Wisdom Of Love

I chant the name of my beloved in every breath. The beloved is faultless - perfect. But being in love I have lost my reputation.When there is so much love, you take total responsibility for any misunderstanding. You may express dismay for a moment on the surface. But when you do not feel that in your heart, you arrive at a perfect understanding. You are in a state where all problems and differences slide away and only love shines through. Usually we get stuck in our differences, because we have lost sight of ourselves. In the name of love we try to manipulate and control the other person. This is natural that when we love somebody, we want them to be perfect. You can never see the pits in the ground from the top of a hill. From a plane the earth looks so smooth. So also from a state of elevated consciousness, you do not see the pitfalls in others. But if you come to the ground you always see the holes. And when you want to fill the holes, you have to see them. You cannot build a home being airborne. You cannot till the land without looking at the pits, filling them, removing the pebbles.... That is why when you love somebody you find all the faults in them. But finding faults destroys love. Instead of filling the pits we run away from them. When you love somebody and see their faults, stay with them and help them fill the pits. This is wisdom. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Love Is Your Nature

Sri Sri: There are some who are longing for change. Feeling that everything is stagnant in their lives, they want to change partners, careers, dwellings. And there are some who are scared of change. They feel secure the way they are. There are some who see the change, but don't acknowledge it, out of fear. There are some who do not notice the change at all. There are some who do not think there is anything to change. And there are some who realize that everything is changing, yet see there is something that is non-changing. Those who recognize the non-changing amidst the change are the wisest of all. Question: Must love as well always change? Sri Sri: Love is your nature. What is your nature cannot change. But the expression of love changes. Because love is your nature, you cannot but love. The mother has total love for the child, but sometimes she feeds the child, sometimes she is strict with the child. "Come on, sit and write!" Sometimes she slaps the child. She does this out of love, and these are all different modes of love. So the expression of love changes. But love itself does not change, because love is your nature. ********* Guru of Joy! Francois Gautier is a journalist. He has also become an Art Of Living Teacher. He has published book “The Guru Of Joy”. He says he had interviewed 5 PMs, met high profilers, addressed packed audiences but nothing makes him prouder than being an AOL teacher. || Jai Guru Dev ||

Why Do You Love Someone

Do you love someone, because they are great or unique? I tell you - you are hopeless! Why do you love someone? Is it because of their qualities or is it because of a sense of kinship or intimacy? You can love someone for their qualities and not feel a sense of kinship. This type of love gives rise to competition and jealousy. Such is not the case when love arises out of kinship. If you love someone for their qualities, then when the quality changes or you get used to the quality, love also changes. However, if you love someone out of kinship, because they belong to you, then that love remains for life-times. People say "I love God, because He is great". This is no big thing. If God is found to be ordinary, just one of us, then your love for God collapses! If you love God, because He is yours, then however God is, whether He creates or destroys, you still love Him. The love for kinship is like the love for yourself. Question: Many people do not have love for themselves? Answer: No! It is the other way around. They love themselves so much, that they want better qualities and better appearance for themselves. This love of qualities makes them be hard on one self. If love is based on the quality of a person, then the love is not stable - after sometime the qualities change and the love becomes shaky. Loving someone because of their greatness or uniqueness is Third-rate love. Loving someone because they belong to you, great or otherwise, is unconditional love. Knowledge, Sadhana, Seva and Satsang help to bring about a sense of belonging in no time. When love springs forth from a sense of belongingness then the actions and qualities do not over shadow the love. Neither the qualities nor actions can be perfect all the time. Love and a feeling of kinship alone can be perfect. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Authority&Love

Authority and love Mistakes keep happening all the time. Often you get irritated by them and want to correct them. How much can you correct? There are two situations when you correct others’ mistakes: 1. You correct someone’s mistake because it bothers you. But even if you correct it, this does not work. 2. You correct someone’s mistake, not because it bothers you, but for their sake so that they can grow. To correct mistakes you need authority and love. Authority and love seem to be contradictory, but in reality they are not. Authority without love is stifling and does not work. Love without authority is shallow. A friend needs to have both authority and love but they need to be in the right combination. This can happen if you are totally dispassionate and centred. When you allow room for mistakes, you can be both authoritative and sweet. That is how the Divine is, the right balance of both. Krishna and Jesus had both. People, when they are in love, exercise authority with each other. Authority and love exist in all relationships. Abhay says, "The husband just loves and the wife has authority." Mikey asks, "Is that a mistake?" Guruji says, "I don’t want to correct it!" (laughter)

In Sights Of Love

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. Pain is the first insight. It takes you away from the object and turns you towards your body and mind. Energy is the second insight. A bolt of energy brings you back to your Self. Divine Love is the third insight. A glimpse of Divine love makes you so complete and over rules all the relative pleasures. Trance is the fourth insight. An elevation of consciousness and partial awareness of the physical reality around is Trance. 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 Nos, it is hatred, When it acts, it is perfection, When love Knows, it is ME! - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

When You Love Someone

Sri Sri: When you love someone you don't see anything wrong in them. Even if you see some fault in them you justify the fault and say Well everyone does it, it is normal. You think you have not done enough for them. The more you do, the more you want to do for them. They are always in your mind. Ordinary things become extraordinary. For eg. A baby winking at grandmother. You want them to be yours exclusively. When you love someone, you want to see them always happy and you want them to have the best . You get hurt even over small things. ~ ~ ~ 33% extra knowledge !!! (Laughter) Sri Sri: You wish someone of what they dont have ? Right ? Answer: Yes ! Sri Sri: When you say Best Wishes, you imply that they are not best NOW I tell you, NOW is the best. If you realise this tomorrow can only be better. Jai Gurudev

Insights Of Love

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. Pain is the first insight. It takes you away from the object and turns you towards your body and mind. Energy is the second insight. A bolt of energy brings you back to your Self. Divine Love is the third insight. A glimpse of Divine love makes you so complete and over rules all the relative pleasures. Trance is the fourth insight. An elevation of consciousness and partial awareness of the physical reality around is Trance. 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! - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Be Ease At Love

With whom do you feel really comfortable and at ease? You feel comfortable with someone who does not question your love, someone who takes for granted that you love them. Isn't it? If someone doubts your love and you constantly have to prove it, this becomes a heavy load on your head. When someone doubts your love, they start questioning you and demanding explanations for all your actions. To explain everything you do is a burden. Your nature is to shed the burden, and so you don't feel comfortable. When you question the reason behind an action, you are asking for justice for yourself. You are creating a distance when you ask for justice. Your whole intention is to come close, but you are creating a distance. You are a witness to all your actions. You are as much a stranger to your own actions as you are to someone else's. You are the Eternal Witness. When someone asks for an explanation, they are speaking from doership and imposing that doership on you. This brings discomfort. If somebody is just there with you, like a part of you, they don't question you. They are like your arm. There is thorough understanding and questions don't arise. Neither demand an explanation nor give an explanation. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Personal And Impersonal

How can we reconcile the impersonal with the personal? In love you raise the object to life. When you love an object it becomes life. For children everything is personal. Children take each object they play with and make it totally personal. Even a stone has a face; even the sun laughs. When you attach emotion, the whole creation becomes personal. When you remove the emotion, even people become objects. Violence is removing the emotion. How a person can kill another person: it is when they do not see them as a person, they see them as an object. But even a stone attracts reverence when it becomes personal. Dean says: In military training they teach soldiers to see people as killing objects coming toward you that need to be killed first. Susannah says: In the temple even a stone is elevated to the level of spirit. The impersonal cannot attract reverence. Most people see God as impersonal and therefore they do not progress. Dean and Susannah say: "That's why we need a Guru!" Chan says: When we say something isn't real, then it's impersonal. When we personalize something, we make it real. So then, what is reality? You are the Reality. You are not the thoughts, you are not the emotions nor actions. You are not even a person...! Exercise: What you now see as impersonal, see it as personal. And when you feel any negative emotion towards anybody, see them as impersonal. And pretend that you yourself are a robot. - Sri Sri Jai Gurudev.

Three Kinds Of Love

Happy Valentine's Day to All Friends! What better day than this to start a series of Knowledge Sheets by Guruji on 'Love'? Enjoy & love with your heart full!!! ******* There are three kinds of Love. The Love that comes out of Charm, that which comes out of comfort, and the Divine Love. Do you see what I am saying? The love that comes out of charm does not last long. It comes out of unfamiliarity or out of attraction. In this you lose the attraction fast, and boredom sets in, like most love marriages. This love may diminish and bring along with it fear, uncertainty, insecurity, and sadness. The Love that comes out of comfort and familiarity grows. But this Love has no thrill, no enthusiasm, joy, or fire to it. For example, you are more comfortable with an old friend who is a familiar person, rather than with a new person. The Divine Love supersedes both the above. The Divine Love has ever newness. The closer you go, there is more charm and depth. The Divine Love has comfort, enthusiasm, and familiarity. There is never boredom and it keeps everyone on their toes. Worldly love can be like an ocean, yet an ocean has a bottom. The Divine Love is like the sky which is limitless, infinite. From the bottom of the Ocean, soar into the vast sky. Anything more about Divine Love? Refer to our Bhakti Sutras. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Imperfection To Perfection

Sri Sri: You have five aspects to yourself: Asti (is-ness); Bhaati (Knowledge, expression); Preeti (love); Nama (name); and Rupa (form). Matter has two aspects: name and form. Consciousness has three aspects: "is-ness" - that it is; knowingness/ expression - it knows and expresses; and love - it is loving. This is the secret of the whole universe. Maya is not being aware of the three aspects of consciousness. Ignorance is when one is caught up in the name and form. Question: Why are we imperfect? Sri Sri: So that we can grow to perfection. Life is a movement from imperfection to perfection. A seed contains the tree but the seed has to cease to be a seed to become a tree. The seed is not perfect. The sapling is not perfect. It has to cease to be a sapling to become a tree. So in life you can either see imperfection at every step, or you can see a movement from one perfection to another perfection. Wherever you put your attention then that will grow. If you put your attention on the lack of something, the lack will increase. Jai Gurudev.

DREAMS

Sri Sri: When something is unbelievably beautiful or joyful, you wonder whether it is a dream. Often, what you perceive as reality is not joyful and so when misery is there, you never wonder if it is a dream. You are sure it is real. This is knowing the real as unreal and unreal as real. In fact, all the miseries are unreal. A wise man knows that happiness is real, as it is one's very nature. Unhappiness is unreal as it is inflicted by memory. When you see everything as a dream, then you abide in your true nature. Payal asks : "What about a nightmare?" Sri Sri : A nightmare is a dream mistaken as reality. There is no confusion in a dream at all. Keep wondering whether all this is a dream and you'll wake up to the real. Sri Sri Jai Gurudev

Loyalty

Loyalty is the way in which a mature and integrated mind behaves. Loyalty indicates undivided wholeness of consciousness and shows richness of the mind. When the mind is not integrated it is feverish, disloyal and opportunistic. Disloyalty comes out of opportunism. Opportunism is short-sightedness of one's destiny. Integrity or wholeness is essential to be healthy. A divided mind will gradually lead to schizophrenia and other physical and mental disorders. Loyalty is a real strength and will have the support of nature in the long run. Fear and ambitions are impediments to loyalty. Loyalty is needed both in the material and spiritual plane. Either to destroy, create or maintain any institution, group or society, loyalty is essential. Loyalty means believing in the continuity of commitment. Honouring commitment is loyalty. It takes you beyond the duality of craving and aversion. Responsibility, dedication, commitment are the limbs of loyalty. A loyal mind is a 'yes'-mind. The purpose of asking questions is to get an answer. The purpose of all answers is to create a ...'yes'.... 'Yes' is an acknowledgement of knowledge. The 'yes'-mind is a quiet, holistic and joyful mind. The 'no'-mind is a agitated, doubting and miserable mind. Loyalty begins with a 'yes'-mind and starts to perish with a 'no'-mind. - Sri Sri JaiGurudev.

Guru Shakti

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

Pure Knowledge

There are two types of knowledge. The first one is pure knowledge and the second one is applied knowledge. Applied knowledge may benefit you directly and immediately but pure knowledge benefits you indirectly in the long run. If there are some things that you have studied or understood that you are unable to put into practice, do not get disheartened. Sometime in the future, if you do not discard the knowledge you have as impractical, it will be of use to you. Often people discard the pure knowledge for its lack of immediate application. In fact these two types of knowledge compliment each other. Applied knowledge without pure knowledge remains weak. And pure knowledge without application will remain unfulfilled. Do not discard or label the knowledge as impractical. Do not label yourself as weak or unworthy because you are unable to apply the knowledge in your day-to-day life. Sometimes when you are alone in nature, silent, taking a walk, looking at the sand on the beach, a bird in the sky, or while meditating – suddenly the knowledge will emerge and you will recognize the knowledge dawning in your life. - Sri Sri Jai Gurudev.

Divine Beyond Time

An ignorant person either disbelieves or believes the individual. The wise neither disbelieves nor believes the individual. His faith rests on Kala (time). When the time is good, a foe will behave like a friend. When the time is not good, even a friend will behave like a foe. The wiser one believes in Mahakala (the Grand time or Shiva). An ignorant person disbelieves in time and the Divine beyond time. In the world and in time there is always room for improvement. You can improve your time and your nature. Only the Being is perfect all the time. Take refuge in the Being and become incorrigible. "I am" incorrigible. - Sri Sri Jai Gurudev.