You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'sri' tag.
This one is from Rajesh Bhaiyya’s blog. Have you ever thought what are the things which are very personal to us in our lives. Your house, fame, power, secrets and attachments. What are the things which are universal in our lives? Guruji, Sun, Air, Earth, Water, and atoms. Which of the things are essential to live? Does the first category give us life or takes away the zeal from life? What the Art of Living courses have done is made the universal very very personal through Surya Namaskar, Kriya, Bowing down and the hollow-empty meditations. Greed, jealousy, fear and lack of contentment arise when “what is mine” and “what is universal “ are completely opposites. Sharing inculcates an attitude of personal becoming universal. As once someone had asked Guruji “Do you love everyone equally?” He replied “No, I love everyone uniquely?” Personal love in an universal crowd. And as He said the mind is the wave and the ocean is the consiousness, the ocean can live without the wave but the wave cannot live without the ocean. Become personal with the five elements and the Guru, become open to sharing everything personal. While orchestrating the notes of your life, make the personal universal to find peace, love and compassion.
Q: Guruji how do we know that our experiences are authentic? And how do we know that we are progressing on the spiritual path?
Sri Sri: You know doubt always come on that is true. You never doubt depression. You doubt love, whereas you never doubt anger! Therefore if you are having a doubt on your experiences just know that they are all authentic (Laughter!!).And how to gaze whether your are progressing on the spiritual path or not; see if you have become more compassionate. See if you feel more relaxed and free now. Do you feel free or not? Just see within yourself. See how much does the entire happening around you bother you. Do they bother you like before or not? Does the external events bother you still? Even if they bother you see how much time does it stay for. See how fast you are catching up with your self! You should not think that, oh! I should never get upset! See hoe fast you are coming back to your self! A few minutes of distraction and then you are back. Don’t Judge yourself. There is no need to judge yourself. Can you become a student and an examiner at the same time? No. Certainly not! You are learning now so leave the evaluation work to some one else!! Let Him decide, let Him evaluate!! (Laughter)!!
Q: Guruji, I have been practicing in the Spiritual path for quite sometime, but I still find that I am not able to become dispassionate. To bring about dispassion in me what should I do?
Sri Sri: Don’t get caught up in words. These are just all words. I tell you if you are centered dispassion comes to you automatically. Just be centered. Do your seva (service), satsang (company of the truth), and sadhna (spiritual practices) and you will see rest everything is just falling in place for you.
Q: Guruji what is the difference the mind and the soul? And how is it connected to each other?
Sri Sri: The mind is like the wave and the Soul is like the ocean. And the connection between the two is that the mind cannot be without the soul, but the soul can exist without the mind. So in meditation you drop the mind, you become one with the totality that is the ocean. Therefore there are both existing together, the mind as well as the soul, like the wave as well as the ocean.
Q: Guruji, in my meditation often I get a feeling of doing some harm to the Gods. My mind feels like doing something against them. How do I get rid of such a feelings? What should I do?
Sri Sri:You know if it is so compulsive, so obsessive you do it. Just go ahead and do it. But that way you are going to hurt yourself! Hurt your hand! God is not in the statue or the idol in front of you, God is in your heart. We invoke God and bring it to the statue for some moments only and again we place it back in our hearts. Like the Ganapati idol, we put it in the water. First we invoke the God in the idol, play with that for some time and after all that tell him to come back to us and reside back in our heart!!
But yes. If such a feeling persists, just observe the sensation. See what is happening within you. You know these types of violent tendencies also come because of the food you eat. All these are the Rajashik (Restlessness) tendencies that come from food. Focus on you diet. Be aware of what you eat. Stay away from Rajasik food for sometime. Food does matter a lot. Listen to Narada Bhakti Sutra. Rejoice in the self….Be contented.
Q: Guruji after having tried all means, certain worries keep coming to me. I am not able to surrender those. What should I do?
Sri Sri: Why do you need to surrender? I tell you don’t surrender, this surrender is an illusion. What do you want to surrender? Anyway everything belongs to God. What is it that is yours and you want to surrender!?? !? It is just a concept, I want to surrender this, I want to surrender that. This is like try catching a cat in a dark room, which is not there(Laughter! !) Just relax; God did not want us to surrender. What to surrender? Don’t worry; just know that you are nothing. The path of knowledge is easy for those who are where in the head. If you think you are something wakeup and see, what are you ?!?!?! You are carbohydrate, amino acids, fats, every cell of your body has been existing millions of years ago and is also existing now and you call yourself Radha, Sita, Rama, tomorrow again this form will go and new form will come where will you go.
Walk like being a big zero, but always be on the right side of the number. (Laughter!!! !) I am nobody, I am nothing. These two ‘dharanas’ intensions, is an antidote to ignorance wakeup and see!!! And the job is done!
Q: Guruji, they say that there are two kinds of people. The first, are the kind of people who ask question out of ignorance. And the second are the people who don’t ask question out of ignorance. What would be my category?
Sri Sri:(Laughter!!) At least this you have realized!!! See how wise you are!!! Only a wise can understand such things!! So you are certainly not a fool. You are wise.
Q: Guruji, after having tried various means I am not able to come out of entanglement what do I do, Please help ?
Sri Sri: It maybe some Karma from the last birth or some samskaras. Do seva . Maharajji was saying that Seva (Service) would definitely remove karma of entanglement. If Seva cannot remove then Knowledge will remove entanglement. If knowledge cannot remove, then Bhakti (devotion) can surely remove entanglement. Even if Bhakti is not able to remove entanglement then leave it to time. With time entanglement will surely dissolve.
But don’t just live it to time without trying all the other means (laughter!!) . Do seva be in knowledge, have Bhakti and even after that, if you are not able to get rid of your entanglement, then you just leave it on time.
Q: Guruji, how to always keep up with enthusiasm and joy?
Sri Sri: Leave always. If you think of always, then craving comes. If it is always there then you would not even know that it was ever there!! Like you take a dip in a river, you feel cold and when you come out you feel warm, and again do dip in water, you feel cold, and so you experience cold because you experience the warmth.
Leave it to the divine. Our nature is joy and enthusiasm. However sometimes it gets clouded but it can never go. Our consciousness is ‘nitya-nutan’ (Ever fresh) this is with us forever.
Q: Guruji, they say that if you are with Narayana then Laxmi follows. So should we not follow Lakshmi?
Sri Sri: Some people don’t understand this. I would say pray to lakshmi. If you don’t pray to either but just do some show off with some rituals, then that is of no use. Then you land up being nowhere!! I would say, do ‘upasana’ (prayer). If you do upasana, then how do you get corrupt and dishonest? Don’t blame wealth, pray to wealth. In Sanskrit it is said everything is wealth. That doesn’t mean only the note of money.
Health is wealth, Victory is wealth, Courage is wealth, you know the Ashta Lakshmi do Upasana and you will get the benefit. Just to fulfill our financial desires, you run behind lakshmi. Use skill; pray with devotion, lakshmi will come. It will never come with foolishness.
Q: Guruji, why do we want to spend time more with the person, we are in love with?
Sri Sri: It would be unusual if you don’t want to spend time with the one you are in love with (laughter)!! Similarly when you love yourself, you spend time with yourself. When you do that, it becomes meditation. Then it is wonderful.
We like everything else, but ourself. The one who is resting inside, love that, know that!! Some people say oh ! I am bored with myself, cannot spend two hours alone. If you are bored with your self, how much boring will you be to others!! If you are not able to spend time with yourself, how will you manage to spend time with others? If you get to spend time with yourself, then I tell you are lucky. You will be contended. When this feeling comes, then no power in the world can make you shake and cry. Then Bhakti (devotion) comes, mukti (freedom) comes and then moksha (liberation) happens. Two hours you cant spend alone!! You start sending sms to your friends; you start calling them, talking, restless.
Know yourself by yourself. “Khudi khud mein khud ko pao….”
Q: Guruji, my mind wonders everywhere how do I meditate?
Sri Sri: Take a stick and start chasing your mind. See where it goes. If it goes to Goa chase it to Goa, if it is going to Bhavnagar, chase it there, if it is going to bhelpuri, chase it to bhelpuri, if it is going to Bhagdad, chase it to Bhagdad….. Chase, keep chasing and you see your mind is so tired that it will come and fall at your feet. That’s why Maharshi Patanjali says meditate on everything, meditate on elements, on Rishis, who are out of craving, even if you meditate on Rishis who are out of craving, you get into meditation. And when you sit for satsang, you get into meditation. But sometimes if you sit for santsang, and you are not there 100%, you count the ceiling, you look here and there. You have to bring interest yourself, You have to bring the juice (ras/ necter) yourself. It is already there, you have to see the one behind. The one who put the juice. Don’t think I have to do, I tell you need not do anything its all burning for you, you don’t have to lit it at all. When you are in Gangaji, you don’t need a shower, when you are taking a dip in the Ganges, why do you need to have a tap and a shower? Become effortless. Just know that I am nothing and I don’t want anything. But don’t start thinking about it continuously, this is also a Maya.
That’s why Adi Shankaracharya says it is foolish to even think that I am Zero.
Q: Guruji, I enjoyed my silence, I really found peace. So if I become dumb, will I get moksha?
Sri Sri: (Laughter!!! ) Oh ! God, if you find something good you will go on doing it!??!?! There are so many dumb people in the world, is everybody enlightened. Extremity is a problem in our country. There are some people who keep silence for 12 years. And after that their voice box don’t function, looks like almost rusted. They cannot speak God has given an instrument, use it. Otherwise it would get rusted. But don’t speak too much, and don’t speak less as well. It your words are able to bring happiness, solace, definitely you should speak. Silence is also important. At least two to three times a year. Silence helps us to become more competent, become more courageous and efficient. So do both, keep silence and also speak. If you speak for 24 hours, then you loose your creativity.
Q&A with Guruji
Bali,Indonesia
Q: Dear Guruji, how to explain a teenager why they shouldn’t drink alcohol or taste once to know.
Sri Sri: Teenage is a very impressionable age. If one gets addicted to something, it’s very difficult to get rid of it. It’s good to have a sense of aversion. Certain aversions help you like a shield; especially teenage & early 20’s. After you’re 30 it’s a different story. Create that sense of aversion towards violence, towards killing, torturing animals, tobacco & alcohol. No need for everyone to taste tobacco or experience drugs. Certain experiences can damage the nervous system.
Q: Why do the eyes flicker? Does this indicate some future ill happening?
Sri Sri: Prana ke sanchar se alag-alag anubhuti hoti hain. Dhyana, Om Namah Shivaya se in sab par asar padta hain.
Q: What is the best way to personally interact with you? Whenever I try to come close to you, people stop me. I, too love to hear your answers.
Sri Sri:: Tomorrow, I’m going to be meeting you all in small groups.
Q: Which is better chanting or yoga?
Sri Sri: Yoga gives you depth. Without that cleansing, just chanting is superficial. It’s like asking while watching T.V. should I first see or first hear?
Q: Why do you name your program Art of Living? Why not Art & Science of Living?
Sri Sri: I didn’t give that name. It all just spontaneously happened. Someone said Art of Living…. & someone came up with the symbol of the 2 swans & sun. Doesn’t matter. As long as you appreciate it becomes an art. As long as you understand it is science.
Q: Guruji, for the first time I have seen my mind chattering & I am really fed-up. Seeing all this, I got a headache. It is so irritating. Can I ever be peaceful? I just want to be blank.
Sri Sri: If a particular thought is there, let it be there. Mind is like fire. Anything you put in fire, it just dissolves, purifies.
Q: I swear & curse a lot. Please talk about the power of words.
Sri Sri: Often you are not sensitive to others. So we behave in ways & are very rude. Sometimes you hurt someone. The more you go in silence & meditation, you realize the power of words. & how you can use it only in the positive sense. It just becomes your nature. Bad words simply can’t come out. At the most I have said stupid. I have never said a bad word to anybody, It would not come. Not even in school & college days. As you move on the path of Knowledge, they simply disappear from the vocabulary.
Q: Do you exist in more than one place at a time?
Sri Sri: Yes.
Q: I am not able to find happiness in anything. Everything seems so pointless. I feel low.
Sri Sri: Feel you are here for me. I have a lot of work to do on this planet before we all depart. Think that in your mind. Help me out.
Q: Keep me on this path forever.
Sri Sri: Once you come, there is no return from here. There is only 1-way traffic.
Q: What should I do if a friend of mine keeps stealing my friends from me. She does this to every friend I get.
Sri Sri: Steal your friend! Oh! Very serious. Tell your friend don’t steal my friend but you can steal my mind.
Q: What do you look for in your followers? Does wearing white bring us closer to you?
Sri Sri: I expect a smile in anyone who has done Art of Living. Confidence that never whithers away. Smile that never wanes. You don’t have to wear white clothes. You can wear coloured clothes or I would have ordered uniforms for everybody. It looks colourful.
Gurudev gave this knowledge during the recent Tamil advance course…
Q: How to increase Bhakthi (Devotion), Shakthi (Power) and Yukthi (Skill)?
A: don’t ever doubt if you have bhakthi or not. Know that you have it in
plenty. The same is the case with love. You are made up of love. Like the body
is made of carbohydrates, proteins and minerals (also bones, flesh and blood),
you are made up of love. You don’t doubt shkathi either. You have so much of
power. You can actually supply one month of electricity to Chennai with your
power. Even that is just a small amount. Every atom has that much energy. The
power of the mind is so much more than the atom. Cloud veils the sun and in
sun’s presence moon cant be seen. But it is there. Shakthi is also like that.
It may not express now. But it may manifest later. But you need to make effort
to increase your yukthi. Bhakthi and Mukthi come on its own (almost
automatically). You make effort to increase shakthi and yukthi.
Doubt is a big problem. What is doubt? What are the types? You
analyse and see. You doubt only good things. If someone says he is a bad person
you don’t doubt that. But at the same time if someone says he is a good person
you doubt that. If someone says I love you too much. You ask Really? You don’t
doubt the anger that someone has. You doubt love, honesty. We doubt ability and
don’t doubt our inability. Once we feel we can do something we don’t doubt that
anymore. You doubt the doubt. That is wisdom. You doubt God? Why? Because god
is truth! A depressed person does not doubt his depression.
3 types of doubt. Self- doubt: It is a disease if it becomes too
much! People doubt themselves to an extreme. Once a couple had to reach a
satsang venue. What is supposed to be a 10-minute thing actually took 3 hrs.
the wife told guruji that the husband does not come easily from house. He
checks if he has locked 4 times. After a short distance of travel, he goes back
to check again. He repeated this exercise and it ended up taking 3 hrs!! In
Bhagavad Geetha, Lord Krishna says that if the Atma is immersed in doubts, then
that person cannot come up! The other type of doubt is about the people or
world or others. You begin to see everyone around with a suspicious eye. They
are here to do something to me, to take away something from me. You typically
see them as useless folks, thieves, and crooks. The third type is about god. Is
he there? You get such doubts even in meditation. How are others meditating?
You gently open your eyes and see what others are doing. They seem to be in
bliss and I am the only one who does not have any kind of an experience. I tell
you they also do the same when you keep your eyes closed.
Don’t think if you can medidate or not. We would have told you if
you are not elgible. You are actually fortunate to be here.leave self doubt.
Don’t doubt the technique or the practice. Your mind would go on asking why you
are wasting your time. Your mind would say observe breath when it stops. Now
when it is moving, you also run along. Doubts don’t allow you to progress in
life. Actually when you doubt, you don’t think it as a doubt. You believe in
that. If you become aware of the doubt when it arises, you are already out of
it!
Trust is key thing. You trust your company will pay your salary at
the end of every month. That’s why you work for them. It applies to the bank
with which you have deposited your money. With out much thought, people put
money in chit funds. They loot and disappear saying bye bye. You keep chanting
muruga muruga!! Then you get into astrology, horoscope and what not. We go to a
doctor with trust. If you ask him will it work? Its funny. Even if the doctor
provides you a guarantee you need to trust his words. You place more weightage
to the paper that he writes than his words! You can’t live life in doubt.
Trust is the foundation of life. Without the foundation, can you build a
building? For that matter, don’t go to the other extreme of carelessness. You
start leaving thing where you wish. Then it will start disappearing (Author’s
note – Put your trust in god but keep the powder dry). You neither be an
ignorant one nor be doubting ghost. Balance and walk the middle path. You move
on without any prejudice in mind. Keep your mind clear and practices are for
that
At this point of time, Arunji the advance course teacher read out a confession
written by one of the participants I suppose. [Author's note: There is a reason
for my doubt as to who wrote it. You will understand as you complete reading
this portion]. It went on like this
One who surrenders only when he does wrong things is a fool.
One who surrenders whether he does right or wrong is ignorant.
One who surrenders knowing that he has done right is a Husband.
Roars of laughter erupted. Guruji was laughing like anything and then he turned
around to coolly pass a comment. “Oh! Today is Arunji’s wedding annniversary!”.
You can imagine what would have happened to the entire crowd. They became
uncontrollable and arunji was at the receiving end. Guruji can be very naughty!
Q: Isnt Self trust sufficient? Why trust in god in needed?
A: Kadavul (God) = Kadal (Sea) + Ul (In). God is the ocean inside. God is the
all-pervading consciuousness. God is the light. God has no form. But you need
to celebrate the form so that you mind synthesizes. Mistake is to think that
god is inside form. We waste time dealing in the surface level. Whole world is
made up of love (God). Love is Supreme. It is the Supreme Light.
But then why there are so many devis and devathas? [That was the question
asked to guruji when he went to Pakistan]
If white light passes through a prism, 7 colors emerge out of it. It is very
much like that. Each quality of god manifests through different devis and
devatahas. Just like in Islam where you invoke 99 different names of God, we
chant 1008 sahasaranama or 108 ashtotram in India. Along with the name we gave
form. With the same wheat you make chapathi, Karachi halwa, poori, samosa and
naan. Why different things? Why not make the same thing. Similarly with rice we
make vermicelli, idly, dosa, lemon rice, curd rice, etc., we love variety. Isnt
it? God too loves variety. That’s why different kinds of people exist in this
world. It goes with the vegetables and fruits. Creation is of multiple
varieties. So why not the creator? But don’t stop at the form. Go beyond into
the meditative state. Mantra chants has a definite effect on the mind. And then
light dawns on you.
Q: we stand for hours together to see the deity. But when we go near the
sanctum our eyes close automatically. Why so? Is it allright?
A: Yes, it is allright. You experience only when you close the eyes. Get your
mind inwards and worship. Mind runs. Where? Ornaments. People are so crazy and
they go for window-shopping. Go all around the market; see things and no
intention of buying them. These days you all get glued to the television. But
30-40 years back, window-shopping was the in thing. Mind gets glued to objects.
It goes after attractive things and glamorous things. Eatables, good mucic.. so
in the ancient days, they put everything in the temple. They used to decorate
the temple nicely; serve delicious prasad; fill the air with fragrance. All
just to unify the senses and take us into meditation. Without understanding
this, we go on celebrating radha kalyanam, seetha kalyanam, on and on and
on…Kalyan means that which is good for everybody. We get stuck in these
rituals. Once in a while it is good to do these things so that the children
know about it. We don’t do either pranayam or meditation. So the atheists begin
to question why all the pomp and show?
Guruji had been to a temple near chennai. The deity is called
Nithyakalyana perumal. The priest of the temple was so interested in telling
the story to guruji. Rishi Kalanemi was living in that area. There were 365
people girls who could not get married. The Rishi prayed to god and god agreed
to marry all of them, one each day. Every day in the year there was marriage or
anniversary. Hence the name NithyaKalyana. [Author's note: Nithya – Daily ;
Kalyana – Marriage]. The Rishi got liberation afterwards. And these innocent
people believe that the story is true. Then they begin to doubt. What is the
need for god to marry so many? Why god could not find suitable bridegroom for
these girls? We need to understand the secret. The whole world behaves
according to the laws of nature. If you think of god on a daily basis, everyday
is going to be celebration [Author's note: like marriage]. Then even the laws
of the world will join the celebration. Life will be a big celebration.
Kumbabhishekam is a custom followed in temples. Shakthi which is in
space form is brought into air form; the shakthi is then transformed into fire
elemt; and through an utensil known as kudam (in tamil) it is brought into
water element and then finally into earth element. Agamam is to create shakthi.
It is good to know about the procedures. Without understanding people practice
and follow things. It is good to understand and then do things. You do mantra
chants and then sit and medidate for some time. Every atom will then be oozing
with energy. The inner awakening will then materialize.
Q&A with Guruji
Q: Guruji, I enjoyed my silence, I really found peace. So if I become dumb, will I get moksha?
Sri Sri: (Laughter!!! ) Oh ! God, if you find something good you will go ondoing it!??!?! There are so many dumb people in the world, is everybody enlightened. Extremity is a problem in our country. Thereare some people who keep silence for 12 years. And after that theirvoice box don’t function, looks like almost rusted. They cannot speak; God has given an instrument, use it. Otherwise it would get rusted. But don’t speak too much, and don’t speak less as well. If your words are able to bring happiness, solace, definitely you should speak. Silence is also important. At least two to three times a year. Silence helps us to become more competent, become more courageous and efficient. So do both, keep silence and also speak. If you speak for 24 hours, then you loose your creativity.
Q: How to face criticism about AOL?
Sri Sri: Its not much. Its a better time than that of Jesus. There is not a lot of criticism. During Kabir, Buddha and Krishna’s time, there was a lot of criticism. This is a good time, there is not a lot of criticism.
Q: In sleep and death, we lose our senses – what is the difference?
Sri Sri: Now, how can you say anything about death if you have not experienced it? Let us talk about only what you know (big laughter). After death, we do not lose all the senses. We lose only sense of touch and taste.
Q: Guruji, we are sparks of divine. Divine has given us air,light in abundance. Then, why not Anand(Happiness)? For which we have to do even the ‘meditation in motion’.
Sri Sri:Divine has given us Anand too. We are just not givingimportance to it. Look at a child’s face, there is so much of Anand.
Q: Guruji, my question is more personal in nature. We all say that if we are more spiritual, we can be better. How can I be more spiritual?
Sri Sri: Just this question itself is good enough no? From time to time it will give you many ideas. How can I be more useful, how can I be more spiritual? Thats good enough. That very question, that very inquisitiveness, to want to be perfect.
Jai Guru Dev
Guru purnima is the day to feel grateful for the great knowledge you have received from your master. It is time to review how much knowledge you could ingrain in your life in past one year. This may bring about a realization for scope of improvement which in turn will bring humility in you. Be grateful for the way this knowledge has transformed you. Just think how you could have been without this. There is a definite change inside you. If you cannot see any change, then you haven’t had a good look in yourself. Gratitude
and humility together blossom a genuine prayer inside you!
Guru is a tatva – an element, a quality; inside you. It is not limited to a body or a form.
Life is an ocean of love. Flow the lamp of knowledge in it. Even let the knowledge be flown away in the ocean of love. The ego that comes out of truth and knowledge is dangerous. Sense of righteousness makes you hard. So in the wave of devotion and love; you even let the knowledge get washed out.
Happy GuruPoornima everyone!!!
