Wisdom Of Love ...:)

"I chant the name of my beloved in every breath. The beloved is faultless - perfect. But being in love I have lost my reputation.When there is so much love, you take total responsibility for any misunderstanding. You may express dismay for a moment on the surface. But when you do not feel that in your heart, you arrive at a perfect understanding. You are in a state where all problems and differences slide away and only love shines through.

Usually we get stuck in our differences, because we have lost sight of ourselves. In the name of love we try to manipulate and control the other person. This is natural that when we love somebody, we want them to be perfect.

You can never see the pits in the ground from the top of a hill. From a plane the earth looks so smooth. So also from a state of elevated consciousness, you do not see the pitfalls in others. But if you come to the ground you always see the holes. And when you want to fill the holes, you have to see them. You cannot build a home being airborne. You cannot till the land without looking at the pits, filling them, removing the pebbles....

That is why when you love somebody you find all the faults in them. But finding faults destroys love. Instead of filling the pits we run away from them. When you love somebody and see their faults, stay with them and help them fill the pits. This is wisdom."

- Sri Sri

It's all One Energy.....

When Lord Krishna sat in Samadhi that is when he recited the Gita. After the war, once Arjuna asks him that I have forgotten the beautiful knowledge that you gave me, at that time there was a lot of crowd and so much commotion on the war field and I didn’t listen to you properly. Please tell me again what you said. Then Krishna replied," No, I can’t tell you now, at that time I was in samadhi , so I made you sit and whatever came to me I told you at that time, now I cannot again tell you again".

So whatever Lord Krishna said was not a person saying this knowledge but the universe speaking. These messages came from the Shiva tattva, the atma tattva.
He said, ’I am the sun, I am the rain, truth and untruth, everything is me.’ This is very deep knowledge.

If you see everything is made from one tattva, from atoms. What is your mother made of, father made of? Everyone’s body is made from the same thing, from food grains. Food grains are consumed and the body is developed, whoever eats, they all grow and the body is made from that. So everyone is made from one substance, one power and one energy. So, he is saying the whole world is made from that one consciousness, one energy, one substance.

 Now if you see the fan, mike and light are all working with one current, with electricity, isn’t it? But it seems like the mike is different, the light is different and the fan is something else. They all look different but they are all made up of the same thing. In the same way, if the sun was not there then the earth cannot exist. If the earth was not there, how could there be plants or trees or human beings? So what is our source? First from the physical aspect our source is the earth; more subtle than that it is the sun. What is the source of the sun? The universal energy - and so Lord Krishna says that universal energy is ME.

That is the atma that is you and that is me and everything is made of this universal energy and this is what today’s scientist also say. Those who study quantum physics this is what they say - that the whole world is made up of one energy. Earlier it was said that there were different protons, electrons functioning and making things work but now they say it is all one energy, everything is a wave functions. What we consider physical things are not there in reality, it is all just energy and this is what Lord Krishna has said many years ago in the Bhagavad Gita.

‘Avajananti mam mudham manusim tanumasritam, Param bhavam ajananto mama bhuta- mahesvaram’, these people do not see my true nature as that one universal energy, consciousness and they are thinking I am a human being. I am in a human body but the consciousness inside me is that supreme consciousness. I am not a human being. I am a power.

Navratri...Another detailed perspective..

A Talk by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The Art of Living International Centre, Bangalore (Navaratri 2004)

‘Nava’ means nine. It also means new or fresh. ‘Ratri’ – ‘Ra’ means giving solace or rest. ‘Tri’ means three. These are the three types of botherations or problems that can haunt a person: the physical, mental and the spiritual problems that come to you. That which gives you relief from these difficulties is ‘ratri.’ ‘Ratri’ literally means night. Night is called ‘ratri’, because it relieves you from misery and brings you comfort. It takes you in it arms and puts you to sleep.  Birds and animals do not worry at night they go to sleep happily. Night relaxes everybody; whether one is unhappy or miserable, everybody goes to sleep. It gives relief from any type of misery: physical, mental or emotional. ‘Navaratri’ means the new night or the nine nights that give you rest from all these three aspects of your lives.

An infant is in its mother’s womb for nine months. It is in the rest period. Similarly, these nine days are an opportunity to get back to your Self and take your mind off all the mundane things that bother you. This is the time for self referral and self inquiry, “Who am I?”,  “What is the world all about?” Then you become creative. You become victorious. When negative forces haunt you, you are disturbed, unpleasant, unhappy, uncreative, unproductive and grumbling. Craving, aversion, uncertainty and fear are negative forces. Get relief from all this, go to the source of energy within you. That is Shakti.

And, what are the ‘asuras’ (demons)?

‘Madhu and Kaitaba’ – ‘Madhu’ is craving and ‘Kaitaba’ is aversion. The second signifies hatred towards anybody. These are the first rakshasas (demons).

‘Raktabijasur’ is that which is in your genes. ‘Bija’ means seed. Sometimes your behaviour is not under your control. It is in your genes. This can be changed.  With pranayama and meditation, certain genetic changes happen inside you. That is Raktabijasur. Sometimes people have to take medication to behave properly. The medication is for killing the Raktabijasur. For example, when there is a lack of lithium in the blood it causes restlessness and valium is prescribed. The body and mind are not two separate things. They are interlinked. Sometimes the body affects the mind. When 'Raktabijasur' is transformed, the  'Shakti" (energy) is awakenend and negatitivty disappears. When this happens, all  physical ailments disappear.

‘Mahishasur’ – Mahi means dullness; like a buffalo. ‘Mahisha’ is symbolic of heaviness and jadatwa (inertia).The Divine Shakti brings energy, and inertia is lifted off.

‘Shumbh - Nishumbh’ is doubt of everything. Doubt of the self is ‘Shumbh’. Some people doubt themselves: “Am I right? Am I really devoted? Do I have my intelligence? Can I do this?” Doubt of others is ‘Nishumbh.’ Nishumbh is to doubt everybody else around you. You think that a person is not good, he / she wants to pull your leg.  That is when you always think others are after you. That is Nishumbh. Nobody is interested in pulling your leg. Everybody is busy in their own running race. But you sit and imagine, everybody is trying to pull your leg, they are thinking about you. Who is thinking about you? You know, these days people are so busy. Nobody has the time to intentionally insult anybody. Even to insult anybody you need time. You need time to think. People’s minds are clogged and preoccupied. Where do they have time to insult you? If they insult you, it has happened by chance…. it’s a by product, because they are so occupied. They are doing something and their action has insulted you. Do not think they are after you or trying to insult you. So do not sit and worry. You need clarity of mind. People don't have this. When you thus doubt everyone around you it means 'Nishumbh' has taken over you.

‘Chanda – Munda’. ‘Chanda’ means the one who has only a head. Someone with this tendency will say the very opposite of what you say. They are determined to oppose, irrespective of anything. That is Chanda - to say no, to be negative. ‘Munda’ is one who does not have a head at all. Some people whatever you say it goes above them. They cannot take in anything. Chanda and Munda - they are a big botheration.

Chanda is one who always goes against you; one who cannot agree with you at all. Chanda has taken control over such a kind of person. There is a story. There was once a married man who found out after marriage that whatever he would ask his wife to do, she would do the opposite. One day he would want raw food and on that day she would make him an elaborate cooked meal. She would do the opposite of anything he told her to do. He said “I want to sleep”. She would say, “I want to play music.” So he was frustrated. He tried to adjust. He applied all the course points: ‘Accept people as they are. Present moment is inevitable. Do not see intention behind other people’s mistakes.’ But how long could he remind himself. Nothing seemed to work and he got more tense.

So he went to see a wise man - a swami and asked him, “I have a big problem. What should I do?” The swami whispered a mantra in his ears and told him to come back in three months. After three months when he came back, his face was all bright. The Swamiji said, “You look very happy.” He replied, “Yes Swamiji, your mantra worked excellently.” There were other disciples there who were curious to know what the mantra was. The Swami said it was very easy and that he would tell everybody. He repeated out loud the instructions that he had earlier given to the man. He said whatever you want her to do, you tell her to do the opposite. If you want to sleep, you tell her to play music. If you want to eat dosa, tell her that you want idlis. Do not speak your plain heart to her.

I know there are some people here. When they want to go they will say they do not want to go. They want to sleep and they say they do not feel like sleeping. If someone says they do not feel like leaving that means they are leaving now. So, “I am fasting” means “I am going to eat well!” So you should know the minds of these people and say the opposite of what you want. That is the way to deal with Chandas. As for the Mundas, just know that they will not listen to anything. Nothing goes through.

‘Dhumralochana’ – ‘Dhumra’ means smoke and ‘Lochana’ means eyes; it means one who does not perceive things in the right way. They are neither blind nor do they have clear vision. These are more dangerous. People who think they know that which they do not know. People who think they have great logic but in fact do not have any. It’s like saying:  ‘If the door is half open then it is half closed; (hence) that means if the door is fully open, then it can also be fully closed.’ This type of argument is Kutarka (illogical arguments). That is Dhumralochana. Those under the influence of this do not see anything clearly. For them everything is hazy. That is another lack of Shakti.
 

So when you are full of enthusiasm and energy all these six rakshasas will disappear. At high prana level, you will not find any one of these. From time to time they come to you and you have to get over them. This can happen to everybody.

‘Durga Shakti’ is not limited to some time and space. It’s happening in every atom in creation, in every mind, every consciousness and in everybody’s life. All these Chanda – Munda also come not only to one person. You have all acted like that sometimes; as children you have been like that. Chandi means stubbornness - just being stubborn without any reason, without any logic, without any cause. All these are different modes of prana and they are finally all part of one divinity. They are not an entity somewhere they are all a play and display of one consciousness. That is beautiful is it not?

Some of the devas (gods) asked, why should the Goddess Durga appear? It would be sufficient for her to say, “Hmmm…” and all the rakshasas would disappear. Why did she have to fight them? But we know why she fights… to make it more playful, more colorful and to make the world more interesting. So, she comes and just plays with the trishula, chakra and gada and through these weapons even these ‘asuras’ become purified, they attain her.

It’s one light, one consciousness which plays in two roles to get back to the Self. That is why it is said that there are no two separate Shaktis (energies) but only one. It is there as deva (god) and asura (demon) that come in different forms and become one in all.  This is ‘Advait Gyan’ (knowledge of nonduality). 

It is not that Durga attacks at some particular time. It is happening everyday. Everyday creation (Shrishti) happens and destruction (Samhar) happens. Everyday a new tree is born. The sun was born, and now has set. Again the sun is going to rise. It’s all a cyclic phenomenon. That’s what makes this world diverse and so interesting.

You know the biggest contribution of India to the world is that: everything is cyclic; it is not linear. Usually people think that things are born and that’s it; it is all linear: there is a beginning and there is an end. Here everything is cyclic and spherical. Truth is spherical. Time is spherical.

Sama, Dana, Bheda and Danda

A wise person is said to have four techniques, both inwardly and outwardly —

Sama, Dana, Bheda and Danda. To deal with people and be wise, the first thing you use is Sama which means in a peaceful and understanding way. When that doesn’t work out, then you try Dana which means allowing it to happen and forgiving. When people don’t recognise your generosity in allowing them space, then the third principle called Bheda comes in, it means to intentionally create a gap or misunderstanding. If a person still doesn’t realise that they have made a mistake then it is time to use the stick, Danda, the final approach.

The same four methods apply to your inner life, your Being. Sama — maintain the equanimity. Take both the good and the bad with equanimity. Dana means giving up that which disturbs you, that which cannot put you in the royal seat of equanimity. It means to surrender the mind which is the cause of your sorrows, problems and misery. Dana includes forgiving too. When your mind wanders around, allow it to go. Follow it and bring it back. 

Now comes Bheda- differentiate, separate the imperishable from the perishable. This very body is so hollow and empty. When you are watching the body, pleasant sensations arise, unpleasant sensations arise. As you watch, they all disappear. Energy is oozing out of every pore of your body. If you watch, it flows in an even manner. It creates balance. And you realise you are not this body or these sensations. You have been always reacting to the sensations. An emotion used to give rise to some sensation; the sensation, in turn, used to create an impression, another emotion. So these circles of craving and aversion with sensation and emotion, made your life, both subtle body and gross body, and that took you from life to life. Another thing that you can do is to disassociate yourself from the sensation. 

Then comes Danda — Danda means support. Determination and commitment are the Danda. Your spiritual discipline is Danda. Mind is like a vine (creeper), it needs a support. Listening to spiritual discourses, satsangs, practice, Guru’s presence are all the support, the Danda.

It is Chetna and Chitta that is coming out of every pore of the body. The wick is the body and you are the glow. When you shift from the wick to the glow, your mind becomes stable – Sri Sri

Problems - Solutions....

         
"I have seen that swamis, sadhus and people in ancient times would not like to listen to any conflict anywhere. If someone came and complained to them they would just plug their ears and say, “You deal with it.”
See, if you are part of the solution, your energy is high. But if you are talking about problems and problems, your energy comes down.

In the world there is always a play of positive and negative; some problems come, some challenges come and solutions also come behind it. The ancient people would simply focus on keeping their energy high. If your energy is high then when people come to you their problems will get solved.

Usually what happens when you talk to people? You get stooped into their level of problems. They talk to you about their problems and what happens? You get carried away into the problems. So just try this: one day let everybody come and complain 100 things to you, you simply keep your energy high, your sight inward, your mind inward as though nothing has happened. You will suddenly feel there is a freedom within you.
You try this: at home your mother-in-law will complain, your husband will complain, anybody can complain about anything, let the world go topsy-turvy, but hold onto the idea - I am going to keep my energy high. You just take one such step and see, because problems and challenges come so that you can turn your mind inward.
Instead of turning our minds inward when problems come, what do we do? We chase the problem and when we chase the problem we get totally drawn in that direction, dragged in that direction and then our energy goes down and we collapse. Isn’t this what happens?

Many times, in the name of compassion and sympathy you get drowned. Your compassion does not really help at all in solving the problem. It may be very shocking because in compassion the problem multiplies, and it doesn’t get solved.

Any problem comes so that a person can turn inward and look inside, get into a state of dispassion and calmness. Instead you give reasons and try to pacify the person. Pacifying a person in a problem is the worst thing. You should not pacify them. Let everybody bear their own cross. Bear your karma. If you are miserable it is your karma, if you are happy it is your karma. So you change your karma. This attitude makes a person more independent.

You show compassion and then they want more attention. You feel more compassion and give more attention and then neither compassion is there nor can you give any more attention. Only tension remains. It breeds tension in you, ‘That poor person is so upset and I have to make them happy’. Making someone happy is a big burden. Don’t try to do that at all. This is a new policy; don’t try to make anybody happy, you can’t.

There is a Sanskrit proverb that says ‘Kashtasya sukasya nakopi data’. Nobody gives happiness or misery. It is created by one’s own self, one’s own mind. When someone says ‘problem’, just turn and run in the other direction. Say deal with it, you deal with your own problem. Then you see independence comes, interdependence comes in people and that is how you make yourself self- sufficient.

I am talking about this to sadhaks, to all of you who are already on the path. But don’t use this when someone in the street is crying and they want a lift and you say, ‘Guruji said let them deal with it, I am out.’  If you have  space in your car you should go attend to them. That compassion is needed there, but not in relationships. When you are relating with people, random acts of compassion are essential. To someone whom you do not know, be compassionate.

Be passionate about dispassion.

Just see your own mind keeps getting bogged down by that person’s feeling, that person’s tension and this lady’s misery and this person’s unhappiness - what can you do and where have you gone? What has happened to you? You are completely shattered. That is why they say cut all these cobwebs around you, all these strings around you, only one string to the Divine, only one string.

Even there, don’t say, ‘Guruji didn’t look at me, maybe God is angry with me’, this and that, no! Everything is prasad, if I am kicked out, it is a Prasad. If I am scolded, it is Prasad. Everything is prasad, This attitude is the best attitude. So: no attention, no tension. Good!

Q: Guruji, if we do that people will think we are so insensitive.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Let them say what they want. That is what you are trying to do, please them. ‘No I am not insensitive, I am sensitive.’
As I said, you do your job, whatever you should do you do, but don’t sit and listen to their problems, and don’t get carried away by it, got it!"

Sri Sri