Knowledge Sheet of H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Friday, March 27, 2015
   
Signs of Intelligence

 One of the characteristics of intelligence is being alert. You can’t say that I am intelligent but I am a little sleepy. So intelligence means alertness. Are you all alert now?
 When we are alert what happens ? Our perception and our observation improves, and our expression becomes perfect.

 Many times people say, 'Oh, nobody understands me'. Instead they should say, 'I haven’t been able to express myself'. If you have the skill to express (that comes from intelligence) then there can be no misunderstanding. So perception, observation and expression, all these comes from being alert.

 Now if you keep yourself very alert for a longer period of time, what happens? You get tired and feel exhausted. So, it’s not in the nature of our brain to be alert all the time. So what we need is relaxation. Often the type of relaxation we know is taking a pillow and going to sleep, that's it. Sleep is necessary, but there is another type of relaxation where you are alert and at the same time relaxed.

 It's like Sushi, i.e., the rice wrapped in seaweed. The seaweed is cold but the rice is hot (when you wrap it). In the same way, you have alertness and relaxation, and that is meditation.
So we have counted three aspects to intelligence:

1.Alertness
2.Proper perception & observation
3.Right expression

 Efficiency and Creativity are another aspect of intelligence.

 Another sign of intelligence is the ability to resolve conflict! Fools create conflicts in oneself and others. An intelligent person knows how to resolve conflicts in oneself and in the surrounding.
 If someone is very creative but creates a lot of conflicts, you say, 'Oh my god, that's not intelligence', isn't it?

 If you put an intelligent person between a conflict, will there be more conflict or will he reduce it? He will reduce or resolve it, isn't it! The tendency to bring harmony is a sign of intelligence. The ability to find a solution is sign of intelligence.

 Another sign of intelligence is not getting stressed, and if you get stressed, to know how to get over stress. This is intelligence.

 Intelligence is know how much to use our mind and our body, and not overusing it. If we overuse our mind and our body we get drained, exhausted and tired. Intelligence is walking the fine line of the middle path. That's what lord Buddha has said.

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