Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Sri Sri's Message on Maha Shivaratri - 2016

03/07/2016 Bangalore, India
Wherever there is truth there is Shiva. Wherever there is beauty there is Shiva. Wherever there is benevolence there is Shiva. And there is not a place where the Shiva principle is not there. It is the omnipresent, omnipotent, most benevolent divinity, that is what Shiva is all about, and we are soaking in that.
We forget that this power is there with us! Shivaratri is to remind us that we are Shiva. That is why we say, "Shivoham, Shivoham", which means 'I am Shiva, I am that principle, I am the truth, eternity, beauty, and benevolence'. So Shivaratri is an occasion to remember this.
In the daily hustle and the bustle, we forget that from which we have come, in which we are and into which we go — that eternal principle is forgotten. This is the most puzzling thing! It is so puzzling how we can forget that from which we have come, in which we live and into which we dissolve. How can we forget that? This is a big puzzle! Remembering that, true celebration happens in life, all the worries disappear; everything that is bothering you simply disappears, doesn't it? And you are all so lucky to be in silence and meditation on this day.
Shivaratri is when the manifest and unmanifest celebrate their union. The One which is so unmanifest, intangible and abstract manifests in the manifestation, in the concrete.

Monday, January 30, 2017

The Way Out of the Cycle of Karma

01/10/2016 Bad Antogast, Germany
(Below is the continuation of the post The Power Of Inner Stillness)

Saturday, January 28, 2017

The Truth Alone Will Triumph

02/10/2016 Chennai, India
(Below is a continuation of the post The Great Chennai Dialogue)
Coming to abundance, how does one feel abundance? I was asked this same question by an employee 30 years ago. I asked him, "How much money do you have as loan?" He said, "I have 22,000 rupees as loan and I feel I am poor".
I asked him, "Do you know how much loan your company has? It has 22 crores or may be even more!"
I told him, ‘The richest country on the planet, America, do you know how much debt they have? With a debt of 22,000 you think the world has fallen upon you. So now tell me who is rich and who is poor? The one who has a debt of 22 crores or the one who has a debt of Rs. 22,000? You have a limited responsibility of four people, someone else has a responsibility of taking care of 10,000 people".
Poverty is only in the mind. In North India, one day before Diwali they celebrate Dhanteras. On Dhanteras they bring out all their wealth, place it in front of God and feel the abundance. Why do they do this? It is because when we feel abundant within, it brings out a positive attitude, energy and enthusiasm, and you are able to get more. But when you are in a 'lack' consciousness, I tell you, that seed that you have sown will increase the lack and reduce abundance. Abundance first starts as a seed within you, so feel abundant. When the seed of abundance is within you, magic happens!

Abundance first starts as a seed within you, so feel abundant.

In the olden days, if some of the children would ask for sweets, the grandmothers would never say that it is not there. They would say, "There are enough sweets, but we just have to go to the shop and buy some". The concept was that, there could be certain angels which would be hovering around, and if you say, "I don’t have this", they would say, “Tathastu”, which means -- so it shall be! You never know when these angels would be hovering around so they would tell us to always keep a positive attitude. This is something beautiful. We need to have a positive attitude at all times.
When the prana (energy) increases, then doubts disappear, questions disappear and problems disappear. When the prana is low, then negativity comes up.
You’re blaming politicians of today, tell me when in the history of time were they any better? Tell me one time in the history of mankind when there was no violence, when there was no Duryodhana, or Marichi, or Ravana, or Kumbhakarna? Were there no Hiranyakashyapu and Hiranyaksha? In fact, in the ancient days, if you would say, "Hari Om", Hiranyakashyapu would come to your home and get you. At least in this age it is better, we don’t have such demons. When we focus on negativity, we harbor it in our mind and get rattled. I would like you to look at it from another angle: there are negative forces, but they are there to unite the good people together. What happened in Paris is a heinous crime, but what did it do? It united the entire nation. A million people got together and stood up for goodness; walked for solidarity. The good will always win! That is also the motto of our nation: ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (Truth alone will triumph) Let’s not forget that! We need to keep reminding ourselves that and each of us here needs to reach out to a hundred or more people and create a wave of happiness.
If you ask anyone, why they are doing what they are doing, what would they say? For happiness, isn’t it? Anyone on this planet does anything for happiness, but do they really find it? Very few find it. So, our duty is to find true, long-lasting happiness and an unshakable smile, and that is called spirituality, and the means is through meditation. Meditation is that which brings intuition, which heightens your intelligence and which brings innovation inside you. This is what is most essential for society today.
Stress means too much to do, too little time and no energy. Stress overshadows our intuition, blurs our innovative spirit and destroys our intelligence. That which is an enemy of all the three (intelligence, innovation and intuition) is stress and mistrust. These we need to eliminate and to do that we have to raise our energy. When our energy is raised, stress is eliminated and intuition appears.

An intellect free from prejudice is one which is really intelligent.

I never paid too much attention to young children, but recently I thought, why don’t we do something for kids and so we conducted an intuition program for children. These kids are able to read with blind-folds on. This knowledge is going to revolutionize education. You cannot fool your kids anymore! You can’t hide things from kids, they know exactly where you have hidden it.
Just day before yesterday a gentlemen messaged me saying that he misplaced an important file and they were searching everywhere for it. His daughter tells him, "Dad, why are you searching for it here and there. It is in the box under your bed". Children have become so intuitive that they can see through the walls. If you keep something in the next room they can tell you what it is.
In Baroda we did a program for about 200 blind children and they were able to see. This is possible through the eyes of the mind. It is amazing! You can find more information and videos on Face book and on YouTube. Even adults can develop this intuitive power but it will take a little longer, do you know why? It is because as adults we have cravings and aversions. We like this, we don’t like that, we like these people, we don’t like these people; we have all types of prejudice clogging our mind. First, we need to be free from that.
An intellect free from prejudice is one which is really intelligent. I don't consider the so-called intelligent people of today as intelligent because they are prejudiced. If you have prejudice it means your intelligence is covered. You may have it but you’re not using it.

Friday, January 27, 2017

The Great Chennai Dialogue

02/10/2016 Chennai, India
(Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar addressed the inaugural session of The Great Chennai Dialogue on the 10 February 2016 held at 'The Le Meridian Hotel' – where he met a wide audience of professionals consisting of CEOs, Business Heads, Managers, Entrepreneurs, Educationalists, intellectuals and other leaders working in the fields of Marketing, Engineering, information Technology, Banking, Hr, Media and Creativity.
Below is the transcript of what Gurudev said at this event :
)
We communicate more through our vibes than through our words. When we get off an airplane, the air hostess says, "Have a nice day", but does she mean it? When the same thing is said by your mother or your grandmother, it carries some vibes along with it. Our ability to grasp these vibes depends on our ability to be calm. If we are stuck with one topic in our mind then we lose out on many things. Many times people sit with one question and they become deaf to everything else. Are you getting what I am saying? When you’re holding on to one question then your cup is overflowing, then there is nothing more to put into it.
Once a disciple went to his Guru with many questions and asked him for knowledge. The Guru said, "Come, sit and have a cup of coffee first", and the Guru poured coffee into the cup till it started overflowing and splattered onto the table and then on to the floor. The disciple said, "Gurudev, what are you doing?"
The Guru said, "You have come to me like an overflowing cup. Your capacity to hold is very small but you want answers to some very big questions. You will not be able to hold what I pour. I am ready to give, but are you ready to receive? If you have to receive then first you have to become empty".
Krishna has said in the Gita, "Na hy asannyasta-sankalpo yogi bhavati kascana", if you hold on to one thought in your mind then you will not be able to receive new knowledge.
See, if a mother tells the child, "You get lost", does she really mean it? No! She never means it. She just says it out of anger. We give words their meaning and we give it their meaning from the depth of our being. When we relate from the level of vibrations, that is Aatmasamvadan -- soul to soul communication, and only in this level of communication real knowledge dawns.
In the ancient days, in this country, there was the tradition of Upanayanam where the teacher would make the disciple sit close to him and looks into the eyes of the disciple and passes on the knowledge to him. The disciple in-turn would have faith in his teacher.
If you think that the teacher does not know, then what is the point of asking a question? If I think you don’t know how to go to Guindy, why will I ask you? I ask you because you are from Chennai. But if you are from Bihar and are just a visitor, I would not bother to ask you, isn't that so? So, the faith is important there. Faith is part of our life. We are born with faith. A child does not know the mother but when it looks at the eyes of the mother, it feels the love. It doesn’t ask the mother, "What is your name? Where did you study? Who are your parents? Where are you from? What do you do?" The child knows nothing, but it feels the love. The child doesn’t make the mother an object of knowing. Similarly, something which is so big and great, you cannot make it an object of your knowing. Only when you experience the love, can you receive knowledge. Some people think, only if you have knowledge you can feel the love, even that is ok.
Some people say, "I want to realize God", but why do you want to realize God? My dear, you cannot go away from God. It is impossible! There is air everywhere, but you are able to feel the intensity of it when you sit next to a fan. Similarly, to feel the presence of God you need meditation, satsang and a Master.
How many of you have thought about doubt? (Many in the audience raise hands). How many of you have not thought about doubt? (Few in the audience raise hands). Doubt is always about something that is positive. Have you observed this? If someone tells you, "He’s a very bad person", you agree and take it for granted. There is no doubt about it. But if someone says, "He is a good person", you say, "That’s what you think. Let’s see".
We doubt the honesty of a person, but we never doubt the dishonesty of a person. Similarly, we doubt our own happiness. If someone asks you, "Are you happy?" You say, "Well, I am not sure". But we never ever doubt our depression. Have you ever said, "I am not sure If I am depressed". No! We are very sure about our depression and about our anger, but we are not sure about our love.
We ask people, "Do you really love me?" But we never ask someone, "Are you really angry with me?"
So, we doubt anything that is positive and that’s why we doubt the existence of a power called God. It is very normal to doubt. You doubt in the goodness of people, even that is natural. You also doubt the goodness inside you or something good that is happening to you, isn’t it? Once we know what this doubt is, we jump to a level which is much higher and stronger and that is real faith.
You cannot separate love and faith. You can’t say, "I have faith in you but I don’t love you", and you also can’t say, "I love you but I don’t have faith in you". Love and faith are two sides of the same coin.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

The Power Of Inner Stillness

01/10/2016 Bad Antogast, Germany
The true nature of our soul is obscured by three things:
1. Desire: It could be any desire. 'I don't want to have any desire', is also a desire.
2. Intellect: Which means the judging, discriminating, knowing faculty in us.
3. Ego: Ego is 'I am somebody'.
These three things obscure the self, and meditation is where you just freeze these three things for a few moments – freezing the intellect, the ego and the desires. It is just for some time, so don't be afraid or scared. Later on you can have any number of desires.
Not that all desires are bad, some desires are good, some desires are okay and some other ones are really bad. So all types are there, but if you learn to freeze them, then stillness dawns and that is Samadhi.
Children have all the three things, yet they freeze them very easily. That's why when you ask children, "What do you want", they will say, "Nothing". Have you noticed this? They don't judge anything. In children, the ego is not prominent enough, the intellect is not mature enough and their desires are not strong enough to obscure the self.
This is nice knowledge. Some other time we will go deeper into it.

Monday, January 23, 2017

See God In All You Meet

07/01/2015 Dallas, United States
(Below is a continuation of the post Tough People Make You Strong)

Friday, January 20, 2017

Tough People Make You Strong

07/01/2015 Dallas, United States