Conflicted understanding of "conflict"

 

Unfortunate are those who crave for the world. Fortunate are those who crave for the Divine. 

Unwise are those who make you crave for the world. Wise are those who make you crave for the Divine. 

The source of conflict is the notion of “mine” and “yours.” Self-knowledge eases the sense of limited belongingness and resolves this conflict. 

When knowledge dawns in you, no one is a stranger in the whole world. At the same time, you realize that you know very little about even your nearest one! You cannot understand anyone totally for life is a mystery! 

Wake up and see. All these distinctions “Me, Mine, Others” – simply dissolve.

Krishna’s life was full of conflicts and yet he kept smiling and dancing. Dance through the conflicts and contribute to this planet.

(Get) out of control

Many people have a problem letting go of control, causing anxiety, restlessness and soured relationships.

Wake up and see – are you really ever in control? What do you control? Perhaps a tiny part of your waking state! You are not in control when you are sleeping or dreaming. 

You are not in control of the thoughts and emotions coming to you. You may choose to express them or not, but they come to you without your permission. 

Most of the functions of your body are not under your control. Do you think you are in control of all the events in your life, in the world, or in the universe? That is a joke! When you look at things from this angle, you need not be afraid of losing control, because you have none to lose.

Whether you realize it or not, only when you truly relax can you let go of your sense of control. Your identification with being somebody does not let you totally relax and it limits your domain.

Rage against...nothing

 

Rage has no ears, nor does it have vision. It only leads to reaction. And reaction leads to regret. Regret causes frustration. Frustration clouds reason. 

Unreasonable acts provoke rage, starting a vicious cycle. Only self-knowledge and devotion can free you from this vicious cycle. 

In the fire of knowledge, when rage and revenge are offered, the warmth of the blemish-free Self shines forth. This is the true yagna.

Dealing with awkward situations

 

Why do you feel awkward? How do you stop feeling awkward? 

If you have always been the center of attention and are suddenly sidelined, you may feel out of place. Similarly if you have always been on the sidelines and are suddenly pushed to center stage, you may experience restlessness. 

A very busy person with nothing to do, or a laidback person who is faced with responsibilities, may also experience restlessness. If you are accustomed to ordering others around and suddenly have to take orders, or if you usually follow orders and then are made to give them, you may feel out of place. Feeling out of place can block reason and distort logic. 

If the situation you are in is inevitable, tolerate it. If it is avoidable, walk away from it. If you feel that it can expand your abilities, smile through it. 

Love something about an awkward situation. This will increase your comfort zone. When your comfort zone increases, no one will be able to push your buttons and you will become centered and unshakable. Every awkward situation is a test for how deep you are in the knowledge.

Worrying over feelings

 

The head worries and the heart feels. The two cannot function at the same time; when your feelings dominate, worry dissolves. 

If you worry a lot, your feelings die and you become stuck in your head. Worrying makes your mind and heart inert and dull; it steals your energy and prevents you from thinking clearly. Worries entangle you; they trap you in a cage. Worries are uncertain since they are about the future. 

When you feel, you do not worry. Feelings are like flowers they come up, they blossom, and they die. Feelings rise, they fall and then disappear. When your feelings are expressed, you are relieved. When you become angry, you express your anger and the next moment you feel fine. Or when you are upset, you cry, and you get over it. Feelings last for some short time and then they drop away but worry eats at you much longer and eventually consumes you. 

Feelings make you spontaneous. Children feel, so they are spontaneous, but adults put brakes on their feelings and start worrying. Worry obstructs action, while feelings propel action. Worrying about negative feelings is a blessing because it puts brakes on those feelings, preventing you from acting on them. But we usually do not worry about positive feelings. Though, when you think you are feeling too much, then you often start worrying about your feelings.

Offering your worries is prayer and prayer moves you in feelings.

The fine art of experiencing satisfaction

The mind lives on “more.” Misery starts with “wanting more and more.” Misery makes you dense and keeps you on the surface level of life.

The Higher Self is subtle. To move from dense matter to the subtle, you go through the finest level of creation—the atom.

To overcome aversion, hatred, jealousy, cravings, or entanglements, you have to go to the atom, which means accepting a teeny tiny bit of all this creation. 

It may be difficult to accept something you don’t like, but you can definitely accept a tiny bit of it—an atom. This acceptance has to be done in a meditative state. The moment you accept that one atom, you see change happen.

This process can also help you feel more satisfied with those things you like in life. For example, suppose you love someone, you want more and more of them, yet there is no fulfillment. When you take an atom, you’re saying that just at a glance, a word, or a moment will be good enough. When you're satisfied with that, it’s enough to bring a shift, and there is fulfillment. Take just one atom of that person, and that's enough to bring fulfillment to you.

Though the river is vast, a little sip quenches your thirst. Though Earth has so much food, just a little bite satisfies your hunger. All that you need are tiny bits. Accept a tiny bit of everything in life — that will bring you fulfillment.

Tonight, go to bed feeling that you are satisfied, taking a tiny part of Divinity with you. Satisfaction comes from the subtle and not from “more and more.”

Know how good you are at handling blame

 

When someone blames you, you feel a heavy load, and when you talk about it, the unpleasant feeling is spread to all around you. At that moment wake up and see you are the Being and nothing can touch you. This is all just a drama which you have created. You have gone through this over and over again. All the accusations you face in your life are your own creation. Knowing this, you will feel free and light. 

Taking responsibility for all the experiences in life makes you powerful and will put an end to grumbling, retribution, explanations and a host of other negative tendencies. Taking full responsibility makes you free. 

When someone blames you, directly or indirectly, what do you do? 

• Do you register it in your mind and get emotionally upset? 
• Do you dismiss it altogether without taking a lesson from it? 
• Do you talk about it with people, wasting everyone’s time? 
• Do you pity yourself and blame your shortcomings? 
• Do you blame the other person? 
• Do you generalize and eternalize the problem?

When these happen, you are not living up to this knowledge. You need to do the Art of Living introductory course at least six times and read all the weekly knowledge. 

However, if you: 

• Laugh at it and not even take notice, 
• Treat it as a non-event, not even worth talking about or taking any action, 
• Treat opinions and accusations as passing clouds and more of an entertainment, 
• Discourage dwelling on unpleasant and negative moments, 
• Are non-judgmental and absolutely unshaken in your space of love, 
• Remain centered and calm, and do not take pride in your growth or wisdom, 

Then you are a source of pride to your tutor – the Master. 

Overcoming anxiety

 

Nature has built a little fear into all living beings. This fear makes life defend itself, protect itself. Like salt in food, a little fear is essential for people to be righteous. Fear affects you in the following ways:

• Fear of hurting someone makes you more conscious. 
• Fear of failure makes you more keen and dynamic. 
• Fear moves you from carelessness to taking care. 
• Fear moves you from being insensitive to being sensitive. 
• Fear moves you from dullness to alertness. 

Total lack of fear may lead to destructive tendencies – a distorted ego knows no fear. Nor does one with expanded consciousness. While the ego dismisses fear and acts in a destructive manner, the wise one acknowledges fear and takes refuge in the Divine. 

When you are in love, when you are surrendered, there is no fear. Ego, too, knows no fear. But there is a difference, like the difference between heaven and earth – between these two types of fearless states.

Fear makes you righteous; fear brings you close to surrender; fear keeps you on the path; fear keeps you from being destructive. Peace and law are maintained on the planet because of fear. 

A newborn child knows no fear – the baby relies totally on its mother. When a child, a kitten, or a bird start becoming independent, they experience fear and this makes them run back to their mothers. This is inbuilt by nature to sustain life. So, the purpose of fear is to bring you back to the source.

At the present time, many are anxious about how to deal with their anxiety. Here are some of the ways you can manage anxiety:

• Sing, dance and celebrate. The very intention to celebrate will pull you to a more harmonious state. 
• Think about what you can do for others rather than thinking about yourself. Get energized through seva (service). 
• Have an attitude of sacrifice. 
• Remind yourself that you are committed to a greater goal.
• Practice yoga, breathing and meditation. 
• Know the impermanence of the world. 
• Have faith in and surrender to the Divine. Know that there is a supreme power who loves you, is behind you and a accepts you totally. Feeling secure comes with this sense of belongingness. 
• Be courageous and invoke the lion within you. 
• Be unpredictable for a while. Anxiety always relates to some anticipated action so do something completely irrelevant and unpredictable. 
• Be ready to face the worst. This will leave you with stability in your mind. 
• Remember a similar situation in the past when you were able to overcome your anxiety.

Ambition vs. Self-confidence

 

 

Ambition indicates a lack of self-confidence. When you know you can achieve something easily, you will not be ambitious; you will simply be confident about it. Your ambition indicates challenge and uncertainty, which is contrary to self-confidence. 

So one who has total self-confidence cannot be ambitious, nor can a person who totally lacks confidence. For ambition to be present, you must have a small amount of confidence and total ignorance of the Self. It is nearly impossible to have total confidence without self-knowledge.

People take pride in being ambitious. The wise man will only smile at them. You can never be ambitious about something you know you can achieve effortlessly. You can only be ambitious about something that requires effort, that poses a challenge, and that you cannot be certain you will achieve. 

Ambition takes away the joy of the moment. With the knowledge of the Self, there is nothing left to achieve for the entire nature of existence is mere play and display of your own consciousness. With self-knowledge nothing is challenging to you, nor do you need to make an effort. Nature is ready to fulfill your intentions even before they arise, giving you no chance to crave or desire. Nature does not allow the wise to have desires or ambition, nor does it allow the unwise to fulfill their desires or ambitions, or to discard them.

Why are you hungry for power?

 

Why do people hunger for power? 

People crave power because they want attention and recognition. Power is a means, just like money. Their passion is for the goal, i.e. attention and recognition. People who see power or money as an end in itself do not live, they simply exist.

If you do not realize that you are the power – that you are enlightened – then you crave power. 

If you do not have talents, love, or passion, or if you are not innocent and childlike, then you will crave attention and recognition. Just as some politicians, you will crave power. If you have no talents and you are not contributing substantially to society such as an artist, a scientist, an Art of Living teacher, or a volunteer – then you will hunger for power.

If you do not have a love or a passion to help transform society, then you will hunger for power. If you are not innocent and childlike and do not have a sense of belongingness with the whole world, then you will hunger for power. True power is the power of the spirit. Real confidence, strength and happiness all spring from the spirit. The one who knows this and has this will not crave power at all.

Breaking the habit

 

Your inability to do something, such as break a habit, can cause a pinch. When you are deeply pained by something, then that will rid you of that habit. If you are pained by your shortcomings, then you are a sadhak (spiritual seeker). Pain pushes you out of addiction.

If you observe your behavior, you will notice that you procrastinate when doing something good but hurry when it comes to doing something bad. For example, if you are angry, you want to express it immediately. Do you know why? Because virtues are your very nature and will never leave you while your vices are not your nature and they will leave you. Negative tendencies are transient and will leave you if you do not act on them immediately. Frustration and crying cannot stay long, especially with the same intensity. Perhaps you are concerned that your vices will leave you if you do not act on them!

It is wise to postpone acting on vices, for they will not stay, and to act immediately to do good. Otherwise, you will continue to postpone doing good for the next few lifetimes!

India at war

 

A war has started but don't worry. It's a matter of time. It's important that you meditate twice a day for these coming days. Your meditation is not just for you. It affects the subtle and this influences many things and cools things down. It also influences the minds of decision makers. So, meditate every day twice. 

Making sense of one senses

 

Your body is like a washing machine, your mind is like your clothing, each lifetime is like one washing cycle, pure water is like love, and knowledge is the detergent. 

The mind enters the body to get cleansed and purified. But if instead of detergent you use dirt, then you have dirty clothes, dirtier than before. You will have to continue putting clothes in the washing machine to get them cleaned. And the process repeats again and again. 

Similarly, you will have many more births until you stop repeating the mistakes that you have made.

Fights can only happen among equals. When you fight with someone, you make that person your equal. But in reality there is no one at par with you. When you keep people either above you or below you, there is no fight. When people are above you, you respect them. When they are below you, you love them and feel compassionate.

Either submission or compassion can quickly stop a fight. This is something to consider when you are tired of fighting. But when you are well rested, just fight and have fun. 

The same is true of the mind. When the mind is caught up in the senses or thinks it is equal to the senses, there is constant conflict. But when the mind is smaller than the senses, as in animals, there is no conflict. 

And when the mind realizes that it is bigger than the senses, again there is no conflict. When the mind transcends the senses, it comes back to its true nature, which is innocence – “in no sense.” Does this make sense?

Who is making a mistake?

 

Do not tell a person about a mistake they know that they made. What is the use of pointing out a mistake that one knows one has committed? By doing this, you will only make that person feel more guilty, defensive, or resentful and this only creates more distance. 

And do not point out a person’s mistake if they are aware of it but does not want you to know about it. Often people know their mistakes, but they do not want you to point them out. You should only point out a person’s mistake if they are not aware of it and wants to know about it. 

Think about the usefulness of your comments. Before pointing out a person’s mistake, see whether your comments will help to improve the situation, foster love, or bring harmony. A magnanimous person does not point out the mistakes of others and make them feel guilty. Instead, they correct others’ mistakes with compassion and care, not through words but through their attitude.

Often, in establishing your righteousness, you are insensitive to the feelings of others. When someone is hurt, arguing with them and establishing your righteousness will be in vain. By simply saying “I’m sorry,” you can uplift the other person and take away the bitterness. In many situations saying “I’m sorry” is better than establishing your righteousness – it can avert much unpleasantness.

Sorry – this one word of five letters, when said sincerely, can remove anger, guilt, hatred and distance. Many people feel pride in hearing “I’m sorry” from others – it boosts their ego. 

But when you say “I’m sorry” to a wise man, it evokes compassion at your ignorance. And when you say “I’m sorry” to your Guru, he will get angry and say, “Go! Listen to Ashtavakra!” Your apology indicates doer-ship – you feel that you have made a mistake. 

A mistake is part of an unconscious mind. An unconscious mind cannot do right while a conscious mind can do no wrong. The mind that makes the mistake and the mind that realizes the mistake – the mind that says “I’m sorry” – are entirely different, aren’t they? The mind that apologizes cannot be an unconscious mind. Therefore, sincerely saying “I’m sorry” is a big mistake. Did you get it or are you confused? If you did not get it, do not feel sorry or...you can feel sorry! How strange – truth is paradoxical!