Bangalore, May 13:
Any celebration can be genuine only when there is dispassion in the heart. When the mind turns inwards and latches onto that which is not changing, that which is eternal. You know what, the moment you see that deep inside you are eternal, then what is death and what is birth? It’s like people saying the sun is rising and the sun is setting. Neither does the sun rise nor does the sun set, in the same way we are not born and we never die. We remain, we stay; that aspect of our consciousness is what we need to latch on to and that is the spiritual path; that’s it!
Generally you have all noticed that somewhere deep inside you there is this feeling that I am not changing, everything else is changing but I have not grown up. I also don’t feel that I am 50 plus at all and similarly every one of you feel that you haven’t grown up. There is something in you that says, 'I have not changed, I have not aged'. You really are ageless and still you do all these celebrations.
If celebration can bring more service activity then I would go for it every day! Why once a year?
I am so glad that hundreds and thousands of volunteers today around the world are engaged in some or the other service activities. There are so many blood donation camps and so many programs happening. As I am speaking there are so many satsangs that are happening right now and we are on the webcast and millions of people are watching and I am congratulating them all. You have done a lot of service activities today. Keep it up and take any excuse to do service activities.
For life to be blissful, two things are essential. One is dispassion. Latch on to that inner being that is non-changing. Just recollect and remember that you don’t change and nothing inside you changes, you are eternal. When you are anchored in that dispassion then life becomes a celebration, at the same time service activities happen through you spontaneously. So when we are doing service activity, we have to share. Whatever we have, we should share with everybody and when we go deep inside our Self, then dispassion arises. These two things, service and dispassion, can make life a celebration. So snatch any occasion to have these two values.
A celebration without dispassion is very flaky. It is superficial, and there is no depth to it. In the same way service without dispassion is also not the best quality service because it tires you down. We need to be more dispassionate and do service activity and then life becomes a celebration.
My being here is only to remind you that your being is eternal, we are all eternal and in life challenges come and problems come, some pleasant, some unpleasant. All these events come and situations come, but don’t worry. I am with you and together we will sail over all these rough waters and we will make life a celebration. We have already made life a celebration and we will continue to bring celebration to our life and continue to bring more celebration into the lives of the millions of people around us, yes!
Actually you should remember you are a gift to the world. You are not a burden to the planet but you are a gift and when you feel that self-worth coming up within, you will be able to do wonderful things for people around you. When you are satisfied, when you are fulfilled, you can only think of what you can do for everybody else and to realize that you must realize the fact that you are a gift to this world.
I was giving the analogy of a match stick; remember that you are a match stick. The purpose of a match stick is to light the lamps. You know, you strike the match stick and it burns and it lights several candles. Like that so many match sticks in a box can light so many lives. So think you are a super-sized match box. You are here to bring light, wisdom and happiness into the lives of people.
So don’t worry about anything, all your little needs and desires will be taken care of, it will all happen. You have to turn and see what you are doing for the world, how you are contributing to this world and how you are enhancing spirituality in the world. This is essential and is very much needed.
Q: Dear Guruji, you say that our relationship is as old as this earth. Have we celebrated your birthday in some past live as well? I don’t remember but you would, so please tell me.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes we have. Of course! Now tell me, the first time you met me did you feel that we are meeting for the first time? No, I also have never felt as if meeting a stranger with anybody. All those people, everyone I met, I have always felt I have met them before and I know them. As of now I have not met a single stranger.
Q: Guruji I want to have an intense longing for u but it comes and goes and the mind moves on to other things. How do I have this consistent intense longing for you?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Never mind, have some fun. If you say ‘I don’t have longing’, that also is another longing. You’re longing for the longing; it’s like when you are angry, you are then angry because you are angry. Similarly you are longing for longing, know that is also longing.
Q: What is the difference between sankalpa and desire and if there is a difference then what is the technique to transform all desire into sankalpas?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know I have already spoken about all this, about sankalpa and desire and how to change it. It is all about dispassion, dispassion works everywhere.
Q: I am thinking today that everything is permeated with light and when I look into myself your light is within me. In me, in him and all of them, it is you only that is present. Where ever I see everywhere it is you who are shining. Where have you come from, who are you, tell me that at least today?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you want to know who I am then there is a deal you will have to make with me. The deal is that first you have to know who you are. When you find out who you are then you will know who I am and this is also what I want, that you know who you are and then you will know who I am.
Q: In a world that is changing so fast you still seem to be the same, unchanged and so beautiful and so adorable. How is that Guruji?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Some questions are to be wondered about, so this too is not a question but something you need to wonder about. Questions are always bent, crooked, but wonder is always straight. So transforming life from question to wonder is knowledge. Knowledge does not give answers to questions but changes the questions to wonder. So this is something that you should wonder about.
The Ashramities have started chanting a few shlokas of the Bhagavad Gita every day. I would like to say that everyone, wherever you are, start reading a few shlokas of the Bhagavad Gita every day. Read three to four shlokas everyday, if you don’t understand Sanskrit never mind, even the translation is good enough.
© The Art of Living Foundation
Any celebration can be genuine only when there is dispassion in the heart. When the mind turns inwards and latches onto that which is not changing, that which is eternal. You know what, the moment you see that deep inside you are eternal, then what is death and what is birth? It’s like people saying the sun is rising and the sun is setting. Neither does the sun rise nor does the sun set, in the same way we are not born and we never die. We remain, we stay; that aspect of our consciousness is what we need to latch on to and that is the spiritual path; that’s it!
Generally you have all noticed that somewhere deep inside you there is this feeling that I am not changing, everything else is changing but I have not grown up. I also don’t feel that I am 50 plus at all and similarly every one of you feel that you haven’t grown up. There is something in you that says, 'I have not changed, I have not aged'. You really are ageless and still you do all these celebrations.
If celebration can bring more service activity then I would go for it every day! Why once a year?
I am so glad that hundreds and thousands of volunteers today around the world are engaged in some or the other service activities. There are so many blood donation camps and so many programs happening. As I am speaking there are so many satsangs that are happening right now and we are on the webcast and millions of people are watching and I am congratulating them all. You have done a lot of service activities today. Keep it up and take any excuse to do service activities.
For life to be blissful, two things are essential. One is dispassion. Latch on to that inner being that is non-changing. Just recollect and remember that you don’t change and nothing inside you changes, you are eternal. When you are anchored in that dispassion then life becomes a celebration, at the same time service activities happen through you spontaneously. So when we are doing service activity, we have to share. Whatever we have, we should share with everybody and when we go deep inside our Self, then dispassion arises. These two things, service and dispassion, can make life a celebration. So snatch any occasion to have these two values.
A celebration without dispassion is very flaky. It is superficial, and there is no depth to it. In the same way service without dispassion is also not the best quality service because it tires you down. We need to be more dispassionate and do service activity and then life becomes a celebration.
My being here is only to remind you that your being is eternal, we are all eternal and in life challenges come and problems come, some pleasant, some unpleasant. All these events come and situations come, but don’t worry. I am with you and together we will sail over all these rough waters and we will make life a celebration. We have already made life a celebration and we will continue to bring celebration to our life and continue to bring more celebration into the lives of the millions of people around us, yes!
Actually you should remember you are a gift to the world. You are not a burden to the planet but you are a gift and when you feel that self-worth coming up within, you will be able to do wonderful things for people around you. When you are satisfied, when you are fulfilled, you can only think of what you can do for everybody else and to realize that you must realize the fact that you are a gift to this world.
I was giving the analogy of a match stick; remember that you are a match stick. The purpose of a match stick is to light the lamps. You know, you strike the match stick and it burns and it lights several candles. Like that so many match sticks in a box can light so many lives. So think you are a super-sized match box. You are here to bring light, wisdom and happiness into the lives of people.
So don’t worry about anything, all your little needs and desires will be taken care of, it will all happen. You have to turn and see what you are doing for the world, how you are contributing to this world and how you are enhancing spirituality in the world. This is essential and is very much needed.
Q: Dear Guruji, you say that our relationship is as old as this earth. Have we celebrated your birthday in some past live as well? I don’t remember but you would, so please tell me.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes we have. Of course! Now tell me, the first time you met me did you feel that we are meeting for the first time? No, I also have never felt as if meeting a stranger with anybody. All those people, everyone I met, I have always felt I have met them before and I know them. As of now I have not met a single stranger.
Q: Guruji I want to have an intense longing for u but it comes and goes and the mind moves on to other things. How do I have this consistent intense longing for you?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Never mind, have some fun. If you say ‘I don’t have longing’, that also is another longing. You’re longing for the longing; it’s like when you are angry, you are then angry because you are angry. Similarly you are longing for longing, know that is also longing.
Q: What is the difference between sankalpa and desire and if there is a difference then what is the technique to transform all desire into sankalpas?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know I have already spoken about all this, about sankalpa and desire and how to change it. It is all about dispassion, dispassion works everywhere.
Q: I am thinking today that everything is permeated with light and when I look into myself your light is within me. In me, in him and all of them, it is you only that is present. Where ever I see everywhere it is you who are shining. Where have you come from, who are you, tell me that at least today?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you want to know who I am then there is a deal you will have to make with me. The deal is that first you have to know who you are. When you find out who you are then you will know who I am and this is also what I want, that you know who you are and then you will know who I am.
Q: In a world that is changing so fast you still seem to be the same, unchanged and so beautiful and so adorable. How is that Guruji?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Some questions are to be wondered about, so this too is not a question but something you need to wonder about. Questions are always bent, crooked, but wonder is always straight. So transforming life from question to wonder is knowledge. Knowledge does not give answers to questions but changes the questions to wonder. So this is something that you should wonder about.
The Ashramities have started chanting a few shlokas of the Bhagavad Gita every day. I would like to say that everyone, wherever you are, start reading a few shlokas of the Bhagavad Gita every day. Read three to four shlokas everyday, if you don’t understand Sanskrit never mind, even the translation is good enough.
© The Art of Living Foundation
