Focus And Attention!!

Focus sharpens the mind and relaxation expands the mind. Just an expanded mind without sharpness cannot bring the holistic development. At the same time, just the sharp mind without expansion causes tension, anger and frustration The balance between the focused mind and expanded consciousness brings perfection. Both Sudarshan Kriya and the Advanced Course techniques are aimed at developing such consciousness which is sharp and unbounded Seva and commitment play a major role in this. Also, food and attitude have an effect. Expanded consciousness is peace and joy. Focused consciousness is love and creativity. A point of focused consciousness is Individual self. When every atom of the expanded consciousness becomes sharp, focused, that is the awakening of Divinity. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

YAGNA!!!

Yagna creates energy, energy creates consciousness, awareness. Heightened awareness brings you close to the reality and the reality is a witness. To realize that everything is happening you need heightened awareness. And to bring about heightened awareness you have to increase the prana. Prana can be increased through: 1. Fasting, fresh food 2. Pranayamas, Kriya, meditation 3. Silence 4. Cold water baths 5. Total exhaustion, not letting sleep take over 6. Emotional peaks 7. Presence of the Master 8. Singing and chanting 9. Giving without a givership, service without a doership All of these together is Yagna. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Window Shutters

To the degree that you are awake, everything around you brings you knowledge. If you are not awake, then even the most precious knowledge does not make any sense. (Suddenly there was much noise from outside and Kiran went to shut the window.) To the degree that you are awake, everything around you brings you knowledge. If you are not awake, then even the most precious knowledge does not make any sense. (Suddenly there was much noise from outside and Kiran went to shut the window.) Sri Sri: Awareness depends upon your ability to shut your windows. When there is a storm you need to shut your windows, otherwise you will get wet. When it is hot and suffocating inside, you need to open your windows. Your senses are like the windows. When you have the ability to open and shut your windows at your will then you are free and you are awake. When your windows cannot be shut or opened, you are bound. Attending to that is sadhana or practice. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Padmanabha - The Lotus Navel

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

Overcoming Events

All the problems that you face in life are because you attach over importance to the events. The events grow bigger while you remain smaller. Say, for example, you are riding a motorbike on a busy motor way and in front of you there is another vehicle emitting exhaust fumes. You have three options. 1. You can complain, somehow bear with it, and still follow the vehicle. 2. You can slow down or wait for some time to allow the vehicle to move far away from you. 3. You can use your skill, overtake the vehicle, and forget about it. As in the first case, most of you stick on the events and are miserable, like inhaling fumes throughout your journey. In the second case, you don't get permanent relief, as another bigger vehicle might come in front of you. Like that, running away from events is not the permanent solution. However, wise people use their skill and grow over the events. If the vehicle is in perfect condition, the skill is effective. Conditioning the vehicle is sadhana or practice. And skill is the grace of the Guru. The mistakes that you have made in the past have made you humble; you need not make mistakes in the future to become humble. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Drop Your Intentions

Sri Sri: A strong tendency to keep doing something, whether important or unimportant, becomes an impediment to meditation. Doing starts first with an intention and then translates into action. Though intention springs from the Being, when it becomes doing it doesn’t let you settle down. All intentions, good or bad, trivial or important, need to be dropped for meditation to happen. Vijay: But isn’t dropping all intentions itself an intention? Sri Sri: Yes, but that intention is the last and necessary intention. Dropping the intentions is not an act – just the intention to drop the intentions itself serves the purpose. Dropping all intentions even for a moment brings you in touch with your Self – that instant meditation happens. While you sit for meditation you have to let the world be the way it is. The repetition of meditation is to habituate our system to be able to stop and start activity at will. The ability to do this consciously is a very precious skill. || Jai Guru Dev ||

Impressions And Expressions!!

Do not make an effort to impress others, or to express yourself. Your effort to express yourself becomes an impediment. Your effort to impress someone also becomes futile. If you do not try to impress, expression comes naturally. When you come from the self, your expression is perfect and your impression lasts for ages. Often you don't seem to have a control over your impressions and expressions. Wisdom is selecting your impressions and expressions. Enlightenment is when you do not take any impressions at all, whether good or bad. Then you "master" the art of expression. Many impressions in the mind cause: ~ Confusion ~ Distraction ~ Chaos ~ Lack of focus ~ and finally, derangement of the mind. Nature has inbuilt in us a system through which it releases some of the impressions - through dreams, and through meditation. Excessive expression loses the depth and luster, the serenity of yourself. Meditation erases the impressions and improves the expression. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

As You Sow So Shall You Reap!!

DNA, 4th April, 2010 H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar When you cannot understand whether justice has been done or not, you need to look beyond your limited framework In life, you may find that sometimes people who are doing wrong are enjoying instead of being punished, while those who are doing right, are suffering. In this situation, your mind might question - where is God? Why is he supporting the wicked? What is he doing when the one doing good deeds is facing trouble? Such a question arises when you see an event in a limited framework. No good action will yield a bad result. Or, no bad action will yield a good result. This is the law of Karma. As you sow, so shall you reap. If you have sown a mango seed, a mango tree will grow, but along with the mango tree, some thorny bushes may come up. It is not the mango seed that brings up the thorny bush - the thorny bush comes because of the seeds present in the manure brought from somewhere else. Your mango seed will bring mango fruit, in due time. In the same manner, though someone may have sown a thorny bush, some groundnut or moong sprouts may grow amidst it, because those seeds were already present before you sowed the thorny bush. When you cannot understand whether there is justice or not, you have to look beyond the limited framework. This could be the reason why Jain philosophy does not even accept the judge. They simply say the whole world is governed by the law of cause and effect - they call it the Law. Law appears to be impersonal, like a rule, or like a principle in nature, but when law assumes a personality, a persona, then one calls it God. So from this perspective, there cannot be injustice; and if there appears to be an injustice, there are people who are bringing justice - this is also part of the law. For example, if someone gets a disease, there is someone else who has the cure for it. If the person with the cure knows that somebody is suffering, it is his dharma to bring them relief. The awareness of dharma also has a role to play. Karma is always dynamic, in the sense that there is perception and there is action. Whenever you see a bad karma or someone suffering, you need to help them. That is your dharma. If you do not follow your dharma, then you incur bad karma for not having done it. There is someone else who needs to put you back on track - to set you right is their dharma. Karma and dharma go hand in hand. The world is not a linear mathematics. It is a complex mathematics. See God as a movie director, rather than as a judge. He has no ill-feeling for the villain and no special favour for the hero. Each one is playing the role designed by the director. If the director wants to make the movie a tragedy, he will punish the hero. If he wants a happy ending, he will make the hero win over the villain. In either case the director is happy and doing justice to the movie. In the end, both the villain and the hero are rewarded. That is why, in the Puranas, every villain who dies also goes to heaven. After so many years, when the Pandavas reached heaven, they found Duryodhana already sitting there happily. Our perception of suffering, of good and bad, will always be relative. God does not come within the purview of relativity. He is the absolute reality - Sarva Sakshi - a witness to all that is. Sri Sri Jai Gurudev

Worship

Do not worship or idolize worship. Idolizing without a sense of belongingness is always futile. Such worship only causes fear and distance. And there are others who are paranoid about worship. They get irritated by seeing others worshipping. The modes of worship or idolizing may be different in different parts of the world. Some worship the pope ; others worship the pop stars. Some are crazy about the politicians. Look at all the children. They worship their heroes all over the walls. Just adoration makes you a fan. Having a sense of belongingness and seeing the Divinity in those whom you adore, makes you a saint. Raghu: You mean we can see Divinity in a pop star or politician. Guruji: If You can;. a Divinity that is distorted (laughter). Those who worship without a sense of belongingness and those who are against worship are in the same boat as both are clogged with fear. In the Bible, it says, " I am your God. And you shall have no other before me. " The same is said in the ancient Indian scriptures. One who worships God as separate from the "I am" consciousness is dull headed". And " Poojo aur na deva". Do not worship other Gods. The offering, the offered and the offerer are all ONE. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Respect

When someone respects you, it is not because you possess some virtues, it is because of their generosity, their greatness. If you say God is great, it makes YOU great. God is anyway already great, you saying so doesn't affect God. When you respect someone, it only shows your own magnanimity. How many people you don't respect in the world, that much less is your wealth. If you respect everyone in the world, that much more is your value. Wiser is the one who respects everyone. Question : But Gurudev, you can't respect a terrorist! Sri Sri : You have to respect a terrorist too because he shows you the way at his own cost. Respectfulness is a quality of refined consciousness. Respect for the Self is faith. Faith is being open. If you are open, you are close. If you are close, you cannot but open up. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Free Will Or Destiny

When people consider the past as free will they are filled with remorse and regret. When they consider the future as destiny, lethargy and inertia set in. A wise person will consider the past as destiny and the future as free will. When you consider the past as destiny, no more questions are raised and the mind is at ease. And when you consider the future as free will you are filled with enthusiasm and dynamism. Of course there will be some uncertainty when you consider the future as free will, and some anxiety, but it can also bring alertness and creativity. Consider the past as destiny, the future as free will and the present moment as Divinity. Question: How do we remove the anxiety? Answer: By having faith in the Divine and doing sadhana. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Pointing out A Mistake

A lady came to Guruji and said that her husband lied to her. She was very upset. Guruji asked "Why does your husband lie to you? Because he loves you, and is afraid to lose your love or hurt you. If he did not love you, he wouldn't lie to you!" Do not tell a person a mistake he knows. What's the use of pointing out a mistake that he knows he has committed? By doing this, you will only make them feel more guilty, defensive or resentful and this will only create more distance. You should only point out the mistake of a person who does not know, but who wants to know. Do not point out the mistake of a person who knows but doesn't want you to know. Often people know the mistakes that they have committed, but they do not want you to tell them. Think of the usefulness of your comments. Before pointing out the mistake of a person, see whether your comments in any way will help to improve the situation, foster love or bring harmony. A magnanimous person would not pick on the mistakes of others and make them feel guilty. However, they would correct them with compassion and care, not through words but through attitudes. - Sri Sri

Always????

How to be happy always? Forget about always, then you are happy. In wanting to be comfortable always, one becomes lazy. In wanting perfection always, one becomes angry. In wanting to be rich always, one becomes greedy When we do not realise that only life is for always, then fear comes. This projection of the nature of self which is "always", on the temporal which can never be "always", is called Maya. All ways do not lead you, only one way leads you. If you remove always from your dictionary then everything is alright Drop "always" and all will be right - that is intelligence. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Aishwarya & Madhurya

In the world, usually where there is Aishwarya (Lordship), there is no Madhurya (Sweetness) and where there is Madhurya, there is no Aishwarya. Where life has blossomed fully, there is both Aishwarya and Madhurya. Aishwarya means Ishwaratva – Lordship of that which IS. Wealth, too, is referred to as Aishwarya because wealth does command a certain amount of authority. Can love and authority co-exist? Only in a fully blossomed Being, there is both Lordship and Sweetness. There was Aishwarya in Sri Rama, but only glimpses of Madhurya. Parshuram's life shows only Lordship, but no Madhurya. Buddha manifested more of Madhurya – the sweetness, and less of authority. But Krishna manifested both Aishwarya and Madhurya. So did Jesus. There is Lordship when they said, "I am the way!" And there is Sweetness in their expression of Prayer and Love. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Be Awake To Be Dynamic

Guruji's Knowledge Sheet: Be Awake To Be Dynamic When you are in a rush, you are unable to properly perceive things. Often you are in a rush in life. This takes away the charm, thrill and beauty from your life. You can never be close to the Truth when you are in a rush because your perception, observation and expression become distorted. The rush to enjoy robs the joy from life. All the rush that you have in your life only denies the joy and freedom of here and now. Often one does not even know why one is in a hurry. It almost becomes a biological phenomenon to be in a rush. Wake up and become aware of the rush in you! Anne Farrow says: Wake up and slow down! (Laughter!) It is ridiculous to be in a rush to slow down. Just being aware of the rush itself will take care of it. Slowing down does not mean lethargy or procrastination. It is easy to be in either extreme of being in a rush or being lethargic. Feverishness arises out of lack, a need to achieve; whereas dynamism is an expression of fulfillment. The golden rule is to be awake, and being awake you cannot help but be dynamic. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Are YOu A Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh Or Guru?

There are three forces: Brahma shakti, Vishnu shakti, and Shiva shakti. You may have one of these predominant. Brahma shakti is the force to create something new. Vishnu shakti is maintenance and Shiva shakti is bringing in transformation, filling in life, or destroying. Some of you have Brahma shakti. You may create well, but you may not be able to maintain. For example, you may make friends very fast, but it does not last long. There are others who cannot create but are good at maintaining. For example, people have long lasting friendships but cannot make any new friends. In such cases, Vishnu shakti is dominant. And then there are others who have more of Shiva shakti. They bring in new life or transformation or they can destroy the whole set up. In Guru shakti, all three shaktis have blossomed fully. So each of you first identify which shakti you have more of and aspire for Guru shakti. Guru makes a group but a group cannot make a Guru. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||