Sri Sri Ravi Shankar talks on Liberation

What is mukti (liberation)?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you take the last breath joyfully that is mukti (liberation). Those who experience some lack and are sad while dying, they return. Be satisfied at the time of your death. The one who is immersed in knowledge, even while dying, will be free.

Why do we want to be liberated?

 Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Wanting freedom is a natural phenomenon. What you feel after your exams are over is a little experience of liberation (moksha). In life also you burn in your own hopes and desires. These desires have only brought you misery. When you relax taking a step outside all this, there is liberation (moksha). When you sit for meditation with the feeling, I am nothing, I want nothing, and I do nothing - this feeling is the feeling of freedom. It is fun, it is freedom.

To break the cycle of birth and death we have to attain mukti/liberation, then why do enlightened masters reincarnate?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: With one goal - to help those who are in need and on the other hand just to play.

Can charity grant liberation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Charity purifies wealth. Ghee/clarified butter purifies food. Knowledge purifies the intellect. Bhajan purifies the mind & Service purifies the action.

It is said that if someone is enlightened, his or her generations are liberated. If it is so then can one choose not to have children and devote his/her entire life to seva?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Good, no problem if you don’t choose to have children that is fine. Yet what is necessary is that you have to feel that you are the parent of the entire world, that everybody on this planet is a child and that they belong to you. At least this you can have, no one can stop you from feeling that or thinking that.

If mukti (liberation) is our nature then why are we in bondage?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar : Who says mukti is our nature? Our nature is bliss. Love and enjoyment can put you in bondage, if it is devoid of knowledge. With knowledge, the same love, the same enjoyment leads you to the experience of liberation.

Liberation and bondage go together. If there is liberation, there will be bondage and vice-versa. Liberation is valued because of bondage. If there is no bondage, what is there to be liberated from?

Similarly we can be liberated, that is why we experience bondage. With the desire for liberation we come to know that we are in bondage. If the desire for liberation has not risen then you will not even come to know of bondage.

From Talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Being Centered - talk By Sri Sri

Let us understand a little about the Shiva tattva. Only a little can be known. The intellect has to be content and finer feelings awakened. Both scientific understanding and spiritual wisdom are necessary to bring this contentment that is holistic and complete.There is no need to go to on long pilgrimages to find the Divine. If you don’t find God here, where you are, then it is not possible anywhere else. Where the minddissolves, Shiva is there. Be established wherever you are. The moment you areestablished, centered, you see that there is Divinity present everywhere. This is meditation. One of the names of Lord Shiva is Virupaksha - meaning one who is formless yet sees all. We know that there is air all around us and we can feel the air as well. But what if the air also starts feeling you? Space is all around us, we identify space. But what if space also recognizes and feels your presence? This happens. Only we don’t know it. Scientists know this and they call it the theory of relativity. The one who sees and that which is seen are both affected when seen. The Divine is all around you and is seeing you. He doesn’t have a form. He is the formless core of existence and the goal. He is the seer, sight and the scene. This formless Divinity is Shiva.To simply wake-up and experience this Shiva tattva is Shivratri.

Usually when there is celebration, awareness is lost. Deep rest in celebration with awareness is Shivratri. When you face some problem, you become aware and alert. We are at rest when everything is well; on Shivratri we rest with awareness. It is said that a yogi remains awake when everybody else is sleeping. For a yogi, everyday isShivratri. Lord Shiva is beautifully explained in a verse by Adi Shankaracharya (Sri Sri recites a few lines from the verse).

Adyantahinam - One without a beginning or end. Sarvada - He is the Bholenath (innocent ruler of all) who is present everywhere all the time. We think Shiva is somewhere else sitting with a snake around his neck.Shiva is one in whom everything has taken birth, who encompasses everything right this moment, and in whom everything in creation dissolves. Every form you see in thiscreation is all his form.

He permeates the entire creation. He is never born and has no end. He is eternal.

He is the fourth state of consciousness, the turiya avasta, the meditative state, that is beyond the waking, deep sleep and dream states.

He is the non-dual consciousness that is present everywhere. That’s why to do Shiva puja, you have to dissolve in Shiva yourself. Being Shiva, you do Shiva puja.Chidananda rupa - He is the consciousness that is pure bliss.

Tapo yoga gamya - One who can be known through tapa and yoga. The Shiva tattva can be experienced in the knowledge of the Vedas. The state of Shivoham (I am Shiva), Shiva kevaloham (there is only Shiva) is attained. Shivratri is the day to experience a wave of joy and contentment. Without yoga, Shiva can’t be experienced. Yoga doesn’t mean only asanas (physical postures) but that experience of Shiva tattva which happens with meditation, pranayam: when that ‘WOW’ happens from within.

The word Shambo has come from the same source - to realize how beautiful the Divine is, the creation and the Self is! It is a miracle how the same consciousness ispresent in every being in this creation! There is no other miracle greater than this. How did this One become so many? This tradition (of Shivratri) of moving from many to one is so unique. Yoga and meditation is necessary for that. Without meditation, the mind is not calmed. On the occasion of Shivratri meditation, bhajans are all part of the celebration. Everyone participates with a full heart. Everyone should sing.Shiva is the cause of all causes. Because of which everything is there – the tree growing, the sun rising, the wind blowing... The reason for everything happening is Shiva - because of whom everything happens and without whom, nothing happens.Panchmukha, Panchtattva – There are five faces to Shiva - Water, Air, Earth, Fire and Space. Understanding these five elements is tattva gyana (knowledge of the fiveelements). And then Shiva is worshipped as Ashtamurti (eight forms)– Mind, Memory, Ego are also included. This is both the form and formless aspect of Shiva. Worshipping Shiva is dissolving in the Shiv tattva and then wishing for something good. What to wish for? Wish with a liberal heart for the universal good, nobody should be unhappy in the world. ‘Sarve janah sukhino bhavantu .’ And make one sankalpa on this occasion. It is something which comes to you again and again like your breath, like yourheartbeat. And when you surrender such a sankalpa to the Divine, it will definitely come true.

We also worship nature. Divinity permeates everything in this Earth. Puja is not complete without honoring the trees, mountains, rivers, Earth and the people living on the Earth. Honoring everyone is Dakshina. Da means to give and Dakshina means giving something that will cleanse us of all impurities. Offering with which all your sins vanish. No puja is complete without Dakshina. When we act in society with skill and free from the distortions of the mind, all negative tendencies like anger, worries, sorrow are destroyed. I will say give your tensions, worries and sorrows as Dakshina. And how does that happen? With Sadhana (spiritual practices), Seva (service) andSatsang (company of the truth).

From Talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Exams of Life - Talk by Sri Sri

Succeeding in school – and success in life – is like running a race. When you run a 400 meter race, do you look to see who is next to you? Do you look to your left side or right side? If you see who is running faster, will you be able to run better? When you are running a race, success comes only when you put in 100%. Even then, whether you succeed or not you are happy because you gave your 100%. Someone else put that much and they succeeded. It’s up to them. You put your 100% and that’s it. If you look around too much while you are running, you will fail. The same idea holds true with you when you want to compete: you’re competing with yourself. See how much effort you put last year and this year how much more you can put. Or look into how you performed last month, and this month see how you can perform better. Then your ability increases. But if you look at others, either you get depressed, jealous, or arrogant. Such activity is sure to bring a hoard of negative emotions in you, and subsequently, you will have negative emotions and a lack of energy.

While in school, students are constantly preparing for and thinking about exams. Spiritual life is not much different: see every moment as an exam in Art of Living. Your test is to see how much you are able to be in the present moment. Your success is measured in your ability to overcome any negative feelings that come to your mind. Suppose you get angry; how long that anger lingers in your mind shows how well you have done in Art of Living. If the anger comes and just vanishes, then you have done very well. But if it comes and stays for the whole day, or two days, or three, then you need to work harder. But, as students know, hard work is bound to pay off.

Once in Rishikesh, I met with an elderly saint. The priest simply praised me , until I said, “Baba, why are you praising me? You tell me some negative points in me, so that I can work to improve them, if there is anything to improve.” The priest replied, “Why should I tell about your negative points. No need… sorrow will tell you. When you become upset, that will you tell you what was your negative point. The sorrows in you will teach you what is negative within in you. Only what is positive in you has to be shown because you do not recognize all the good qualities in you.” This is a very positive way of looking at things, instead of pointing to somebody and focusing on their bad qualities. This approach kindles good qualities in a person – especially for parents. When the positive points in a person are enlivened, you will see the negativity automatically vanishes.

 

From Talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

You can ask your own questions to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on the occasion of Twitter Town Hall with Sri Sri  on 23rd February 2014 at 9:30 P.M IST.

Love and Forgiveness - Talk by Sri Sri

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.

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 unintentionally (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.

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.

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.
From Talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar talks on Handling People

You cannot control somebody. This person is like that, what can you do with them? By our telling something to somebody, they don’t change and you should not control anybody. This is what my conclusion is, what? Don’t control anybody. Let them go the way they want. Gently guide them if they listen to you. If they don’t listen to you, well, it is their problem. What can you do?

Are you getting what I’m saying? You try to control them - your kids, spouse, and friends - without any intention; your trying to control them has no bad intention at all. But well, what can you do when they get so angry? You know, your anger is because of trying to control. The moment you stop trying to control somebody, your anger also vanishes, got it? Hmmm? You get irritable when somebody doesn’t listen, right? You tell them ten times still they don’t listen, and then what do you get? Irritated. Then your knowledge should come “Well this is the way that person is suppose to be. What can you do?  Jai Guru Dev!”  So immediately what happens? At least your brain gets relaxation, you don’t get irritated.

So, what did I say? Stop trying to control any situation, any person. You are at peace; our wanting to control is the problem. Do you get it? In any situation things will happen, this way or that way. Do your best and leave the rest. Finished. Got it?

Now, this should not be mistaken for lethargy, lack of leadership, lack of initiative, or orderliness. Are you getting what I’m saying? This is a very, very fine balance. A wise person understands to lead without control, got it? Gently lead without trying to control. And then don’t lose patience to tell not once, but ten times. You should not say it in the very first time “Oh, I said it anyway and that person didn’t listen.” No, you should have the patience to say it ten times and if they still don’t do it, then don’t get upset.

This is wisdom, having the patience to say ten times. How will you say it ten times if they don’t do it once, twice, thrice, and you say, “Well, they don’t do it, that’s how they are” then that indicates you are lethargic, you lack initiative, you lack commitment. I’m telling you something very, very, very fine, are you listening? When you have commitment, what do you do— you keep doing it... correct?

Suppose when you have to cut wood, you cut once, if the wood is soft, it breaks immediately. But if the wood is hard, what do you keep doing? Keep hitting. How many times? Until it breaks. So you keep hitting it. What we do is, we have in our mind the same benchmark for everybody. We think, “Oh see all this wood cuts once this hardwood should also cut once.” Then we get angry. No. Some are hard and some are soft. It all takes its own time to cut them. And if it doesn’t cut and it is not wood, then you call someone else.

You are at peace. This is my conclusion. What? Don’t control, let them go the way they have. But keep guiding them; if they don’t listen they are putting mud on their own head. You know, it takes four-five people to bathe an elephant. Sometimes, they make the elephant lie down and pour buckets and buckets of water, so much water is poured on the elephant. Have you seen an elephant taking a bath? No? Oh when you come to Bangalore ashram you have not one, but two elephants too. It takes two hours to scrub, they get like a spa bath! And every day they get scrubbed, and then good temperature water poured onto them. So, they stand up shiny, ten minutes you leave them and they take the mud and throw it all over. They have no sense that,‘Just now I had a bath and I’m throwing mud on myself again’. The moment they find mud and dust, they pick it up and throw it right onto their own head and look all dirty again. (laughter)What to do? Hmm.
From Talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Question Answers by Sri Sri

Here are some question answered by  Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on his visit to udaipur.

Q1.Guruji,whats the difference between good and bad ?

Ans1.One who gives pain is bad and one who gives you long term happiness is good.

Q2.Guruji,should we follow parents choice in choosing  career?

Ans2.Yes,as they are your parents,you should listen to them and try to explain about your interest also.

Q3.Guruji,Why we are and what we are ?

Ans3.Just think over yourself on this question,you will find the answer inside only you.

Q4.Guruji,Without meeting you,why i feel bad?

Ans.Heart to heart meets everywhere,so no need to feel sad or bad.

Q5.Guruji,how God protect us ?

Ans5.From the birth you are getting love from your mother and family and friends,they all protects you as God is in everyone.

Q6.Guruji,what time we should remember God ?

Ans6.Give your 10 minutes to God daily and help needy people.

Q7.Guruji,everyone wants Moksha[freedom],how can we get that ?

Ans7.To get freedom from inside,take help of dhyan and yoga.

Q8.Guruji,what is the future of pakistan ?

Ans8.It depends on the Government.

Q9.Guruji,what is the secret that all people easily connects with you ?

Ans.If you are good from inside,all will connect with you.

Q10.Guruji.where should youth divert their energy ?

Ans10.They should come forward in doing social works.

Q11.Guruji,what message you want to give UdaipuR ?

Ans11.Just help others as much as possible.

Here is the Secret to happiness video by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

From Talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Overcome the Self Guilt....

How can I become free from the sense of doership?
Sri Sri: Just keep doing, don’t worry about it.
I think you have too much time to sit and think, 'Am I the doer or not'. Just do what you are suppose to do.

Every action has a reward; pleasant, unpleasant, or mixed. There are only three types of rewards. When you act, that action brings you some positive reward, or some negative reward, or some positive and negative reward. The effect of all these rewards stay only for some time. So the wise will not worry about it.
In every action there is something positive and there is something that is negative. An action cannot be 100% perfect. Focus on the positive things that develop out of an action. And don’t worry about the effect of the action, just keep moving.
If you have done a wrong action, that has taught you a lesson not to repeat it next time. If you have done the right action, it encourages you to do many more of the same right actions.
If you find that in the action you did, there are some things that you could improve, then you can always improve on that.
Just move on, don’t say, 'I am the doer', or, 'I am not the doer'. Anyway no one is a doer in one sense, and in another sense, yes, you are the doer, because inside of you there are two.

There is a beautiful story in the Upanishads which says, 'On the tree of this universe, there are two birds sitting, one is enjoying the fruit, the other is just watching, like a witness'. So, there is one aspect of you that is not doing anything, that is much bigger. And there is one aspect in you that is doing everything. Both are present in you.
Now you might ask, 'How?'
On one level, you find that you are changing. Your thoughts are changing, your emotions are changing, your body is changing. Yet at another deeper level, there is something in you that is not changing at all; it is the same. So it is not one or the other, it is both together simultaneously.

When guilt eats you up, or pride takes over your head, then you should understand that you are not the doer. Do you get it?
When you do something very good and you say, 'Oh I did it, I did it', that too makes you unhappy. Doing something good also make you unhappy because you do so much and then you say that nobody recognizes you, nobody listens to you.
So not being recognized for your good work makes you miserable, and if you do something wrong, that too eats up your spirit and creates a sense of guilt. When such things happen, know that you are not the doer. Be a witness then.

People who have committed the biggest crime on the planet, somewhere deep inside, they think, 'Hey, I didn’t do it, how did this happen'.
They feel surprised and shocked, and they feel that they are not the doer, it just happened. If you talk to the biggest criminals on the planet, you will see that they find themselves being caught by an (criminal) act. Same way, someone who has done some excellent work, they also feel that it just happened; everything fell into place. That non-doership is an experience in itself.

When you have to do things, then don't say, 'Oh, I am not the doer'. Don’t go into that mode. It will only tear you apart. If you have to focus on some work, focus and just do it.
I am not a doer, is an experience, sometimes it just dawns on you. And it is also a reminder to you when you are reeling in guilt, or in arrogance.


You say when we are scared of something, we should face our fears. My question is where do I get the courage to face these fears?
Sri Sri: Know that you are not alone, and there is a universal power that loves you, and is with you. When you remember that you are being loved very dearly, fear vanishes. All your troubles begin because you don’t believe you are being loved very dearly. That is where the whole problem starts, and you start behaving in ways that pushes everybody away. You create a misery for yourself, because you doubt yourself; Am I good enough? Am I being loved? Does God love me or not? Do people love me or not? These sort of doubts.
Just take it for granted that you are loved and liked, even if you’re a buffoon. Even if you are a clown, you are loved and enjoyed. People like you however you are. Just move on, don’t sit and spend too much time worrying about yourself, examining yourself, and re-examining. Just take up a commitment and do what you need to do, and take deep rest with dispassion.

Three things are essential, Passion, Dispassion and Compassion.
When you have passion, you don’t worry. When you don’t have passion, that is when you sit and worry. Hesitation comes when you lack passion. Without passion life loses all its charm and you slip into depression. Passion is essential; invoke the passion.

Not only passion, dispassion is also essential. People tell you that you should be passionate, but I say you should also have dispassion. Dispassion is often thought to be a depressed state of affairs. People look very depressed and think this is dispassion. This is a completely wrong understanding.
Dispassion makes you centered. It keeps your smile and equanimity. It keeps the intellect sane and emotions balanced. When you have dispassion you will stop complaining about anything to anybody. The world is the way it is, you won’t complain about people or situations, and you won’t complain about yourself. This is dispassion.

Many times we complain about others, including the ones we love the most. We make the other person defensive, or make them give explanations. It is such a headache!
Initially I used to get swayed by this. People would say, ‘You don’t look at me’, or ‘You don’t talk to me’, or ‘Are you angry with me’, my goodness! These days I do not answer such questions. If you think so, let it be. So be it. Never mind! When you get beaten up a little bit by your own emotions, that makes you strong somewhere.

It’s all just a matter of wanting attention. You give attention and they are alright. Just like babies – if you don’t attend to them they throw tantrums just to draw your attention. Have you noticed this? When you have guests at home and you are busy talking to them, that is when the children want to show you their paintings. They have already shown it to you ten times. But when you are having an important discussion, they come and disturb you! You wonder that this child was quiet, what happened all of a sudden!
We have not grown up from that stage, we always want attention from people. And for this attention we create tension for the others.
So with dispassion, you neither have attention deficiency, nor do you have any tension. You won’t sit and crave for attention. Dispassion is essential.

One more thing that is really beneficial is compassion. When you have compassion it propels you, it motivates you. When you have compassion for those who do wrong, you don’t feel hatred or bitterness towards them. Compassion greases passion and dispassion, and balances them out.

Dear Gurudev, all our lives we seek for love in our relationships and yet this love is so temporary. What is ultimate love or the love that never goes away?
Sri Sri: You are made up of the stuff called love. What you are seeking here and there is what you are. Turn inward and repose. When you find that you don’t need love from anybody and you are the source of it, then you start giving. When you start giving in abundance, it comes back to you in abundance.

When I see beauty and talent in others, my mind either starts putting them down or feels jealous. I am complete in myself then why does mind reel in lack?
Sri Sri: Perhaps you don’t realize that someday everybody is going to die. All those beautiful people, they are also going to die. All those living in the past were beautiful, and wars were fought and they all died. Those who you are jealous about, they are also going to die. Wake up and look, where is the jealousy? What is beauty? The so-called beauty that we think is only skin deep, is not beauty.
Beauty is the nature of our own spirit. When you are happy and content, the quality of consciousness or life that dawn inside you is the real beauty, not the outer appearance.


What is the best way to dissolve our karma?
Sri Sri: Just keep acting. Don’t worry, karma is past. Knowledge, awareness, meditation and good action, these things erase the past karma.
Being aware and knowing that the past is past, that it happened for whatever reason; the awareness of this knowledge itself erases the past karma. Do good actions, do something good.
From Talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Feel the Presence

Presence 

The first one is Presence. The thirst for the Presence is called prayer. Whether there is a God to whom you should pray or not is immaterial — just your prayerfulness is sufficient. The first step is to feel the Presence; the next step is realising that you are the

Presence, that you have become one with the Presence, that you are not distant. That Presence is called ‘Bhagawan’.

Fame 

The second attribute is fame. Fame means that which is universally accepted — in many places, in many types of minds, in many types of people. That is real fame. Let us see what we normally understand as fame. Take for example any singer, say Michael Jackson, who is well known in North America, Europe and some big cities in other Eastern countries. But if you go to some remote parts of China or India and start singing that style of music, people will not appreciate it. But if you go to any corner of the world, whether in India, China, Japan or Korea, you’ll find a church there, and Jesus is known. The people appreciate His teachings and value Jesus. Who is famous: Jesus or Michael Jackson? True fame crosses the barriers of race, age groups, sex.

That’s why it is Bhagawan.

The 8 types of wealth 

The third attribute of Divinity comprises all types of wealth. One of the greatest illusions created in the world is wealth. Just look at the disparity in the world. There is no logical reasoning or explanation why someone should be born in Africa and suffer for a piece of bread, while there is so much bread elsewhere that we throw it away; why do some dogs enjoy the comfort of a home while others are strays in the streets? Wealth is something that is bestowed on you. There are eight types of wealth.

Wealth as material comfort: The first type of wealth is what we commonly understand as wealth — the material wealth. Just being born in Ford’s home, somebody acquired all that wealth without any effort. Why does this happen when somebody else had to toil all his life to make money? Why do some people inherit while others do not?

Wealth as health: Just having money is not sufficient. Some people may have a lot of money but they cannot eat well. They may have diabetes or high cholesterol. That wealth is nothing. Some people do not have money, but they have enough to eat and they are healthy. Like many farmers in India: they don’t have any money but they have plenty of food with them. Anyone who goes to them is fed; they can feed the whole town. They can sleep well.

Wealth as success (Vijaya Lakshmi): Some may be born into a very wealthy family, but any job they do becomes a failure. It may be a simple thing, but it is not a success. For example, you tell such a person to go and get some yoghurt from the shop.

They will always come back with a negative answer — ‘‘There is no yoghurt available... The shop is closed... I can’t get it.’’

To have this wealth of success, one does not start with, ‘‘What if it doesn’t work?’’ as then life just finishes without acquiring anything. This is taking life too seriously.

Wealth as courage: Make life a play or a game. Go ahead! Be adventurous! Even before playing the game, don’t think whether you will win or lose. So what if you don’t win? You’ll win again some other time. But being afraid of making mistakes, being afraid of doing anything in life, one lacks the wealth — the wealth of courage. Somebody may have a lot of money, but if they don’t have courage, there is no fun in life. Someone may not have any money, but look at the courage in them, the force in them! It shows that they are rich in something!

Wealth as friendliness: The fifth type of wealth is friendliness, having a caring attitude, having a sense of belonging. You may have the other types of wealth, but you still feel as though you are in a tight compartment, if you don’t have a sense of belonging.

That is what happens at most parties. Many rich people go to a party just to show off how rich they are, but they feel so out of place.

You find sugar-coated misery there. Everybody is so uptight. It’s like a war field actually. Parties are like a competition ground or battlefield; everyone going around with a shield. That is no wealth at all. Do you know how frustrated some people from aristocratic families are? Especially when their children see such hypocrisy, it’s so hard on the children. The whole hippie wave that happened was just a rebellion against this uptight attitude.

Wealth as skill: Another wealth is having different skills and talents. Some are good in writing, some are good in arguing, some are good in debate, some are good in music, some have wonderful voices, some cook well, some are talented in bringing up a child, in administration, and still others are talented in completely different things. There are hundreds and hundreds putting their efforts. They all should have achieved their goal. They all should have got what they wish to achieve, if it’s just by effort. But no, it is not so.

Wealth as dignity: The world is filled with lessons if only we observe it with full awareness. Be as humble as the grass. Then nothing can touch you, nothing. No one can humiliate you. In the eyes of the Divine, it is those who serve creation, who are true kings and queens. Walk like a king and be a perfect servant!

Wealth as memory of the source: We only know that we were born; we don’t even know how we were born. Somewhere from three or four years onwards, we know whatever is happening. Our memory is very short; it appears this is the only life. We are not aware of our Source. The moment you become aware of your Source, and your infinite past, your whole life changes, like somebody just suddenly becoming aware of how wealthy he or she is. Immediately your style of walking will change. This is the awareness of the Source.

Dharma 

The fourth characteristic of Divinity is dharma. It is very difficult to translate dharma. You can say ‘righteousness’, ‘nature,’ you can say ‘the totality of life’, ‘the path’, ‘the goal’. Dharma means that which upholds; that which upholds one’s life, that which upholds the whole creation, that which upholds the entire surroundings and evolutionary levels.

Wisdom 

When knowledge is well-rooted in profound experience, it is wisdom. This kind of knowing does not just come from the head, but it is from the very being, from every cell of the being, from every particle of the being. When knowledge becomes inseparable from you, it is wisdom. One kind of knowledge comes and goes; but another kind is an integral part of you. You cannot be without it. It is like the breath. When knowledge gets so deep-rooted, like the breath, that is wisdom.

Renunciation 

Renunciation is the sixth attribute. Just observe what becomes of your breath when things are unpleasant. If someone gives you a compliment, it doesn’t become so deep-rooted, like a part of your breath. But if someone insults you, every breath you breathe in and out burns. Isn’t it so?

Renunciation is the ability to drop everything and rest. What can you hold on to? Once one has total control of oneself, he does not control anything, or anybody. He brings great freedom. That is Bhagawan. There is a saying in the Gita — one can never achieve yoga unless one drops everything one wants to do, or is doing, or has done, at any moment. Living in the moment, making the mind free is what renunciation is.

From these six attributes of Bhagawan, Divinity, even if you take any one away, it will be incomplete. In fact it is quite dangerous. For example, fame without wisdom is of no use. The flower of divinity, which blossoms, has to have all the six petals.

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From Talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Depths of Calm

Only a healthy bud can blossom. In the same way, only a healthy being can succeed. So what’s being healthy? If you are feeling rough inside, then you are not healthy; if the mind is stiff and not calm, you are not mentally healthy. When the emotions are rough, you are emotionally not healthy. To attain a perfect state of health, one has to be mentally calm, steady and emotionally soft.

The state of healthiness has to flow from the innermost of your being to the outermost, and vice versa. That state is called Swasthya in Sanskrit. Swasthya means health. It also means being in one’s Self. Swasthya or health is not just confined to the body and the mind; it has come to you as a gift from the cosmic mind or the ‘Indra’.

Have you noticed this? When you enter a place where a very disturbed and stressed person has spent some time, you start feeling disturbed for no reasons even if the stressed person is not around any longer. The same feelings, same thoughts, same emotions come to you.

Similarly, when there is a harmonious vibration like at a place where a Satsang is happening, you feel good. You don’t know why. So feelings are not isolated in one’s body, they are all around. So is the breath. Ditto for the mind, it is in the whole environment because the mind is subtler than the five elements — the earth, water, fire, air and ether. Like if there is a fire somewhere the heat is not just in fire, it is also radiating throughout the place. Subtler than that is air, which is all over.

So if you are unhappy or depressed, you are not the only one who is feeling it; you are spreading it to the whole environment. A time may come in the future when people will be fined for being depressed because they are creating emotional pollution!

But how can we control this? That is the key question and the answer lies in meditation. The main purpose of meditation, Pranayam and related practices, is that they increase prana or the subtle life energy. Prana is subtler than emotions. When you attend to the subtlest, the gross becomes all right. You handle the breath and the body gains good health.

In the ancient days, the prayer has been that let this collective consciousness, the Indra, always bring health and put me back to my Self. Let it always keep me centred, joyful and happy. Let everyone whom I meet bring me back to the Self. This is important because the words that you hear from people around you affect your state of mind. They either give you peace and joy, or create disturbance.

Usually what happens is that, when people say something that creates jealousy, anger, frustration or sadness in us, we think they are responsible. No, we are responsible because we are contributing to the process. We are affected because the mind is not its Self; it is not centred.

How can we gain that peace which is unshakeable? Being individually happy is not enough. Our wish should be that whomever we meet be happy and radiate happiness. A frustrated man will create frustration; a jealous person will create jealousy and so on.

You can turn every situation into your advantage. Have you ever thought of this? There are stories in the Puranas of how a saint turned an arrow which was going to hurt someone, into a garland. If somebody is shooting an arrow at you, insulting you, realise that they are doing it because they are miserable. Once you are blossomed from within, you can take any insult and turn it into your advantage.

Realise that they are simply pouring out their stress, tension and anxiety. When people shout or burst out at you, you can only feel good that all that was building up inside them is coming out. I am not saying that we should encourage this tendency or justify it. But when it happens, do not regret it. What do we normally do? We go on regretting and with regret, we commit the same mistake again.

Even when someone commits a mistake, he or she is not the culprit; the stress inside is causing him or her to make that mistake. Once we get rid of the stress inside us, there is no culprit; no one to be forgiven. Then we begin to realise that the whole thing is just a game in which there is no winners or losers. It’s just a play, and fun.

The objective is to have that fun in life and make sure that the knowledge that we gain in life permeates inside us. With this, Upanishad happens and the learning process begins. As we learn more about life, the mystery of the whole creation unfolds. Then the question in the mind is, what is the meaning of life and what’s its purpose. What is this world, what is love, what is knowledge and so on.

Once these questions arise in you, know that you are very fortunate. These questions need to be understood; you cannot find the answers in books. You have to live through them and witness the transformation. That is perfect health; you are transformed from within. And the bud becomes a totally blossomed flower.

The Philosophy of Joy - A talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The sole search of every being is joy. Whenever one is searching, whatever one is searching, one is looking for joy — whether it is spiritual or material, whether it is in the movies, bars, or in the church or temple; whether it is money, fame or power. The search simply is for joy and the Divine is all joy and bliss.

Bliss is nothing but qualified joy, a joy that is devoid of feverishness, suffering and pain. Love comes along with pain. Silence is a little serious; joy is mischievous. One cannot have mischief if there is no joy and Krishna is all mischief. Krishna is absolute joy, absolute bliss. Nothing whatsoever could take away the joy from Krishna.

If you look at his life, it was miserable — he was born in misery. Kansa, the uncle of Krishna, is a symbol of ego. Ego is far away from joy; ego tries to kill the joy in us. Children are so full of joy because there is no ego. The moment ego comes, separation comes. We destroy the bliss, the beauty, that innocent joy. Kansa sent several people to kill Krishna but was unsuccessful. Krishna, when he was just eight or ten, fell in love with Radha, she was much elder to Krishna. That love was such a pure love. People did not know why they were in such a love with Krishna; everyone would flock around him.

Mischief is the outcome of joy. Children are very mischievous. Parents say, ‘Don’t do this!’, ‘Stop that!’ It’s very normal for children to be mischievous; we should let them do it. Sometimes it entails trouble for the parents, but there is also fun. What is life without fun? Krishna told many lies, played and troubled people around him. People around him would like to be troubled by him. People would complain with anger, but the moment they came in his presence, they would start giggling, all their anger would vanish.

In the presence of pure bliss, joy, all complaints vanish and life appears like a play. One can look at every trouble as a challenge or can spend it crying and complaining. You know, what you have in your hand indicates what you are inside. If you have a gun in your hand, it indicates fear or violence. If you have a flower in your hand, it indicates you are like a flower. If you have a flute in your hand, you are like a flute — hollow and empty.

Krishna has the flute in the hand and the whole style of standing indicates his whole philosophy. One leg is firm on the ground. A dance can happen when your feet are first touching the ground. If your legs are buried in the mud, a dance cannot happen. Not even if it is up in the ground. One leg has to be firm on the ground, the other can be up in the air and then dance happens. Joy is the dance of life and the life of Krishna is such a dance.

One can imagine Krishna everywhere; you cannot pinpoint Krishna as one thing. Sometimes he may ride a horse, be a charioteer and in some other place he can be dancing. Krishna is the symbol of all possibilities, the total blossoming of all aspects of human, or Divine — whatever you call. It’s very difficult to really understand Krishna’s personality. The rishis called him the full embodiment of the Divine total because all that a human could be, a being could be, is all in Krishna. You can see him as the perfect friend.

Once one of his close aides tells Krishna, ‘‘O Krishna, I cannot understand you. I have been with you for the past fifteen years, you confuse me more and more everyday! At one point I see you as such a courageous person who could alone fight war with so many people, at other times you hide yourself in the closet. You behave completely eccentric. One time you are so powerful, another time so scared. One time you come out with such a great wisdom, another time you ask me advice.’’ One place he is a servant, another time king of the whole province, who takes very good care of all subjects.

Contrast energies

Arjuna was ready to quit everything and go to the Himalayas. He was not ready to fight the war. Krishna convinced him. Krishna was a good teacher because he taught as a friend. He said, ‘‘You’re such a great warrior. Anyway, everyone is already dead.

I do everything, you just be an instrument.’’ In the battlefield, if someone could sustain the depth of awareness, clarity of mind when everybody is in such chaos, and give the highest knowledge, that leaves you in awe of Krishna.

You can have a big smile when everything is firm and smooth but when everything is upside down and you smile, then you have achieved something. Everything was upside down, chaotic, wherever Krishna went and yet, the smile would simply capture everything. His smile was so great that people would forget their sorrow and joy would simply flood.

Even the saints would fall in love in that field of energy; people who have renounced everything would be interested. The dispassionate one will be drawn. The word Krishna, itself, means that which is attractive, that draws everything. The very core of your being is such; the bliss of the self, the joy of the self is like that. It just draws everything. In a symbolic manner, also, it is so beautiful. Krishna was such a charmer that people could not stay away from him. Young and old, boys and girls and even the rishis, could not stay away; they would just follow him around.

The gopis said, ‘‘the love between you and me; only my soul knows.’’ The depth of the love, joy, and devotion was like wildfire all around Krishna. In love there is 2 percent lust. In lust there is 2 percent love. You may have noticed when children are in deep love, they come and hug, hang to your neck, kiss you, lick all parts of your face. What do you call it, love or lust? Love. But the act is very lustful.

It’s the same thing with a puppy. When you come back home, the puppy will jump all over you and lick you by which it is expressing its love to you. Intense love wants expression. You hug, shake hands, give flowers... nothing really satisfies. Love cannot be fully expressed, yet it cannot be without expression. That’s the nature of joy and love. It wants to find an expression.

The love of the gopis and Krishna was such a love. Krishna means the most attractive. It is the divinity that is the most attractive; the energy that pulls everything to it. Krishna is the formless centre which is everywhere. Any attraction from anywhere is coming only from Krishna. Often people fail to see the spirit behind the attraction and merely hold on to the outer shell. And the moment you try to possess the shell, you will see Krishna has played a trick and you will be left with an empty shell in your hands and tears in your eyes.

The mind moves towards beauty, joy and truth. Krishna tells Arjuna, ‘‘I am the beauty in the Beautiful, the strength in the Strong, the wisdom in the Wise.’’ Be clever like Radha — don’t be tricked by Krishna. Krishna could not escape from Radha, for, her whole world was filled with Krishna. If you can see that wherever there is an attraction, there is Krishna; then you are Radha, you are in your centre.

From Talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Changing mindsets - A talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

It is important to know about interpersonal relationships. What keeps and what really disturbs interpersonal relationships? The relationship gets disturbed when disagreement begins.

Just look at yourself. Have you always agreed with yourself? You had some idea yesterday; today you may have a different idea. Five years back you had other ideas that do not necessarily agree with the ideas that you have today. So when you have disagreement with yourself, why should it not happen with someone else?

The ‘someone’ you have a disagreement with is just a photocopy of your old or the new self. So you need to take a look at your own thought patterns and emotional patterns, there is a rhythm in them. And there is a rhythm in the consciousness. We need to find a harmony between all these rhythms within us and that’s what is called spirituality.

Spirituality is not just fantasising; it’s observing your own existence. Have we thoroughly known our body? You can know someone else’s body but have you experienced your own body? Experiencing your own body, your breath, your mind, your emotion and the source of your life is meditation. Meditation is experiencing the life force and being conscious of it; and it is done effortlessly.

Mind and body function on completely opposite laws. In the realm of mind, effortlessness is the key. You cannot remember something by putting effort. The moment you relax the memory comes back. Creativity, intelligence and memory — all these faculties within us happen effortlessly. But you can build muscles only when you put effort.

How do you listen? The sounds come and fall on the eardrums but if the mind is elsewhere, can you hear? You are listening through that faculty in you that is called the mind. When you are listening, you are either agreeing or disagreeing. Notice whether you are saying yes or no. This something by which we say yes or no is called the intellect.
It is the same consciousness that functions as man, buddhi, chitta, ahankaara. Our ancient people have called the four different faculties as Antahkaran Chadushtaya. Similarly, if you observe memory, it clings onto something that is negative. Ten compliments you will forget from someone but his one insult will stick to the mind.

This needs to be reversed; and the process of reversing this tendency of the mind from clinging on to the negative and moving to something positive is called yoga. Yoga makes you like a baby again. It not only revives your nature, it also keeps your heart and mind young and bright. Yoga improves perception, observation and expression.

For maintaining interpersonal relationships, you have to first have a relationship with yourself. Your relationship with yourself is called integrity. If you have no relationship with yourself, that’s called lack of integrity. Secondly, being informal keeps your interpersonal relationship strong, for it gives space for mistakes to happen. You cannot expect perfection in any relationship or situation.

Today one of the biggest problems with the world is emotional instability. When we create an informal outlook and cordial environment around us, we grease the friction and become the master of our environment and not feel helpless about what is happening around us.

Life is very complex. There is no set formula. When you think that you are very honest, that you are righteous, you become a little stiff inside without even knowing it. You point your finger towards others and become intolerant. When you recognise that there are flaws in you, you are then able to accommodate the flaws in other persons.

That’s why it is said, ‘‘do a good deed and forget about it’’. It is not only your vices or bad qualities that will harm you. Even your good qualities can make you stiff, rude and angry. That is why you should surrender both bad and good qualities. Relax and let go.

There are three types of perfection — perfection in action, perfection in speech and perfection in feelings. Many who have perfection in their action and speech do not have that at their feeling level. Some have perfection in their feelings and also speak very good but their action will not be perfect. For example, tailors in India. They will speak sweetly but won’t give clothes for Diwali in time. They will smile but will not do work.

We don’t keep things in mind; we speak right, but do not do work on time. People from other countries see this as a big problem with us. They say that Indians are very nice but they do not do work. On the other hand, the foreigners work on time, but have a lot of things on their minds. Anger and fatigue fill their minds. The three perfections are called trikarana shuddhi — one should try to be perfect in all the three spheres.

If you have a positive state of mind you become creative, entrepreneurs and successful in anything you do. There are some books about positive thinking in the West such as How to Win Friends and Influence People. The man who wrote this book committed suicide. People in the West talk about affirmation. Affirmation is, you wake up in the morning, sit on your bed and affirm to yourself, ‘‘I will be good from today and that I will love myself’’. All these affirmations you put on yourself. This is not at all a healthy thing.

Meditation is the only way you can transcend the negative thoughts and then positive thoughts will come spontaneously and automatically. Stress and tension cause negative attitude. Suppose you don’t sleep for two days small things can start to irritate. And if you have rested well, the situation will be different.

Some people always blame themselves for something that goes wrong in a close acquaintance. Leave this ‘always’ — like ‘‘I want to be always happy’’. Take life as it comes. Sometimes you are upset or angry; it is ok to be upset or angry. Life does not stop for anything; it moves. Just move with the flow.

A talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Divine Surrender : A talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Honouring is a sign of divine love. This is called pooja. The ceremony of pooja imitates what nature is already doing for you. The Divine worships you in so many forms. In pooja, you offer everything back to the Divine.

Flowers are offered in pooja. The flower is a symbol of love. The Divine has come to you in love through so many forms: mother, father, wife, husband, children and friends.

The same love comes to you in the form of the Master to elevate you to the level of divine love, which is also your own nature. Recognising this flowering of love from all sides of life, we offer flowers.

Fruits are offered, because the Divine offers you fruits in due season. You offer grain, because nature provides you food. A candle light and a cool camphor light are offered; in the same way nature continually revolves the sun and moon around you.

Incense is offered for fragrance. All the five senses are used in pooja, and it is performed with deep feeling. Through pooja, we say to God, ‘Oh, whatever you give to me, I give back to you.’ Pooja is honour and gratitude.

Have you seen children? They have small little pots and dishes. They sometimes pretend that they make toast or tea. They come to the elders and say, ‘Now, please have some tea.’ They serve you. There will be nothing in the cup; it is all in their imagination.

They play with you. Whatever you do to them, they also do. They put the doll to sleep. They feed it and bathe it. In the same way, pooja is an expression of what the Divine is doing for you. pooja is a mixture of imitation, honour, playfulness and love.

When you are in deep love, you naturally want to offer something. Somebody from California sent a big parcel to me. It was filled with candies and candles. Now, the person who sent it knows that candies and candles can be got here, too. And the cost of the airmail is much more than the candles and candies. But in love, you want to offer something anyway.

Usually when you love something, you want to possess it. And in the process of possessing, you make the beautiful thing ugly. Pooja is contrary to that. Pooja means honour and worship, offering one’s self. You appreciate, you adore, you recognise beauty. Worship is just the opposite of wanting to possess. Usually our relationships do not flower to this extent. Instead we start demanding. Husband and wife, master and servant, there is a demand. ‘I have done so much for you. Now you must do this thing for me.’

 Demanding is contrary to honouring. The way to preserve a relationship is to honour.

Honour the creation. Look at a tree with honour. Feel grateful for its being here. It purifies the poison that we breathe out. It makes the air fresh. Have you ever thought, ‘These trees are mine? The sun, the moon, the air, the water — everything belongs to me. All these stars are mine. The people are mine?’ When you honour the creation, you will feel this.

Honour your own body. Remember that when you eat, you are offering food to the Divine that resides inside this body. When people are agitated, they eat more. Take your food, not in a hurry, not with violence, but with a sense of offering. This also is pooja.

Have you ever looked at your breath with honour? Have you ever thought, ‘This breath is so beautiful, moving in and out; without it, my body would be thrown away.’ With honour, look into your breath. With this depth of worship, all your feverishness will be transformed into love.

Honouring leads to devotion that leads to surrender. Surrender to the Divine brings total rest from all anxieties, from all wants. Life has burned down with so many various wants. In every direction, life is found to be weary. Devotion brings that total rest — a healing touch to the life, which has been moving in so many directions.

The mind always looks for charms, miracles, events, excitements. Yet once it goes there, the charm ceases to exist. The charm of the mind is a continuous mirage; it is always farther, it is always somewhere else. When the flame of devotion is lit, the craving mind melts away like wax. As the mind melts, the flame of devotion becomes more alive and intense.

Charm is always an outside influence. Devotion is an inner flowering. Devotion starts from where you are, whereas a charm is something that pulls you away from yourself. The charm never lasts for long. Unless you are lit in devotion to the Divine, your life will remain restless.

In devotion, in that process of burning, longing will arise in you. With love, there is bound to be longing. If there is longing, know that there is also love. They are two sides of the same coin; they cannot be separated. Usually when longing arises, we are in a hurry to finish it off. But this longing is fortunate and very beautiful. It will transform your mind totally.

Devotion is your nature. When you rest in your own nature, there is no conflict. But usually we feel a conflict. We feel bad about a negative quality we have or something that we did. A Master is one who lifts these burdens from you that you yourself cannot carry — and kindles in you devotional love.

Offer everything to the Master — your anger, your frustration, all your bad feelings and good feelings. Your negativity pulls you down. Your positive qualities bring pride and arrogance in you.

Your whole life becomes a big weight. When you offer it all, you become free. You become light like a flower. You can again smile and rejoice in the moment. What remains in you is pure love.

A talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The Space Within - A talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

You cannot measure the amount of energy in an atom. Similarly, you cannot measure the full potential of a human being. The nature of a human being is quite similar to that of an atom. The central part of an atom is positive. The negative charged particle is only on the circumference of the atom. Similarly, the negativity of a person is not his true nature, it is just on his circumference. When someone is in the centre, he is calm, steady and pleasant. Violence is not part of human nature, it is simply an indication of violation at the domain level.

How do we know whether the knowledge that we have is correct or not? Even 10,000 years ago, people knew there are 12 moons with the planet Jupiter. They used subjective way of knowing things — by intuition, quieting the mind. When the mind becomes calm (its like sleeping though one is totally alert) then an intention is taken. With that intention comes intuition, knowledge as well as inspiration. Using this method, the ancient man derived knowledge about the universe and developed mathematical techniques that are valid today. The age-old calendars can still tell exactly at what time will the eclipse happen. The entire astrology and astronomy has also been derived this way. The ancient man knew that the sun is at the centre of the solar system and planets move around it. They used the method of intuitive awareness in which one feels that every cell in his body is fully alive “now”, and the mind is quiet. You call that Samadhi.

If we take out some time — say two or three days in a year — to keep silence and simply observe our own thoughts and emotions, then we get a sense of what quietness means. Freedom from the jugglery of thoughts is the basis of intuition. And, intuition is part of innovation.

In our normal lives, we are bombarded with so many thoughts and stimulus, that attention and retention is simply not there. Today kids have this problem called the attention deficiency syndrome. They have lost the ability to attend to things. When you become quiet, it is not as if you lose your intellect. In fact, intellect becomes very sharp as the attention span increases. The first outcome of our mediation or any self-development technique should be to increase our perceptual ability, which in turn, should help us in expressing ourselves better.

One aspect is getting rid of stress, the other is seeing that stress doesn’t enter our system. For the latter, we need a change in our attitude towards things happening around us. We can bear heat, with a sense of humour, a sense of ease, and with confidence. One needs to create barricades so that tension does not enter the mind. But it’s impossible not to have tension; it might slip in through some other way. Just learn to take it easy. The ease with which you are able to handle your environment, or the situation around you, is what I would call being able to utilise your full potential. When you are in touch with your full potential, nothing or nobody can shake you. You will have the smile and the confidence.

Spirituality is nothing out of the world

Attaining a spiritual level is simply recognising that there is life everywhere, that there is spirit everywhere. I don’t see a division between what’s spiritual, and what’s material. The finest aspect of matter is spirit. The gross aspect of spirit is matter. Its like body and mind. You see through the eyes, but actually the eyes are the means through which the mind sees. The mind is the spirit. The whole world is combination of spirit and matter.

Therefore spiritual practices too are not something that are any different from you being spirited and being happy and compassionate and being in love. The way of prayer is to be in amazement — looking at the cosmos and saying wow, how many planets! How many stars! How big is this universe ! Your consciousness expands, and this is meditation.

The creation and the creator are not separated. The creator and the creation are one and the same. The creation is formed out of the creator, just like dance comes out of the dancer. I usually say we must have the 3C’s — cosmology, commitment, and compassion. These three things make life beautiful.

Billions of years have passed since existence began on earth. Compared to it, the span of human life — 80 years or 100 years — is nothing! In this vast space, where are we?

Seeing yourself in the context of the big creation shifts you to a different level of consciousness. As per one of the scriptures in the ancient India, there are almost 112 ways of realising consciousness. One of them is to observe the sky on a clear day, and let go, and relax. Wherever the mind goes, it makes an assumption and becomes quieter, as it assumes that space.

The scripture also mentions that there are three kinds of space. One is the “bhutakash” which is the physical space, “chitakash” where the thoughts flow, it is the mental space, and “chidakash”, is the final space, the space of consciousness. So go from one space to other and from there to the final space.

People are not entities, they are a wave functions, or wavelengths. Just close your eyes and ask yourself who you are? You will get no answer. All you will get is space, and that is what you are.

Once we leave the spirit, the mind leaves this body. Once out of the body, the mind cannot be cleansed. It cannot be rid of any thoughts. The body is the instrument or the space where past impressions can be washed off. What Buddha called “nirvana”, is simply sitting and being in your space and imagining that you are nobody and nothing. When clarity comes, mind becomes as sharp and powerful as the laser beam.

And in that mind, an intention fructifies very fast. That mind also has capacity to heal and to elevate itself. It is full of joy, ease and love. Your entire past is a dream. Just remember all the activities you did in the morning after waking up. Isn’t it all like a dream? It wasn’t more than a dream, because it was a memory and impression. Dream is also an impression. See your whole past as a dream. In future, in the next 10-20 years, you will be doing many things, they will all pass like a dream. Knowing this and being aware of it, the space within us starts to open up and we start experiencing heightened awareness. You start seeing another dimension of life. Just wake up!

A talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Demystifying Meditation

      Mind without agitation is meditation.

Mind in the present moment is meditation.
Mind that has no hesitation, no anticipation is meditation.
Mind that has come back home, to the source, is meditation.
 Mind that becomes ‘‘no mind’’ is meditation.

When can you rest? Rest is possible only when you have stopped all other activities. When you stop moving around, when you stop working, thinking, talking, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, when all these activities stop, then you get rest. When all voluntary activities are arrested, then you get rest or sleep. In sleep, you are left with only involuntary activities like breathing, heartbeat, food digestion, blood circulation etc. But this is not “total rest”. When the mind settles down, only then “total rest” or meditation happens.

Focus means what? Fulfilled in the moment, being centered, looking to the highest and remaining in that space of peace is focus. No peace means no focus. When you are at peace, focus is happening already. Similarly, if you focus, you attain peace. Look into your own life. You are bothered even if you have things that you wanted and you are bothered if you don't have them! For example, if you have money, there is botheration. You are afraid or worried thinking what to do with this money, whether to invest or not and if you invest you are worried whether it is growing or reducing or you are anxious about the fluctuations in the share market. If you don't have money, even then you are bothered. “Liberation” is that total freedom wherein you are not bothered when things are there and you are not bothered even if they are not there.

Real freedom is the freedom from the future and freedom from the past. When you are not happy in the present moment, then you desire for a bright future. Desire simply means that the present moment is not all right. This causes tension in the mind. Every desire causes feverishness. In this state, meditation is far away from happening. You may sit with eyes closed, but desires keep arising, thoughts keep arising; you fool yourself that you are meditating, but actually you are daydreaming!

As long as some desires linger in your mind, you cannot be at total rest. Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita, “You cannot get into Yoga (union with self) unless you drop the desires or hankerings in you”. As long as you hold onto some planning, your mind does not settle. Every desire or ambition is like a sand particle in the eyes! You cannot shut your eyes or keep it open with a sand particle inside, it is uncomfortable either way. Dispassion is removing this particle of dust or sand from the eye so that you can open freely and shut them freely! The other way is to extend your desire or make it so big, then also it won’t bother you. It is a tiny sand particle that irritates your eyes, a big stone or a rock can never get into your eyes!

See from your own experience. If you go to bed with some restlessness, agitation or desire, you will not get deep sleep. On the surface level it appears to be not there for a little while, but those plans or ambitions are still there in the mind. Very ambitious people cannot have deep sleep because the mind inside is not free. The more you are anxious about doing something, difficult it becomes to sleep. Before going to sleep, if you simply let go everything, only then you will be able to rest. Why not do the same thing moment by moment? When you want to sit for meditation, let go of everything. The best way to do this is to feel, “the world is disappearing or dissolving…I am dead!” Unless you are dead, you cannot meditate!!! For many, mind doesn't settle even after death. Wise are those who cannot settle their minds while alive!

Desires come up, instead of holding on to them or daydreaming, you offer the desires; that is meditation. You have no control over the desires. Even if you say, “Oh, desire is the cause of misery. I shouldn't have desires, when will I be free of desires?”, that is another desire! So, as they come up recognise them and let go. This process is called “Sanyas”. When you offer all that as they rise in you and be centered, then nothing can shake you or take you away. Otherwise, small things can shake you and you become sad or upset. Just few words from here or there can make you sad. Life teaches you the art of letting go in every event. The more you have learnt to let go happier, the freer you are. When you have learnt to let go, you will be joyful and as you start being joyful, more will be given to you. Taking a good look at the desires and realising that they are futile or nothing great is maturity or discrimination.

What is that you can hold on to? You cannot even hold on to this body forever! Whatever care you take, still, one day it is going to say goodbye to you! Without any prior notice, you will be forcefully evicted out of this world! Whatever you may plan, whatever you may do, your final destination is the grave! You live as a good man or bad man, you cry or laugh, whatever you do, everybody goes to the grave. Whether you are a sinner or a saint, you will go to grave. Whether you are rich or poor, intelligent or a dumb fool, you will go to the grave. Whether you are loved or hated, you will go to grave. Whether you love someone or hate anyone, you will go to grave. Patients die, doctors also die. Those who lost the wars went to grave and those who won also went to grave. This is the final say! Have your sight on the final say. Before the body leaves you, you learn to leave everything. That is freedom.

With dispassion, you can enjoy the world freely and you can relax and get relief from it freely. Dispassion can bring so much joy in your life. Don't think that dispassion is a state of apathy. Dispassion is full of enthusiasm, brings all joy to your life and it allows you to rest so well. When you come out of a deep meditation, you become very dynamic and you will be able to act better. Deeper you are able to rest, dynamic you will be able to be in activity.

 Even though deep rest and dynamic activity are opposite values, they are complimentary.

What is that you are looking for? Are you looking for some great joy? You are joy!

I will give you an example. Have you seen dogs biting bones? You know why they bite bones? Biting and biting that hard bone makes wound inside their mouth. It's own blood comes out and the dog feels that the bone is very tasty! After a while it's whole mouth is soared. Poor dog has spent the whole time chewing the bone getting nothing out of it! Any joy you experience in life is from the depth of your self when you let go all that you hold on to and settle down being centered in that space. That is called meditation. Actually, meditation is not an act; it is the art of doing nothing! The rest in meditation is deeper than the deepest sleep that you can ever have because in meditation you transcend all desires. This brings such coolness to the brain and it is like servicing or overhauling the whole body-mind complex.

Meditation is letting go of anger from the past, the events of the past and all the planning for the future. Planning can hold you back from diving deep into yourself. Meditation is accepting this moment and living every moment totally with depth. Just this understanding and few days of continuous practice of meditation can change the quality of our life.

The best comparison of the three states of consciousness — waking, sleeping and dreaming — is with the nature. Nature sleeps, awakes and dreams! It happens in a magnificent scale in existence and it is happening in a different scale in this human body. Wakefulness and sleep are like sunrise and darkness. Dream is like the twilight in between.

And meditation is like the flight to the outer space where there is no sunset, no sunrise, nothing

A talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The Art of Self-Discovery

Only those who have eyes can see and only those who have ears can hear. That which has to be seen cannot be heard; it has to be seen. Life has five dimensions or five senses — seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching. But there is one more dimension that has gone out of sight; that is feeling. Feeling the Presence. Light cannot be heard through the eyes; it has to be seen through the eyes. Sound cannot be seen through the eyes but heard through the ears. Likewise, the presence has to be felt by the heart.

God is not an object of senses but the feeling of feelings, the presence of presence, the sound of silence, light of life, the essence of the world and the taste of bliss. And our human life is enriched only when we can live this sixth sense of existence, of feeling.

If you are feeling depressed and continue to feel depressed, you create particles of depression around you. Those ions of depressions around you go and stick to the environment. If someone walks into that place, even after you have left, that person for no reason would start feeling depressed. Have you experienced this? You walk into a room and suddenly feel angry vibes. You were all right a few minutes ago but the moment you walk in, all the anger, stress and tension overtakes you.

Today there is a lot of talk about the environment. Environmentalists are at work everywhere you see. There is talk about protecting the forest, bringing up more greenery, recycling of things, materials, plastics and use of more natural and organic substances. A few years ago, this was not an issue at all, wasn’t it? Now all nations are coming to an agreement to save planet earth. Like we pollute the earth, we pollute the water, we also pollute the subtle environment of feelings and emotions.

Man has become a victim of his environment. He is not in control of his mind but a victim of the environment and the total stress in the environment. Is it not so? We pollute our environment in a very subtle way through our negative emotions. But it takes quite sometime to clear the environment of this. It is inevitable that sometimes you feel stressed, sometimes you feel negative, sometimes you feel doubt, sometimes you get into all sorts of moods — it is inevitable. It happens. Nobody wants it. But when it happens how do we handle them? We hear a lot about other things in life but we spend very little time to hear about ourselves; how to handle our mind? How to be in the present moment? How to be happy and grateful? This we have not learnt. This is the most unfortunate thing. Then what is the solution? This is where we miss a very fundamental principle that governs our environment, our mind our emotions and our life in general. Our body has the capacity to sustain much longer the vibrations of bliss and peace than it does negative emotions because positivity is in the centre of our existence. Just like in the structure of the atom, protons and neutrons are in the centre of the atom and electrons are only the periphery, same is with our lives; the centre core of our existence is bliss, positivity and joy but it is surrounded by a cloud of negative ions. Through the help of the breath we can easily get over our negative emotions in a short period of time. Through meditation and certain breathing techniques you can clear this negative cloud.

In future, I think the rule will come — anybody who feels depressed, will be fined! Ten thousand rupees fine for getting depressed! Then you will be asked to go and breathe and meditate and get rid of all your depression without swallowing any tablets. What is there for you to get depressed? You are here for a few years anyway; just a few years on this planet. And as long as you are here, you can as well, be happy.

This life has so much to offer to you. You can see this once you take sometime off, rejuvenating the soul. You soul is hungry for a smile from you. If you could give this, you feel energised the whole year and nothing whatsoever can take the smile from you.

Everyone wants to be successful in life. But without knowing what is success, you want to be successful. What are the signs of success? Just having a lot of money, is that success? Why do you think money means success? Because money gives you freedom so that you can do whatever you wants. You may have a big bank balance but, you have stomach aches, ulcers, you may have to go for bypass surgery; can’t eat this, can’t do this, can’t do that. We spend half our health to gain wealth and spend half our wealth to gain back the health. Isn’t that funny? Is this success? It is very bad mathematics.

Look at all those who claim to be successful — are they successful? No, they are miserable. Then, what is the sign of success? The sign of success is overwhelming joy, right? It is confidence, compassion, generosity and a smile that none can snatch away, being really happy and being able to be more free. These are the signs of a successful person.

Take some time off to look a little deep into oneself and calm the mind down. Thus erasing all the impressions that we are carrying in our minds and experience the presence, the divine that is the very core of our existence. This is FEELING THE PRESENCE!!!

A talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar