Q: Guruji, If God is omnipresent and one feels strong connection to the Guru, is it still needed to go to temples. What is the significance of rituals?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, you do not need to go to any temple, mosques, or churches or anything. Wherever you are, sit and meditate, there you find the presence of the Divine. But rituals are good to have in life; a little bit of them. Not too much. Without rituals, life becomes a little dry and monotonous. It is the rituals that bring a certain flavour, a certain celebration, a certain colour to life. So I would say, we must have some rituals from time to time; it is good. See, walk into a house where they have no rituals at all, and then walk into a house where every day they light a lamp, or light an incense stick, and where there is a sanctity; there is a difference in the atmosphere. How many of you have noticed this? There is a certain difference. It creates a sort of atmosphere. The subtle becomes more alive there, isn’t it? So a little bit of ritual is good in everyday life. In the morning when you wake up, sit and meditate. Of course you should do pranayama along with meditation. Even if one person in a house lights a lamp somewhere; everybody does not need to do it, just one person in a home lights a lamp, it enlivens the whole atmosphere. This is what I have seen practically. I have visited so many homes; small, big, huts, bungalows, and everywhere I have seen one thing for sure, even in a small hut, they have a little altar and they have a candle or something there, and the whole atmosphere has some subtleness to it, something nice about it. In a home where there is nothing, no symbol of sacredness or no lamps are being lit, you get in and there is a certain dullness. I have noticed this. That is why I would say, a little altar in a home and some ritual is good. Any one person can do it; the lady of the house can do, or the man of the home can do it. And it is also good for children to see that there is something that they should do to get that flavour of religiosity, or spiritualness. In this country you will also find this in buses. Every bus driver, taxi drivers, car drivers, rickshaw drivers, the first thing in the morning they put a small flower or light an incense stick and bow down. And this little thing they do makes a qualitative difference in their lives. Even in shops and hotels in India they have an altar. You can ask them, ‘Why do you do this?’ Maybe someone can do some research on it. It gives them some sort of psychological strength. In some subtle way it enlivens the atmosphere. This is what I feel. In India, in the government offices they do. Every officer in their office, they have an altar. In Karnataka it is a little too much. If the chief minister has to take an oath, or get into a new office, they do a thorough puja ceremony there and everything. World over this is there. Even in the US senate and in parliament of Canada, every day they have a moment for prayer. There is a pastor for every parliament who comes and reads from the Holy Bible. Only in India we talk about secularism and secularism. It is a sort of disease that we try to keep away from all the wisdom, knowledge and ancient traditions. People try to do this but it does not really happen. It is so deeply embedded in everyone.

Q: What balance should be observed between amusement and responsibility?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: They are not opposed to each other. No balance is necessary. When you like your responsibility, it becomes a game.

How can we experience infinity? It is possible only through love. Love is the only thing you cannot think about. If you think about it, it ceases to be love. Lovers talk very silly things; they are not thinking. They say the same things over and over again a thousand times. Your reasoning mind is transcended. Whosoever we fall in love with, we are really falling in love with ourselves. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

This creation, this very life is a mystery, and the mystery cannot be understood. But it can be lived in its totality.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Q: Guruji, Though India has all this spiritual knowledge, why are there so many problems here? Why are we lagging behind? Why are crimes increasing?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you turn back and see, 20 years ago, we didn’t have so many hospitals. Today, we have so many more hospitals, super specialty hospitals; still people are sick. Are the hospitals responsible for sick people? No, certainly not. In spite of hospitals, people are still getting sick; that means we have to upgrade, give more medical aid, and lifestyles need to change. We have to give our people good values and culture; like offering namaskars (greetings) to seniors, lighting lamps in the house, sitting and chanting a few shlokas. It would be good if families do this. You should sit with the whole family and have at least one meal together at home. Then the bonding in the family increases. Family values should be held high. In the old times, business families had a lot of values. Any charitable activity in India was done by the business community or kings. Business people were called shresthas, meaning, great, or elite. The whole community was called great. If you go anywhere in India, any pilgrimage center in India, all the shelters were built by them. The lakes, wells, schools, they were all built by the business community. So, the community itself got the name, ‘the most benevolent; the great community’. Somewhere these values are eroding, family values are eroding. At home, people should cherish these values. We have to bring them back.

Q: Why does judgement arise?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Why wouldn’t it arise?

Life works on strange laws of nature (Karma). One never knows when a friend turns enemy & vice versa. Rely on your Self; self-reliance. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 8 - Verse 19 http://bhagvadgitaa.blogspot.in/2013/04/bhagavad-gita-chapter-8-verse-19.html

A child does not try to know the mother it simply has faith in her. In the same way, having faith in the Divine is the source of the greatest strength.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Q: Guruji, If we are insignificant, if we are nothing, how does it matter what we do?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It does matter. When you are insignificant, you also do nothing, and then there is bliss. But the moment you do something, it is going to bring you the result. If you overeat, you may have to call a doctor. You have indigestion, and then you have to see a doctor. If you drive through red light, you will get a ticket. If you say, ‘how does it matter, I am hollow and empty, let me drive through. Red light or green light, doesn’t matter, it is all light anyway. Let me drive through.’ You drive through and no doubt you will get a ticket. And if you do it quite often you will lose your license. So, we must know that we live in two realities. One is the quantum physics, where everything is one. See, the panels are wood, roof is wood, chair is wood, sofa is wood and the floor is wood. But you can’t take the sofa for a door and the door for a sofa. I can’t go and sit on the door. But if you ask a carpenter, he’ll say, ‘it is all wood’. A very common example in India that is given is about gold. A goldsmith doesn’t see if it is a small ring or a big ring or a necklace or a bracelet. For a goldsmith, he puts everything and weighs, ‘oh this is fifty grams of gold’. That is what he thinks. But when you are wearing the gold, you can’t wear your earrings in your hand and your finger ring on your neck. There is a difference. In the same way, there is classical chemistry, the periodic table in which each atom is different, each molecule is different. That is one level. Another level is where it is all just wave function, all atoms; this is quantum physics. So there is quantum physics which is true and then there is the world of differences which is also true. Life is the art to balance both these and move.

Q: Can we resist globalisation?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Operate it skillfully.

Have this faith that someone is there to take away your weaknesses. Ok, you slipped once, twice, thrice. It does not matter. Keep moving ahead. People take vows never to commit mistakes again. Breaking the vows makes it worse. Surrendering is better. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Life is infinite. Though life is in every moment, it is also infinite. Your life has been here from thousands of years, from centuries. And your life will continue to be here for centuries.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

There Is No Need To Keep Talking
April 23, 2013
Tokyo, Japan

We are a global family. I would like to create waves of happiness in Japan. You should all get together to bring glory to the youth of this country.

I always say, wherever I go in the world that we have to learn teamwork from Japan. By area Japan is a small country, but it is very prominent in the world. This is because of the quality of the work, and the commitment that the people and culture have.
It is the culture of this country which has made Japan a shining star amongst the different nations.
In a globalized world, the youth tend to lose their culture, they tend to move according to the western culture. I would say that we should maintain our original culture, and also have a broad outlook.

This morning, I went to the Shinto shrine. It was so beautiful to see the tradition, to see the ceremonies that they do. I was so impressed. It reminded me of the ancient Vedic tradition which is very similar. So we need to strengthen the roots and at the same time take the good from everywhere else in the world.
Japan has done this. It has maintained Shinto tradition, as well as developed Zen Buddhism when it came from India.
In the East we have never been fanatic. We are very open minded, yet very strongly rooted in our own culture.

I think Buddhism first came to Japan about 2000 years ago, in the seventh century, i.e., 1,300 years ago. Meditation is something which is common to people all over the world.
I was pleased to hear something about the 2 lions in the Shinto shrine. One says, ‘Aaa’, and the other says, ‘Mmmm’. One is the beginning and the other the end. That is the word Om.
Om is the most ancient sound. It is the primordial sound which is part of all Eastern cultures.
It is also there in a slightly different way in the Western cultures too, as, Amen, Aamin. Om is present in some form there too. It is a universal sound.
You know, my dream is to see the whole world unite as one family. I want to see a smile on every face.
I was told today that there are so many people jumping onto the tracks in the metro station. So much so, that they had to put up a barricade to prevent people from going near the tracks before the train arrives. It is a good idea, but it is not the best idea, as people can still jump if they want to jump.
So the best way to prevent people from jumping onto the tracks to kill themselves, is not just with barricades. But we need to make them go inwards and meditate. We have come up with very simple techniques for meditation which can help people to smile again. I want to see a smile on everyone’s face. So shall we all commit ourselves to create waves of happiness? (Audience applauds and says, ‘Yes’)
Let us bring a smile on everybody’s face. This is what we should do.

If we all work towards it collectively, we can bring a smile on everyone’s face. Money alone cannot do this. We have to be informal and connect with each other. That is necessary.
I would like everyone to come out of their apartments every Sunday for an hour, sit with each other, talk to each other, sing and share a snack for breakfast. This can make a difference.
Sing a couple of songs together, any songs you feel like. Do some group singing, sit together and meditate for 10-15 minutes, do some yoga or exercises together, share a meal together; we can do all these things in 45 minutes to an hour.
If this is done in every apartment building, a wave of happiness will be created. A sense of belongingness will be has developed. What do you say? Share a few good jokes!

We all have huge space inside of us. All intuition and creativity comes from that space.

Today is the birthday of a great saint from India, called Mahavir. He was a contemporary of Lord Buddha. Buddha Purinma, i.e., Buddha’s birthday is coming soon.
Lord Mahaveera stood for non-violence. He also said, ‘Anekantvada’, which means that there are so many possibilities. The world is full of possibilities. This is really needed today. If people understand this, there will be no terrorism in the world. There will be no fanaticsm.

I believe, Buddha and Mahavira were from the same town. They knew about each other, but they never met. Someone asked them, ‘Why don't you meet?’
They replied, ‘There is no need, as we are already connected.’
You know, in the state of enlightenment, even though the ways are different, the soul is the same. There is no distance.
There is another version in history that they met, but did not speak to each other at all. They just met and went their ways. Here too, it is said that there was no need for verbal communication. When heart meets heart and soul meets soul, there is no need to keep talking.
When hearts meet, there is no barrier. No language barrier, no words, nothing comes in between. When two people are in the head, they could be talking about the same thing, but it would appear like a fight.

I wish the students who are here a bright career, and a bright future. You all should become good politicians, good businessmen, good professionals, doctors and engineers.
The basis of all this (spiritual practices) is to broaden your vision and keep the happiness factor inside you. I want the youth to radiate such smiles and confidence that nobody can take away. There are many eminent people here to guide you.

I want to tell you something which I want you to keep with you. Make your personality such that nothing whatsoever can throw you off balance, disturb you or take your smile away. If you make your personality like that, you will be welcomed everywhere in the world. That is a sign of success.
The Art of Living is there to help you and guide you, to bring up such a personality. We have a number of very good workshops for youth and also for older people.

http://www.artofliving.org/there-no-need-keep-talking?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+whatsrisrisaid+%28Wisdom+from+Sri+Sri+Ravi+Shankar%29

You are beauty, you are joy. Beauty is not outside there in the rocks or in the sunset or in the trees or in the moon. Beauty is here inside you. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheets: Keep yourself busy

Knowledge Sheets: Keep yourself busy: Keep yourself busy. When you are busy, everything falls in place. Where is the time to be unhappy when you are so busy? When you wake ...

 Keep yourself busy

Keep yourself busy. When you are busy, everything falls in place.
Where is the time to be unhappy when you are so busy? When you wake up, you have something to do. When you come back, you are so tired, you fall back to sleep. If you keep yourself busy, you have no time to complain, no time to be unhappy. People who are active don’t have time to be depressed. It is only people who are free that feel depressed.

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

Q: Guruji, you say that we are here to serve other people, then what are other people here for?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Certainly not to create trouble for you. Other people are here to teach you some lesson. Everyone teaches you some lesson or other; learn from everybody. The world is filled with teachers, you only have to be a good student. There is an ancient proverb in Sanskrit that says, ‘First salute the wicked, and then the good. For the wicked is teaching you a lesson at his own cost and the good walks his own path and teaches you a lesson.’ The good is just pointing out; but the wicked is teaching you a lesson at his own cost. He is falling in a pit and telling you, ‘Hey, look what has happened to me. You better don’t do it.’ So, it is a costlier lesson that he is teaching you. ‘Durjanam prathamam vande, sujanam tadanantaram’, first salute the wicked because he is also teaching you a lesson. The whole world is filled with teachers. Every little creature in this universe is teaching you something. In Srimad Bhagavatam there is a chapter by Dattatreya, where we see how he learns from a crow, to a swan, to a mouse. He says, ‘Every animal is giving me some message; everything is giving me some knowledge, some education.’ You only need to be an eternal student, that’s all. Life is a continuous schooling, which never ends.

Success means having an undying smile and determination to keep moving ahead come what may. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

When you can feel I am not the Doer, when this confidence, this faith dawns on you, that is Nectar.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Q: Guruji, Thank you for the experience of the present moment and feeling of the space. I have never thought that going into this deeper and deeper could make me so excited. I want to be hollow and empty every day.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You are! I know you all enjoy this. This is so beautiful, right! Similarly, the blessing course is also very nice. Now, after realising this and doing all that I still want you to be very normal. There is a code of conduct for enlightenment; do you know what that is? Be simple, normal. Don’t think you are somebody special. There is a beautiful couplet in India that says how life should be, ‘like the grass under the mountain.’ When boulders fall from the hill, trees fall, but nothing happens to the grass. Be humble like a grass under the mountain. Water comes from the hill, it flows away and it can break the trees, but the grass never breaks, grass stays. Be a like the grass under the mountain. Be like the flower pot in front of the house. The flowers in front of the house bring fragrance into the house. And it also prevents any foul smell from the house going into the street. Be like the flower in front of the house, so if anyone passes by, they look at the flowers and become happy. It not only gives joy to people in the house but also to any passer-by. They say, ‘look at those flowers, it is so nice!’ Haven’t you said this, when you drive and see some nice garden with lots of flowers in front of somebody’s house. Especially when people come from Asia to Germany, in spring or in summer, they love it, because every home has a pot hanging from the window and there are flowers. Especially in Black Forest area, in every home on the street, there are flowers. It is such a celebration for the eyes. And be like sweets for the poor people. Poor people don’t eat sweets every day. The poorest of the poor, they only get a loaf of bread and a glass of milk or whatever. But when they get some cake or sweets, see how the children enjoy it. Be like that for the kids and for the poor people. And become one with everybody. Be like a fool among the fools. Don’t try to be intelligent. Mix with everyone! Many times people put ‘Sri’ 3 times or 108 times. I say, ‘I want to feel closeness to people. So don’t put ‘Sri’ 3 times, two is enough. Stop at two.’ When you consider someone too high up there, you start losing the intimate connection, inner feeling and oneness with them. You have respect but no love, because love means closeness and respect needs a little distance. And the beauty in life is to manage these two. You know why husband and wife fight? They lose respect for each other after a while, so they fight with each other. But if they maintain respect along with love, that relationship goes on forever. So, to live in the world we need to feel one with everybody, feel at home with everyone. Don’t think, ‘oh, I am doing meditation, I am special’. Someone who is not doing meditation, they are also special. We are all one. We should start feeling that sense of oneness. When you start feeling this, you will see that it catches on to others as well. You can change the atmosphere.

Q: When will God come?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Never! One who is always here doesn’t have to come and go!

Often when you are happy you feel life is a dream because you do not believe in the reality of it. When there is misery you feel life is a burden. We take trivial things very seriously. One who has really gone through the pleasure realizes that pleasure is a burden. And if you have undergone misery thoroughly you will realize that life is a dream. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Devotion is ultimate love, the pinnacle of love.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Q: Guruji, a lot has been said of Chanakya Neeti and his ways of administration. Is it still applicable in these times?

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.

Q: If meditation for 20 minutes is equal to 7 hours of sleep then why don’t we meditate all night?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: ‘Aati Sarvada varje’, every thing in excess is bad.

Dream the impossible. Know that you are born in this world to do something wonderful and unique; don't let this opportunity pass by. Give yourself the freedom to dream and think big. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

How do you become centered? By shifting your awareness from the experience to the one who experiences. All experiences are on the circumference and they are constantly changing. The one who experiences is at the center. Again and again come back to the one who experiences.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Q: Guruji, do you believe that prisons are right?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I consider prisons to be like hospitals. Like when someone’s body is sick, you take them to the hospital; like that, when someone’s actions are sick, they go to prison, only to get better and come back. But, unfortunately, today prisons have become a Criminal Idea Exchange Bureau. People get in there and they come out as bigger criminals, because it becomes a bank for them to understand crime. Originally, putting someone into a room was meant to give them deep rest. When someone is active all the time, working and working, he gets so stressed that it is natural to commit mistakes. What is Crime? Mistake of action. So to correct that, they go to correctional homes. Nowadays in America, they no longer call it prison; they call it The Correctional Homes. You are supposed to go there, meditate, become hollow and empty and come back happily. This doesn’t happen. So we need to do that, teach people meditation in all the prisons. Then you will see, better people come out of there. And this is what is happening. Lots of prison courses are happening in Art of Living, all over. Anyone who wants to get involved in it are most welcome, go ahead!

Q: Like I appreciate the Sun and the Moon and the Nature, why can’t God appreciate when I do something good?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: He doesn’t appreciate you, because he knows you can do better. If he starts appreciating you every moment, then you desire to perform better will not be there.

The nature has kept such wealth deep in the heart of every human being. We only need a password. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Total responsibility is total surrender. This is the Truth.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Q: Guruji, what is the meaning of Dakshinamurthy?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Amurtha means that which has no form and cannot be expressed; that which cannot be seen. Lord Shiva, the formless manifestation of infinite space, cannot take a form. It is nearly impossible. Murthy(literally meaning an idol) is that which has a form and can be seen, and Daksha means to be skilful and capable. So when the Divinity which cannot be expressed, is expressed in a very skilful manner, then that is known as Dakshina. See, we cannot express all the emotions that we have inside us. So many times, we express our emotions by offering a flower. Through the act offering a flower, we attempt to express our feeling, isn’t it? There is nothing we can give to entirely express what is deep within us, but we still make an effort to give something. That is known as Dakshina. Dakshinamurthy is that which cannot be seen, yet it is being expressed. That which is beyond expression, yet is still being expressed through form. It is not visible, yet it is seen, and everything is made up of that only. When that which is infinite and cannot be expressed or manifest, is expressed so skilfully through a form, then that is called Dakshinamurthy. The Sun is so large and so many miles away from us, but if you see the Sun using a small mirror, you will see the reflection of the sun on the small piece of glass. Though in reality, the Sun is so big, even then you are skilfully able to capture the full reflection of the Sun on a mirror and bring inside your house. This is called Dakshata (skilfulness of intelligence), and that is what it is known as Dakshinamurthy. Lord Shiva is called the Adi Guru (The Guru present from the beginning of time, and who is beyond time.) He is everything and everywhere, yet He comes in the form of a Guru. So when the infinite comes in the form of a Guru, He is known as Dakshinamurthy. From ancient times, the main form of the Guru Tattva (divine element or principle) is called Dakshinamurthy. See, the Guru is not a person. It is an energy that is present in the body of a Guru; that energy is called Dakshinamurthy. It is the Divine, omnipresent, infinite, guiding wisdom, which is un-manifest and yet manifests. So Lord Shiva is called Dakshinamurthy, the Adi Guru. This is how the story goes. Lord Shiva sat silently. He is portrayed as a young boy, with elderly disciples sitting before Him seeking knowledge. As soon as they sat before Him, in silence, they all received the knowledge, and all their questions disappeared. His discourse was in silence. That means their energy got uplifted. That is the Guru principle. The original Guru, from where all knowledge and wisdom began, is called Dakshinamurthy. So, in a very skilful way, the inexpressible divinity is expressed. That is the whole essence of Dakshinamurthy.

Q: What is a Sixth sense or it ok to follow it?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, It is ok to follow your intuition. That’s why when you do Pranama, meditation, you intuition become strong and that’s why you can take proper decisions.

The Self is like an unlimited ocean, the divinity lies entirely there. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

In the morning, when you walk, become aware of your infinite nature. You are like the sky. You are infinity. And walk with that infinite nature. Move through this world like a white cloud, unstained, untouched.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Q: Guruji, what are the modulations of mind?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Maharishi Patanjali has said ‘Yoga Chitta Vrutti Nirodha’ (Yoga is the act of restraining or freeing the mind from the clutches of its modulations). There are five types of modulations of the mind, which can be painful or not painful. The first modulation is Pramaana - always thinking if this is right or wrong, wanting proof for everything. There are 3 kinds of proof the mind looks for- Pratyaksha (experiential proof), Anumaana (inferential proof) and Agama (scriptural proof). The second modulation is Viparyaya - wrong understanding. We spend three-fourths of our time in Viparyaya. Either our opinions about people will be wrong or their opinions about us will be wrong. You think one person is bad and another person is good, but your opinions change after some time. Not knowing things as they are is Viparyaya. The third modulation is Vikalpa – imagination, hallucination. It is imagining something that is non-existent. Some people imagine that something has happened to them and become afraid. A twenty-year-old youth had come to me. Though he was healthy, he felt that he had a lot of diseases. Doctors checked him and found that everything was fine, but he still wouldn’t believe it. Illusion about the existence of something that is non-existent is Vikalpa. The fourth modulation is Nidra – Sleep. If you are not doing anything, you feel sleepy. Nowadays, people sleep even when they are working! A lot of people in the parliament are seen sleepy and yawning. The fifth modulation is Smruti – Memory, remembering all that has happened in the past. We have to become free from these five modulations. Only then does the mind become pleasant. How is that possible? It is possible through Pranayama and by being aware that all that has happened so far is like a dream. You brushed your teeth, took bath and ate breakfast in the morning. At this moment, look back and see, you will feel that they are like a dream. Similarly, some more decades will pass, and some days will be good and some days will not be so good. We need to observe ourselves if we are able to keep our mind balanced through the ups and downs. This is Yoga. ‘Tada Drusthu Swarupe Awasthanam’ – the seer reposes in the self.

Q: What motivates someone to take decision?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It is different in different cases, sometimes it is just a smile.

Just be happy and keep your heart clean and soft. When you doubt, when you are angry or frustrated, your heart and feelings get hardened. With the knowledge and wisdom, your heart remains soft and supple. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

The entire life is a futile exercise to express the inexpressible.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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Knowledge Sheets: Keep your smile: All this praise and insult, everything happens only on planet Earth, and we have to face them and move on. Become a strong soul, a stro...

Q: Guruji, what is the point of being good? What is the use of being good? We see all those who are doing corrupt practices and who are ruthless, are happy. They are moving in their life very well. Why should I be good? Please tell me. See, for example Ravana. He enjoyed all his life and when he died, he attained Moksha. Duryodhana, he ruled the whole kingdom. He ruled India all his life and when he died, he also went to heaven before Yudhisthira. So what is the point of being good? Why you say we should be good?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Look, forget about Duryodhana and Ravana. Have you done something wrong? (Reply was - Yes, Guruji.) So when you did something wrong, that day could you sleep? Did you enjoy your food? (Reply was - Guruji how can I do that? When I do something wrong, I cannot sleep. I go drink and then get myself drowned in unconsciousness.) See, that is what it is. When you do something wrong, you cannot have peace of mind. You cannot sleep. You cannot enjoy the things that life has provided you. So it’s not that being good will give you some reward sometime in the future, it rewards you right now. There is a comfort that the dharma or righteousness gives you which nothing else can give you. The inner comfort that you get, the peaceful sleep that you get, the food that you can enjoy, the simple things that you can enjoy in life is possible when there is honesty. There are many principles but people don’t follow principles, they follow people.

---

Q: What is success?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Success follows ability; ability comes when you have skill. And skill comes when you are quite. Real success is when you have smile, and no one can take that from you.

Some questions can only be answered in silence. Silence is the goal of all answers. If an answer does not silence the mind, it is no answer. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Happiness depends only on your mind. When the mind is free of past impressions and future cravings, happiness is there.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Love & Forgiveness, The Need Of The Hour

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti (May the Divine bring peace to us as individuals, and the whole world)

It is my pleasure to speak to you today on Love and Forgiveness.
This subject is so vast, so great, and yet so basic to our human existence. So let me see how I can do justice to the topic of Love and Forgiveness.

First of all, love is something that cannot be hidden. You cannot hide love, nor can you express it fully. It shows up in your eyes, in your smile, in your gestures. You can never hide love; at the same time you can never fully express love.
This is the predicament that all lovers around the world have felt. How much ever they have expressed, still they felt, ‘I am not able to express it fully the way I want to.’
That is the nature of love.

Love and forgiveness go
hand in hand. It is much
easier when forgiveness
becomes compassion.

Similarly, truth is something which you cannot avoid. You cannot avoid truth, yet you cannot define truth.

Beauty is something which you cannot possess, and you cannot renounce it either. You can never renounce beauty. And life is Truth, Love and Beauty; all three things together. But our experience is something else.
We don’t experience love all the time in our life. We find hatred, jealousy, greed, arrogance; all these negative emotions.

As children, we were all born with pure love. What happened as we grew older? Where did we lose this innocence? What happened to us?
If we look deep into the mechanics of these negative emotions, then we find that beneath these negative emotions, is also love.
We are angry because we love perfection. All those who love perfection are prone to anger. Because you want things to be perfect, when they are not perfect, you get angry.
Similarly, what is greed? When you think objects are more important than people, then you call it greed. When your love for a person is more than the welfare of the person, you call it jealousy. When you love yourself too much, you call it arrogance.
Love minus wisdom gives rise to all these negative emotions.
Love with wisdom will keep you sane, and on the track of Divinity. And that is the message of all the reverends here; to unite you with wisdom.

We don’t need to learn how to love. Love is our nature. Like our bodies are made up of amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, etc., our spirit is made up of love. We are love.
Love is not just an emotion; some sort of wiggly-wiggly emotional outburst. Love is our very nature. We need wisdom to keep it the way it was bestowed to us by God. And that is what all the scriptures in the world tell us.

In the Hindu scriptures, the nature of God is described as Asti, Bhati, Preeti, i.e., Existence, Effulgence and Love.
God exists; He is self–effulgent and He is Love, and there is only one God. Not many.
Often people think that Hinduism means many Gods. That is not the case. It is one God in many costumes, expressing Himself in many forms. But it is only one God.
Let me give you an example. From the same wheat we make calzone, cupcakes, bread and bagels. These are all different expressions of wheat. In the same way, it is one Divinity expressed in many forms.
God is love and so are we. Somewhere we lost this wisdom. We lost the innocence. We started building walls between us. That is when all the negative emotions and tendencies started in the world.

To develop ourselves, and to go into the depth of prayer, we need to take five days off and have five experiences.
The first experience is, we must spend one day in a prison. You don’t have to commit a crime to spend a day in prison. Just go spend a day there and talk to the prisoners.
When you talk to these people, who have been condemned by the rest of society and the world, you will realize that there is a beautiful person hiding inside each of them. And you will find that forgiveness comes within you spontaneously.
Inside every culprit, there is a victim crying for help. When you see from a wide-angle lens, you see that a culprit is also a victim. When you see that victim inside the culprit, you don’t need to forgive, forgiveness happens; in fact compassion spontaneously arises in your heart.
Crime happens due to lack of understanding, wrong education, wrong indoctrination, emotional outbursts as we don’t know how to control our rage, anger and frustrations. When uncontrolled emotions springs into action, it becomes a crime. It is wisdom which checks these uncontrolled emotions; wisdom which makes you think before you act.
Crime happens when you act first and think about it later.
There are those who have committed mistakes intentionally (due to wrong understanding or ideology), and there are those who have committed mistakes un-intentionally (due to lack of awareness). These are the two positions from where someone commits a crime, or makes a mistake. People commit mistakes because of lack of wisdom, lack of happiness or lack of the inner connection with the Divine. Someone who is happy, content and in love will not harm anyone. It’s impossible.
If someone harms another, it is because there is a deep wound or scar inside of them which needs to be healed. So spending one day in prison is a very good idea. It will expand our awareness and make us understand those people who need forgiveness. Then forgiveness becomes easier for us.

Do you see how crazy a
puppy or dog you have
at home gets; how it
expresses its love when
you get home? It doesn’t
verbalize anything, but
expresses its love for you.
The same love is being
expressed by the entire
creation, by the trees,
by nature.

The second experience is to spend a day in the hospital.
When you see sick people who are suffering, then you will thank God for your good health. Compassion and gratefulness arises within you.

The third experience is to spend one day as a school teacher, especially with challenged children. If you have to teach them, and they don’t learn, it gives you patience to accept them and repeat the same thing again and again till they learn.
We can learn how to make others understand with patience. It is a big challenge to be a school teacher.
I heard of statistics that say, in Germany, 40% of school teachers are depressed. Just imagine what will happen to the little kids who go to school. They have to see a depressed face all day and come back home depressed.
You can only give what you have. If you have joy, you give joy. If you have love, you give love. If you are depressed, you can only give depression. This is unfortunate because we don’t know how to handle our mind and emotions.
One day in school as a teacher will give us enormous patience in life to tolerate ignorance and to teach from the space of love. A teacher is one who gives love unconditionally.

Someone asked me once, ‘What do you get by doing all that you are doing? Why are you travelling to so many countries, talking to people day and night, conducting these breathing workshops? What do you get?’
I asked him, ‘Did you watch the movie Life of Pi?’
He said, ‘Yes.’
I asked him, ‘After watching the movie, did you call anyone and tell them its a good movie?’
He replied, ‘Yes, I called several of my friends and told them it’s a great movie and they should watch it.’
I asked him if the producer gave him any incentive or commission to do so.
He replied, ‘No.’
I replied, ‘The nature of joy is to share. If you find some happiness within you, you want to share it with others. That’s exactly what I’m doing. Sharing and caring.’

The fourth experience we must have is to spend a day in a mental hospital.
Listen to all the irrelevant talk around you. You will come to realize the whole world is like that. Everybody is talking in tangents. Once you realize this, then your buttons cannot be pushed anymore. You feel so strong from inside. You will not get upset if someone passes a derogatory remark about you. You will stand up to criticism. You will take the criticism if there is any truth in it. You will be able to give constructive criticism wherever it is needed.
The courage to take and give criticism comes to you if you can spend one day knowing that people are talking irrelevant things.

The fifth experience is to spend one whole day with a farmer in a farm. You will start caring for this planet; this Earth. You will care for the environment. If we don’t take care of our planet today, we will not be able to pass it on to the next generation.
The coming generation deserve better conditions: pure air, water and earth. Diseases are on the rise because we have used so many harmful chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides. The nutrients are drained out from the earth.
The American Nutritional Institute talks about how bananas grown today in America have very little nutrition compared to the 30’s and 40’s. Our vegetables may be bigger in size, but have very little nutritional content in them. This is because we have drained and depleted the soil with pesticides and chemicals.
We need to take care of Mother Earth. Love for the Earth, love for people is same as the love for God. They are two sides of the same coin. If you say that you love God, but don’t care for his people, then it has no meaning.

Love gets destroyed when we start demanding for it. This is what usually happens in relationships. We fall in love and we fall out of love very soon. It’s like breathing in and breathing out. Why? That is because we start demanding.

If you say that you love God,
but don’t care for his people,
then it has no meaning.
We need to take care of
Mother Earth. Love for the
Earth, love for people is same
as the love for God. They are
two sides of the same coin.

I have an advice for couples here. When you find that your spouse’s attention or expression of love for you has decreased, don’t ask them, ‘Do you really love me?’ Instead ask them, ‘Why do you love me so much?’ Even if they don’t love you then, their love for you increases.
To prove that you really love somebody is a big burden. Love cannot be totally expressed.

I have observed a strange thing in the world. In the East, they don’t express love at all. They never verbalize love. And in the West, we verbalize love a lot. We keep saying, ‘Honey, honey’, and then we become diabetic.
In the East, the husband never says, ‘I love you’, to his wife in his entire life.
We have to find a middle point; a good combination of East and West.
I feel love should be expressed, but should be hidden at the same time. When you don’t verbalize love too much it shows in your actions. Just like a seed. If you sow a seed too deep in the soil, it can’t sprout. Neither will it sprout if you keep it on the surface. You need to sow it a little beneath the soil so that it can sprout and become a plant.
We need to express love but keep it a little inward, so that it oozes out in our actions.

When I was a young boy, I went to a tailor to get my shirt stitched. Those days they had no machines, they would sew it by hand. The tailor would have the needle on his cap and the scissors beneath his feet. I felt this man had a message.
That which cuts, he put beneath his feet, and that which sews and unites, he has honored by putting on his head.
The forces in the world that divide people should be put down, and the forces which unite people need to be honored.
A tailor could convey this message.
The whole world is full of messages of love. We just need the eye to see and take them into our own lives.

Do not demand love from your spouse; let them know that you are there for them.
That is what our learned reverends do when they conduct their mass and prayer sermons. They just channel the love of God. They express the sense of belongingness. That is a supreme act, and attitude.

So love and forgiveness go hand in hand. It is much easier when forgiveness becomes compassion.
Do you see how crazy a puppy or dog you have at home gets, how it expresses its love when you go home. It doesn’t verbalize anything, but expresses its love for you. The same love is being expressed in the entire creation, by the trees, by nature.

I love you all. I am with you. May God bless you.

http://www.artofliving.org/what-sri-sri-said-today

Knowledge Sheets: Positive Vibrations

Knowledge Sheets: Positive Vibrations: Everything happens because of vibrations. We are emitting vibrations all the time. If our vibrations are positive, then people around u...

ITS YOU (~ a poem dedicated to +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  ji)

Its you whom my soul has been searching for since forever...
Its you who is always with me no matter I go wherever....
Its you who has made my days shine even more brighter...
Its you who has taught my mind to become calm and lighter....
Its you whose radiance is brighter even than the sun.......
For all the happier moments of my life...you only are the reason..
Its you who has filled our hearts with love and brought smiles on our face...
Keep blessing us..oh my lord with your ever flowing grace....

-- written by Yuktii

When you do something wrong, you cannot have peace of mind. You cannot sleep. You cannot enjoy the things that life has provided you.
So, it’s not that being good will give you some reward sometime in the future, it rewards you right now.

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Q: Guruji, what is the significance of Kali standing on top of Shiva?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Kali is symbolic of enormous transformative energy; energy of destruction. When that stood on the Shiva Tattva, it became Bhadrakali, which means, the energy which only brings benevolent results. The whole thing is symbolic; it implies the energy that brings benevolent results only. Shiva is the transcendental state; it means one who brings only benevolence and good to the world. So when Kali, an enormous, destructive power was in rage; in that moment, Shiva came and lay down. As soon as she stepped on him, Kali’s power got controlled, channelized and became benevolent. So, even if there is destruction, it should be benevolent. See, when you want to bring down old buildings, what do you do? You put dynamite under the building, and then the building comes down, isn't it? One destroys something, to create something new. So to destroy for a good cause, for benevolence, is very much different from destruction out of anger, jealousy, hatred and ignorance. It is like atomic energy that is produced when an atom is destroyed. However, if the energy is not channelized or utilised properly, it can be very destructive. When it is channelized, it is used to bring electricity, light, and many comforts. It is the same with electricity, which as such is a destructive energy. Where high-power electricity is being generated, if you get come in contact with it, then you will be destroyed in no time. But, when electricity is used for a benevolent cause, through wires and transformers, it brings the energy down, and makes it available and useful for public. Similarly, Kali’s energy was the energy of destruction; when it opened up to destroy evil things, it was so powerful. So Shiva lay down to channelize it and make it benevolent, to protect the universe. Shiva always does that which is good for the whole world, the whole universe; he even drank poison. There is a mythological story. When the Devas (good forces) and Asuras (daemonic forces) were churning the Ocean of Milk, what came out first was poison. When the poison came up, it was Shiva who took it and drank it. As he drank the poison, his throat became blue. So, he is called Neelakanta; the beautiful one with the blue throat. That is how the story goes in Hindu mythology. Kali also means knowledge; knowledge of transformation. When Kali stood on auspiciousness, on the benevolence of Shiva, it brought goodness to the world. Thus, the same energy became so benevolent, and Kali then became such a benevolent blesser that she blessed the universe with knowledge. So, she is also called Bhadrakali, one who always does good.

Q: I am not able to do Seva and I don’t know why.

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You should know better!!

Your mind is completely destroyed thinking about other's imperfections. Leave other's imperfections to others. Let them handle that. You handle your mind, you handle your imperfections, that is good enough. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Faith brings you stability, centeredness, calmness and love.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheets: The Guru-Disciple Relationship

Knowledge Sheets: The Guru-Disciple Relationship: Have you noticed when you find something beautiful, or when you love something? You want to hold on to it and possess it. Trying to pos...

Q: Guruji, how is spirituality relevant in today’s world?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: In an affluent society, we see kids engaging themselves in violence. A kid just took the gun and shot so many people. This is because the difference between the virtual world and the real world was absent for him. Kids have been playing violent games on the computer; games where even when they shoot people and they come back again to life. They do not realize that in real life when you shoot somebody, they don’t stand up and walk again. We need to attend to these issues of growing violence, discontent, mistrust, and depression. Spirituality has the answer for all these. Spirituality can eliminate the root cause of violence. It can bring inner peace to people. We talk about world peace; but if you don’t have peace in yourself, if you can't have peace with your family, with your community and in your environment, how do you want to have world peace? It is almost impossible! So we need to see that the individual finds peace, his communication improves and his compassion finds an expression. Everyone has the element of compassion in themselves, but they don’t find an expression in society. Through service activity, one’s compassion can find an expression; and you can put an end to violence. The corporate sector has an important role to play, to quell the violence in the society.

Q: I like this path of Spirituality, Sadana, Seva in the Satsang, but sometimes I get bored. Is it alright to get mischievous at times? How can my every action become seva?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, yes, but not at someone’s cost.

Labor means that even after a reward, there will be complaints. In seva there is no complaint, even if you see no immediate reward. Be grateful for any opportunity to do seva. When you do seva (service), you are not doing others a favor. After doing seva you are rewarded immediately. The reward of seva is certain and always more than your doing. Expecting a reward for seva turns the seva into labor. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Labor means that even after a reward, there will be complaints. In seva there is no complaint, even if you see no immediate reward. Be grateful for any opportunity to do seva. When you do seva (service), you are not doing others a favor. After doing seva you are rewarded immediately. The reward of seva is certain and always more than your doing. Expecting a reward for seva turns the seva into labor. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Meditation sharpens the mind through focus, and expands the mind through relaxation.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheets: Ram Navami

Knowledge Sheets: Ram Navami: "Ra" in Sanskrit means "That which is Radiant" and "Ma" stands for "Myself". That which shine...

Art of Living Vacancy: Teachers Required for UAE

Art of Living Vacancy: Teachers Required for UAE: Teachers Required for UAE Current Requirement: Maths / French / English / Physical Education  Qualification: B.Ed/ M Ed Location: R...

Guruji, Tell us the significance of Rama Avatar – Incarnation of Lord Rama.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: "Ra" in Sanskrit means "That which is Radiant" and "Ma" stands for "Myself". That which shines forth within me, is Rama. That which is radiant in every particle of the Being is Rama. Rama is born to Dasharatha and Kaushalya. Dasharatha (In Sanskrit this means "the ten charioted one") signifies the five organs of sense and the five organs of action. Kaushalya (Sanskrit for "skilled") stands for skill. The skillful reiner of the ten chariots can give birth to Ram. When the ten are used skillfully, radiance is born within.
Rama was born in Ayodhya (Sanskrit for "the place where no war can happen"). When there is no conflict in our mind, then the radiance can dawn. Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, was born of Sumitra the good friend. When the ten are cooperating with you then Awareness is born.

Q: What is real seva? How can my every action become seva?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Seva mean, doing like him. ‘Him’ means the creator. He does everything for you and he doesn't expect anything from you. So to do whatever you can, not expecting anything in return; is called seva.

Attachment is when you want something in return. If you love and do not want anything in return, then that love doesn't turn into attachment. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

HAPPY RAM NAVAMI

Our words are there to bless people and bring peace to the world.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheets: Flow of Life

Knowledge Sheets: Flow of Life: We keep living as if we are going to live forever and we hang on to things like it will be there forever. We forget the sense of time a...

Q: Guruji, earlier ignorance was leading me to fear, but now, sometimes, knowledge is bringing me more confusion. What should I do?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is good! The purpose of knowledge is to confuse you again, and again, and again. It is not to bring clarity. At every level of confusion, you jump one more step higher. So, never mind. When there is no confusion, it is like a ramp walk, where there is no jumping. But sometimes, it is like steps, where you have to leave one step, and go one step higher. And that is when confusion happens. Now don't ask me, ‘Does that mean that if there is no confusion and I'm clear in my life, then is there no growth? Or am I not progressing? Is knowledge not working for me?’ Nothing like that! You are on a ramp walk, on a cake walk. When that is not there then you are in a Mr. Toad’s wild ride; a bumpy road, and it is good.

Q: How to live life with absolute confidence that Guru or God is there to take care of me when I have surrendered?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There is no way you can do it! You simply have to bear the cross. ‘Whatever happens, happens’, just say that and then see what happens.

Behind everything is your ego: "I, I, I, I." But in seva there is no "I," because it has to be done for someone else. It is for the need of the time, or surrounding people, that you do it. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Wonder is the basis of Yoga, the preface.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheets: The True Yagya

Knowledge Sheets: The True Yagya: Rage has no ears, nor does it have vision. It only leads to reaction. And reaction leads to regret. Regret causes frustration. Frustrat...

Q: Guruji, success to this world means money, power and fame. How does one know if we are successful? Is there any measure?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: To me, the sign of success is a smile. The number of smiles that one has in their day-to-day life indicates how successful one is. You may have a big bank balance, a lot of money. But, if you can’t smile, if you are tensed, upset and angry, would you call such a person successful? Someone who is unfriendly, tensed, worried, can’t sleep, can’t even eat because of cholesterol, diabetes; would you call him a successful person? Often, people spend half of their health to gain their wealth. Then they spend half their wealth, to gain back their health (which does not come). This is not a sign of success. To me, a sign of success is confidence. Even if you lose everything, if you have confidence, then you can recreate everything again, and that is success. There are ample of examples. There are businessmen, who rose to the top, and with one uncalculated movement, they lost it all. They came way down, and still, they built their businesses again. You can see this in the Sindhi community; they were living in Karachi with such comforts. Similarly, the Kashmiri pundits in the valley had huge bungalows, apple gardens, saffron gardens; suddenly, they had to leave everything. The same with the Asian migrants from Uganda, they had nothing when they left the country. Generations together lived in Uganda, and owned big factories. One fine morning, they had to leave the country with one suitcase. I met a Gujarati gentleman in London. This man had a huge television factory, about 15 to 20 years ago, in Uganda. He had many Rolls Royce cars, and lived a very comfortable life. One morning, the Asians were asked to leave the country. With just one suitcase, they arrived in London, as refugees. This man and his wife, in their fifties, were selling hot dogs on the streets. He said, ‘Gurudev, we have never worked so hard.’ Look at this! Now this successful businessman rose again to be an industrialist there. Once you have the zeal, you can gain back the wealth. The same situation occurred for the Sindhi community. They were rendered as homeless refugees in India after the partition. Today, the Sindhi’s are governing and managing all the wealth, wherever they are. The same with the Kashmiri pundits; they were rendered homeless. Many of them who had the zeal to do business came to Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, and started something. Success is an attitude, it is not a phenomenon. When you agree to be bogged down, that is the sign of failure. Resist getting bogged down. Just like a candle. You light a candle and turn it upside down, the flame always goes up, and it never goes down. In the same way, if we can have the enthusiasm to say, ‘I can make it, I can rebuild my business’; that is what I would consider a sign of success.

Q: When you said ‘serving society’ did you mean a particular person, or serving like volunteering for Red Cross or something similar?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes. Whatever and wherever it is needed, and in whatever manner it is needed.

The love that is defined by a relationship is limited. Dive deep in a love that is beyond relationships. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

There is only one mind which encompasses all other minds: the big mind.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheets: Devotion is like a diamond

Knowledge Sheets: Devotion is like a diamond: Devotion is like a diamond; don’t trade it for anything that is muddy. A diamond should never be traded for a cup of mud. Do you know...

Q: Guruji, is having a Guru mandatory to experience the state of enlightenment?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Is it necessary for you to ask this question and for me to answer? You have asked the question, now if I answer, then we are caught! Got it? If you ask a question and you think I know the answer, then I am already a Guru and you are already a student. Some people say, 'I am not a Guru', and some others say, 'I am not a student'. This is like saying, 'I am not a doctor but I will anyway give you some medicine.' Or someone saying, 'I am not a patient, but I want some medicine.' Both these statements have no meaning. See, some guidance is needed. Guru is not a person, it is wisdom, it is a light, it is an energy, it is love; all of it combined. Something as abstract as spirituality needs a little guidance. When your mind is very still, you can get all the guidance. But when the mind is not still, it is good to take guidance from one whose mind is absolutely still.