the breathing. Aromatherapy depends on this element. And then light — the colour therapy. You can see an illness in the aura of a person before it manifests in the body. Some physicians have done research on the aura photography, especially in cases of ulcers, cancer and diabetes. They took photographs six months before these diseases could manifest in the body and found some spots. By energising our system with the prana — life energy or breath — you can clear the aura and prevent the illness before it comes. That is what yoga does. Patanjali, in the Yoga Sutras, says that the purpose of yoga is, “Stopping the sorrow before it arises.” And then, come to the water element. Fasting with water, purifying the system with water can bring a balance in the system. And final recourse, of course, is different medicinal herbs, medicines and surgery. All these come when everything else fails or when we neglect these other steps; then it becomes inevitable. Our breath has a lot of secrets to offer to us, because for every emotion in the mind, there is corresponding rhythm in the breath. And each rhythm affects certain part of the body physically. Observing the great correlation between these sensations, the level of body and moods of the mind is meditation. Have you observed the sensation you experience when someone praises you? Or, when you feel happy looking at a sunset or are meeting someone very close and dear to you? You feel a sense of expansion of mind, of consciousness. Though we do feel that happiness and the sensation is happening, we fail to notice the connection. It is because our attention is on that object, not on the sensation. And when you are miserable, there is a sensation of contraction. Somewhere you feel tight and tense inside; there is a contraction of the consciousness — that's misery, sorrow. Knowledge is, knowing that which expands. What is this something in this body which is expanding and contracting, which is feeling happy or feeling miserable, which is expressing and which is experiencing, which is evolving and which is moving through the events? This knowledge, this enquiry is the study of consciousness, of life, of prana, of Ayurveda. Breathing is the first act of life and this is also the last act of life. In between, though we are breathing in and out forever, we do not attend to the breath. If you attend to the breath, you'll find that in one minute we breathe nearly sixteen to seventeen times. If you are upset you may go up to twenty; if you are extremely tense and angry, maybe twenty-five breaths per minute. But if you are calm, pleasant and happy, you will breathe ten times; and if you are in deep meditation, then only two breaths or three. If you observe an infant and its breathing pattern, you will be amazed how balanced it breathes. Infants breathe from all the three sections of the body. Their breath goes very deep, and as they breathe in, their belly comes out; as they breathe out their belly moves in. But more nervous and tense you are, you will do the reverse. You don't have to go to a school or learn these things from anybody. If your mind is very keen and observant, then you learn a lot just observing people, children and the nature around. But our mind is preoccupied with so many things, judgements, opinions and impressions that we are unable to observe and perceive the refined things in nature.

Jai Gurudev.

IN THE SOLITUDE OF THE SELFWeekly Knowled Weekly Knowledge Oct 1996Hong Kong IN THE SOLITUDE OF THE SELF Jai Guru Dev ! Buddha is not on the peak, rather the peak is beneath Buddha. One who goes to the peak comes down, but the peak seeks the one who is stationed in the inner space. Shiva is called Chandrasekhara which means that mind which is in the Shiva (transcendence) and is always above the peak. Often people are running after parties and celebrations, but for the one who is not running after them, parties and celebrations follow him. If you are running after parties, loneliness comes to you, but if you are in the solitude of the Self, parties surround you. NEWS FLASH:The final day of Navaratri saw people, including children, transfixed in one place for nine hours. The energy was so overpowering that even the puja vessels started to vibrate. The chanting of the priests were framed by Indian clarinet and drums and the silence came aloud.Guruji arrived in Bombay (Mumbai) for a last-minute- notice Satsang of hundreds of people which was wild with singing and celebration.Satsangs and celebration moved on to Hong Kong where two lectures are happening in the beautiful Hong Kong Science Museum. Jai Guru Dev

Meditation Is The Best Form Of Prayer

Mediataion is the Best Form of Prayer- H. H. Sri Sri Ravi ShankarIndia, (Art of Living International Center, Bangalore) September 18 (eve ofthe nine-day festival of Navratri*)

There are two attitudes that we have to pay attention to. One is when we goinward, we say everything is Ok. Not a blade of grass moves without Divine intervention. God has kept us like this, so let it be so. Everything is Ok.This is the attitude when you have to go inward (Nivriti).When you have to come out and work (Pravritti), then you see perfection in even small details. Wherever you see imperfection, you have to pay attentionon how you can correct it. Find out ways to improve on all the things.So while acting, we see where we can improve and what we can change.When we retire into meditation and say that everything is perfect, only thenwe can go in.Usually when people close their eyes and go inward, they say, ‘This is not ok, that is not ok and find fault with everything’. They can neither meditate, nor be quiet. And in activity, people think that everything is fine the way it is, why do we have to do anything about it? Then, we are at a loss.So when we are acting, we see what we can do and when we have to retire we say everything is Ok. This attitude will help you go deep in meditation.I want nothing,I do nothing, I am nothing.These are basic principles of meditation. We have to pay attention to this thing.So Navratri will start from tomorrow. These nine days are nine days of inner connection to the Divinity.In these nine days, let us keep all our small, petty things, petty desires,requirements, our small small issues that bother us - all in one side and just say to Divine, 'Let thy will be done. I am yours, let thy will be done'.With this conviction, when you move forward, doing your practices you will lack nothing. All that you need, will just come to you naturally,spontaneously.So we move into our sadhana, our practices with a trust that we will be taken care of, we are being taken care of.Navratri is a time when all those needs- physical, mental and spiritual, are taken care by the Divine. At the same time, help each other, help all those people who need your help. It is nine nights, it is very auspicious and itis uplifting to the spirit.Yagyas (pujas) are done from thousands of years to bring peace, prosperity,to dissolve all the negative karmas and to uplift the human spirit. It has been practiced from a very long time.It is best not to engage yourself in all other socializing, talking wordly things with people. Just be with yourself. If at all you speak, only speak some knowledge or bare essential things. It is better not to sit and gossip.But these few days its best to be in Divine knowledge.

Jai Gurudev.

Feeling Lost???

23rd Oct 2005 Feeling lost? Teen-age” years are the most confusing years. You are no more a kid who can be pacified with toys and sweets, but you have also not matured enough in emotional terms. A new world has just opened up in front of you and it’s such a difficult time. On one hand, there are big highs! On the other hand, there are so many lows including loneliness. A child doesn’t feel lonely, but a teenager does. Not only that, there are also so many hormonal changes taking place in the body of a teenager. He/she is becoming familiar with his/her own body, mind, emotions, urges and difficulties. Suddenly teenagers begin to feel that nobody understands them because what parents say from their standpoint as parents - good or bad - doesn’t appeal to them. Long-term plans don’t exist. Teenagers want immediate solutions, immediate gratification, immediate, immediate… Everything should happen now! Instantly! Teenagers feel that adults do not understand them. And on the other hand, they can’t connect with small kids either. They have reached a stage where they find all the toys, all the simple games that they have outgrown, meaningless. During these complicated years, teenagers need to have hope. They need to develop an understanding about life; what they want to do, how to cope with their wants. There is an old saying in Sanskrit: ‘When your son or daughter turns sixteen, behave with them like a friend’. Don’t be their teachers; don’t tell them what to do or what not to do. Just share their difficulties with them. Be a friend to them; a friend who is at their level. A friend understands them, moves with them, empathises with their emotions and difficulties. If you relate as a friend with them and not as a parent, they will open up to you. Usually teenagers open up to their friends much more than to their parents; it’s a common phenomenon. This also goes for teachers. A teacher should also be a friend - should behave as a friend, talk as a friend. Then the gap gets bridged. Once the gap is bridged, love flows; communication happens. And once communication happens, virtually all the problems are solved. The biggest problem is lack of communication. Dealing with emotions How to deal with our emotions? Big problem! Although we have grown older - beyond the ‘teenage’, we more often fail to grow beyond ‘teenage’ mentally. You know, our body grows in a particular sequence. In the first seven years, the physical body grows but the intellect does not grow; then up to fourteen years, the intellect grows. The period from 14 to 21 years is for emotional maturity. So the general belief is that you become physically mature, then intellectually mature and finally, you become emotionally mature. However, many do not grow to that maturity at all. Lack of emotional maturity is always worrying about your emotions - feeling as though you are a victim of your own emotions: “Oh! I feel like this! I feel like that! What to do?” What will you do? Who cares about your feelings? Why do you worry so much about your feelings? Your feelings keep changing. Sometimes you feel bad; but the bad feeling doesn’t stay with you forever. It changes and you start feeling good once again; but even that ‘good’ feeling does not stay forever. Nobody can feel bad or good ALL the time; the good and bad feelings come like waves. You can’t stop a wave that has already arisen; nor can you make a wave rise just like that. Just as waves come and go, clouds come and go, so also emotions come and go. Waves of different emotion come. And they disappear. But we make it such a big issue: “Oh, I feel good! Oh, I feel bad! I feel this way, I feel that way, nobody cares for me…” - all these complaints keep bombarding our minds. This emotional garbage is so useless; and it is also a sign of emotional immaturity. Emotional maturity, intellectual maturity, physical maturity; you need all these three ‘maturities’ to be a complete personality. Are you sharp and focused? Are you interested in learning and in growth? If yes, you have matured intellectually. And once you have matured intellectually, do not let emotional immaturity cloud your intellect. By the age of 21, you’re supposed to be emotionally and physically strong, and intellectually sharp. Hence, you acquire the right to vote, because you are supposed to be mature - an adult. But this seldom happens! But what is the big deal about your feelings? I tell you, bundle them up and throw them into the ocean! Once you are rid of your ‘feelings’ you can be happy, in good spirits. Just examine why your spirits go down? More likely than not because somebody said something stupid to you. And why did they say a stupid thing? Because they had some garbage they needed to throw out; and you were there, ready to catch it. And once you have caught it, you hold on to it so passionately! Come on! Wake up! Don’t let your smile be snatched away by anybody! In this world, everything cannot be perfect all the time. Even the best, the greatest of actions, performed with the noblest of intentions, will have some imperfections. It is but natural. Unfortunately, the tendency of our mind is to grab the imperfection and hold on to it. And in the process, we end up making our moods, our minds imperfect. Our souls reel with this nonsense. It is imperative to get out of these cycles, and to become strong and courageous from within. And that which gives you that strength, that courage, that smile and that helps you to become unconditionally happy and loving is what is called spirituality.

Jai Gurudev.

Reaching God!!

9th October 2005 Reaching God Life is incomplete without union with God. It’s quite natural that a matured mind and blossomed heart strives for this union. From ages philosophies were born, debates happened, music, art and literature have sprung up from this need. Religions, philosophies, practices, customs and austerities have all pointed to one thing — union with the Divine. The common man wakes up to the pain and suffering in his life and wants to be free from it. And he looks for the super power of creation to free him from the clutches of the world. The more he looks at the misery and shortcomings in his life, the farther away he feels from the Divinity, which is his very nature. And his heart yearns for some sort of communication from the other side. For time immemorial man has been striving to lessen this gap between himself and God. There are two ways to do this: one is to elevate mankind towards Divinity — this is called Siddha, one who has attained perfection and the second is to bring God to human level — Avatar, one who is not striving for perfection. Divinity has manifested itself for the sake of mankind. Man rising up to God is Siddha; God coming down, because he cares for you, is Avatar. To communicate directly with devotees, God comes in the form of Avatar. Avatar is the humaneness where you can get a glimpse of Divinity. In the Puranas, all the devas are depicted with human emotions and tendencies. They do normal things — get upset, angry, are in love, etc. Rama and Krishna went through all the experiences of the human mind just to make you understand that God is not too far away from you, but one among you. Don’t look for the supernatural in Avatar — then the whole purpose of coming close to humans is defeated. The expression of God’s love for you on the most understandable human level is Avatar. This concept of Avatar is prevalent in the east — India, China, Japan, Korea, Nepal etc. In these eastern countries, the monarch is revered as Avatar. Nripo Narayano Hari — the king is regarded as Avatar of Vishnu; Vaidhyo Narayano Hari — the doctor is regarded as Avatar of Vishnu. In the west, the concept is that of messenger, but in the east this concept does not exist as the intimacy between you and God is so much, God, himself, comes down. Like a mother would personally go to her child, God’s love for man is so much, he would prefer to go Himself. The east looks from the value of the heart whereas the intellect has the perspective of messenger. The concept of messenger was painful to bhaktas and Sufis — they are more comfortable with Avatar. For an intimate relationship, God comes directly. Your love for God becomes authentic when you are assured of his love for you. In Gita, it is Krishna who first tells Arjuna, ‘You are dear to me’, which enabled Arjuna to surrender. Wherever you feel immense respect, wherever you get a glimpse of Divinity, know it is Avatar. Avatar lies in those who recognise — and the entire creation becomes alive as Divinity. This is the stage before the awareness of “I Am”. The entire phenomenon of creation is the descent of consciousness in various names and forms. And the whole purpose of Avatar is to make you realise that you are part of Him. Avatar is not there to charm you but to calm you, to make you return home. And to make you realise you are that. Once you recognise the Avatar, suddenly the entire creation is filled with ‘that’ and you are that. The descent of God is to make you realise there is no up or down, there is no high or low, there is no ascension or descent! There is no two. Jai Gurudev

THE BIGGER PICTURE

6th November 2005 The bigger picture Development is imperative, but a short-sighted approach is often the cause of great harm. Sustainable development is that which keeps in mind the long-term effects and benefits of any programme. What you develop today should not become a noose around your neck tomorrow. For instance, concrete jungles mushrooming in cramped spaces with no regard for civic infrastructure inevitably give rise to negative consequences — air pollution, water shortages, housing and labour problems, and escalating costs of living. Short-sighted development is a disaster. Ravaging natural resources without a long-term vision will destroy the ecology, which is the very source of life. The purpose of development should be to support and sustain life. With the bigger picture in mind, all development plans will factor in the ecology, sociology and psychology. Then the very process of development becomes a conscious endeavour to preserve the planet and its resources. The health of our planet is of utmost importance. Environment consciousness is inbuilt in the human system. Throughout history, Nature (or prakriti) has always been adored in India; mountains, rivers, the sun, the moon, the trees have been revered. In fact, ancient cultures all over the world have exhibited a deep reverence for Nature. For them, God was not in temples or churches, but was inherent in Nature, in the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and space), the directions, the sun, the moon. Hinduism, the most ancient religion, adores Nature through the five elements and has even defined spirituality as tatvabodha or understanding the principles of Nature. It's only when we start moving away from Nature that we start polluting Nature. Today there is a pressing need to revive the ancient practice of honouring and conserving Nature. Many are of the view that damage to ecology is an inevitable by-product of technological progress. But that is not necessarily so; actually, a sustainable growth is assured only if the ecology is protected. Science and technology should not be regarded as anti-environment; rather, we need to find ways of maintaining harmony in environment while progressing in science and technology. This is the biggest challenge of this century. Just observe Nature; the five elements of Nature are opposed to each other. Water destroys fire, fire destroys air… Then there are so many species in Nature — the birds, reptiles, mammals; all these different species are hostile towards each other and yet Nature balances them out. Never in a forest does one species of birds get wiped out. Neither will you find pollution in any forest despite so many animals living there together. We need to learn from Nature; how Nature digests waste material and produces something more beautiful. Similarly, it is not technology and science that pose a hazard, but the waste material generated by technological and scientific processes. We need to find methods to consume the waste and develop non-polluting processes, such as harnessing of solar energy. There are several other areas of work where there are no contradictions between nature and progress. For instance, a return to traditional methods such as organic and chemical-free farming will go a long way in preparing the ground for healthy development. Tradition, technology, trade and truth are the four key factors, which need to be revived time and again. Unless they are revived, the whole meaning for which they were initiated will be lost; ancient and modern methods should be synergised. Despite advances in the field of chemicals and fertilisers, the ancient Vedic technology of using cow urine and cow dung continue to be one of the best ways to cultivate crops. Several studies have shown that natural farming (without fertilisers and pesticides) leads to enhanced yield. The latest technology needn't always be the most economically viable or efficient technology. We need to look into the merits; just because something is new, it is not necessarily good and just because some thing is old, it need not be discarded. Processes and objects that are detrimental to Nature and environment are also health hazards. We need to explore means to evolve and sustain healthy lifestyles. The goal of sustainable development is to build a healthy and happy society. Suppose you have built good infrastructure and have in abundance all the material things you aspire for, but the human psychology is destroyed. In such a scenario, the dream of sustainable development will remain a far-fetched goal. There can be no sustainable development in a society full of stress and violence. A disease-free body, a stress-free mind, a violence-free society and a toxin-free environment are vital elements of sustainable development. If we have to keep opening more and more hospitals and prisons as society develops, it does not augur well. Good infrastructure and prosperity become meaningless if every household has to employ a security guard. Access to more hospitals beds and availability of more prisons are not signs of development. Sustainable development also means freedom from all types of crimes. There are many types of crime. Destroying the environment is also a crime; cutting down trees is also a crime; dumping toxic waste is also a crime; using non-recyclable materials is also a crime. Environmental pollution is a major crime. Environment is our first body, then come the physical body and the mind, the mental sheath. You have to cater to all the three levels. In reality, man's greed is the greatest pollutant. Greed stops man from sharing with others. Greed also obstructs the preservation of ecology; man is so greedy, he wants to make quick profits and achieve quick results. Whilst being aware of methods to prevent pollution, he may not act upon them because they cost in some manner. This greed not only pollutes the gross, physical environment but also contaminates the subtle atmosphere; it stimulates negative emotions in the subtle mind. These negative emotions impact the minds of all the people around; if one person is angry and agitated, the anger and agitation does not stay limited to that one person but rubs off onto all those whom he comes in contact with. These negative vibrations, once compounded, give rise to unrest in society. Negative feelings of hatred, anger, jealousy are the root cause of all disasters and misery in the world, whether they are economical, political or social in nature. Most of the wars are triggered off by such feelings; and war is always accompanied by waste and natural disasters that take ages to balance out. We need to attend to the human psyche that causes pollution, whether physical or emotional. If compassion and care are kindled within the Self, they reflect in the environment; a sense of sacredness follows. People should be encouraged to treat the planet as sacred, to treat trees and rivers as sacred, to treat people as sacred, and to see God in nature and in people. This will foster sensitivity; and a sensitive person can't but care for nature. It is basically insensitivity that makes a person act callously towards environment. If a person is sensitive, he will nurture environment, thereby eradicating pollution. Three Cs — cosmology, commitment, and compassion — are vital for development. Cosmology is understanding the universe and your life in the context of the vastness of the universe. Seeing the life in the infinite context of space and time will deepen one's perception of life. A bigger vision of life can kindle human values and compassion for the ecology and commitment to preserve this planet. When development plans are aligned with the basic purpose of bringing happiness to people and preventing the planet earth from depletion, what comes out will be sustainable development. It has to be noted that the ultimate aim of sustainable development is to preserve the planet Earth, replenish, not deplete, its resources and make life a celebration.

Jai Gurudev.

FEAR

THE PRIMAL INSTINCT Fear is an impression of the past reflecting about the future of the present. When people deny fear, they become egocentric, when they recognize and accept fear, they go beyond...get free from it.Total lack of fear is possible only in utter chaos or utmost orderliness. A saint or a fool have no fear. But everywhere in between there is fear. Fear is essential to preserve orderliness in the world. It is a primal instinct.FEAR OF DEATH PRESERVES LIFE. FEAR OF WRONG KEEPS THE RIGHT. FEAR OF SICKNESS BRINGS HYGIENE. FEAR OF MISERY KEEPS YOU RIGHTEOUS. A CHILD HAS A PINCH OF FEAR SO IT IS CAREFUL AND ALERT WHILE WALKING. A PINCH OF FEAR IS NECESSARY TO KEEP THINGS MOVING SMOOTHLY.Because fear is love standing upside down, everything that can be interpreted with Love can also be interpreted with fear. For example, a child clinging onto its mother. This can be interpreted in both ways - out of Love or out of Fear.This primal instinct can be totally transformed through Awareness of Divine Love.Do not try to eliminate fear. Just meditate and know that you are nobody or that you belong to someone special...- Sri Sri Jai Gurudev

Like Charity Community Reform Begins At Home

14th May 2006 Like charity, community reform begins at home Like every individual, every community has its flaws. Community reforms need to be an ongoing process. Such reforms have taken place in every religion, race, caste and community over the years. We often hear of communities running down each other. Accusations and counter-accusations bring anger and hatred or guilt and shame in the community concerned, never leading to change or reform.If you want to bring about reform, making a person or a community feel ashamed is the last thing to do. Reform can come only from within a community; a non-Hindu cannot bring a change among the Hindus or non-Muslim among the Muslims. It is futile to point fingers at others; instead, every community should look inward to bring social transformation. Take the case of 75-year-old Uduppi Pejavar Swamiji. He has brought about a visible change in the thinking of the Madhwa Brahmins. Four decades ago, a community which never even treated fellow Smartha Brahmins well and detested anybody with Vibhuti on their foreheads, now welcomes everyone and dines together. Despite his fragile body and hundreds of restrictions of a monk’s life, Pejavar Swamiji travelled through the length and breadth of the country. However, such yeomen service remains unrecognised due to prejudice. Once I was to share the stage with Swamiji and a well-wisher journalist warned me against it because of his association with the Hindutva movement. I asked, ‘‘So what? He is a revered saint; I have seen his work. So why should I not share the stage with him?’’ It’s becoming taboo to share the stage with people subscribing to different ideologies. This is not our culture; in the Indian tradition even atheists are known to share the stage with believers. Unless people of different ideologies come together, how can there be harmony? Once you share the stage with them, you will stop blaming others. This is when one starts looking inwards. Interaction among people of opposing ideologies is a sign of civilised society. Communists or Leftists treat religious leaders as untouchables. In a recent health conference, the Communists refused to share the stage with spiritual leaders. This is absurd; considering that yoga, meditation and spirituality are an integral part of the health-care system. Body-mind medicine is the trend of the current century. How can you administer a society when you keep away from a section of society? There are good people in every community. It is ridiculous to build more walls in the name of ideology, religion, sect and political affiliation. Every community uses great reformers for projecting its own interests. Instead of internalising their wisdom, the community makes them a captive of narrow identities. Though Dr. Ambedkar worked for the whole society, a particular community claims complete ownership over him. Similarly, a section of Hindus claim ownership for Swami Vivekananda. Although Maharishi Valmiki belongs to entire humanity, a particular community has used his name for its identity. Though Mahatma Gandhi worked for the entire Indian subcontinent, Pakistan and Bangladesh seldom remember him. It is unfortunate that the names of such great reformers are being used to strengthen social differences contrary to their own teachings. Dr Ambedkar wanted a unified India, not a divided India; so did Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi. As long as the perception remains that a reformer belongs only to his or her small community, it will be difficult for a new horizon to dawn. Even today, there are Hindu temples where Dalits and people of other faiths are not allowed. We need reform in these areas of social development. Hindu leaders themselves should work on these reforms. An external pressure cannot make this work — rather than bringing people together, it will widen the divide. Of late, there have been calls for minority communities, scheduled castes and tribes to unite. Why just them? Why not all the others too unite with them? Such selective unity will polarise our society. The Brahmins were never a united force, but now the Brahmins are uniting because it has become an issue of survival for them. Similarly, communities will start uniting in the name of religion and castes, leading to conflict. Criticising Gods, philosophies, life styles and prophets of other religions can only widen the gap. Let the Hindus work to reform their society. Let the Christians work in the North-East to bring more tolerance and peace and Muslims continue to issue fatwa against terrorists as happened after the Sankat Mochan temple blast. It was commendable to see progressive Imams in mosques all over the country issue fatwa and condemn the attack in no uncertain words. Let the communists deal with Naxalism and let religious leaders deal with communalism. Each one should look inward and attend to the weaknesses of their own community. Unless this attitude dawns and communities respect each other, rather than group against each other, secularism cannot be protected in this country. Reform can happen only when people look within themselves with a willingness to grow, and extend it a little further, beyond oneself, to the community. Each one should see how much anger, prejudice, hatred one carries within oneself for others.

Jai Gurudev.

You Have The Power In You

27th November 2005 You have the power in you We all have three shaktis (energies) in us. They are ‘ichcha shakti’ (the energy of will), ‘kriya shakti’ (the energy of action) and ‘jnaana shakti’ (the energy of knowledge). We have disturbances or ups and downs in our lives because of imbalances in these three energies.The jnaana shakti in you brings ichcha shakti, the will or desire in you. For example, you have adesire to eat rasagolla. You already know what rasagolla is. You have already savoured it. The knowledge of rasagolla brought the energy of desire in you. So you develop a desire to eat rasagolla. Once you have known what rasagolla is, after you get to know where it can be obtained, after the desire to eat rasagolla arose in you, will you sit idly? No! The kriya shakti or the energy of action follows you. You will go and buy it and eat it. In case you do not know where to get it, then you will make an effort to find out where you can get it. Then you will have lot of kriya shakti in you. When there is kriya shakti and ichcha shakti, they lead you towards jnaana shakti, the energy of knowledge. You have curiosity. You do not know what exists inside the moon. You want to know what exists in the planet Jupiter. What is there in this creation? Most of our such desires are those about which we know almost nothing about. So you take a telescope and go to a planetarium and begin your research. All research depends upon ichcha shakti and kriya shakti. In order to acquire jnaana shakti or the energy of knowledge, research takes place.In the same way, whereever there is jnaana shakti, ichcha shakti and kriya shakti follow.Jnaana shakti or the energy of knowledge is symbolised as Saraswathi, ichcha shakti and the energy of desire as Paravathi or Uma and kriya shakti as Goddess Lakshmi. Brahma is the creator. What does the creator need? He needs knowledge. So jnaana shakti or Saraswathi is the consort of Brahma. Vishnu is the protector of all. What does the protector need? He needs Lakshmi, isn’t it? If you need to run an establishment, if you need to run your house, you need money. Money is Lakshmi. You need Lakshmi for sustenance. Ichcha shakti is Umakumari who symbolises change. You need to have a desire in life to change, to obtain liberation. For that Shiva principle to be auspicious, desire should be created in you. That ichcha shakti is Parvathi, also known as Eashwari.Therefore, the whole world runs because of the presence of these three shaktis. Whichever energy is more in a place or in a person, that energy gets exhibited. When there is right knowledge, then the right desire arises in us. When there is right knowledge and right desire in us, then right action follows naturally. In that case, all activities that happen through us will lead to completion. Completion in activity will lead to completion in knowledge. There should be a completion in desire too. If you desire something which does not exist, for instance, if you desire to see the horns of a rabbit, which does not exist in the first place, then what is the use? You had a desire, but there was a lacuna in the energy of knowledge. Now, if anybody decides to see or search for the horns of a rabbit, they are bound to get distressed. People have ichcha shakti, the desire in them. Due to the wrong desire, usually one undergoes lot of misery. People would have become engineers and will be working as engineers. But if they keep regretting, thinking that they should have been a doctor instead, can they start studying for medicine now? Many people desire wrong. They obtain a postgraduate degree from the University and then begin to study some other course. The moment they get a new desire they begin again. They never have contentment. They begin one job, quit it and move to another job and then again they move on to another job. They keep searching for contentment. What is this? There is ichcha shakti and jnaana shakti here. Some have do not have kriya shakti and sit where ever they are and dream and think ‘‘Oh! That should happen to me. It would have been wonderful if I had become a minister’’ or some other dreams to live happily. What happens to all such dreamers? They just sit and dream and dream. Kriya shakti is absent here. They sit in one place and calculate all the profits too. They sit idle and keep planning and talking too much. If you look at those people who talk too much, you can see that they would not have done much work. They do not plan even a single thing properly. They just keep advising everybody to do things that way or this way or keep claiming that they could have got many things done. They keep criticising people. If you tell them, ‘‘Okay, you do at least something of it’’ then they say ‘‘no’’ and just slip away and vanish! What happens in such people? They have lot of jnaana shakti, but zero kriya shakti. If kriya shakti disappears from a person, then that person is good as finished for life. Such people keep repeating their mistakes. It is a very rare opportunity to see the combination of all the three shaktis. When all the three shaktis combine, then they say that the person has attained ‘siddhi’. We should bring about a balance of ichcha shakti, jnaana shakti and kriya shakti in us. Jai Gurudev.

Are You Mere Husk Or The Grain??

8th January 2006
Are you mere husk or the grain?
If you don’t have faith, you’re nothing During the time of reaping the harvest, the farmer holds a broad sieve and puts all the grains into it and stands on an elevated platform and shakes the sieve. What happens when that is done? If it is mere husk,it just flies away in the air and is lost. If grain is present, then it falls to the ground and stays.So too in our life, we must have faith. Faith is something which we have inside us. When many situations surface in life, are you able to face all of them with peace, with a stable mind and faith? If you do not have faith, if you go into fear, then you will fly away into the air, like the husk. You will be nowhere. You will not have anything to hold onto. Such people will have no value at all.
But if you have faith, you will be able to find a ground. When you have faith that every thing be alright, when you are in peace, then everything will settle down.God expects only one thing from you, “your unshakeable faith”. If your faith shakes very quickly, if it keeps shaking too often, or if you realise that you do not have any faith at all when difficulty strikes, then it is akin to being like the husk. Look into your life; are you mere husk or the grain?How many events take place in life! Many situations arise. Are you able to maintain your equanimity in those conditions? Your work is to maintain your equanimity in this world. Not everything in the world is sweet. Some things are sweet and some are bitter. If you are grounded with faith like the husk with grain, then you will progress. The grounded grains a regathered in a sack and replanted elsewhere or used in some manner. Isn’t it? Take this decision: “Whatever happens I will be there. I will be grounded. God’s protection is there on me. Whatever happens, I will never go down. I always have God’s hand with me”.This much is enough to pull you up. Keep your mind in peace in all situations. It is enough if that much is done by you and the rest will be taken care of. You have to take at least one step forward, which is to be in peace and equanimity.“Oh! Nothing happened. Nothing of my work happened” – If you are able to laugh in such a situation, then understand that you have protection with you. The world is filled with love. Everybody has love inside them. You have to see that in your mind.
Have you ever seen with this view? Whenever you are in a crowd, have you ever watched the crowd and thought in your mind that “all is love”?
The whole world is a celebration. Fairs happen here constantly. Everyday celebration happens here. Parrot, cuckoo and other birds sing. The procession is moving constantly. We are the idols who are moving in the procession.You should be happy in life. All other businesses involve ups and downs which is very natural. If there is a body, then it will get cold, cough, fever or something else and it will go away. But take care to see that happiness is always established in you. That is known as purashaartha.
Our love, faith and belief should be deep-rooted, and then everything else moves on its own.


Jai Gurudev.

When You Win, You Sometimes Lose

5th March 2006
When you win, you sometimes lose!
There is strength in peace; there is strength in calmness; there is strength in love — which goes unnoticed. What you cannot win with a stick, you can win with love. What you cannot win with guns, you can win through love. This power of love needs to be realised. The most powerful
thing in the world is love! We can win the hearts of people through love.
The victory that comes out of ego is worth nothing. Even if you win in ego, it is a loss. Even if you lose in love, it’s a victory! Making people realise this innermost strength that we all have is the
challenge!You cannot talk about love when a terrorist is at your door, but is there some way in which we can transform the world? Is there any alternative method that can bring sense to people who
do not listen to anything, other than force?
We can only start thinking along these lines when we realise that there is enormous power in love, that there is enormous strength in inner peace. When we are peaceful, we radiate that peace around us, to the people around us... and they also become calm. In these times, when there is war and disease in the world, it’s so important that we all
meditate a little bit everyday for when we meditate, we nullify those vibrations, creating a more harmonious environment around us.
I would call War the Worst Act of Reason: W. A. R.
For every war there is some reason. Sometimes it becomes unavoidable. Like an operation.There is a wound, a scar, a cancerous cell in one’s body. We operate, but after the operation,the nursing is so essential. We need to nurse that part which has been operated.Don’t think, ‘‘What can I do?’’ When the world has a problem, don’t think you are insignificant. You too have a role to play. You know a tiny homeopathic pill, which has a
1/100th or 1/1000th potency, makes an impact on a body, which is 70 kilos! In the same way, every individual — everyone who is breathing, talking, walking, thinking — has an influence on this cosmos, on this planet. So we can all radiate peace, good thoughts, good vibrations, good wishes. And that will definitely make an impact on the planet.
There is beauty in non-violence; there is beauty in non-aggressive behaviour. These, unfortunately, have not been highlighted either by our media or by our surroundings. This ishappening everywhere in the world. Children take pride in being violent. If they lose their temper, they feel that its normal.
One who is very aggressive in the classroom gets more attention than one who is peaceful, isn’t it? So children grow up feeling: ‘‘If I am aggressive, then I have my way.’’ We need to bring back the pride in being non-violent, the pride of Mahatma Gandhi’s, ‘‘I’ve not hurt anybody in my whole life’’. If we could instil this pride in being non-violent in children, then their entire lives will take a new direction.
Also smile more!Look at a teenager or a boy (or girl) who goes to college. Do they really smile? See the heaviness in their faces, the heaviness in their hearts. A child is so happy — walking, moving,
jumping around, and then that same child goes through college to become so sad, upset and depressed! Is this the purpose of our education?
You know, sometimes I feel like shaking everybody, ‘‘Ay! Come On! Smile!’’ I read some research recently that said, a baby smiles 400 times a day, an adolescent only 17 times and an adult doesn’t smile at all! If you smile, you think something might be robbed from you! What is it that you lose?
I think we need to shake ourselves up! Wake up! Just do something to our lives! When we wake up from this slumber, when we have peace in our hearts, we can radiate that peace and love around us.
Only a few people in the world cause terror, not the whole population. Of the six billion people on this planet, there’ll be a handful who cause problems in the world. There are hardly a few thousand who cause crime, but the whole world is affected. Don’t you think that with the same law the reverse will also work?Just a few of us, a few thousand of us, being really peaceful, loving and caring for the whole planet — can we not bring a transformation? If we all have one habit — of giving smiles to people, of smiling at all the problems that we may face, can we not bring about a transformation?

Jai Gurudev.

The Here And Now

19th March 2006


The here and now

Let me tell you a story. Once two villagers were sitting under a tree and watching the sunset.
They were very close friends. After sitting quietly for some time, one asked the other, What
are you thinking? I am planning to buy five acres of land, a garden. The other friend immediately said, please don't  buy the garden!
The first one was surprised. He asked why? The second one replied,because I am
planning to buy a buffalo. Then, my buffalo will enter your garden and we will fight, have misunderstandings  and lose our friendship. I do not want to lose our friendship.
The first one said, well then, you cancel your plan of buying a buffalo. I am going to buy my
garden. The second one said No, no, no. I have already decided to buy a buffalo. The first one said, How will your buffalo enter my garden? I will fence it thoroughly.
The second one said, No, you see, it can just enter; a buffalo is a buffalo. Who can stop
it? It can do anything.
Then the fight went to such an extent that they broke their limbs! Neither has bought buffalo
nor any land. Nothing has happened. Just the mind's race and both of them broke their
limbs over it! Our fears are also like that. The future has not yet come. But you just sit there and
think, Oh! What will happen? What will happen? Finally you will die! This is what is going to happen! So much anxiety about the future! In this run, the mind gets into such a mess.
It is unable to see the presence that is all around it.The mind totally forgets the divine.Me, mine, what about tomorrow, the day after and the day after that, next year, ten years later?You people plan in this way even up to the next birth! When people are newly married they say, We will be husband and wife for many life-times to come! This one birth is not enough. We will be man and wife for the next
seven births! In reality, they may be fed up of each other in this birth itself, but they talk of the next seven births!
We should experience the divine presence, the divine light around us. You should have a desire in your mind to experience this. Have we ever desired the divine light? Has such a desire ever risen in you, that you want the highest peace? Has it arisen from deep inside you? The divine light, whatever that is, you do not know what it is. It is something by which the whole world is running. Have you ever really wanted it? When you sing or pray there should be total involvement. You dont  involve yourself totally. If the mind is preoccupied elsewhere then that is no prayer at all. There should be total involvement. When there is pain there ismore involvement.You are like a free bird. You are fully open. Feel that you are flying like a bird. Learn to fly. This is  some thing which you have to experience within yourself. There is nothing else. If you consider yourself as bonded, you will remain bound here. Experience freedom. When will you experience freedom? After you die? Become free right now. Sit down and become contented. That thing in you which says, I have to do. I have to do. I have to achieve;that is wrong. Sit down in peace, thinking:I have nothing to do now.
You are afraid of opening your fists. What is there with you that you have to hold your fists? You have nothing with you. Open your fists. The whole sky will be in your hands. Be natural. Be with
 love. Do service.
Celebrate all your life.

Jai Gurudev.

OLD IS GOLD

16th April 2006


Old is gold

Old people are no different from children.you should treat them like kids.Like kids they
are adamant and repeat the same things! They talk about the same thing over and over
again, without realising they have already said it several times! When a pattern sets in them,
you accept them as they are. They are the best practical example for you to demonstrate
that you have followed the first principle of the Art of Living – “Accept people as they are”.
They come into your life and make you realise that. You cannot change old people overnight,
or even in a period of time. You need to accept them.
See, there is some wisdom in what they are saying. Sometimes, you are unable to see wisdom
in what an experienced, mature person says. They speak from their own experience, over the
years. Understand that they have a different set of experiences than yours. So don’t get upset
if they don’t change! If you accept them as they are, a miracle will happen. If you give them
space, love and compassion, they slowly start changing. But you need to have a lot of
patience. You will learn patience dealing with old people, with grannies, who have certain
patterns!
Also, don’t take their moods too seriously! If they’re upset, don’t take it too seriously because
then, you won’t be able to communicate with them. Don’t try to convince them. Sometimes,
they just want to pour out their heart to you. If they are grumbling, they are just grumbling.
They’re saying it, but they don’t really mean it! If they say, “I’m so upset” – they may say it, but
they will still go and have their food, watch television and do all their things – but when they
see you, they say, “Oh, I’m so upset, I never ate food, I didn’t do this, I didn’t do that!” If you
take all their complaints seriously, you become miserable, and won’t be able to help them.
You should realise it’s only their way of communicating. People who are very aged or sick just
want to communicate with you, but what is it that they can share? When people don’t have
enthusiasm, they will only share their grievances. That doesn’t mean that they are purely
miserable. There is a corner in them that is untouched by any amount of misery. Whether it is
extreme joy, happiness or misery, there is a part in every human being that remains
untouched.
It is the same with people who appear to be very miserable. In reality, they are not that
miserable, but they talk, talk, talk and talk! Especially when you know that someone cares for
you, you don’t always go to him (or her) with a smile and with joy. You go to him (or her) with
all your problems and complaints! This is the normal course of things in the world. Isn’t that so?
Suppose you are at a big party, you will go find your very close friend and complain, “The
party is good, but this should have been better and that should have been better. They should
have put that thing there. This light is not good. That curtain is a little crooked and you know
there is no salt in this food...did you taste the food?!” You will find your close friends and talk,
but you won’t complain to the host. Out of good manners, you won’t go and complain to
someone new! The same is true of elderly people!
There is a nice story. A man earned a lot of money and then gave all his property to his son.
When his son got everything, he built a small out-house behind the main house for his parents
and he told them, “Now you have to stay there.” So the old couple stayed there, while their
son and his family started living in the big bungalow. One day, while playing, the grandchild
came into his grandfather’s home, where everything was old and in a very poor, pathetic
condition – old utensils, old chairs, all unwanted goods. Things that could break at any time
were kept in that house. So the grandchild came and told his grandpa, “Grandpa, be carefulwith your plate
and your chair. Don’t break them!” When he asked why, the child said,

“Because tomorrow, my father needs all this.” The child’s father heard this and was shocked.
That little boy saying, “Grandpa don’t break it because tomorrow, when I grow older, I’m also
going to send my father here. So better save this!”
One does not realise this fact. You are also going to be old one day, and are going to be like
them. If you find that the elderly people in your home are complaining, and you don’t like it,
you better not do it today, and if you see them as being so generous, so calm, so serene, so
loving, you better start being that way right now. And I tell you, if you’re on the path, in the
knowledge, and if you keep doing your meditation and the breathing exercises, your ageing
reverses! That enthusiasm to learn will exist and your alertness, focus, attention – everything –
increases in life. You will not become cynical and senile as you advance in age.
 
 
Jai Gurudev.