Friday 30 May 2014
QnA with Sri Sri
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you get too many thoughts, there are certain reasons. One of the reasons, for getting too many thoughts, is when your bowel is not clear, when your stomach is upset, constipated. If your bowel movements are not ok then you get too many thoughts. If there is no proper blood circulation in the body, then also you get too many thoughts, yeah? So, yoga and pranayama will help. Proper food and diet will help. Show to Ayurvedic doctor, he will say if there is too much pitta in your system, then he will suggest the food, which will also help.
Guru One Liner of the day
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Both. It is there, but it needs to be increased. Just like how rice is inside the paddy, but the husk on it has to be removed.
Knowledge Sutra for the day!
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Wisdom Quote of the day
Knowledge Sheet
Rising in Divine Love
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Rouse yourself to the behold Divinity that's in you. First you wake up
from inertia and dullness; then the human in you wakes up; thereafter
the Divinity in you becomes evident.
One story says that after creating man, God said, "I made a mistake". For God was flooded with complaints: "Why did you do this? Why did you do that?" God wondered why despite all that he had created, man was so full of complaints. Why was man grumbling most of the time? God went to a saint and said, "I am in deep trouble. Man may even drag me to court!" The saint whispered something into God's ear. He told God to go and hide in the heart of man because that's where man never goes. God's eyes sparkled. He sneaked into the heart of man and has been lying hidden there ever since. Become aware, therefore, of the Divinity that's in you.
So what then is God? God is beauty. God is space, joy and love, and God is all-pervading. God is the space in which everything exists, from which everything has come into existence, and into which everything dissolves. The space around you is not dead space; it is filled with energy and intelligence. That energy and intelligence is divinity. It is everywhere – inside you as well as outside you.
When a disciple once asked what God is, the master gently replied that God is Truth, beauty and love. God is that field and energy present in every particle of entire creation. You can feel it but cannot see it. You can experience that enormous energy when you go deep in meditation.
Once a man went to the Buddha and asked, "I don't believe in God." The Buddha said, "You are right". The man went back, happy. A second man came and said, "I believe in God", to which the Buddha once again said, "You are right". That man also went back happy. Then, a third man came who humbly asked: "Some people say that there is no God. When I listen to their logic, I get convinced. But when I listen to saints, I feel that God exists. Now, I am confused. Does God exist or not?" The Buddha told him he'd come to the right place because he did not have a preconceived notion of God and so they could look for God together!
A perturbed mind can never go close to God. Drop your concepts of God. Sit with your eyes closed and go deep within yourself. When you experience depth then the truth will automatically dawn on you. You will find the answer.
The most relaxing or comfortable place is in you. Repose in that peaceful, cool, calm, serene depth of your being that is valuable and precious. All complaints disappear when you dive in to the inner recesses of your heart. Have you seen the mythological picture of Vishnu sleeping on the serpent? The serpent is the symbol of alertness, of awareness and on this the Lord is happily sleeping. Lakshmi, goddess of wealth is right there as well.
Cultivate love of divinity. It helps if you are with one who has found this love. To be like a child, you have to be with a child; to be happy, be with a happy person. The company of one who is in Divine love will make you shine in that love, too.
One story says that after creating man, God said, "I made a mistake". For God was flooded with complaints: "Why did you do this? Why did you do that?" God wondered why despite all that he had created, man was so full of complaints. Why was man grumbling most of the time? God went to a saint and said, "I am in deep trouble. Man may even drag me to court!" The saint whispered something into God's ear. He told God to go and hide in the heart of man because that's where man never goes. God's eyes sparkled. He sneaked into the heart of man and has been lying hidden there ever since. Become aware, therefore, of the Divinity that's in you.
So what then is God? God is beauty. God is space, joy and love, and God is all-pervading. God is the space in which everything exists, from which everything has come into existence, and into which everything dissolves. The space around you is not dead space; it is filled with energy and intelligence. That energy and intelligence is divinity. It is everywhere – inside you as well as outside you.
When a disciple once asked what God is, the master gently replied that God is Truth, beauty and love. God is that field and energy present in every particle of entire creation. You can feel it but cannot see it. You can experience that enormous energy when you go deep in meditation.
Once a man went to the Buddha and asked, "I don't believe in God." The Buddha said, "You are right". The man went back, happy. A second man came and said, "I believe in God", to which the Buddha once again said, "You are right". That man also went back happy. Then, a third man came who humbly asked: "Some people say that there is no God. When I listen to their logic, I get convinced. But when I listen to saints, I feel that God exists. Now, I am confused. Does God exist or not?" The Buddha told him he'd come to the right place because he did not have a preconceived notion of God and so they could look for God together!
A perturbed mind can never go close to God. Drop your concepts of God. Sit with your eyes closed and go deep within yourself. When you experience depth then the truth will automatically dawn on you. You will find the answer.
The most relaxing or comfortable place is in you. Repose in that peaceful, cool, calm, serene depth of your being that is valuable and precious. All complaints disappear when you dive in to the inner recesses of your heart. Have you seen the mythological picture of Vishnu sleeping on the serpent? The serpent is the symbol of alertness, of awareness and on this the Lord is happily sleeping. Lakshmi, goddess of wealth is right there as well.
Cultivate love of divinity. It helps if you are with one who has found this love. To be like a child, you have to be with a child; to be happy, be with a happy person. The company of one who is in Divine love will make you shine in that love, too.
Guru Punch of the day
Thursday 29 May 2014
QnA with Sri Sri
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, definitely. Chanakya Neeti means skillfully bringing everybody together; that is what Chanakya did. India was fragmented into many small kingdoms, it was Chanakya who united it and made India one huge empire.
In the Arthashastra (an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy), in the rules on economy, he has given many little formulas that hold good even today.
Indian economists have always praised Chanakya, and the skill with which he dealt with every situation. Anyone who is very skillful and very clever, they call him Chanakya here; so, it is a title. It is a state of mind where you want to make progress fast, still be skillful, and take on challenges as an opportunity. Then, you can give the title to yourself. You could be a Chanakya if you have all the skills to face all the challenges, and get what you want.
Guru One Liner of the day
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Leave it! Love cannot be measured because it is infinite. There is no boundaries to it. But knowing has a boundary. Ponder on it.
Wisdom Quote of the day
Knowledge Sutra for the day!
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Knowledge Sheet
Softness and Forcefulness
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Certain types of people are soft and their softness comes out of lack of
courage and forcefulness. There is yet another type of softness in
people and this softness comes out of maturity, magnanimity, and the
knowledge of the Self.
The people who are soft out of lack of courage suffer a lot. And sometime or other they become volatile.
Similarly there are two types of forcefulness in people, aggression or assertiveness. Some people are forceful in an aggressive manner out of weakness, lack of strength, or out of fear. Others are forceful out of care and love, out of compassion.
David: Aggressive control and aggressive support.
Guruji: So look into yourself and become aware of what type of softness and what type of forcefulness you have.
The people who are soft out of lack of courage suffer a lot. And sometime or other they become volatile.
Similarly there are two types of forcefulness in people, aggression or assertiveness. Some people are forceful in an aggressive manner out of weakness, lack of strength, or out of fear. Others are forceful out of care and love, out of compassion.
David: Aggressive control and aggressive support.
Guruji: So look into yourself and become aware of what type of softness and what type of forcefulness you have.
Guru Punch of the day
Wednesday 28 May 2014
QnA with Sri Sri
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Arrogance is not going to bring you success, either. Humility does not mean being wiggly, wiggly. Humility does not need to be that way. Humility is friendliness, simplicity, and being natural. If it is that much, it is always good.
You cannot be successful in business by being arrogant. If you are arrogant, you will make more losses than gains. This is my understanding; you all should have better experience with it.
Guru One Liner of the day
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Your desire to be free indicates that you’re already on the way out. It is already going away. Do not be too hard on yourself. Practices will help you a lot.
Wisdom Quote of the day
Knowledge Sheet
Heat of Knowledge
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For your prayer to be answered, the desire has to be intense. The
greater the intensity of desire and the later it gets fulfilled, then
greater will be the gratitude.
lntense desire leads you to devotion. For desire to get intense, time and the need for the desire are required. The feeling of gratitude is so overwhelming after the fulfillment of desire that it's achievement loses its charm and significance.
The son of a farmer in India had a life-long desire to go to England and he prayed deeply for it. Even the news of his trip to England materializing filled him with immense gratitude - he did not even care whether he went or not.
Often people think that they are unfortunate if their desires don't get fulfilled quickly. lntense desire can frustrate you or make you prayerful. In prayerfulness, there is gratitude and devotion. Any intense experience makes you whole.
Your consciousness is like corn. With the heat of Knowledge, consciousness pops ups and becomes white and fluffy.
lntense desire leads you to devotion. For desire to get intense, time and the need for the desire are required. The feeling of gratitude is so overwhelming after the fulfillment of desire that it's achievement loses its charm and significance.
The son of a farmer in India had a life-long desire to go to England and he prayed deeply for it. Even the news of his trip to England materializing filled him with immense gratitude - he did not even care whether he went or not.
Often people think that they are unfortunate if their desires don't get fulfilled quickly. lntense desire can frustrate you or make you prayerful. In prayerfulness, there is gratitude and devotion. Any intense experience makes you whole.
Your consciousness is like corn. With the heat of Knowledge, consciousness pops ups and becomes white and fluffy.
Guru Punch of the day
Tuesday 27 May 2014
Guru One Liner of the day
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: With discrimination! Desires just come up. You should have your dreams but remain grounded.
QnA with Sri Sri
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Youth is bored and it’s their fortune. If they were satisfied then growth would have stopped. When they are bored then the quest comes in them. They are not satisfied with the things available around. And this is the stage when they can take a step to look within, a leap in their inner journey, a step towards spirituality. An interest in higher growth gets kindled when you are bored with things around. When you find source of joy within, then obviously everything around is also reflecting the same source of joy, then you find interest in everything. Continuous bombardment of senses by stimuli can cause inertia. Inertia is boredom, is a form of boredom. Again when prana level goes up, you move from inertia to enthusiasm.
Wisdom Quote of the day
Knowledge Sheet
Hungry for Power
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Why are people hungry for power?
People are hungry for power because they want attention and recognition.
Power is a means, just like money. Passion is for an end. People who do not see power or money as a means, but see it as an end in itself, they do not live, they simply exist.
If you do not realize that you are THE power - that is to say that you are enlightened, then you crave for power.
You crave for attention and recognition if:
If you don't have love or passion to bring about transformation in the society, then you are hungry for power.
If you are not innocent and childlike and don't have a sense of belongingness with the whole world, then you are hungry for power.
Those who do not have any of these four, like some politicians, crave for power.
The true power is the power of the spirit; real confidence, strength and happiness all spring from the spirit. And one who knows this and has this is not hungry for power at all.
People are hungry for power because they want attention and recognition.
Power is a means, just like money. Passion is for an end. People who do not see power or money as a means, but see it as an end in itself, they do not live, they simply exist.
If you do not realize that you are THE power - that is to say that you are enlightened, then you crave for power.
You crave for attention and recognition if:
- You don't have any talents,
- You have no love or passion,
- You are not innocent and childlike.
If you don't have love or passion to bring about transformation in the society, then you are hungry for power.
If you are not innocent and childlike and don't have a sense of belongingness with the whole world, then you are hungry for power.
Those who do not have any of these four, like some politicians, crave for power.
The true power is the power of the spirit; real confidence, strength and happiness all spring from the spirit. And one who knows this and has this is not hungry for power at all.
Guru Punch of the day
Monday 26 May 2014
QnA with Sri Sri
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you are unconsciously stopping it, it will unconsciously stop also. Why do you consciously want to stop? Let it be. Got it? Your trying to stop it consciously becomes a problem. You get stuck. So just relax. Just relax and continue more meditation, more Advanced and Silence programmes. These will de-program you from that thing.
Wisdom Quote of the day
Knowledge Sheet
Desire and Joy
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All desires are for happiness. That is the goal of desire, isn't it? How
often does your desire lead you to the goal? But have you thought about
the nature of desire? It simply means tomorrow, and not now, isn't it?
Joy is never tomorrow. It is always now.
How can you have desires when you are joyful? And how can you really be joyful now when you have desires? Desire appears to lead you to happiness. In fact it cannot. And that is why it is Maya. What do you say?
How can you have desires when you are joyful? And how can you really be joyful now when you have desires? Desire appears to lead you to happiness. In fact it cannot. And that is why it is Maya. What do you say?
Guru Punch of the day
Sunday 25 May 2014
QnA with Sri Sri
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Good. You have come to the right place. If you wish to get rid of a bad habit then there are only three ways for it. The first is your love for knowledge, the Divine or some dear one - whether parents or Guru. By promising some dear one that you will quit the habit, you will be able to get rid of it. This is the best way out. The second way is greed. If you will not consume intoxicants for six months, then you will get ten million rupees, or that your luck will shine and you will succeed in everything. The third is fear - if one day you do consume intoxicants, then you will suffer a loss of one million, or you will have to suffer from a major ailment. If such a greed or fear enters you, even then you will be rid of your addiction. Along with these three ways, do yoga and pranayama. The best is that along with yoga and sadhana (spiritual practices), you take a vow that you will not indulge in addictions. Take a vow for forty days, then six months and then a year. After that, you would have come out of the habit and won’t look back at it.
Guru One Liner of the day
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Don’t try to open your heart. You cannot do an open heart surgery on yourself. Leave it to me!
Knowledge Sheet
Desire for Truth
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Buddha said that desire is the cause of all misery. If your desire does
not get fulfilled, it leads to frustration and causes misery. Even if it
does get fulfilled, it leaves you empty.
Vashishhtha said that desire is the cause of pleasure. You get pleasure from an object or a person only when you desire them. When you do not desire an object, you do not get pleasure from it. For example, when a person is hot and thirsty, a sip of cold water gives him pleasure; but not if he is not thirsty. Whatever gives you pleasure binds you and bondage is misery.
Sri Sri says when you desire for truth, all other desires drop off. You always desire for something that is not there. But, truth is always there! Desire for truth removes all other desires and it itself dissolves. And what remains is bliss.
Vashishhtha said that desire is the cause of pleasure. You get pleasure from an object or a person only when you desire them. When you do not desire an object, you do not get pleasure from it. For example, when a person is hot and thirsty, a sip of cold water gives him pleasure; but not if he is not thirsty. Whatever gives you pleasure binds you and bondage is misery.
Sri Sri says when you desire for truth, all other desires drop off. You always desire for something that is not there. But, truth is always there! Desire for truth removes all other desires and it itself dissolves. And what remains is bliss.
Wisdom Quote of the day
Guru Punch of the day
QnA with Sri Sri
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Both. You cannot be just say that I will go with the flow. At the same time you cannot be stuck with a program you made one. Both together are necessary for growth. You should have a program, you should put your full effort, and then you should also be able to adopt to the situation.
Saturday 24 May 2014
Guru One Liner of the day
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Dharma is that which upholds you: truth, service, compassion, my nature, my values, virtues.That which uplifts your spirit and upholds you mind, body and soul complex is Dharma.
Wisdom Quote of the day
Knowledge Sutra for the day!
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Guru Punch of the day
Friday 23 May 2014
QnA with Sri Sri
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I am hearing a new word today. Well, don’t divide life: this is spiritual or this is materialistic. Take a holistic view of life. There is also food in a temple. In that sense both material and spiritual aspects are there. Music is both a form of entertainment and spirituality. We even put ornate clothes on our deities. Ancient people never separated the spiritual and material. They enjoyed putting precious jewels in temples.
In South India, in Madurai, kings gave away most of their precious jewels to the temples. Everything co-existed. In the same way, you can treat work as worship. It is sacred. Spirituality has entered our material life. Action is sacred. Lord Krishna says, “Janma karma samay divya”. All actions are divine. Lord Krishna himself was very much of the material world except for his discourse to Arjuna. All he did was materialistic. He ruled the country, advised as a minister, and so on. Life should not be compartmentalized. Materialism and spirituality are not opposed to each other.
However, money earned through unethical means is never spiritual. It will pinch your heart. The spirit is awake in you. It is your natural instinct. If you have a plate full of food and someone comes to you, you will not be able to eat it alone. It is such a natural part of your life that you cannot renounce one for the other. Every spiritual person has to do charity. You want to be compassionate, but how can you be when you have nothing to give away. Charity cannot happen with an empty bowl.
Narayana is the pinnacle of spiritual life and Laxmi is the symbol of wealth. Both Narayana and Laxmi go together. Saraswati sat on a rock. The knowledge that you have gained will always be with you. Laxmi sits on a lotus which floats on water. You will never believe what happens in the share market. Wealth is unsteady just as a lotus floating on water. These are the eternal symbols that convey truth. Grasp what is needed. This is very important.
Guru One Liner of the day
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you blabber whatever comes to your mind, you will be in trouble. Though you have freedom of speech, you cannot hurl abuses.
Wisdom Quote of the day
Guru Punch of the day
Thursday 22 May 2014
Guru One Liner of the day
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Me! Whatever you find after leaving all of this, is the only thing worth attaining.
QnA with Sri Sri
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Information is something that even a computer can give and take. Filling our mind with information is not Gyaan.
If a person reads a lot of books and knows all the information in those books, then we don’t say he is a Gyaani.
If someone mugs up the Vedas, the Quran, the Bible, etc., and keeps pointing to chapters, page numbers, verses, then this person has just collected information. He has mugged it all up, but that is not knowledge.
Gyaan is that which becomes an experience of life. It is that which sets you free. It is that which gives you a glimpse of the ocean of peace which is within you. It is that which raises a wave of love within you, and which brings a change in your personality.
Collecting information is something what many so called scholars do. They just collect the information and keep saying it. But if you try to get them to speak one word of wisdom, nothing comes out of them. This is because the knowledge has not permeated their life at all. They are still caught in raaga (desire), dvesha (bitterness), eersha (envy),ahankaar (ego). How can we call them knowledgeable (gyaani) then?
Wisdom Quote of the day
Knowledge Sutra for the day!
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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