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Bhole Ki Jai Jai-Rishi Nityapragya Art of Living Lucknow DSN
Bhole Ki Jai Jai-Rishi Nityapragya
Art of Living Lucknow DSN
Art of Living Lucknow DSN
Fight with equanimity
When there is an attack on society and we lose our loved ones, it causes a lot of sorrow and fear. If we keep reeling in sorrow, fear and anger,We need to come together then life moves on the path of destruction.
But if we want to channelise this energy and prepare to face this war bravely, we need to first calm the mind and come to a state of equanimity.
We need to become sam-darshi or one whose vision is equanimous. Today, we are all angry with the politicians or with our system. Our police lack the necessary tools... The whole of Mumbai seems angry. In a way, we have woken up. We are no longer ready to take the 'chalta hai' attitude. For so many years India has seen terrorist attacks in different places, for the first time, the entire community, especially the youth, have woken up...
How to make our system stronger?
Firstly, we need to come together... We need social leaders who are satya-darshi or truthful, sam-darshi or equanimous, and door-darshi or far-sighted. So let's also resolve to first examine the qualifications of those whom we elect. We need to protect our country from those who manipulate issues for their personal gains and lead by playing vote-bank politics.
Secondly, we must resolve not to act out of anger, but instead channelise our dynamic energy for the common good; to expose all those who are supporting violence, no matter what religion they belong to; to get rid of the mentality which asks us to protect people from our own religion, or community, even if they are doing wrong. This is very important.
Three things need to be done today: Stringent laws should be in place and the hands of the police have to be strengthened. Second, intelligence agencies and the police should be well-equipped and third, politicians should allow them to take necessary steps independently.
We consider the entire world ours... We might have different religions, communities, languages and cultures, but underneath all this diversity, every Indian is One. We are proponents of peace, but we are also from the land of Guru Gobind Singh. Today, we need Sant-sipahis or soldier-saints. Every one of us needs to be a peace soldier...
Peace does not mean inaction. We want a revolution, but a peaceful one. Mahatma Gandhi advocated peace, but he did not just sit back and allow injustice. Being in peace, he took action. The essence of the Bhagavad Gita is this ^ to fight with equanimity. Today, we are again seeing a dharma yuddha a battle for righteousness...
Whenever i visited Israel, i have been told by Jewish leaders that India is the only nation in the world where a Jew has never been attacked. India is known for its tolerance and peace... We shall not let the terror attacks in Mumbai sag our spirits. We shall overcome. And in doing so we will not let go of our culture and nature of peace and non-violence.
I would like to say to all the families who have lost their dear ones that the soul never dies. Know that once you drop the body, there is no more suffering to the soul. Those who have departed have merged with the divine, and their souls are still with you, with us, with the entire nation... Everyone will die, including us. But they have sacrificed their lives to wake us up and make us realise that others should not suffer, that this should not happen again. They are asking us to be Arjuna.
But if we want to channelise this energy and prepare to face this war bravely, we need to first calm the mind and come to a state of equanimity.
We need to become sam-darshi or one whose vision is equanimous. Today, we are all angry with the politicians or with our system. Our police lack the necessary tools... The whole of Mumbai seems angry. In a way, we have woken up. We are no longer ready to take the 'chalta hai' attitude. For so many years India has seen terrorist attacks in different places, for the first time, the entire community, especially the youth, have woken up...
How to make our system stronger?
Firstly, we need to come together... We need social leaders who are satya-darshi or truthful, sam-darshi or equanimous, and door-darshi or far-sighted. So let's also resolve to first examine the qualifications of those whom we elect. We need to protect our country from those who manipulate issues for their personal gains and lead by playing vote-bank politics.
Secondly, we must resolve not to act out of anger, but instead channelise our dynamic energy for the common good; to expose all those who are supporting violence, no matter what religion they belong to; to get rid of the mentality which asks us to protect people from our own religion, or community, even if they are doing wrong. This is very important.
Three things need to be done today: Stringent laws should be in place and the hands of the police have to be strengthened. Second, intelligence agencies and the police should be well-equipped and third, politicians should allow them to take necessary steps independently.
We consider the entire world ours... We might have different religions, communities, languages and cultures, but underneath all this diversity, every Indian is One. We are proponents of peace, but we are also from the land of Guru Gobind Singh. Today, we need Sant-sipahis or soldier-saints. Every one of us needs to be a peace soldier...
Peace does not mean inaction. We want a revolution, but a peaceful one. Mahatma Gandhi advocated peace, but he did not just sit back and allow injustice. Being in peace, he took action. The essence of the Bhagavad Gita is this ^ to fight with equanimity. Today, we are again seeing a dharma yuddha a battle for righteousness...
Whenever i visited Israel, i have been told by Jewish leaders that India is the only nation in the world where a Jew has never been attacked. India is known for its tolerance and peace... We shall not let the terror attacks in Mumbai sag our spirits. We shall overcome. And in doing so we will not let go of our culture and nature of peace and non-violence.
I would like to say to all the families who have lost their dear ones that the soul never dies. Know that once you drop the body, there is no more suffering to the soul. Those who have departed have merged with the divine, and their souls are still with you, with us, with the entire nation... Everyone will die, including us. But they have sacrificed their lives to wake us up and make us realise that others should not suffer, that this should not happen again. They are asking us to be Arjuna.
LIFE...
When someone dies a vacuum is created suddenly, and being totally with that vacuum you know that you also are that vacuum. What are you? What is your life? It's total void. Not just death is void, life is also void. That is Nirvana. Buddha said that life is void and void is truth. He said the forms are illusive and they have no existence. The formless is the only existence. The formless governs the form.
Your mind has no form. Does your mind have any form or shape? Any color? Any taste? Have you tasted someone's mind? The Mind is beyond taste, sight, or any of the five senses. The Mind is formless, and is it not the mind that is ruling your body? For example, is the body or the Mind moving a car? It is the Mind. If the Mind is not in the body, the body alone cannot do anything. The body without the Mind is horizontal under the ground!
The formless is ruling your life. The formless is ruling the world. There is a greater formlessness that is ruling the entire Creation. You are the center of that greater formlessness whatever you call it, God, Consciousness, no mind, Nirvana, spirit, etc.
Death creates a void. In the ancient days people were asked to meditate in burial grounds. Do you know why? This gives you dispassion so your mind does not wander. Meditation is similar to this experience of void. In meditation you realize that you are not just the body, but you are more than the body. This realization annihilates the fear of death.
Many secrets about your life will be revealed by attending to the breath. Knowledge of death will improve the quality of your life. Knowledge of your breath will do the same. It makes you stable and strong. That is called 'immortal life'. Your memory becomes so sharp that you know all that has happened thousands of years ago, and you will have intuitive thoughts about the future. At the last moment, all that we did in our life will come to us in a flash. If you always do things that are life-supporting, the same impressions will carry on. That is why all human values, like friendliness and compassion, are given great importance; They are investments for the future. Why are some people born in violent environments and others in comfortable environments? It indicates the impressions one carries from the past. The human body is so precious because in this body you have the ability to erase all the unwanted negative impressions.
No one knows when their last moment is. When the last moment comes, you cannot have a new impression. The last impression or the strongest impression in the mind is what will pop into your mind at the last moment. Don't wait for the last moment to have a good impression!
In all religions there is a practice that when someone dies or is dying one sits and prays to send good vibrations and thoughts. There is some truth to this. When you meditate or pray, and when you are in that space of vastness, calmness and love, you emit certain vibrations. These vibrations transcend physical reality and reach the subtle levels of existence.
Prayer is not just sitting and saying so many words, but is being in that serene, calm, meditative state. When you meditate, you send out peaceful radiation and waves of light. Those who have left their body, who have reached the other shore, benefit from that in your life.
Your mind has no form. Does your mind have any form or shape? Any color? Any taste? Have you tasted someone's mind? The Mind is beyond taste, sight, or any of the five senses. The Mind is formless, and is it not the mind that is ruling your body? For example, is the body or the Mind moving a car? It is the Mind. If the Mind is not in the body, the body alone cannot do anything. The body without the Mind is horizontal under the ground!
The formless is ruling your life. The formless is ruling the world. There is a greater formlessness that is ruling the entire Creation. You are the center of that greater formlessness whatever you call it, God, Consciousness, no mind, Nirvana, spirit, etc.
Death creates a void. In the ancient days people were asked to meditate in burial grounds. Do you know why? This gives you dispassion so your mind does not wander. Meditation is similar to this experience of void. In meditation you realize that you are not just the body, but you are more than the body. This realization annihilates the fear of death.
Many secrets about your life will be revealed by attending to the breath. Knowledge of death will improve the quality of your life. Knowledge of your breath will do the same. It makes you stable and strong. That is called 'immortal life'. Your memory becomes so sharp that you know all that has happened thousands of years ago, and you will have intuitive thoughts about the future. At the last moment, all that we did in our life will come to us in a flash. If you always do things that are life-supporting, the same impressions will carry on. That is why all human values, like friendliness and compassion, are given great importance; They are investments for the future. Why are some people born in violent environments and others in comfortable environments? It indicates the impressions one carries from the past. The human body is so precious because in this body you have the ability to erase all the unwanted negative impressions.
No one knows when their last moment is. When the last moment comes, you cannot have a new impression. The last impression or the strongest impression in the mind is what will pop into your mind at the last moment. Don't wait for the last moment to have a good impression!
In all religions there is a practice that when someone dies or is dying one sits and prays to send good vibrations and thoughts. There is some truth to this. When you meditate or pray, and when you are in that space of vastness, calmness and love, you emit certain vibrations. These vibrations transcend physical reality and reach the subtle levels of existence.
Prayer is not just sitting and saying so many words, but is being in that serene, calm, meditative state. When you meditate, you send out peaceful radiation and waves of light. Those who have left their body, who have reached the other shore, benefit from that in your life.
Meditation, Sleep and Death
However your day has been, pleasant or unpleasant, sleep provides you deep rest. Sleep takes you in its arms. It comforts you and makes you fresh to worry again the next day! Sleep heals you, comforts you, and enriches your waking state of consciousness. If you do not sleep, your wakefulness will be dull.
Sleep and wakefulness appear to be contradictory, or on opposite poles. However, they complement each other. Good sleep makes you more awake and alert. Isn't it? If you observe your sleep you will know a lot about your death. We sleep every night, but we have never met our sleep. Have you noticed the last thought in your mind just before falling asleep is the same as the first thought you have as soon as you wake up? The same happens. Death is a long sleep. You drop one body and get into another body.
Death is a friend of life. This does not mean you should commit suicide! So many people commit suicide thinking they will get rid of the anguish, agitation, and agony, but they will be born with the same thing next time. Suicide is not death. Deep desire to live makes you commit suicide. When life is just a game and you have lived life, then you embrace death naturally when it comes. It is the fear of death that dampens life, and there is fear because we do not know what it is.
Sleep, meditation and love are synonymous to death. You see Christ on the cross; this indicates that love, death, and pain are together.
What does Death mean? Dropping the past. Die every moment, and you are born every moment. As in sleep, even in meditation, there is deep comfort. And you realize that everything in this Universe is changing; Everything is dying. Tell me one thing that is not dying - plants, animals, and human beings. Everything dies and everything is renewed. Millions have walked on this planet, stood up perpendicular on this planet, sat down perpendicular, and then became horizontal underneath! Just wake up and see, what is the fear? You know, some people are afraid to go to bed. The fear is that you think you may not wake up. Lack of understanding of life causes fear. People are afraid of love, people are afraid of meditation, people are afraid of death, people are afraid of themselves. Ignorance and lack of awareness is the cause of fear. Just a glimpse of the Being, of the Self that you are - that you are beyond death - roots out the fear totally. This happens to people who clinically die for a few moments. When they are revived they know death is nothing to be afraid of. You simply know you are much more than your body. The Self is beyond death.
As I was saying, the last thought in the mind before falling asleep will be the first thought when we wake. In the same way the last impression in our mind will come to us in the next life as the first impression. There is a saying in India that it doesn't matter how your life has been but the last thought is very important.
In one house, in one family, children are born with the same genes but they are very different. Even twins are different. Though they have a lot of physical, mental and emotional similarities there is something different between each child that comes from the previous impressions.
The first law of thermodynamics says that 'energy can neither be created nor destroyed'. Our mind is energy and energy cannot be destroyed. What happens to this mind when it leaves the body? It capsules itself in the impressions like an invisible balloon and remains for a time until it again gets another body to come back.
Knowledge of death makes you immortal. It is wrong to even say that it makes you immortal. It makes you aware that you are immortal anyway. Do you see the difference? You are already immortal. Something in you never dies. You might notice that when you turn around and look at people you think, "oh, they're all grown up" and you feel you have not aged. We fail to notice that something in us is not changing or aging. Just stand by the beach all by yourself and ask yourself: 'Have I aged? Have I changed? Is there something in me that is the same from my beginning?'
Sleep and wakefulness appear to be contradictory, or on opposite poles. However, they complement each other. Good sleep makes you more awake and alert. Isn't it? If you observe your sleep you will know a lot about your death. We sleep every night, but we have never met our sleep. Have you noticed the last thought in your mind just before falling asleep is the same as the first thought you have as soon as you wake up? The same happens. Death is a long sleep. You drop one body and get into another body.
Death is a friend of life. This does not mean you should commit suicide! So many people commit suicide thinking they will get rid of the anguish, agitation, and agony, but they will be born with the same thing next time. Suicide is not death. Deep desire to live makes you commit suicide. When life is just a game and you have lived life, then you embrace death naturally when it comes. It is the fear of death that dampens life, and there is fear because we do not know what it is.
Sleep, meditation and love are synonymous to death. You see Christ on the cross; this indicates that love, death, and pain are together.
What does Death mean? Dropping the past. Die every moment, and you are born every moment. As in sleep, even in meditation, there is deep comfort. And you realize that everything in this Universe is changing; Everything is dying. Tell me one thing that is not dying - plants, animals, and human beings. Everything dies and everything is renewed. Millions have walked on this planet, stood up perpendicular on this planet, sat down perpendicular, and then became horizontal underneath! Just wake up and see, what is the fear? You know, some people are afraid to go to bed. The fear is that you think you may not wake up. Lack of understanding of life causes fear. People are afraid of love, people are afraid of meditation, people are afraid of death, people are afraid of themselves. Ignorance and lack of awareness is the cause of fear. Just a glimpse of the Being, of the Self that you are - that you are beyond death - roots out the fear totally. This happens to people who clinically die for a few moments. When they are revived they know death is nothing to be afraid of. You simply know you are much more than your body. The Self is beyond death.
As I was saying, the last thought in the mind before falling asleep will be the first thought when we wake. In the same way the last impression in our mind will come to us in the next life as the first impression. There is a saying in India that it doesn't matter how your life has been but the last thought is very important.
In one house, in one family, children are born with the same genes but they are very different. Even twins are different. Though they have a lot of physical, mental and emotional similarities there is something different between each child that comes from the previous impressions.
The first law of thermodynamics says that 'energy can neither be created nor destroyed'. Our mind is energy and energy cannot be destroyed. What happens to this mind when it leaves the body? It capsules itself in the impressions like an invisible balloon and remains for a time until it again gets another body to come back.
Knowledge of death makes you immortal. It is wrong to even say that it makes you immortal. It makes you aware that you are immortal anyway. Do you see the difference? You are already immortal. Something in you never dies. You might notice that when you turn around and look at people you think, "oh, they're all grown up" and you feel you have not aged. We fail to notice that something in us is not changing or aging. Just stand by the beach all by yourself and ask yourself: 'Have I aged? Have I changed? Is there something in me that is the same from my beginning?'
Know Breath, Know Life
Life has four characteristics: it exists, evolves, expresses and extinguishes. For this, it depends on five elements: earth, water, air, ether and fire. To make it easier to understand we can bring in the five senses and its objects: sight, smell, taste, sound and touch.
According to Ayurveda, life or existence is not a rigid compartment, but a harmonious flow. Even the five elements that make up the whole universe are not tight compartments of defined objects. They flow into one another; each one of the elements contains the other four.
The subtlest in us is space, the element the mind is made of, and the grossest is the earth element, which makes our bones, marrow, skin and the structure. This is further divided into the three Doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha .
Ayurveda is a way to understand the characteristics of human physiology, its reflection on the mind.
When an illness arises, it comes first in the thought form, the subtlest aspect, then the sound form, and then the light form, or the aura. It is only then that illness manifests in the body. Simple symptoms arise in the fluid form, which can be eradicated, and then it manifests in the grossest form, where it needs medication.
In treatments such as aromatherapy, an illness can be cured through fragrance. It is mostly focused on preventive treatment. The holistic approach of Ayurveda includes exercise, breath and meditation. It is very interesting to notice the relationship between breath and the different Doshas in the body, namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These three Doshas affect certain parts of the body more than the others.
For example, Vata Dosha is predominant in the lower part of the body such as the stomach and intestine. Diseases of the digestive system and joints are caused from Vata imbalance. Kapha dosha is predominant in the middle part of the body. Cough is mainly a result of Kapha imbalance. (Perhaps the word cough has come from the sanskrit word Kapha). Pitta, affects the upper part of the body ie, the head. Short temper is a sign of Pitta.
Yoga, breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya (The Art Of Living Healing Breath Technique) and three-stage pranayama (used to channel Prana or life force to different parts of the body) all affect these three Doshas.
Among the different pranayamas and breathing techniques, are specific breathing exercises for the lower, middle and the upper parts of the body. These help bring balance to respective areas of the body.
How do we bring good health to our system? First, by attending to the ether element - the mind. If your mind is bogged down with too many impressions and thoughts, your resistance is drained and your body is prone to illness. If the mind is clear, calm, meditative, and pleasant, resistance in the body will increase and prevent illness from entering the body.
The first remedy is to calm the mind. This comes from ether, the subtlest aspect of Creation. The air element, or breathing is the next way to keep the body strong. Aromatherapy falls into this category. Color therapy is a way to use the light element to strengthen the system. Before an illness manifests in the body you can see it in the aura of a person. By energizing our system with prana or life energy one can clear the aura and prevent illness. Water is the next element. Fasting with water or purifying the system with water can bring a lot of balance within the system.
That is what yoga does. The purpose of yoga is to stop the sorrow before it arises; yoga burns the seed of sorrow before it sprouts. When all else fails, or we neglect these other steps, the final recourse is medicinal herbs, medicines, and surgery.
Our breath holds a lot of secrets. For every emotion in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath. Each rhythm physically affects certain parts of the body. You only need to observe it to feel it. For instance, we feel a sense of expansion when we are happy and a sense of contraction when we are miserable. Though we feel both the happiness or misery and the sensation of contraction and expansion, we often fail to notice the connection.
Knowledge is knowing that which expands. What is that? This knowledge, this enquiry is the study of consciousness, is the study of life, that is the study of prana, the study of Ayurveda. Have you ever counted how many times you breath in a minute? Breathing is the first act of life and it is the last act of life. In between, the whole life we are breathing in and out, but not attending to the breath.
Ninety percent of the impurities in the body go out through the breath because we are breathing twenty-four hours a day. However, we are using only thirty percent of our lung capacity. We are not breathing efficiently enough.
The mind is like a kite and the breath, like a thread. For the mind to go high the breath needs to be longer. You do not have to take Prozac if you can attend to the breath.
In one minute we breathe nearly sixteen to seventeen times.
If you are upset it may go up to twenty, if you are extremely tense and angry, it could total twenty-five per minute. Ten if you are very calm and happy, two to three breaths if you are in meditation. Deep meditation can reduce the number of breaths you take.
If you observe an infant, you will be amazed at how balanced they breathe. They breathe from all three sections of the body. As they breathe in their belly comes out, as they breathe out their belly moves in. You breathe in the reverse direction the more nervous and tense you are. When you breathe out your tummy will come out and when you breathe in, it goes in.
With a sharp mind, such lessons can learnt by observation, without teaching. But our mind is so preoccupied with infinite thoughts, judgments, opinions, and impressions that we are unable to observe or perceive the refined phenomena in nature.
This is why we need to study. The yoga asanas are something that everyone has done as a child. Have you seen a six-month-old baby lying on its back with its legs up? She kicks her legs and head up, almost like what you do with the abdominal machine. Then it rolls on its back and does the 'cobra' posture in yoga. If you observe a sleeping child, its thumb and the index finger slightly touch, a formation called the 'Chin mudra.'
Go to a zoo and observe the monkeys. Even they do many of the asanas to keep themselves healthy. These are the things that coordinate body, breath, mind and spirit. Ayurveda attends to this holistic approach. There are so many points in the body which correspond with different sensations; these are reflections of something which is beyond all this. What is that something? That is the source of life.
Health is: a disease-free body, quiver-free breath, stress-free mind, inhibition-free intellect, obsession-free memory, ego that includes all, and a Soul which is free from sorrow.
According to Ayurveda, life or existence is not a rigid compartment, but a harmonious flow. Even the five elements that make up the whole universe are not tight compartments of defined objects. They flow into one another; each one of the elements contains the other four.
The subtlest in us is space, the element the mind is made of, and the grossest is the earth element, which makes our bones, marrow, skin and the structure. This is further divided into the three Doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha .
Ayurveda is a way to understand the characteristics of human physiology, its reflection on the mind.
When an illness arises, it comes first in the thought form, the subtlest aspect, then the sound form, and then the light form, or the aura. It is only then that illness manifests in the body. Simple symptoms arise in the fluid form, which can be eradicated, and then it manifests in the grossest form, where it needs medication.
In treatments such as aromatherapy, an illness can be cured through fragrance. It is mostly focused on preventive treatment. The holistic approach of Ayurveda includes exercise, breath and meditation. It is very interesting to notice the relationship between breath and the different Doshas in the body, namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These three Doshas affect certain parts of the body more than the others.
For example, Vata Dosha is predominant in the lower part of the body such as the stomach and intestine. Diseases of the digestive system and joints are caused from Vata imbalance. Kapha dosha is predominant in the middle part of the body. Cough is mainly a result of Kapha imbalance. (Perhaps the word cough has come from the sanskrit word Kapha). Pitta, affects the upper part of the body ie, the head. Short temper is a sign of Pitta.
Yoga, breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya (The Art Of Living Healing Breath Technique) and three-stage pranayama (used to channel Prana or life force to different parts of the body) all affect these three Doshas.
Among the different pranayamas and breathing techniques, are specific breathing exercises for the lower, middle and the upper parts of the body. These help bring balance to respective areas of the body.
How do we bring good health to our system? First, by attending to the ether element - the mind. If your mind is bogged down with too many impressions and thoughts, your resistance is drained and your body is prone to illness. If the mind is clear, calm, meditative, and pleasant, resistance in the body will increase and prevent illness from entering the body.
The first remedy is to calm the mind. This comes from ether, the subtlest aspect of Creation. The air element, or breathing is the next way to keep the body strong. Aromatherapy falls into this category. Color therapy is a way to use the light element to strengthen the system. Before an illness manifests in the body you can see it in the aura of a person. By energizing our system with prana or life energy one can clear the aura and prevent illness. Water is the next element. Fasting with water or purifying the system with water can bring a lot of balance within the system.
That is what yoga does. The purpose of yoga is to stop the sorrow before it arises; yoga burns the seed of sorrow before it sprouts. When all else fails, or we neglect these other steps, the final recourse is medicinal herbs, medicines, and surgery.
Our breath holds a lot of secrets. For every emotion in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath. Each rhythm physically affects certain parts of the body. You only need to observe it to feel it. For instance, we feel a sense of expansion when we are happy and a sense of contraction when we are miserable. Though we feel both the happiness or misery and the sensation of contraction and expansion, we often fail to notice the connection.
Knowledge is knowing that which expands. What is that? This knowledge, this enquiry is the study of consciousness, is the study of life, that is the study of prana, the study of Ayurveda. Have you ever counted how many times you breath in a minute? Breathing is the first act of life and it is the last act of life. In between, the whole life we are breathing in and out, but not attending to the breath.
Ninety percent of the impurities in the body go out through the breath because we are breathing twenty-four hours a day. However, we are using only thirty percent of our lung capacity. We are not breathing efficiently enough.
The mind is like a kite and the breath, like a thread. For the mind to go high the breath needs to be longer. You do not have to take Prozac if you can attend to the breath.
In one minute we breathe nearly sixteen to seventeen times.
If you are upset it may go up to twenty, if you are extremely tense and angry, it could total twenty-five per minute. Ten if you are very calm and happy, two to three breaths if you are in meditation. Deep meditation can reduce the number of breaths you take.
If you observe an infant, you will be amazed at how balanced they breathe. They breathe from all three sections of the body. As they breathe in their belly comes out, as they breathe out their belly moves in. You breathe in the reverse direction the more nervous and tense you are. When you breathe out your tummy will come out and when you breathe in, it goes in.
With a sharp mind, such lessons can learnt by observation, without teaching. But our mind is so preoccupied with infinite thoughts, judgments, opinions, and impressions that we are unable to observe or perceive the refined phenomena in nature.
This is why we need to study. The yoga asanas are something that everyone has done as a child. Have you seen a six-month-old baby lying on its back with its legs up? She kicks her legs and head up, almost like what you do with the abdominal machine. Then it rolls on its back and does the 'cobra' posture in yoga. If you observe a sleeping child, its thumb and the index finger slightly touch, a formation called the 'Chin mudra.'
Go to a zoo and observe the monkeys. Even they do many of the asanas to keep themselves healthy. These are the things that coordinate body, breath, mind and spirit. Ayurveda attends to this holistic approach. There are so many points in the body which correspond with different sensations; these are reflections of something which is beyond all this. What is that something? That is the source of life.
Health is: a disease-free body, quiver-free breath, stress-free mind, inhibition-free intellect, obsession-free memory, ego that includes all, and a Soul which is free from sorrow.
A sign of prosperity
If you think nobody loves you: know for sure that you are loved. The earth loves you; that's why it is holding you upright. The love of the earth is its gravitational force. The air loves you. That's why air gushes in through your nose, even when you are sleeping it moves through your lungs. The Divine loves you very dearly, deeply. Once you know this, you will relax.
With calmness, talents simply come. Intuition comes, beauty comes, peace comes. Love springs up. What else? Then comes prosperity! Bliss and prosperity. What is the sign of prosperity? Who is prosperous? The general idea is that one who has freedom to go wherever he wants to go, whenever he wants, is a prosperous person.
Take the case of an industrialist. Do you think he is free to go wherever he wants, whenever he wants? He has a million dollars in the bank, but his business ties him like a rope around his neck. Even if he goes somewhere, his cell phone keeps ringing. It doesn't let him have his breakfast properly. Do you think he is prosperous?
Just wake up and see; you are rich! Do you have a smile? Then you are rich! Someone who has lots of money cannot even smile well. They don't have friends because you can't really know if the friends are there for themselves or for the money. That's why in the Bible it is said, 'A rich man cannot go to heaven'. I'm not encouraging poverty here, but just telling you to root out that thought of poverty from your mind, and consciousness.
The sign of prosperity is a smile. The sign of prosperity is freedom. The sign of prosperity is being willing to share with people around you, without fear. The sign of prosperity is the trust and confidence that you'll get what you need tomorrow.
With calmness, talents simply come. Intuition comes, beauty comes, peace comes. Love springs up. What else? Then comes prosperity! Bliss and prosperity. What is the sign of prosperity? Who is prosperous? The general idea is that one who has freedom to go wherever he wants to go, whenever he wants, is a prosperous person.
Take the case of an industrialist. Do you think he is free to go wherever he wants, whenever he wants? He has a million dollars in the bank, but his business ties him like a rope around his neck. Even if he goes somewhere, his cell phone keeps ringing. It doesn't let him have his breakfast properly. Do you think he is prosperous?
Just wake up and see; you are rich! Do you have a smile? Then you are rich! Someone who has lots of money cannot even smile well. They don't have friends because you can't really know if the friends are there for themselves or for the money. That's why in the Bible it is said, 'A rich man cannot go to heaven'. I'm not encouraging poverty here, but just telling you to root out that thought of poverty from your mind, and consciousness.
The sign of prosperity is a smile. The sign of prosperity is freedom. The sign of prosperity is being willing to share with people around you, without fear. The sign of prosperity is the trust and confidence that you'll get what you need tomorrow.
Life is Good...
When thinking stops, love begins. Lovers talk silly things, they say the same things over and over again a thousand times. They are not thinking. Their reasoning mind is transcended.
With whomsoever we fall in love, we are really falling in love with ourselves. The truth is that we do not realize it because we are caught up in the name and form, love is formless. Names and forms can kindle love in you, but then it takes you beyond the name and form to the true nature, which is pure energy.
Surrender and love are synonymous. Whomsoever you love, you surrender to them. It's not a doing but a state of being when the mind is free of doubts and troubles. The word 'surrender' is frightening because we have heard it in one context - when an army loses, it surrenders; a defeat is understood to be surrender. It is not submission. Only the brave, the knowledgeable and the wise can surrender.
Surrender is realizing that everything belongs to the Divine. 'I' am not in control - that is surrender. This little mind realizes that it is not in control; the entire universe runs on its own and it does not matter whether you exist on this planet or not, things will happen. In the same way, you realize, that your life is happening and that you are happening in this ocean of consciousness. Your heart beats by itself, your breath moves by itself, sleep comes, you feel good and bad. With this realization comes a deep relaxation, a feeling of trust and being at home, that is surrender.
Hindrance to love
Only through love can one experience infinity without the hindrance of lust and attachment. Love is coming together closer, merging together and dissolving. But the only way we have known the emotion through our lifetime is through sex. In sex you come to the present moment but, mankind has constantly been fighting lust and one has known through experience that it doesn't lead you anywhere - it just brings inertia - more indulgence, and love goes down somewhere beneath.
The more one fights lust, the less he is able to win over it. If you are angry, or have fought with somebody, they occupy your mind more than someone you appreciate, honor or respect. Lust means all desires. When a desire arises, you worship it, recognize it and offer that desire to the Divine. Desire that arises in you is Shakti (energy). Knowledge or wisdom is again the energy. Divine knowledge, the power to act, to perform, is the energy.
When you have the desire (Iccha) and the knowledge (Gyaan) but you cannot act (Kriya), it means there is no Kriya Shakti. When you recognize these desires that arise in you and honor them, you will be relieved of them in the most natural manner.
It is so difficult to get into bliss and so difficult to get out of bliss! There are so many obstacles to get into bliss. So many things get in your way - even at the gate. You think you've got it, you have it in hand, and then it goes, it gets that near. You get thirsty, so you get water in your hands. But, through just a few loose fingers, all the water is drained out. Life is so strange! So how do we be blissful? Give priority to the Self, to Self-knowledge. Everything tries to keep the mind from sinking into bliss.
Some people behave very nice on the outside but are rough inside. And some people are very rough outside but nice inside. Some may be very polite and say, "Hello, how are you?" but inside, they are stiff. The Divine, unlike the world, does not care about your behavior, but how you feel inside. If you are like a flower inside, then outside too, you will become gentle, not stiff. But it's preferable to be rough outside and gentle inside rather than gentle outside and rough inside, for your own sake.
With whomsoever we fall in love, we are really falling in love with ourselves. The truth is that we do not realize it because we are caught up in the name and form, love is formless. Names and forms can kindle love in you, but then it takes you beyond the name and form to the true nature, which is pure energy.
Surrender and love are synonymous. Whomsoever you love, you surrender to them. It's not a doing but a state of being when the mind is free of doubts and troubles. The word 'surrender' is frightening because we have heard it in one context - when an army loses, it surrenders; a defeat is understood to be surrender. It is not submission. Only the brave, the knowledgeable and the wise can surrender.
Surrender is realizing that everything belongs to the Divine. 'I' am not in control - that is surrender. This little mind realizes that it is not in control; the entire universe runs on its own and it does not matter whether you exist on this planet or not, things will happen. In the same way, you realize, that your life is happening and that you are happening in this ocean of consciousness. Your heart beats by itself, your breath moves by itself, sleep comes, you feel good and bad. With this realization comes a deep relaxation, a feeling of trust and being at home, that is surrender.
Hindrance to love
Only through love can one experience infinity without the hindrance of lust and attachment. Love is coming together closer, merging together and dissolving. But the only way we have known the emotion through our lifetime is through sex. In sex you come to the present moment but, mankind has constantly been fighting lust and one has known through experience that it doesn't lead you anywhere - it just brings inertia - more indulgence, and love goes down somewhere beneath.
The more one fights lust, the less he is able to win over it. If you are angry, or have fought with somebody, they occupy your mind more than someone you appreciate, honor or respect. Lust means all desires. When a desire arises, you worship it, recognize it and offer that desire to the Divine. Desire that arises in you is Shakti (energy). Knowledge or wisdom is again the energy. Divine knowledge, the power to act, to perform, is the energy.
When you have the desire (Iccha) and the knowledge (Gyaan) but you cannot act (Kriya), it means there is no Kriya Shakti. When you recognize these desires that arise in you and honor them, you will be relieved of them in the most natural manner.
It is so difficult to get into bliss and so difficult to get out of bliss! There are so many obstacles to get into bliss. So many things get in your way - even at the gate. You think you've got it, you have it in hand, and then it goes, it gets that near. You get thirsty, so you get water in your hands. But, through just a few loose fingers, all the water is drained out. Life is so strange! So how do we be blissful? Give priority to the Self, to Self-knowledge. Everything tries to keep the mind from sinking into bliss.
Some people behave very nice on the outside but are rough inside. And some people are very rough outside but nice inside. Some may be very polite and say, "Hello, how are you?" but inside, they are stiff. The Divine, unlike the world, does not care about your behavior, but how you feel inside. If you are like a flower inside, then outside too, you will become gentle, not stiff. But it's preferable to be rough outside and gentle inside rather than gentle outside and rough inside, for your own sake.
Why we Tired?
In fact, enjoyment brings tiredness! Tiredness is a shadow of enjoyment. What puts you on the road is your desire to enjoy. What brings you home is being in love. In your life, you move from one place to another in search of enjoyment. Wherever you saw joy and reached for it, you found that it was further away, somewhere else. So you had to move on and that moving is tiring.
Look at your whole life. A child gets tired of playing with toys and wants new toys. Tired of playing with new toys, they want people to play with, they want new friends. They grow a little older. Their games change. The object of the game changes. They want something more. So it's like moving from one type of tiredness to another type of tiredness.
As a teenager you looked for something else, not toys. Which is the new movie? What is the new fashion? You want to have the best match for you. You are married. You make a very good couple. Then what? You want to have your own home, children. Those who are single think that married people are better off. Those who are married think that single people are better off.
Some think that people with children are happier. People with children wish everyday that their child grows up quickly so that they can be free. They wait for someone to give them a break, to take care of their children. Everything is tiring.
You move from one spiritual path to another spiritual path, from one practice to another. Sometimes people say, "Oh, I have meditated for 20 years. I am sick of meditation now. Please don't tell me to do another meditation. Enough is enough." It's boring. People have no time. They find it boring to meditate. What to do? Where to go? When is that rest? That solace? That peace? When is that love that is so comforting, so eternal, so blissful? And you cannot rest until you reach home.
You may sit in the path here and there but you cannot be there forever. You may take a break. On the motorway, there is some rest place. On the way, you stop your car, use the restroom, stay a while and stretch. But that is all. You cannot rest there, or be at peace there. At the back of the mind the drive is there - move on. There is no fulfillment.
It is the desire that tires you - the 'want' in the mind. Your mind tires you more than the physical work. If you are willing to do some work, even 15 hours at a stretch, it will not tire you. However if you are not willing and you have to work even for four hours, it will tire you.
You have a party at home or you are arranging Christmas decorations. So you may work many late hours but still not feel tired. You feel good about it. But you work in some place you don't like, you'd like to have four coffee or tea breaks and even then you feel it's tiring! Do not do any work at all. Just sit and go on thinking. You'll be terribly exhausted. For many people, the tiredness and exhaustion comes from thinking and worrying, not by working.
Thinking you need rest makes you restless.
Thinking you have to work hard makes you tired.
Thinking you have worked hard brings self-pity.
There is a place to rest. That is the Divine, that is surrender and that is love. And you can't do it unless you get really tired, unless you get sick of everything. You drop down. That is called surrender.
There was a king, an emperor. He attained all that he wanted to in the world, all the wealth, the whole continent was under his control. He thought that this is his world. Thousands of people were under his command, all the wealth at his disposal, all the pleasures at his beck and call. He could snap his finger and get anything he wanted. But that couldn't get him home. It made him more and more tired.
Then he went looking for some spiritual knowledge. He went from place to place, collecting things here and there, but nothing worked. Everything seemed to work for a while. Finally, he got so tired that he renounced everything. That also didn't work. Being an emperor didn't work. Renouncing everything didn't work.
One day he fell near a tree. He was exhausted of looking for, but not finding, a real master. It's not easy to find a master. Even if one finds a master, it is difficult to recognize and let go. So, he finally dropped under a tree and at that moment a dry leaf fell down from the tree.
He was looking at the leaf and that leaf flew to the east when the wind blew east and it flew to the north when the wind blew north. Looking at that, something in him suddenly snapped - the "doership" - The 'want' simply dropped from him. The very moment he realized that that moment is so eternal and he came back home.
Make life that way - become like a dry leaf - agree with what the Divine has provided for you, float with the moment. Do not regret the past, do not anticipate the future. That is what all the enlightened masters say, "Keep practicing on your own. When you feel you can't do any more, that it's all so tiring, then come and rest." That's why the places of enlightened masters are called 'ashrama', where you come and get rid of your tiredness. 'Shrama' means effort. Ashrama means the place where all the efforts loosen up. All tiredness, both mental and physical, vanishes. Even spiritual, you don't have to strive for it.
Just sit there. There is a candle, a light burning for you. You only have to sit under its light. You're lit. You don't have to do anything. It's burning for you. You only have to connect, sit there and feel the presence. Be a part of the divinity, then you will find that nothing can tire you in the world. You will become the source of love. You are the home. Things cannot irritate you.
When you are tired, small little things can irritate you, push your button, can throw you off balance. Our peace is so fragile that anything, even a phone call, can blow it off. Our peace will be in hundred pieces - just a few words from someone. Fragile peace is of no use. The peace and love in our life should be so solid, like a diamond. Nothing should shake or move it.
Desire, awareness of the Self and action all are manifestation of the same energy that is you. Among these three, one of them dominates at a time. When you have lots of desires, you are not aware of the Self. When desire dominates, self-awareness will be at its lowest, and that's why all the philosophers around the world have always advocated renunciation and dropping of desires.
When the awareness is dominant, then happiness dawns. When desire dominates, stress and sorrow result. When actions dominate, restlessness and disease is the result. When your actions and desires are sincerely directed to the Divine or to the welfare of society, then the consciousness is automatically elevated, and self-knowledge is sure to be attained.
You cannot rest when you have to do something that you cannot. And you cannot rest when you feel you have to be someone whom you are not. You are not required to do what you cannot. You will not be asked to give what you cannot give. Nothing is expected of you that you cannot do.
Doing service involves only doing what you can do. And no one wants you to be someone whom you are not. This realization brings you deep rest. You cannot rest if you have either ambition or lethargy. Both are opposed to good rest. A lazy person will toss and turn at night and be 'restless' and an ambitious person will burn inside.
This rest brings up your talents and abilities and brings you closer to your nature. Even a slight feeling that the Divine is with you brings deep rest. Prayer, love and meditation are all flavors of deep rest. The only thing you have to do in your life is to make your peace strong, your love profound and your joy eternal.
Make your home God's home and there will be light, love and abundance. Make your body God's abode and there will be peace and bliss. Feel that your mind is a toy of God and you will watch and enjoy all its games. See this world as play and as a display of God Himself and you will repose in the non-dual Self.
Look at your whole life. A child gets tired of playing with toys and wants new toys. Tired of playing with new toys, they want people to play with, they want new friends. They grow a little older. Their games change. The object of the game changes. They want something more. So it's like moving from one type of tiredness to another type of tiredness.
As a teenager you looked for something else, not toys. Which is the new movie? What is the new fashion? You want to have the best match for you. You are married. You make a very good couple. Then what? You want to have your own home, children. Those who are single think that married people are better off. Those who are married think that single people are better off.
Some think that people with children are happier. People with children wish everyday that their child grows up quickly so that they can be free. They wait for someone to give them a break, to take care of their children. Everything is tiring.
You move from one spiritual path to another spiritual path, from one practice to another. Sometimes people say, "Oh, I have meditated for 20 years. I am sick of meditation now. Please don't tell me to do another meditation. Enough is enough." It's boring. People have no time. They find it boring to meditate. What to do? Where to go? When is that rest? That solace? That peace? When is that love that is so comforting, so eternal, so blissful? And you cannot rest until you reach home.
You may sit in the path here and there but you cannot be there forever. You may take a break. On the motorway, there is some rest place. On the way, you stop your car, use the restroom, stay a while and stretch. But that is all. You cannot rest there, or be at peace there. At the back of the mind the drive is there - move on. There is no fulfillment.
It is the desire that tires you - the 'want' in the mind. Your mind tires you more than the physical work. If you are willing to do some work, even 15 hours at a stretch, it will not tire you. However if you are not willing and you have to work even for four hours, it will tire you.
You have a party at home or you are arranging Christmas decorations. So you may work many late hours but still not feel tired. You feel good about it. But you work in some place you don't like, you'd like to have four coffee or tea breaks and even then you feel it's tiring! Do not do any work at all. Just sit and go on thinking. You'll be terribly exhausted. For many people, the tiredness and exhaustion comes from thinking and worrying, not by working.
Thinking you need rest makes you restless.
Thinking you have to work hard makes you tired.
Thinking you have worked hard brings self-pity.
There is a place to rest. That is the Divine, that is surrender and that is love. And you can't do it unless you get really tired, unless you get sick of everything. You drop down. That is called surrender.
There was a king, an emperor. He attained all that he wanted to in the world, all the wealth, the whole continent was under his control. He thought that this is his world. Thousands of people were under his command, all the wealth at his disposal, all the pleasures at his beck and call. He could snap his finger and get anything he wanted. But that couldn't get him home. It made him more and more tired.
Then he went looking for some spiritual knowledge. He went from place to place, collecting things here and there, but nothing worked. Everything seemed to work for a while. Finally, he got so tired that he renounced everything. That also didn't work. Being an emperor didn't work. Renouncing everything didn't work.
One day he fell near a tree. He was exhausted of looking for, but not finding, a real master. It's not easy to find a master. Even if one finds a master, it is difficult to recognize and let go. So, he finally dropped under a tree and at that moment a dry leaf fell down from the tree.
He was looking at the leaf and that leaf flew to the east when the wind blew east and it flew to the north when the wind blew north. Looking at that, something in him suddenly snapped - the "doership" - The 'want' simply dropped from him. The very moment he realized that that moment is so eternal and he came back home.
Make life that way - become like a dry leaf - agree with what the Divine has provided for you, float with the moment. Do not regret the past, do not anticipate the future. That is what all the enlightened masters say, "Keep practicing on your own. When you feel you can't do any more, that it's all so tiring, then come and rest." That's why the places of enlightened masters are called 'ashrama', where you come and get rid of your tiredness. 'Shrama' means effort. Ashrama means the place where all the efforts loosen up. All tiredness, both mental and physical, vanishes. Even spiritual, you don't have to strive for it.
Just sit there. There is a candle, a light burning for you. You only have to sit under its light. You're lit. You don't have to do anything. It's burning for you. You only have to connect, sit there and feel the presence. Be a part of the divinity, then you will find that nothing can tire you in the world. You will become the source of love. You are the home. Things cannot irritate you.
When you are tired, small little things can irritate you, push your button, can throw you off balance. Our peace is so fragile that anything, even a phone call, can blow it off. Our peace will be in hundred pieces - just a few words from someone. Fragile peace is of no use. The peace and love in our life should be so solid, like a diamond. Nothing should shake or move it.
Desire, awareness of the Self and action all are manifestation of the same energy that is you. Among these three, one of them dominates at a time. When you have lots of desires, you are not aware of the Self. When desire dominates, self-awareness will be at its lowest, and that's why all the philosophers around the world have always advocated renunciation and dropping of desires.
When the awareness is dominant, then happiness dawns. When desire dominates, stress and sorrow result. When actions dominate, restlessness and disease is the result. When your actions and desires are sincerely directed to the Divine or to the welfare of society, then the consciousness is automatically elevated, and self-knowledge is sure to be attained.
You cannot rest when you have to do something that you cannot. And you cannot rest when you feel you have to be someone whom you are not. You are not required to do what you cannot. You will not be asked to give what you cannot give. Nothing is expected of you that you cannot do.
Doing service involves only doing what you can do. And no one wants you to be someone whom you are not. This realization brings you deep rest. You cannot rest if you have either ambition or lethargy. Both are opposed to good rest. A lazy person will toss and turn at night and be 'restless' and an ambitious person will burn inside.
This rest brings up your talents and abilities and brings you closer to your nature. Even a slight feeling that the Divine is with you brings deep rest. Prayer, love and meditation are all flavors of deep rest. The only thing you have to do in your life is to make your peace strong, your love profound and your joy eternal.
Make your home God's home and there will be light, love and abundance. Make your body God's abode and there will be peace and bliss. Feel that your mind is a toy of God and you will watch and enjoy all its games. See this world as play and as a display of God Himself and you will repose in the non-dual Self.
Self Devlopement
Be thankful for the qualities you have been bestowed upon as they are not your own making. In the same way, it depends on the part that you have been given to play. Say, in a drama, you are given the part of a villain, and you play that role perfectly. A villain always knows that when I am playing the role of a villain, it's just a role I am playing. I'm very sincere to my role.
There is a saying in Sanskrit, Durjanam Prathamam Vande Sajjanam Tadanantaram. First, worship the bad person, and then the good man. The bad man is falling and giving you an example, "don't do what I did." Do not hate a criminal in jail, because he's a criminal. In prison, if there is a criminal, he is an embodiment of God. He has done you a greater service. Don't ever hate a drug addict, because he has given you such a beautiful lesson, and he has been given that role. He is just performing his role that way.
When you understand these basic laws of truth, then your inner perfection becomes so stable that nothing on this planet can shake your inner perfection. Nothing can shake you. Your knowledge of a mistake comes to you when you are innocent! The knowledge of a mistake dawns in the moment when you are 'out of the mistake'.
However the past has been, whatever mistake has happened, do not consider yourself to be a sinner or the maker of that mistake. In the present moment you are new again, pure and clear.
Mistakes of the past are past. When this knowledge comes, that moment you are again perfect. Often, mothers scold their children and afterwards feel so guilty. Then they go on regretting, "Oh, poor thing. I got so angry and annoyed at this kid, poor child! I should not have done this." Then you prepare yourself to get angry again. Okay, you got angry with your kid once or twice. Why? Because of lack of awareness! Awareness was missing so the anger came up, it happened.
That's what Krishna tells Arjunaa, "Arjunaa, you think you are not going to do what you are supposed to do? I tell you, you will do it. Even if you don't want, you are going to do it!" In a very clever way He puts it: "You better surrender to me directly."
He says: "Drop everything. Surrender to Me, and do what I say". Then He says: "Well, I have told you whatever I have to say, now you think it over and do what you like, you do whatever you want to do, do however you like". But then He said, "but remember, you will do only what I want".
These last few sentences of Krishna were so confusing, and people have struggled to make sense out of them. There are thousands of commentaries trying to make sense out of these few words, three contradicting statements. First He says, Surrender everything, I'll do everything for you, or just do as I say. Then he says: Think, think and see what is right for you, do whatever you feel is right. And then in the third statement he says: But remember (anyway) you will do only what I want you to do.
All of our wanting to do, 'doership', is there to eliminate the tamas or inertia in you. Once inertia is eliminated, then you are in activity. When you are acting, you become a witness to the acting. Then you know you are not doing. Things are happening through you. This is the final level of realization. You can see this in every action of yours. Have you noticed this? You are busy 'doing' when you accomplish something. In the beginning you think, "Oh! I have accomplished." But your accomplishment becomes more and more and more and as time goes by, you will begin to feel, "no, it's all happening. I did not do anything, I did not accomplish."
A writer will feel, "I did not write, it just started flowing, it started happening." All the creative work in the world - whether painting, dance, drama, music, anything - has all come from that unknown corner. It just spontaneously started happening. You are not the doer. The best sculptor will say, "I didn't do it, it just started happening." The best painter will say the same thing; the best music composer would say the same thing.
I tell you, the same is true for criminals too. You ask the worst criminal, "did you do this?" He will reply, "No, it happened! What could I do?" Knowledge of the Self is the only thing that can take you from imperfection to perfection.
There is a saying in Sanskrit, Durjanam Prathamam Vande Sajjanam Tadanantaram. First, worship the bad person, and then the good man. The bad man is falling and giving you an example, "don't do what I did." Do not hate a criminal in jail, because he's a criminal. In prison, if there is a criminal, he is an embodiment of God. He has done you a greater service. Don't ever hate a drug addict, because he has given you such a beautiful lesson, and he has been given that role. He is just performing his role that way.
When you understand these basic laws of truth, then your inner perfection becomes so stable that nothing on this planet can shake your inner perfection. Nothing can shake you. Your knowledge of a mistake comes to you when you are innocent! The knowledge of a mistake dawns in the moment when you are 'out of the mistake'.
However the past has been, whatever mistake has happened, do not consider yourself to be a sinner or the maker of that mistake. In the present moment you are new again, pure and clear.
Mistakes of the past are past. When this knowledge comes, that moment you are again perfect. Often, mothers scold their children and afterwards feel so guilty. Then they go on regretting, "Oh, poor thing. I got so angry and annoyed at this kid, poor child! I should not have done this." Then you prepare yourself to get angry again. Okay, you got angry with your kid once or twice. Why? Because of lack of awareness! Awareness was missing so the anger came up, it happened.
That's what Krishna tells Arjunaa, "Arjunaa, you think you are not going to do what you are supposed to do? I tell you, you will do it. Even if you don't want, you are going to do it!" In a very clever way He puts it: "You better surrender to me directly."
He says: "Drop everything. Surrender to Me, and do what I say". Then He says: "Well, I have told you whatever I have to say, now you think it over and do what you like, you do whatever you want to do, do however you like". But then He said, "but remember, you will do only what I want".
These last few sentences of Krishna were so confusing, and people have struggled to make sense out of them. There are thousands of commentaries trying to make sense out of these few words, three contradicting statements. First He says, Surrender everything, I'll do everything for you, or just do as I say. Then he says: Think, think and see what is right for you, do whatever you feel is right. And then in the third statement he says: But remember (anyway) you will do only what I want you to do.
All of our wanting to do, 'doership', is there to eliminate the tamas or inertia in you. Once inertia is eliminated, then you are in activity. When you are acting, you become a witness to the acting. Then you know you are not doing. Things are happening through you. This is the final level of realization. You can see this in every action of yours. Have you noticed this? You are busy 'doing' when you accomplish something. In the beginning you think, "Oh! I have accomplished." But your accomplishment becomes more and more and more and as time goes by, you will begin to feel, "no, it's all happening. I did not do anything, I did not accomplish."
A writer will feel, "I did not write, it just started flowing, it started happening." All the creative work in the world - whether painting, dance, drama, music, anything - has all come from that unknown corner. It just spontaneously started happening. You are not the doer. The best sculptor will say, "I didn't do it, it just started happening." The best painter will say the same thing; the best music composer would say the same thing.
I tell you, the same is true for criminals too. You ask the worst criminal, "did you do this?" He will reply, "No, it happened! What could I do?" Knowledge of the Self is the only thing that can take you from imperfection to perfection.
The Secrets of Life
Deepening the mystery of creation is science. Deepening the mystery of the Self is spirituality.
The purpose of technology is to comfort human beings. When spiritual values - human values - are ignored and neglected, technology brings fear and destruction instead of comfort.
Technology without human values would see nature as a dead object. Science gives insight into the life of nature, and spirituality makes nature come alive. For example, in the eyes of children, there is nothing dead in the world; animals, trees, the sun and the moon all are alive, and have emotions and feelings. But in the eyes of a stressed and ignorant person, even human beings are like robots or objects!
Technology without spirituality is destructive. Spirituality is the technology of consciousness, and the whole world is the play and display of consciousness.
One whose eyes are not yet opened is not amazed by the magnificence of this creation. Tell me, what in this creation is not a mystery? Birth is a mystery. Death is a mystery. Life itself is certainly a greater mystery.
Samadhi is being completely immersed in the mystery of life and in this creation. Your knowing or believing in it doesn't really matter.
This creation is an unfathomable secret! A wise person makes no effort to conceal a secret. But he does not make an effort to reveal a secret either. For example, you do not talk about menstruation or death to a five-year-old. But as children grow older, these things are not hidden from them. They become known as a matter of course.
There are five secrets that are sacred and guarded by the subtle beings and angels in this creation.
They are:
Janama Rahasya or the secret of birth: Birth is a secret. How a soul takes a body, and the criteria for selecting the place and time of birth, type of body, and parents are all a secret.
Marana Rahasya or the secret of death: Death is a highly guarded secret. Death remains a mystery. The process of separation of spirit from matter and its journey from then on is a secret.
Raja Rahasya or the secret of governance: The principles of governing and the principles of maintaining orderliness in creation are a secret.
Prakriti Rahasya or the secret of nature: Nature is a mystery. The more you know about nature, the more the mystery deepens. The more a scientist knows, the more he realizes there is to know. Science, though appearing to resolve the mystery in creation, has deepened it. Knowledge of particles, wave functions, black holes and the vacuum state have only deepened the mystery.
Mantra Rahasya (the secret of mantras): Mantras are the impulses or rhythms of consciousness. The mantras and their effect, influence, method and mode of working are all a mystery.
In the West, a secret is usually shameful and dishonest. However, in the East, a secret is honored and considered sacred. Mysteries of the creation only deepen. Getting steeped in mystery is devotion.
Deepening the mystery of creation is science. Deepening the mystery of the Self is spirituality. They are the two sides of the same coin. If neither science nor spirituality can create wonder and devotion in you, then you are in deep slumber.
Whenever you consider a symbol, place, time, person or act as sacred, your attention is undivided and whole. When things are the same, you tend to slip into unawareness and inertia. Why does an act that is performed repeatedly lose its sacredness? This happens when your memory overpowers your consciousness and you lose your sensitivity. For example, people living in Benaras, a holy city in India, do not feel that it is a sacred place. Through living in the present moment and through sadhana, spiritual practices, we can preserve that feeling of sacredness in our acts.
There is a pleasure in rest and there is a pleasure in activity. The pleasure in activity is momentary and causes fatigue. The pleasure in rest is magnanimous and energizing. To the one who has tasted pleasure in rest (samadhi), the pleasure in activity is insignificant. But In order to have deep rest, one must be active. The proper balance of both is essential.
The Mind
Let us examine the five factors that influence the mind: space, time, food, past impressions, and associations and actions.
Space: The place you are in. Every place you are in has a different impact on the mind. Even in your house, you can see that you feel different in different rooms. A place where there has been singing, chanting and meditation has a different influence on the mind. Suppose you like a particular place, you may find that a little later it will not be the same.
Time: Time is also a factor. Different times of the day and year have different influences on the mind.
Food: Different types of food that you eat influence you for a few days.
Past impressions or karmas: have a different impact on the mind. Awareness, alertness, knowledge and meditation all help erase past impressions.
Associations and actions: The people and events you are associated with influence your mind. With certain people your mind behaves one way and with others a different way.
Although these five factors influence your life and your mind, know that the Self is more powerful. As you grow in knowledge, you influence them all.
Restlessness
Now let us examine the types of restlessness and its remedies. There are five types of restlessness:
The first is due to the place you are in. When you move away from certain places, streets or houses, you immediately feel better. Chanting, singing, or the innocence of children playing and laughing can change this atmospheric restlessness. If you chant and sing, the vibration in the place changes.
The second type of restlessness is in the body. Eating the wrong food, Vata-aggravating food, eating at odd times, not exercising, and overworking can all cause physical restlessness. The remedy for this is exercise, moderation in work habits and a one to two day vegetable or juice diet.
The third type of restlessness is mental restlessness. It is caused by ambition, strong thoughts, likes or dislikes. Knowledge alone can cure this restlessness; this includes seeing life from a broader perspective, knowing about the Self and realizing the impermanence of everything. If you achieve everything, so what? After your achievement, you will die. Knowledge of your death or life, confidence in the Self and in the Divine can all calm down mental restlessness.
There is also emotional restlessness. Any amount of knowledge does not help here. Sudarshan Kriya helps! All that emotional restlessness vanishes. Also the presence of the Guru, a wise person, or a saint will help calm emotional restlessness.
The fifth type of restlessness is rare. It is the restlessness of the Soul. When everything feels empty and meaningless, know you are very fortunate. Do not try to get rid of it. Embrace it! This restlessness of the Soul can bring authentic prayer in you. It brings perfection, Siddhis and miracles in life. It is so precious to get that innermost longing for the Divine. Satsang and the presence of enlightened ones, soothe the restlessness of the Soul. Do not look for the Divine somewhere in the sky. See God in every pair of eyes, in the mountains, water, trees and animals. How? Only when you see God in yourself. Only Gods can worship Gods.
Heightened awareness brings you close to the reality. And for this, you have to increase your prana. This can be done through: 1. Fasting and eating fresh food 2. Pranayamas, Sudarshan Kriya, and meditation 3. Silence 4. Cold water baths 5. The right amount of sleep 6. Emotional contentment 7. Presence of the Master 8. Singing and chanting 9. Giving without Givership and service without Doership
All of these together is Yagya. When you have reverence for the whole universe, you are in harmony with the whole universe. Then, you do not need to reject or renounce anything. When you have reverence in all your relationships, your own consciousness expands; Even small things appear to be significant and big. Every little creature appears dignified. It is the reverence in every relationship that saves the relationship. Cultivate the skill of having reverence for every moment in your life.
The purpose of technology is to comfort human beings. When spiritual values - human values - are ignored and neglected, technology brings fear and destruction instead of comfort.
Technology without human values would see nature as a dead object. Science gives insight into the life of nature, and spirituality makes nature come alive. For example, in the eyes of children, there is nothing dead in the world; animals, trees, the sun and the moon all are alive, and have emotions and feelings. But in the eyes of a stressed and ignorant person, even human beings are like robots or objects!
Technology without spirituality is destructive. Spirituality is the technology of consciousness, and the whole world is the play and display of consciousness.
One whose eyes are not yet opened is not amazed by the magnificence of this creation. Tell me, what in this creation is not a mystery? Birth is a mystery. Death is a mystery. Life itself is certainly a greater mystery.
Samadhi is being completely immersed in the mystery of life and in this creation. Your knowing or believing in it doesn't really matter.
This creation is an unfathomable secret! A wise person makes no effort to conceal a secret. But he does not make an effort to reveal a secret either. For example, you do not talk about menstruation or death to a five-year-old. But as children grow older, these things are not hidden from them. They become known as a matter of course.
There are five secrets that are sacred and guarded by the subtle beings and angels in this creation.
They are:
Janama Rahasya or the secret of birth: Birth is a secret. How a soul takes a body, and the criteria for selecting the place and time of birth, type of body, and parents are all a secret.
Marana Rahasya or the secret of death: Death is a highly guarded secret. Death remains a mystery. The process of separation of spirit from matter and its journey from then on is a secret.
Raja Rahasya or the secret of governance: The principles of governing and the principles of maintaining orderliness in creation are a secret.
Prakriti Rahasya or the secret of nature: Nature is a mystery. The more you know about nature, the more the mystery deepens. The more a scientist knows, the more he realizes there is to know. Science, though appearing to resolve the mystery in creation, has deepened it. Knowledge of particles, wave functions, black holes and the vacuum state have only deepened the mystery.
Mantra Rahasya (the secret of mantras): Mantras are the impulses or rhythms of consciousness. The mantras and their effect, influence, method and mode of working are all a mystery.
In the West, a secret is usually shameful and dishonest. However, in the East, a secret is honored and considered sacred. Mysteries of the creation only deepen. Getting steeped in mystery is devotion.
Deepening the mystery of creation is science. Deepening the mystery of the Self is spirituality. They are the two sides of the same coin. If neither science nor spirituality can create wonder and devotion in you, then you are in deep slumber.
Whenever you consider a symbol, place, time, person or act as sacred, your attention is undivided and whole. When things are the same, you tend to slip into unawareness and inertia. Why does an act that is performed repeatedly lose its sacredness? This happens when your memory overpowers your consciousness and you lose your sensitivity. For example, people living in Benaras, a holy city in India, do not feel that it is a sacred place. Through living in the present moment and through sadhana, spiritual practices, we can preserve that feeling of sacredness in our acts.
There is a pleasure in rest and there is a pleasure in activity. The pleasure in activity is momentary and causes fatigue. The pleasure in rest is magnanimous and energizing. To the one who has tasted pleasure in rest (samadhi), the pleasure in activity is insignificant. But In order to have deep rest, one must be active. The proper balance of both is essential.
The Mind
Let us examine the five factors that influence the mind: space, time, food, past impressions, and associations and actions.
Space: The place you are in. Every place you are in has a different impact on the mind. Even in your house, you can see that you feel different in different rooms. A place where there has been singing, chanting and meditation has a different influence on the mind. Suppose you like a particular place, you may find that a little later it will not be the same.
Time: Time is also a factor. Different times of the day and year have different influences on the mind.
Food: Different types of food that you eat influence you for a few days.
Past impressions or karmas: have a different impact on the mind. Awareness, alertness, knowledge and meditation all help erase past impressions.
Associations and actions: The people and events you are associated with influence your mind. With certain people your mind behaves one way and with others a different way.
Although these five factors influence your life and your mind, know that the Self is more powerful. As you grow in knowledge, you influence them all.
Restlessness
Now let us examine the types of restlessness and its remedies. There are five types of restlessness:
The first is due to the place you are in. When you move away from certain places, streets or houses, you immediately feel better. Chanting, singing, or the innocence of children playing and laughing can change this atmospheric restlessness. If you chant and sing, the vibration in the place changes.
The second type of restlessness is in the body. Eating the wrong food, Vata-aggravating food, eating at odd times, not exercising, and overworking can all cause physical restlessness. The remedy for this is exercise, moderation in work habits and a one to two day vegetable or juice diet.
The third type of restlessness is mental restlessness. It is caused by ambition, strong thoughts, likes or dislikes. Knowledge alone can cure this restlessness; this includes seeing life from a broader perspective, knowing about the Self and realizing the impermanence of everything. If you achieve everything, so what? After your achievement, you will die. Knowledge of your death or life, confidence in the Self and in the Divine can all calm down mental restlessness.
There is also emotional restlessness. Any amount of knowledge does not help here. Sudarshan Kriya helps! All that emotional restlessness vanishes. Also the presence of the Guru, a wise person, or a saint will help calm emotional restlessness.
The fifth type of restlessness is rare. It is the restlessness of the Soul. When everything feels empty and meaningless, know you are very fortunate. Do not try to get rid of it. Embrace it! This restlessness of the Soul can bring authentic prayer in you. It brings perfection, Siddhis and miracles in life. It is so precious to get that innermost longing for the Divine. Satsang and the presence of enlightened ones, soothe the restlessness of the Soul. Do not look for the Divine somewhere in the sky. See God in every pair of eyes, in the mountains, water, trees and animals. How? Only when you see God in yourself. Only Gods can worship Gods.
Heightened awareness brings you close to the reality. And for this, you have to increase your prana. This can be done through: 1. Fasting and eating fresh food 2. Pranayamas, Sudarshan Kriya, and meditation 3. Silence 4. Cold water baths 5. The right amount of sleep 6. Emotional contentment 7. Presence of the Master 8. Singing and chanting 9. Giving without Givership and service without Doership
All of these together is Yagya. When you have reverence for the whole universe, you are in harmony with the whole universe. Then, you do not need to reject or renounce anything. When you have reverence in all your relationships, your own consciousness expands; Even small things appear to be significant and big. Every little creature appears dignified. It is the reverence in every relationship that saves the relationship. Cultivate the skill of having reverence for every moment in your life.
About SRI SRI
In 1981, Sri Sri started the Art of Living Foundation, an international nonprofit educational and humanitarian organization. The Foundation, now active in more than 140 countries, offers educational and self-development programs designed to eliminate stress and foster a sense of well-being. In Europe and the United States, the Foundation's programs are helping inner city youth turn away from gang violence, drugs and alcohol. Sri Sri's Prison Programs have helped transform the lives of an estimated 150,000 inmates around the world.
First Step..
In 1997, Sri Sri founded the International Association for Human Values, a humanitarian nonprofit organization that advances human values in political, economic, industrial, and social spheres. In South Asia, South Africa, and Latin America, the Association's sustainable development programs have reached more than 30,000 rural communities.
While his self development programs have popularized traditionally exclusive ancient techniques, Sri Sri's social initiatives address an array of issues such as conflict resolution, disaster and trauma relief, prisoner rehabilitation, youth leadership, women's empowerment, female foeticide, child labor, and access to education. In Kashmir and Sri Lanka, Sri Sri is working to further dialogue between opposing parties to resolve the conflicts peacefully.
Sri Sri travels to more than 40 countries a year to share his message of social responsibility, and that all great spiritual traditions share common goals and values. His teachings of love, practical wisdom, and service promote harmony among people, and encourage individuals to follow their chosen spiritual path, while honoring other paths.
While his self development programs have popularized traditionally exclusive ancient techniques, Sri Sri's social initiatives address an array of issues such as conflict resolution, disaster and trauma relief, prisoner rehabilitation, youth leadership, women's empowerment, female foeticide, child labor, and access to education. In Kashmir and Sri Lanka, Sri Sri is working to further dialogue between opposing parties to resolve the conflicts peacefully.
Sri Sri travels to more than 40 countries a year to share his message of social responsibility, and that all great spiritual traditions share common goals and values. His teachings of love, practical wisdom, and service promote harmony among people, and encourage individuals to follow their chosen spiritual path, while honoring other paths.
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