Keep having fun!

 

Have fun!

Take life lightly and seriously too. If you take life all serious, it is very boring. If you take it as all fun, it becomes frivolous, superficial.

You should have depth. Life should be silence and celebration, a combination of both.

Be dispassionate and totally passionate to bring transformation. Passion for transformation and dispassion for momentary pleasure – these two can make you a very, very deep person.

If you walk this path, you will have no dearth for anything, all will happen at the right time.

The spiritual path is not for everyone

  

After 8.4 million bodies, you get a human body. Just imagine, from bacteria, birds, animals, etc., 8.4 million lives later one gets a human life. In this human life, few get to know the real spiritual path. And among those, very few walk on the path and they are the lucky ones.

Adi Shankaracharya has also said that the human birth is very difficult to get.

After having gotten human birth, the desire of wanting to walk on the spiritual path, is also very difficult to get. Few people get this. And even after getting this desire to walk on the spiritual path, only few get the opportunity to do it; they get the right path.

So, a human birth, desire for a path, and the path being available to them (getting a Spiritual Master or Guru), these three things are rare and difficult to get. If you have all three, you are lucky.

Only the heart can understand Jesus

 

Love has neither name nor form, but manifests in all names and in all forms. This is the mystery of the creation. You can see love everywhere in this creation only if you have an eye to see it. Just see how a bird comes and feeds the young one in the nest. The young bird waits for the mother to come. There is love in that. There is love among fish. There is love in the sky. There is love underneath the water. There is love on the ground. And there is love in the outer space. Love goes with courage.

Look at the courage of Jesus. He completely overthrows the common concepts of people such as, ‘The strong will inherit the earth’. He turns it around, “The meek shall inherit the earth. The meek shall inherit heaven.” For love makes you meek. However strong you are, when you are in love, you are the weakest. Love is the strongest force in this universe and yet, it makes you meek. 

You cannot understand the sayings of Jesus if you are not alive with prana, with life force. The knowledge will all be just a concept in the head. Only the heart can feel that heart. Otherwise, in the name of Jesus, in the name of God, in the name of religion, people kill each other. Many wars have happened. For centuries, men have fought on this planet in the name of God. They had no clue about Jesus’s message. Of course, this was predicted by Jesus. 

He said, “I treat you like my friends, not as servants. For servants don’t know what the Lord does. I tell you, I share with you all that I have heard about my Father.” This is the best way to bring out the teaching. It is the best way to share love. With the Lord you have respect, but not a personal love. With a friend, you share your most intimate feelings, thoughts, ideas, and secrets. Jesus said, “I am your friend.”

When there is authority there cannot be love, and where there is love there is no authority. Jesus opens His arms and says, “Come, you are my friend, don’t be afraid, don’t put me on the altar. Give me a seat in your heart. See me in everyone you see around you. Love everyone as much as I love you, Or as much as you love me. Share that with everyone around.” 

What more do you want to see in that embodiment of love? But people still wanted proof. If Jesus came today, He would still be asked, “Prove to me you are the son of God.” In those days too, He was asked to prove how He was the son of God, even after turning water into wine. This is because the mind dwells on proof. The mind cannot understand Jesus, only the heart can feel the presence of Jesus. 

Spirit is eternal and beyond birth or death. Spirit is love beyond name and form. When you are truly in love with Jesus, you will see Jesus in every name, in every form, in every nook and corner of the planet and beyond.

Wishing all Merry Christmas!

Sarvajna - the Yogic Consciousness


Our consciousness is like a library. In a library, there are millions of books. The librarian holds all the books, but it is not necessary that he knows every book by heart. But he knows where what is and when it is needed, he can pick it up and use it. In the same way, though our consciousness is the abode of all the knowledge, it is not necessary to know everything all the time.

It is not possible to be in a physical body and to know everything. But when you are still, when your mind is in absolute stillness, and there is no craving and aversions, it is just free. Then you are like the librarian, who possesses all knowledge of the library and can access it when it is needed if it is needed.

A lawyer has all the books, but he doesn’t learn every word in all the books all the time. But when a particular case comes up, he knows which book to pick up and what to use. In the same way, our consciousness is an abode of all knowledge.

When you are so still and free from mental modulations, that is when you are a yogi. Then you can know the answer. That is why the still consciousness, yogic consciousness is called sarvajna. In that state of samadhi, the seed of all-knowingness is present in that consciousness.

Freedom from bondage is independence


The body is dependent on the whole creation. In society, somebody has to make clothes, produce electricity, drill for oil. The body cannot be independent of the world. For the body, dependency is absolute. Most people are not aware of their limitations and dependency. When the spirit identifies with the body, then it gets pinched and the desire for independence arises. Mind, intellect, ego — they all look for independence.

In looking for independence often you get stuck in the ego and become more miserable. Independence cannot be achieved unless you start moving from within. When you move within, you discover that you are interdependent. Individual self/soul/jeeva is interdependence and in fact every wise person knows that everything is interdependent and that there is nothing like independence.

On one level dependency is a harsh reality. On another level, it is an illusion because there is nothing else but the Self. It’s only when you don’t feel oneness, belongingness that you want independence. The Self being non-dual, there is no question of dependence or independence. One who asks for independence is a beggar. One who knows that it is an illusion is a King.

When the sense of belongingness is not well founded, then there is a volatile state in the life of a seeker. Then the ego finds some excuse to revert to smallness. It is not yet totally soaked in the totality of knowledge. As it is not used to it, the mind finds every little excuse to revert back to the ego and to be aloof and independent and separate and it would find any small fault and blow it out of proportion. Be aware of these tendencies and come what may, be strong in the commitment to Satsang, to the Path.

Freedom from bondage is independence. We should understand bondage. There are two types. One is a ‘raksha’ bandhan - a bondage of love. The other kind is that which makes us feel suffocated. That which suffocates, and stops growth, is bondage. India became free from foreign rule, and people thought we’re independent now. But slavery hasn’t ended now. Until we respect ourselves, our culture, our capabilities, we cannot consider ourselves independent. We must be financially, socially, intellectually independent. On top of all this, there is an inner independence.

The degree to which we feel happy and content within ourselves, to that extent we can call ourselves free. Only one with inner strength can call oneself free. Have we attained freedom from our negative emotions and thoughts like jealousy, hatred? We must ask ourselves this question: Are we free from our small mindedness? We get disturbed by such small things. Are we free from the small mindedness that doesn’t have compassion or love?

As India celebrated 75th Independence Day some time back, let us strive for inner freedom. We should endeavour to make our minds independent of cravings and aversions. Disliking someone is not independence. We are all interdependent. At one point we all wanted independence. Today we all must realise that we are dependent on each other. Now we have to fight for a different kind of freedom. Freedom from ignorance, from impurity, both inside and outside. We have to get rid of them.

Ignorance can be uprooted only with spiritual knowledge and literacy. Ignorance is a feeling of lack. To do away with lack, we need confidence. With confidence we can create wealth and improve productivity. Everyone should get active and do something creative. When we get rid of lack, ignorance and impurity, then we’re truly independent. Let us bring a wave of happiness in the country. Only then we can reap the benefits of independence.

Life runs with commitment

 

A river needs two bunks to flow. The difference between flood and a flowing river is that water flows regulated in a direction in a river. During floods the water is muddled and has no direction. Similarly, the energy in our life needs some direction to flow. If you don’t give direction, it is all confusion. Today most people are in confusion because there is no direction in life. When you are happy, there is so much of life energy in you; but when this life energy doesn’t know where to go, how to go, it gets stuck. When it stagnates, it rots! Just like the water has to keep flowing, in the same way, life has to keep moving. For life energy to move in a direction, commitment is essential.

Life runs with commitment. If you observe the small or big things in life, it moves with certain commitment. A student takes admission in a school or college with a commitment. You go to a doctor with a commitment saying that you are going to take the medication or listen to whatever the doctor says, The banks work on commitment. Government works on commitment. Needless to say, a family runs on commitment: mother is committed to the child, child is committed to the parents, husband is committed to wife, and wife is committed to husband. Whether it is in love or business or friendship or at work or any area of life you take, there is commitment. What would really irritate you is non-commitment. If you just observe, you expect some commitment from someone and when they don’t do it, you get upset. Or when someone doesn’t keep up his or her commitment, you get upset.

Commitment is essential in life. You cannot stand someone who does not commit, but see how much commitment have you taken in your life? In life, what you always want is more joy, more power and more energy. You want more, anything you are given, you want more – more money, more fame, more beauty, more joy, more pleasure. This “wanting something more” envelopes your mind and then you do not look at your capabilities. More will be given to you only if you utilize properly what you already have! This is a law in Nature. Why should nature give you more when you are stuck with your little mind? This tendency of wanting more is there in you; you only have to give a twist to it. Instead of “what more can I have”, just turn it around and start asking yourself “what more can I do?” Then you will see that there is joy. Nature of joy is to give because you are the source of joy!

Usually, we think we should have resource and then we will commit. The greater the commitment you take, the greater the resources will come to you automatically. You don’t have to sit and worry how you will get resources. When you have the intention to do something, resources simply flow when it is needed and how much it is needed. In doing what you can do, there is no growth. Stretching a little beyond your capacity will increase your capacity. In whatever capacity you do something for the society, for the environment, for the creation, that much you progress further both materially and spiritually, value wise. The heart opens up with a feeling that you are part of everyone.

The technique to get depressed is to sit and think only about yourself! If you just sit and think, “what about me, what will happen to me?” you will surely get depressed. The way to expand from individual to universal consciousness is to share other’s sorrow and joy. As you grow, your consciousness should also grow. When you expand in knowledge with time, then depression is not possible. Your innermost source is joy. The way to overcome personal misery is to share universal misery! The way to expand personal joy is to share universal joy. Instead of thinking “what about me?” “What can I gain from this world?” think “what can I do for the world?” When everyone comes from the point of contributing to society, you have a Divine Society. We have to educate and cultivate our individual consciousness in order to expand in time with knowledge to move from “what about me?” to “what can I contribute?”

A commitment can only be felt when it oversteps convenience. That which is convenient, you do not call it commitment. If you just go on your convenience, your commitment falls apart causing more inconvenience! If you keep dropping your commitment because it is inconvenient, can you be comfortable? Often, what is convenient does not bring comfort, but gives an illusion of comfort. Whatever you are committed to brings you strength. If you are committed to your family then your family supports you, if you are committed to your society, you enjoy the support of society. If you are committed to God, God gives you strength. If you are committed to truth, truth brings you strength. Often one is not aware of this idea and that is why one is hesitant to commit to a greater cause. Also there is a fear that commitment would weaken one or take away one’s freedom. To the wise, their commitment is their comfort. Whenever their commitment is shaken, their comfort is also shaken. To the lazy, commitment is torture though it is the best remedy! Your commitment to a cause is bound to bring you comfort in the long run.

Are there any commitments that can be given up? Yes, commitments made with shortsightedness can be given up because when you are committed without a vision, you feel stifled when your vision expands. When your commitment brings misery to many in the long run, it can be given up. Just like you run out of fuel in the car, and you have to refill it again and again, in the same way your dedication and commitment runs out in the course of time, and it needs constant renewal. Commitment in life grows toward a higher cause. The higher the commitment, the greater is the good for all.

What it means to be natural

 

Being natural means accepting yourself, others and everything around you as it is. Not as a burden but with a sense of understanding that this is how it is. When you think or feel that this shouldn’t be like this or this should have been like that, then you come in touch with your boundaries – the boundaries of not being natural and comfortable.

Every time you are unhappy or miserable, you are just coming in touch with your own boundaries! Boundary is the real cause of your disturbance as it brings limitation. Have you observed that you are peaceful, happy and calm as long as you have not come in contact with your boundaries? The moment you come in contact with it, then the mind goes on a trip and you move out of your centre. 

At that moment when you move away from your centre, you can just be grateful and pray for peace within. Just turn the whole situation into a prayer. Pray that there be peace, not just in you but in everybody. That very moment you will start smiling. However hopeless the situation is, you will walk through it, sing through it, dance through it. This is love – this is natural.

Whenever a boundary is broken, it creates some fear. The fear creates dislike. This dislike puts you back in the boundary. And to keep yourselves in the boundary you put forth defenses. When you try to defend your position, it is such a stress. Every time you try to defend your position, it makes you more and weaker. Drop all your defenses. When you are totally defenseless, that’s when you’ll be strong.

Your knowledge of a mistake comes to you when you are innocent. Whatever mistake has happened, do not consider yourself a sinner because in the present moment you are again new, pure and clear. Mistakes of the past are past. When this knowledge comes, you are again perfect. Learn and unlearn from the past and move on with creative zeal and enthusiasm. The trying time brings out the best out of you. The rewarding time gives the best of the world to you. Life is a combination of both.

Often, mothers become angry and scold their children. Afterwards they feel so guilty. Anger is the cause of lack of awareness! Knowledge of the self, truth and skills can bring out the best in you. So, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but not the same mistakes. You have got to be innovative even in your mistakes! Perfection is taking total responsibility, and total responsibility means knowing that you are the only responsible person in the whole world. When you think that others are responsible, then your degree of responsibility diminishes.

When you are in total vairagya (dispassion), you can take care of even insignificant things with such perfection. Perfection is the very nature of the enlightened one. When we are joyful, we don’t look for perfection. If you are looking for perfection then you are not at the source of joy. Joy is the realisation that there is no vacation from wisdom. The world appears imperfect on the surface but, underneath, all is perfect. Perfection hides; imperfection shows off.

Ego dissolves in love

 

Ego is simply being unnatural, pretension, showing something that you are not. It always needs someone else to appreciate and recognise you. Ego is something like: “I am intelligent, I like this, I don’t like that, I am ugly, I am beautiful etc.”

The reason we have ego is because it is necessary for our growth in life. Ego should be there when there is challenge and creativity. In success, drop your ego but in failure, hold on to it. When you think you are failing, the ego says, come on what is this, nothing can touch me.

The “I” or ego is a tiny atom. It causes heaviness and discomfort. When this atom, the ego, identifies with the body, it becomes miserable. But when it is associated with the spirit, the self, it becomes divine. It becomes shakti (energy).

In a huge atomic reactor, it is just one atom that has exploded. In the same way, in our whole body, there is just one atom of “I.” And when this “I” explodes, it becomes the light of the Self. In Giridhari (Krishna’s name), Giri means mountain, which is ego. Ego is like a stone. It is not hollow and empty, it is solid.

And Giridhari lifted the whole mountain with his little finger. This means that even though the ego is like a mountain but with a little bit of love, you can lift it. Everyone is made up of love. Knowledge is an aid to develop this innermost state in you. A seed has a shell over it and when you soak it in water, it sprouts and the covering drops. In a similar manner, ego is a necessary unnaturalness that develops in you.

Knowledge uncovers the shell over you and makes you like a child again – natural, simple and innocent. If you find you have a big ego, don’t try to destroy it because that effort will only increase it. The antidote for ego is just being natural like a child. So, be in unconditional love and then ego automatically disappears.

Meditation is the art of doing nothing

 

To be more dynamic, we must first be free from all activity - whether we do those actions as per our wish while awake or while we are still asleep while sleeping. Meditation is the state of doing nothing. Meditation is a state of complete relaxation, free from the remembrance of the past, the plans for the future. We all want a deep relaxation that refreshes us, so that we can be useful when we wake up. But when can you rest? Only when you have stopped all other activities.

When you stop all voluntary activities like moving around, working, thinking, talking, seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting etc., then only you get rest or sleep. In sleep, only involuntary activities remain with you, such as breathing, heart beating, digestion and blood circulation etc. But this is also not complete relaxation. Complete relaxation occurs only in meditation. And meditation happens only when the mind becomes still. 

How to stabilize this mind? By understanding the purpose of life and being clearly focused. To be centered means to be content in every moment, to be neutral. Even if you get what you want, you remain anxious and even if you do not get it, you remain anxious! Every desire generates fever in the mind. In this situation there may be no attention.

True liberation is to be free from the past and the future. If you go to sleep with some desire, mental agitation or disturbance, you cannot sleep deeply. The more you are restless, the more difficult it becomes for you to sleep. If you drop everything before sleeping, then only you will be able to rest. Similarly, when you want to sit for meditation, drop everything. Whatever joy you experience in life comes from the depths of your innermost self. It comes only when you let go of all your hold and become stable. That is meditation. Actually meditation is not an action; It is the art of doing nothing.

The relaxation of meditation is deeper than the deepest sleep, because in meditation you become free from all desires. When you come out of deep meditation, then you are very moving and can do better. The deeper your relaxation, the more dynamic your actions will be.

Meditation is to get rid of all the anger or tension of past and past events and to give up all future plans and desires. Planning prevents you from taking a deep dive inside yourself. Meditation is to fully accept the moment and live each moment to the fullest. Only an understanding of this and a few days of continuous meditation practice can change the quality of your life.

Prakriti is the best example of the three states of life consciousness – waking, sleeping and dreaming. Nature sleeps, wakes up and dreams! In existence it is happening on a fantastic level and in the human body on a different level. Awakening and sleeping are like sunrise and darkness. The dream state is like a dusk between them and meditation is like a flight into space, where there is no sunrise, no sunset, nothing. Meditation is the means to be free from all desires, and thus the way to approach God.

Peace is the nature of our spirit

 

There are usually two sides to a civil conflict and no matter who strikes first, eventually both sides are wounded. Conflict arises in the first place because both sides stick to their stand, yet to resolve the issue, both need to be made to rise above and look at the larger picture. Breakdown of communication is a major cause in escalating the dispute and thus, dialogue is an important tool in resolving it.

When I visited Latin America in June 2015, we sent a message to meet with the leaders of the Colombian rebel group FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). They responded positively and we had a very fruitful meeting in Cuba. The armed conflict between the Colombian government and FARC has been going on for five decades, claiming more than 220,000 lives and displacing over 7 million people. Though they engage in violent acts on the outside, yet inside every culprit, there is a victim crying for help. When the victim is healed, the culprit disappears. I told them that I understood their plight but non-violence was the only way towards social justice. They adopted the Gandhian way immediately and soon declared a unilateral ceasefire. The government also reciprocated with a ceasefire a few days later.

People who take to violent means due to a sense of injustice, can be engaged in dialogue if approached the right way. From their perspective, they are fighting for a cause out of righteousness. In a way, their passion, commitment and the spirit of sacrifice is commendable. When outer dynamism, which they have in abundance, is complemented with inner peace, they can prove to be a boon to the society. Many of our free tribal schools in terrorist-affected regions are being run by former extremists. In fact, in the beginning, they threatened our volunteers to close them down. But when they saw that these efforts were benefiting their own communities, they became volunteers themselves.

Yet terrorism arising out of religious fanaticism is very different. It is blinded by a doctrine that is not open to any discussion or dialogue. For them, people who disagree with their scripture or think differently have no right to even exist. On my visit to Iraq in November 2014, I offered to have a dialogue with the Islamic State group; they responded with a death threat! If even a small part of the world lives in such darkness, the world cannot be a safe place. So far, the horrible atrocities that they were committing were limited to the region under their influence but the mass exodus of millions of refugees that they have now caused affects the whole world.

If the neighbor’s house is on fire, it is only a matter of time before the fire reaches your own doorstep. To prevent the spread of this fanatical mindset, religious leaders can play a big role in imparting a multi-religious education and an education in peace. There is a need to bring a shift from the idea of “sole ownership of heaven” to an ideology of “many paths to One Goal”. Honoring diversity as an essential characteristic of our planet can help us move from merely being tolerant of our differences to celebrating them.

Turbulence is a part of this world whereas making peace is the nature of our spirit. If with a strong resolve and skill, we are able to remain centered in peace, it does not remain limited to just us, it begins to calm down the turbulence around us as well. Let us resolve to be established in peace inside and be dynamic in action to bring it to the world outside.

Qualities of a Great Teacher

 

The guru or the teacher always wishes for the student to win. And a good student wishes for the victory of the teacher. This is a very strange and unique idea about the teacher-student or guru-shishya relationship in India. The student knows that if his/her small mind wins, it is going to be miserable but if the teacher wins, it is the victory of the big mind, victory of knowledge which will only bring good and joy for everyone. So the student wishes for the victory of the big mind or guru. It is healthy because if the student feels that he knows more than the teacher, that would mean the learning has stopped and that his arrogance has killed the wisdom.

Another quality that a good teacher needs to have is lots of patience. A student may be a slow learner but the teacher’s patience can turn the student around. Parents may have to deal with only one or two children but teachers have many more in their classrooms. The situation is more testing and stressful. To handle it, you need to be centered. You have to set an example because children watch you carefully. They learn only half of the values from their parents and the rest are from their teachers. They observe everything you say and do. They observe when you are calm and composed, and when you are tensed and angry.

Teachers should understand where the student is coming from and how to guide them step by step. For example, Lord Krishna was such a good teacher. He took Arjuna step by step to the final destination. Arjuna was initially very confused. When a student is growing, he goes through a lot of confusion because his concepts are breaking apart. You first learn that the sun rises from the east. Then later, you are taught about the planets and their movements. So your concepts break. A good teacher knows this and guides the student through this confusion. And sometimes create confusion too when it is needed.

Be loving and strict at the same time. You find teachers who are very loving and teachers who are only strict. It is rather a delicate combination – firmness coupled with love. Some children are rebellious. They need more physical contact, more encouragement and more pats on the back. They need to be made to feel that they are loved, that you really care for them and that they belong. On the other hand, with children who are very timid and shy you can use a little firmness to help them stand up and speak out. You can be a little tough with them and, at the same time, you can be loving. Often the reverse is done. Teachers are strict with rebellious children and liberal with shy ones. Then that behavior pattern stays. You need to be tough and sweet both, otherwise you won’t be able to guide the student to where you want to take them.

Educating a child should be holistic and not just a process of stuffing their heads with information. Just coming to class and learning a few lessons is not really the education that a child needs. We have to see to the total development of the body and the mind because they are linked. Human values like sense of belongingness, sharing, loving and caring, non-violence need to be cultured for the sake of the mind and the body. These principles are the basis on which you can start building your idea of human values.

On Diwali

 

Diwali is the commemoration of the light of wisdom in our lives.

Lamps are lit on this day not just to decorate homes, but also to communicate this profound truth of life. Light the lamp of wisdom and love in every heart and bring a radiant smile on every face. 

Diwali is also called Deepavali, which literally means rows of lights. Life has many facets and stages to it, and it is important that you throw light on each of them, for life to be fully expressed. The rows of lights remind you that every aspect of life needs your attention and the light of knowledge.

Every human being has some good qualities. And every lamp that you light is symbolic of this. Some people have forbearance, some have love, strength, generosity, while others have the ability to unite people. The latent values in you are like a lamp. 

Don’t be satisfied with lighting just one lamp; light a thousand! You need to light many lights to dispel the darkness of ignorance. By lighting the lamp of wisdom in yourself and acquiring knowledge, you awaken all facets of your being. When they are lit and awakened, it is Diwali.

Happy Diwali!

Dhanvantari Day

 

Today is celebrated as Dhanvantari Day where the fraternity of Ayurveda honours the founder of Ayurveda.

This ancient science of Ayurveda is time tested and has proved time and again that it has no side effects!

It’s time that the world community recognises Ayurveda and brings the goodness of it to the people of the world!

Highest form of forgiveness

 

A restless businessman once came into Buddha’s assembly, walked straight to him and spat at Buddha. He was furious that his children who could have spent their time earning money, sat with Buddha instead, with their eyes closed. Buddha merely smiled at him. There was no word, no reaction. The man walked away in a huff, shocked. He could not sleep all night. For the first time in his life, he met someone who smiled when he was spat at. His whole world had turned upside down.

The next day he went back to Buddha, fell at his feet and said, “Please forgive me! I didn’t know what I did.” But Buddha said, “No! I cannot excuse you!” Everyone in his assembly was taken aback! Buddha said, “Why should I forgive you when you have done nothing wrong?”

The businessman reminded him of what he did on the previous day. Buddha simply replied, “Oh that person is not here now. If I ever meet the person you spat on, I’ll tell him to excuse you. To this person here, you’ve not done any wrong.”

Compassion is not saying, “I forgive you.” Your forgiveness should be such that the person who is forgiven, does not even know that you are forgiving them. They should not even feel guilty about their mistake. This is real compassion.

Tradition of seeking forgiveness

Each year during this time, many cultures around the world celebrate a day of forgiveness, a day when you ask people around you, those you know and those you don’t, to forgive you. The Jewish community celebrates Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, while the Jain community in India celebrate Kshamavani, a beautiful tradition where each person greets the other with Michhami Dukkadam which means seeking forgiveness for deeds or words spoken that may have hurt someone consciously or subconsciously.

It’s a beautiful tradition to not harbour hatred towards anyone.  Even Muhammad Ghori who waged many wars against India was forgiven when he asked for forgiveness. Today, there is so much hatred, tension, and violence in the world. There is domestic violence at home, violence between communities, and conflicts between countries. In such a world, observing a day of forgiveness is of great significance.

If everyone in the world could practice forgiveness—both asking and giving—many of the world’s conflicts could be solved. Many of the conflicts in families, and in relationships would be solved.

Is it easy to forgive?

Forgiving is easy when you look at the bigger context. When you see from a wider perspective, you see that a culprit is also a victim. When you see that victim inside the culprit, you don’t need to forgive, forgiveness happens. In fact, compassion spontaneously arises in your heart.

Forgiving someone shows one’s compassion. Asking for forgiveness shows that you recognise your mistakes, and that you resolve not to repeat them in the future.

Why make mistakes at all?

Mistakes happen due to lack of understanding, wrong education, wrong indoctrination, emotional outbursts as we don’t know how to control our rage, anger and frustrations. When uncontrolled emotions spring into action, it becomes a mistake.

It is wisdom which checks these uncontrolled emotions; wisdom which makes you think before you act. People commit mistakes because of lack of wisdom, lack of happiness or lack of the inner connection with the divine. Someone who is happy, content and in love will not harm anyone. It’s impossible. If someone harms another, it is because there is a deep wound or scar inside of them which needs to be healed.

The highest form of forgiveness is to realise that the other committed a mistake out of ignorance and having a sense of compassion for them. Forgiving others with a sense of compassion is the best form of forgiveness.

Astonishment is the basis of spiritual opening

 

If you are amazed, astonished, wonderstruck, just close your eyes with a smile and stay in wonder! Astonishment is the basis of spiritual opening. It’s amazing how this creation is so full of astonishing things around. But we take things for granted. And that’s when the thought of inertia dawns and dullness comes along; tamas sets in, inactivity happens, and ignorance takes up residence.

Whereas a sense of astonishment brings wakefulness. A miracle shocks you; the shock is the wakefulness. And when we are awakened, we see the whole creation is full of miracles. The entire creation is to be astounded by, wondered upon, because it is all a display of one consciousness. Same consciousness burns as a lamp, as light, and takes oxygen. What is the difference between light and life? A light as a lamp needs oxygen to burn, so does life. If you are put in a glass cage, the life in you will be put off. Similarly, if you cover a lamp with glass, it will burn so long as there is oxygen; otherwise, it too will put off.

Our little brain is programmed to understand one language, two languages or a few more languages. And we think that all the understanding, all the knowledge can be captured in this little brain of ours. We think we can reason out, we can find logic, we can understand all that exists; but this feeling: “I know it all” can keep us in a little shell of dullness. “I don’t know” creates wakefulness because you need to know you don't know, in order to know. You need to be awakened. What is this “I don’t know”? This “I don’t know” is the key to progress in knowledge.

Let us get astonished at the union. Wonder is the preface for union. And when you are united, you wonder at everything. You walk around, look at a flower, and wonder, Wow! How is this flower so intelligent? Recognize the intelligence in every petal, in every leaf, in every little human being that walks around you. Look at every human being, they have their own mind, it looks through eyes, the consciousness speaks through the mouth, responds to you or it doesn’t respond to you many times.

The prana, the life force, is present in everything, in every object. There is nothing inanimate on this planet. All the present, past, future, its time scale is within the purview of consciousness. Consciousness is beyond time and space. So, if you are amazed, astonished, wonderstruck, just close your eyes with a smile and stay in wonder.

God is felt in the depth of your heart

 

What is God? What is not God? What is the definition of God, if there is one? The moment you define by a word, you already have a concept about it. What do you think is God?

You describe it as that which is everywhere; which is all-powerful; which is responsible for this creation, for its maintenance, and for its dissolution; which is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient.

You say “I want to see God” and when you want to see God as something, as an object, then it’s not everywhere. The moment you see God, there is a distance between you and God; then you are not God. You want to see God, and this wanting to see God as separate from you is again an illusion; and if you are seeing God, then God is not omnipresent!

Like love is felt in the heart, so is God’s presence. You cannot see air, but you simply feel the air. You cannot see heat or cold, but you just feel it. So in the same way God cannot be seen.

If you see God, then He is outside there, He is away from you and isolated. God is never an object of isolation. God is the sum total. When you dissolve, God remains. When you are there, there is no God. Either you can be there, or God can be there, not both. So when you meditate, you become one with God. You are God. That is why, it is said, tat tvam asi, meaning, “Thou art that”.

So, God is to be felt in the depth of your heart. In deep meditation when your mind is still, calm, hollow and empty, you suddenly feel, “I am not there. There is only one big existence.” So, don’t worry about God. First know yourself then you also know what is God, almost simultaneously.

Who are you? Do you know about yourself? Just find out about yourself first. If you think you are just the body, it is not possible, because body has its limitations. If you think you are the mind, that’s also not possible because mind has its limitations. If you think you are the mind, that’s also not possible because mind has its limitation, it’s another layer.

If you know that you are silence or you are space, then it is possible; God is also space. Space is God. Can you see space separately? There are three types of space: bhootha aakash — outer space in which all this universe is hanging; chitta aakash — in your mind, there is a world with impressions, thoughts, dreams; you live in that world, all the visions come in your mind; and chida aakash — it’s the sky of consciousness that is all permeating, the basis of all creation, that is divine, that knows all.

Lord Rama himself had asked a question once. He was curious to see so much love, devotion and dedication in Hanuman that he wondered and asked Hanuman what it felt like being Hanuman? Hanuman told Rama — “When I am in body consciousness, I am your servant; when I think I am an individual — I am in soul consciousness, I am a part of you; and when I am in my being consciousness, when I am in myself then I am you; there is no difference between me and you.” It’s the same when somebody blames your child; you take the blame don’t you? There is so much oneness; in fact, there is really nothing other than God. God is that which is present everywhere, all the time.

Don’t worry too much about philosophy or descriptions of atma (self) — parmatma (God). Let’s forget about God and observe this moment; this moment has a mind of its own. The whole existence has a mind of its own. Like you have a mind and it has such intelligence, that’s why it keeps everything orderly. Similarly, this moment is seen by this mind. This mind you can call it God and that is what you are. Yesterday is not here right now, tomorrow is not here but the present is here, now!

Respect this moment, adore this moment. See, this moment is not flat; it’s very deep. When you accept from the head, you can have the horizontal idea; from the heart you experience the depth; and both together bring true wisdom and knowledge.

Journey from form to formless

 

The word anatha in Sanskrit means one without a master. An acharya (teacher) gives shiksha, which means knowledge; a guru gives deeksha which means heightened awareness. The Guru makes the abstract more real and what you think to be solid appears to be more unreal. Sensitivity and subtlety dawn. Perception of love, not as an emotion, but as the substratum of existence becomes evident. The formless spirit shines through every form in creation and the mystery of life deepens. Then the real journey of life with the guru begins. This journey has four stages.

The first stage is swarupya - to see the formless in the form - that is seeing God in all the forms. Often, one feels more comfortable seeing God as formless rather than with a form, because with a form, one feels a distance, a duality, a fear of rejection and other limitations. In life, all our interactions are with the form, other than in deep sleep and in samadhi. And, if we do not see God in the form, then the waking part of life remains devoid of the Divine.

The second stage is samipya - closeness - that is feeling absolutely close to the form one has chosen and reaching out to the formless. This leads to a sense of intimacy with the whole of creation. In this stage, one overcomes the fear of rejection and other fears. But this is time and space bound.

The third stage is sanidhya, that is feeling the presence of the Divine by which you transcend the limitations of time and space. 

The final stage is sayujya, where one is firmly entrenched with the Divine. It is then that one realises that we are one with the Divine. There is a total merging with the beloved and all duality disappears.

In the Upanishads five signs of a satguru are mentioned. In the presence of a satguru, knowledge flourishes, sorrow diminishes, joy wells up without any reason, abundance dawns and all talents manifest.

A guru does not simply stuff the disciple with knowledge; he kindles the life force in the person. In the presence of the guru, one becomes more alive. The pinnacle of intellect is awakened intelligence. The guru invokes not only intelligence but also intellect. Knowledge may not invoke intelligence, but in intelligence, knowledge is inherent.

As no sanchita karma is left in an embodied guru, the self shines through. But all the qualities that we appreciate in a guru are also in our very nature. Respecting the guru simply means honouring our innermost nature.

Keys to build strong friendships

 

Not demanding anything from friends, and telling them I’m here to support you is the key. Just believe in one thing: what you need you will get. The giver is somebody else, so don’t demand love. When you demand love you are destroying love. So you should never demand love or attention from people. If you are there only to give love and attention, then anyone will feel comfortable with you. But if you are expecting something then you are putting people in a very uncomfortable position. You can’t say this to everybody, but intelligent people who understand this can make their way.

Tell your friends, ‘I’m here for you’, I don’t want anything from you other than friendship. That will make your friendship long-lasting. When you come from that space, you think your friend will not help you? They will help you when you need help. Not one but ten will come to help you. Also when you do something good for them, don’t keep on talking about it. Don’t keep reminding them of it. How do you feel when someone helps you and keeps on telling you about it all the time? You feel nauseated, isn’t it? You want to get away from them. Nobody wants to be under obligation, so don’t make people feel obligated.

Don’t make people feel small. Suppose you have done a lot of good to somebody, then sometimes ask them for something, a little help like taking you to the railway station or airport. Some small things, so that you maintain the self-respect of the other person as well. There are people who do a lot of charity but they rob the other person of self-respect. That is no good.

One gentleman came to me and said, “I have not taken a dime from anybody, I have only given to all my brothers and friends. I have done so much but nobody wants to be with me, nobody wants to meet up with me, nobody wants to talk to me. This is strange, I never wanted anything from anybody.”
I asked him, ‘Did you anytime ask them to do something for you?’
He replied, ‘Never, and I asserted that I wanted nothing from anybody’.
What happened? He put down the self-respect of people. When the self-respect is in danger, nobody wants to be with that person.

Friendship has two things. You may feel it is very confusing. On one hand, I am saying I don’t want anything from them, and on the other hand, I am telling you to ask them for something to keep their self-respect intact. That is the skill. These are completely two opposite positions. Keeping the self-respect of the other person is number one and second, not demanding anything from them.

Just keep these two things in your mind - firmness with humility. Do not assert your own ego by saying you have never taken anything from anybody or don’t want anything from anybody. It may be true, but you should not come out like that. So, first firmness, then humility.

What is humility? Saying, “Oh, I am so humble”, is not humility. Dignity with cordiality is. Many people who are very dignified keep aloof. They are not warm and cordial. People who are warm and cordial, don’t have dignity. They just look so mushy and wiggly, like noodles. Just imagine noodles all joined together, you can’t even take it in a fork, it’s like paste. That is of no use. Noodle is a good example. They are soft, yet separate, not mushy nor hard. That middle path, cordiality with dignity, this is the secret of friendship.

Whenever a person is down, uplift him or her. When you go to a true friend with a problem you feel lighter when you walk away from them that is a good company. However, if you have a problem and you go to a friend but you come away with your problem appearing much bigger than you ever thought, then that is not a good friend.

Humour makes you invincible

 

Humour is the buffer that saves you from humiliation.

If you have a good sense of humour you can never be humiliated. And if you refuse to be humiliated you become invincible.

Highest bliss is available only with the Divine

 

The Divine has given you all the small pleasures in the world, but has kept the bliss to Himself. To get the highest bliss you have to go to Him and Him alone.

Don't be too smart with the Divine and try to fool Him. Most of your prayers and rituals are just attempts to trick the Divine. You try to give the least and get the maximum out of the Divine and He knows. He's an astute businessman; He will trick you even more. If you go underneath the carpet, He will go underneath the floor.

Be sincere in your attempts. Do not try to outsmart the Divine. Once you get the bliss, then everything else is joyful. Without the bliss, joy in anything in the world will not stay.

Success in failure

 

Everyone wants to be successful in his/her examination. But what is success? It is having strength, having an unshakable smile that nobody can take away, and having such courage that does not diminish in the face of adversity.

In exams, some may get very good results and some others may not. It is natural to feel bad when one fails. There is tension, fear and worry about the future. But look at life from a broader perspective. Consider this life as a bigger examination than the one you have been through. Do not think that passing or failing in exams determines your entire life’s direction.

Some disheartened students commit suicide when they fail. No one should commit suicide. Do not become a victim of stress. This life is very precious. In life you have to accept failures and success. There is no control over the fruit of action.

Everyone who fails in an exam is not a fool and everyone who passes an exam is not necessarily intelligent. My request to parents is to encourage children even if they fail and to ensure that they come out of their depression. Parents must make them understand that life is beyond this exam.

When faced with difficult times, invoke the valour in you and tackle the challenge with confidence. Practices such as yoga, meditation will help tremendously. Have faith that you are supported by nature. And you will succeed.

Life is a mixture of everything; failure and success complement each other. If you fail, then you know the value of success. It is a stepping stone. You need to move forward; ask yourself, what did I learn from the past, and then what is my vision for the future? If you fail 10 times, you will be successful the 11th time. Remember as a child how many times you have fallen before you could stand up on your legs?

Tell yourself now, “Whatever happens, I will never go down. God will always hold my hand.” This much is enough to pull you up.

What is the need for peace

 

A journalist asked me, why peace? If there is no peace, there is no prosperity.

What is the purpose of prosperity? To have peace! What is the use of having a nice bed if you’re unable to sleep? When you’re mentally disturbed does food taste good? If there’s no peace inside, you don’t enjoy anything in the world. My dream is to see a society free from violence.

A violence free society, a disease free body, confusion free mind, inhibition free intellect, trauma free memory and sorrow free soul is the birth right of every individual. The Art of Living is committed to achieve this. To make everyone’s life a celebration.

Path to peace

 

Peace is not something that can be bought from the marketplace or achieved solely by high-level policies.

It has to be nurtured within.

Inner peace is the basis for building peace in families, communities and the planet.

#Istandforpeace

Letting go of the fruit of action is the way to attain the fruit

 

How to be centered when there is a doubt or conflict? In Narada Bhakti Sutras, Narada says, “Karmanyapi Sanyasyati” - take a break, not just from activity, but also from the fruit of the activity.

You can take a break from the fruit of the action when you let go of the result and become totally centered in the action itself. It will bring deep rest from doubts and conflicts in the mind. One who is not concerned about the outcome, is centered in the action itself and reposes in the Self, goes beyond the dualities, beyond conflicts.

This doesn’t mean that you should stop acting. One who is wise, who has attained knowledge, and experienced divine love, is beyond all actions yet he continues to engage himself in action. You can transcend only what you have gone through. You can let go only what you have. So to let go of the fruit of the action. You need to have the fruit and to have the fruit, you need to act! This is so beautiful.

Sri Krishna used the fruit of the action to motivate Arjuna to fight. He told Arjuna that if you die in the battle, you will attain heaven and if you win, you will rule the world. When you have laziness, you need motivation to do something and the expected fruit of action acts as the motivating factor. But once you start acting, let go of the expected result. Just focus on the work in hand.

Let your actions be expressions of joy


Behind every action, there is always a motivation to get a specific result. When you do every action with an eye on the end result or on any specific goal, the expectation of the result affects the process of your action. But when you perform some actions as an expression of joy and are not bothered about the result, you will not be lost in the means.

When you do some actions expecting joy out of them, it makes the action inferior. For example, you want to spread happiness, but if you are keen on finding out whether the other person has become happy or not, you get entangled in their vicious circle and you lose your happiness in the process. Or suppose, you want to take up a project, but you start it by worrying whether it will happen or not, then your whole enthusiasm for the project gets dampened.

The concern about the outcome of your action is what pulls you down and dampens your enthusiasm. So when you are aware of your potential, just jump into the action you want to do without bothering about the result.

Benefits of yoga

 

The benefits of yoga are multi-fold. The first is that it improves your health. Yoga provides us tools and techniques to lead a stress-free and tension-free life. Yoga is also the greatest wealth of humankind. What is wealth? The purpose of wealth is to bring happiness and comfort. Yoga is wealth in the sense that it brings absolute comfort.

A violence-free society, disease-free body, confusion-free mind, inhibition-free intellect, trauma-free memory, and a sorrow-free soul is the birth-right of every individual. Parliaments all over the world are striving to achieve this goal of human existence – happiness! We all want happiness for our people and yoga is a way for that much-needed happiness factor in life. We think yoga is some sort of exercise.

In the ’80s and ’90s, when I would tour the world, yoga was not easily accepted in mainstream society. Today, I am glad that there is an awakening and people have recognised the importance of yoga. The world over, yoga has become synonymous with relaxation, happiness and creativity. Even big companies in their advertisements put people sitting in a yoga position or in meditation pose to depict inner peace. Whether we like it or not, we are all born yogis. You do not need a yoga teacher if you observe a baby. Any baby in the world, from the age of three months to the age of three years, does all the yoga postures. The breathing, the way they sleep, the way they smile, everything is yoga. A baby is a yoga teacher, a yogi. That is how a baby is stress free, there is happiness – it smiles 400 times in a day.

Another important benefit of yoga is that it changes the behaviour of a person because behaviour depends on the stress level in a person. It creates a friendly disposition and a very pleasant atmosphere in people. Yoga helps to improve our vibes. We convey a lot through our presence, even more than our words. Speaking in terms of quantum mechanics, we are all emitting vibes or wavelengths. When communication breaks down, we often say, “Our wavelengths don’t match” because our ability to communicate depends on our ability to receive communication from others. Here, yoga helps us to have that clear mind.

Yoga also helps in developing skills within oneself. The propounder of yoga, Lord Krishna has said in the Bhagwad Gita: “Yoga is skill in action”. Yoga is not just an exercise, it is how skillfully you can communicate and act in any given situation. Innovation, intuition, skills, and better communication: all these are effects of yoga. Yoga always promotes harmony in diversity. The word yoga itself means uniting; uniting all diverse aspects of existence, of life. Now, whether someone is a businessman or a public figure or a private individual, we want peace, we want to smile, to be happy. Happiness is only possible when we look into the root cause of unhappiness. Unhappiness is due to lack of vision, stress and tension. The world has been talking a lot about GDH. From GDP, we are moving towards Gross Domestic Happiness (GDH). Here is something that can aid that and be a very useful tool. A large percentage of our population today is suffering from depression. Just popping a Prozac or anti-depressants will not help. We need something that is natural, as natural as our breath, that we can use and elevate our spirit.

The purpose of yoga is to put a smile on your face in spite of all the stress, tension and situations we face in our day-to-day life.


Karma and reincarnation

 

Reincarnation is coming again into the body. Our mind is energy and, by the law of thermodynamics, energy cannot be destroyed. So, what happens to this energy when someone dies?

Death is almost like sleep. If you understand sleep, you’ll understand death also. While sleeping, the whole consciousness, attention, mind shrinks and one is shut off from outward experiences and moves inward into a void. When you wake up in the morning, the same energy, the same consciousness starts expanding and you wake up. If you carefully observe the mechanism, the last thought that you get just before falling asleep becomes the first thought when you wake up. This gives you a clue to reincarnation.

The mind that is full of different impressions leaves the body. But the impressions remain with the mind and wait for a proper situation for the same mind to come down. So it is the last thought that is more important. If you are happy the last moment before you leave the body, then you get a better body the next time. Karma is that which propels reincarnation. Stronger the impression, the nature of next life could be that, predicted by that.

You might have heard of a tradition in many countries where people would name their grandsons or great-grandsons the same name as that of the grandfather. And you will find in many cases that the grandchildren behave in the same way as the grandfather, even though they are born several decades apart.

This is because when someone dies, the strongest impression in their mind is of their children or grandchildren. This strong impression creates such a karma. So, often you become like the person you hate, and you also become like the person you love. This is because love and hate are the same, one standing upside down. Distortion of love is hate. And the way to get beyond love and hate is through knowledge, through awareness. That something, which is beyond hate, is true love.

Guru Purnima celebrates love and devotion

 

What is the significance of Guru Purnima? Guru Purnima is called the day of the Master. Actually, it is the day of the devotee. 

As a student you probably went to primary, middle and senior school. You collected information; you learned about the mind, about computers, mathematics, how two plus one is three. A student collects information. Information, however, is not knowledge; it is not wisdom.

Then there is the disciple who follows the example of the Master. But a disciple is with the Master to imbibe wisdom to help improve his life, for the sake of attaining enlightenment. He has a purpose, a cause, so he is not just collecting information. He goes a little deeper. He is trying to bring about transformation in his life. He wants to make sense of his life. That is a disciple. A disciple is still centered on himself, so he grows gradually and one day might get enlightened.

Then, there is the devotee. A devotee is not there for wisdom only. He is simply rejoicing in love. He has fallen deeply in love with the Master, with Infinity, with God. He doesn’t care as to whether he gets enlightened or not. He doesn’t care as to whether he acquires a lot of wisdom or not because every moment he is immersed in divine love: That is enough for him. A devotee is difficult to find. Students, there are in abundance, disciples are a few, but devotees are rare.

Everything is God, who is present in everything, so it is great to become a devotee. Do you see this? Everything, whether you want it or not, is already God, but when love and devotion has flowered in you totally, you become a devotee. Attraction is everywhere, love is somewhere, but devotion is rare. Devotion is beautiful. A student comes to the Master with tears in his eyes. There is so much pain and when he leaves, he is carrying the same tears, but the quality of the tears is different, they are of gratitude, of love. Entire creation is longing for only one thing, the transformation from salty tears to sweet tears.

The Buddha’s disciple Sariputra, got enlightened. The Buddha told him, “Now go ahead, go into the world and preach, teach and do the same work I do. Carry on my work”. Now Sariputra left, but he was crying and people asked him, “Why are you crying when you are enlightened?” He said, “Who cares about enlightenment, it could have waited, I would have waited. I didn’t even bother about it or ask for it because the joy of being at the feet of the Buddha was so great. Being a devotee was so great, now I am missing it. I would have preferred that to enlightenment”.

When Krishna was leaving his body, he spoke to his friend Uddhava with tears in his eyes. “These Gopis are so beautiful and I cannot bear the amount of devotion they have for me. Go and tell my devotees that only they can free me of their gratitude and of their love”. He rejoices, “Go tell them that where my devotees sing, I am right there”. Love is something that even the Divine rejoices in. Infinity longs for you as much as you long for it. It is waiting to receive you. God is as anxious as you are to be close. So when a devotee flowers on this planet, God is happy. That is why Guru Purnima is the day of the devotee.

Understanding Ahimsa

 

There is a beautiful sutra mentioned in Patanjali Yoga Sutras that says, Jatidesha kalasamayanavachchinnaha sarvabhouma mahavratam meaning ‘the great vows are universal and are not limited by life, state, country, time or circumstances’.

These words are applicable everywhere, all the time and to everyone. The sutra mentioned above is universal. An animal does not go into violence for no reason. Wild animals hunt only when they are hungry and when they want to eat. Humans hunt out of pleasure. Human beings have no qualms about killing in the name of God. Mindless violence is prevalent in the world in the name of country, in the name of religion, in the name of race. This is total lack of viveka or wisdom. A violent person cannot listen to anybody.

Why does violence arise? Frustration is the answer. The mind gets frustrated and frustration builds up. The question ‘why, why, why?’ transforms into violence and becomes contagious, so to speak. A crowd commits violence. Individually, a person may not be able to do that violent act, but when that person is in the crowd he joins hands. Viveka is when a person takes to non-violence saying, “I will not kill any animal or any life on this planet consciously or unconsciously.” Already without your knowledge you are destroying many creatures. You walk and many ants are dying under your feet. You are not killing anyone. It is just happening. But an intention to destroy something, an intention to do violence can destroy your very basis, your very root. Dropping this intention for violence is ahimsa.

What is the effect of ahimsa? Patanjali Maharishi gives a beautiful explanation in Sutra 35: Ahimsapratishtayam tatsannidhau vairatyagaha, which means “When a person is established in non-violence, then violence is dropped in his or her presence.”

If you are established in non-violence, in your very presence, violence will be dropped by other creatures. For example, someone comes to attack you. As soon as they come near you, because your vibrations are totally non-violent, they drop down. They stop being violent. Lord Mahavira emphasizes on ahimsa. It is said that whenever he walked, twenty kilometers around him, people would stop being violent. The story goes even to that extent and says even the thorns would not prick anybody but would instead become soft.

Ahimsa gives rise to tolerance. Have you ever felt like hitting somebody? Why is that violence arising in your mind? What is the source of the violence? As you watch the source of violence, you will see that violence disappears, dissolves and peace dawns. Yoga brings that inner peace which in turn establishes non-violence. Practice of non-violence is two-way traffic. Ahimsa or non-violence brings about the union of the mind or peace of mind and when you are peaceful or calm within, you naturally become non-violent.