Contradictions In The Gita Help One To Think

Times Of India / 19th AUGUST ’09 / PAGE 18/ THE SPEAKING TREE

Contradictions In The Gita Help One To Think  …Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Truth is contradictory; if it is not contradictory, then it is not truth! The Bhagavad Gita is full of contradictions. You can understand it only if you see it in totality. At one point, Krishna tells Arjuna that action is the most important thing
and without action one will be nowhere. But after that, He tells him that action is all right but knowledge is better! Then Krishna says, ‘‘You must become a yogi and drop everything around you.’’ Krishna tells Arjuna in Chapter Six that since he is confused, there is no use talking. He asks him to meditate. Finally, He says, ‘‘He is the greatest amongst yogis who keeps Me in his heart whether he meditates or not. He is the real yogi, because I am with him in whatever he is doing.’’ At one juncture, Krishna says, ‘‘Arjuna, there is nobody dear to me, nobody whom I love.’’ And then gives a whole list of qualifications for those He really loves!

In another instance, Krishna tells Arjuna to act without looking for the fruit of action. Later, He asks Arjuna to act properly, according to natural law. Then He tells him that he ought to fight if he wants to win the war. So, at this point He is bringing Arjuna’s attention to the fruit of action, but then He also tells him not to worry about the fruit of action. Krishna was like a dear friend to Arjuna. In the Bhagavatam, except for Vidura and Udhava, nobody even thought he was enlightened; they all thought that he was just very smart. The Pandavas and the gopis knew who Krishna was and how complete He was from all angles. But many of them, including Arjuna, did not see him that way. Krishna, however, shows him that He is infinite. Krishna tells Arjuna, ‘‘I will give you a special eye of knowledge, which I haven’t given anybody in ages. I am giving it to you now because it is time.’’ With that, He gives him a vision. For that one moment the universe appears as a manifestation of Krishna to Arjuna. Arjuna sees all of creation, everything – the mountains and the rivers, the past, the present and the future – dissolving in Krishna. For an instant, the whole of life, the universe, all memories play out like a movie and it frightens Arjuna. Then Arjuna pleads, ‘‘Oh! Please show me your simple, natural and friendly face. I like your simple smile and I want to see my friend. I don’t want to see anything beyond. It is too much for me.’’ This is called Vishva Roopa Darshana – the vision of the universal. Thereafter, Krishna tells Arjuna about the yagyas, principles and laws of the universe. Then He talks about sanyasa and how to be centred. Arjuna tells Krishna that what he says is not easy to follow. Krishna says, ‘‘I agree…It is difficult but not impossible. With practice, dispassion and by getting to the centre again, you will succeed.’’ Krishna tried everything. Finally, it was the display of the universal vision that worked on Arjuna. When Arjuna says, ‘‘I give up,’’ Krishna says, ‘‘Think and do whatever is best for you after pondering over what I have said.” And then Arjuna says his mind is now clear. Krishna had to speak through 18 chapters to get him to that point. He could have done it at the very first chapter. But the way this knowledge flows is really beautiful. Everything may appear to be all contradictory from all angles. But that is
reality!

Sri Sri addresses Mumbai residents (6th Dec. 2008)

It is obvious that when the society is attacked, and we lose our near and dear ones, it causes a lot of sorrow. It also causes fear. But if we keep reeling in this sorrow and fear, and the anger that comes along with, then life moves towards the path to perdition. We need to channelize this energy and face this war bravely, by first making the mind calm and coming to a state of equanimity.

We need to become ‘Sam-darshi’ (One whose vision is equanimous). At this Priyadarshini Park, let’s all pray for those who have departed, and let’s take a pledge to be ‘Sam-Darshi’, the equanimous one.

Today we are all angry with the politicians, or with our system. Our police lack the necessary arms and ammunition. We still find ourselves stuck with old outdated concepts. Entire Mumbai seems angry. I would say in one way this is good, that we at least have woken up. We are no longer ready to take the ‘Chalta Hain’ attitude. For so many years India has seen terrorist attacks in different places, but for the first- time the entire community, especially the youth, have woken up. But I would like to say that changing one person, trading one minister for another, is not the solution. A new minister swearing into some position would take 6 months just to understand the whole system. So we all need to think on how to make our system stronger. Just by reacting out of anger, and targeting one community in our anger is fruitless. We cannot blame an entire community for a wrong.

Firstly, we all need to come together and pledge that we shall work for protecting our country. And let’s also resolve to first examine the qualifications of those who we elect. We need social leaders who are ‘Satya-Darshi’ (Truthful), ‘Sam-Darshi’ (Equanimous), and ‘Door-Darshi’ (Visionary). We need to protect our country from those who manipulate issues for their personal gains and lead by playing ‘Vote-Bank’ politics. How did Mahatma Gandhi unite so many people? He used to do satsang twice a day, read second chapter of Bhagawat Geeta, people have forgotten his principles. Our flag’s saffron color symbolises sacrifice, White color symbolises peace, green color symbolises abundance. Politicians have forgotten these values- they are looking for their own abundance! And then the wheel in the middle symbolises progress in all fields.

Secondly, we will resolve to not act out of anger, but instead channelize our dynamic energy for the betterment of the society. We will also expose all those who are supporting violence, no matter what religion they belong to. We will get rid of the mentality which asks us to protect people from our own religion, or community, even if they are doing wrong. This is very important. Sometime we protect the faulty people in our families. We will not do this anymore.

I just returned from Arunachal Pradesh in the morning. We need to send this message to all our neighboring countries that India is ONE. China is asking for Arunachal Pradesh, I would like to tell them, “Why are you just asking for Arunachal Pradesh, ask for the whole of India! We consider the entire world ours, why are you stuck only with Arunachal Pradesh then?” We will never allow this separation to happen! We are not ready to cut one thumb out and give them, but we are ready to give our entire hand to shake! India is ONE and will remain ONE. We might have different religions, communities, languages and cultures, but underneath all this diversity, every Indian is ONE. We need to send this message to Pakistan, Bangladesh or any other nation. We will not allow them to play with us anymore.

Today when Mumbai is attacked we all have woken up, but you go to Assam and see the condition there. 5 districts there are suffering from continued violence. Lakhs of people had to flee from their houses and are living in camps. The situation in Assam is completely hand crafted by politicians. But we never get to see this in our news. Today, we shall pray for not just the victims of Mumbai alone, but for the victims of terror and extremism everywhere in India.

We are proponents of Peace, but we also are the descendants of Guru Gobind Singh. Today, we need ‘Sant-Sipahi’ (The Saint who is a Soldier). We don’t need just saints, we don’t need just soldiers, but people who are both. Every human here shall be a Peace Messenger, and a Peace Soldier. Peace Soldiers are those who have dynamism and a will to stop the wrong. Peace Soldiers are those who expose the wrong deeds and doers in the society, and stand in protest.

Today is Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s anniversary. We all must remember the good work done by him in starting the movement against ‘Un-touchability’. Even today, some villages of India are practicing Un-touchability. This should be immediately curbed. Nowhere in our scriptures has un-touchability been advocated. In India, we have a tradition of worshiping the feet (Paada-Pooja). In fact in the west the feet are considered low and un-holy. Washing the feet, worshiping the feet has always been a sign of reverence in our culture. Just like the body has different organs, the society has different castes philosophies and religions. But all of them ultimately represent that One Divinity. Remember this fact. Never think that our scriptures, our religion is superficial. There is immense depth in our ‘Shastras’. Sometimes we see that there is a huge gap between what is written in the scriptures and what is seen in our daily practice. Islam, what it actually says and the way it is practiced today is completely different. Same goes for the Vedic knowledge. Our Vedas say that all humans are one, and yet we see castes and un-touchability practiced in places. These practices have no religious significance whatsoever. This should be stopped.

So we need to bring a wave of social transformation, and each one of us here will need to take responsibility for the same. Can we all do it? Raise hands – all those who would like to join hands for this task. Yes, we all can do it. But one thing we need to remember again is that we should not act out of anger. When I went to Iraq and met some ministers there, and told them that by practicing meditation we can pacify our anger, they requested me to not pacify the anger of their people! They want their citizens to stay angry till they don’t take their revenge from America. I was shocked! Anger will always lead you to remorse.

Peace does not mean inaction. We want a revolution, but we want a Peace Revolution. Mahatma Gandhi advocated Peace, but he did not just sit back and let injustice happen. Out of peace, he took action. The essence of entire Geeta is this – Fight with equanimity. Today, this message of Geeta is applicable to Mumbai. Mahabharata, which happened 5200 years ago, is now repeating itself again. We are again seeing a ‘Dharam-Yudha’ (A Battle for Righteousness). And in this battle, all the nations of the world, except a few, are with us! And even those nations, which are not with us, it’s only select people from those nations who are not with us.

Their own missiles are now shooting back at them. Let’s not make this mistake ourselves. Whenever I have traveled to Israel, I have been told by the Jewish leaders there that India is the only nation in the world where a Jew has never been attacked! India is known for its tolerance and peace. India is the only nation on the planet, which has advocated peace and welcomed people from all religions and countries with arms wide open. But what has happened this time has left us hurt and wounded. However, we shall not let this stain our spirits – We shall overcome. Are you all with me?

We will not let go of our culture, our nature – which is peace, which is non-violence. But with this philosophy of non-violence and peace, we shall teach such a lesson to all the terrorists, that they will not even know what hit them!

And I would like to ask all the media and the journalists to pay some attention towards the North East provinces of India. There is a lot of violence happening there. Our media does not show these incidents at all. Each state there is gripped with violence. People are living in fear. We have completely forgotten those people. They only see Mahatma Gandhi’s name in the currency bills, otherwise there is no reflection of his principles there.

I would like to say to all the families who have lost their dear ones that the soul never dies. Those who have departed us have merged with the divine, and their souls are still with you, with us, with the entire nation. Hence we should not sit and shed tears for them, for they are martyrs. Everyone will die, including us. But they have sacrificed their lives to wake us up and make us realize that others should not need to suffer, that this should not happen again. Know that once you drop the body, there is no more suffering to the soul. However, people who are left behind on the planer suffer for their loss. Now this sorrow that you might feel should be channelized properly. Don’t go in depression. We are conducting Trauma Relief Workshops everywhere. All those who saw these attacks, and are suffering with the traumatic impressions it leaves in the mind, need to learn pranayams and meditation to flush this negativity out. So ensure all those who you know are feeling dejected and scared, even just by seeing these proceedings in TV, attend these Trauma Relief camps and learn meditation, so that they can once again be filled with hope, enthusiasm and happiness.

Navaratri: Celebration of the universe

…by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Courtesy: Times of India, Sept 30, 2008.

The festival of Navaratri is celebrated with prayers and gaiety in the beginning of autumn and spring. This period is a time for self-referral and getting back to the source. During this time of transformation, Nature sheds the old and gets rejuvenated.

Vedanta says, matter reverts to its original form to recreate itself again and again. The creation is cyclical, not linear; everything is recycled by nature in a continuous process of rejuvenation. The human mind, however, lags behind in this routine cycle of creation. Navaratri is a festival to enable us to take the mind back to its source.

The seeker finds the true source through fasting, prayer, silence and meditation. Night is called ratri because it brings rejuvenation.  It gives relief at the three levels of our existence physical, subtle and causal. While fasting detoxifies the body, silence purifies speech and brings rest to the chattering mind, and meditation takes you deep into your own being.

The inward journey nullifies our negative karmas. Navaratri is a celebration of the spirit or prana which alone can destroy Mahishasura, inertia; Shumbha-Nishumbha, pride and shame and Madhu-Kaitabh, extreme forms of craving and aversion. They are opposites, yet complementary. Inertia, deeply ingrained negativities and obsessions, Raktabeejasura; unreasonable logic, Chanda-Munda and blurred vision, Dhoomralochan can be overcome only by raising the level of prana and shakti, the life-force energy.

The nine days of Navaratri are also an opportunity to rejoice in the three primordial qualities that make up the universe. Though our life is governed by the three gunas, we seldom recognise and reflect on them. The first three days of Navaratri are tamo guna, the second three of rajo guna and the last three of sattva guna.

Our consciousness sails through the tamo and rajo gunas and blossoms in the sattva guna in the last three days. Whenever sattva dominates life, victory follows. The essence of this knowledge is honoured by celebrating the tenth day as Vijaya Dashami. The three primordial gunas are considered as the feminine force of the universe. By worshipping the Mother Divine during Navaratri, we harmonise the three gunas and elevate sattva in the atmosphere.

Navaratri is celebrated as the victory of good over evil. From the Vedantic point of view, the victory is of absolute reality over apparent duality. In the words of Ashtavakra, it is the poor wave which tries to keep its identity separate from the ocean, but to no avail.

Though the microcosm is well within the macrocosm, its perceived separateness is the cause of conflict. For a gyani or a wise person, entire creation comes alive and he recognises life in everything in the same way children see life in everything.

The Mother Divine or pure consciousness pervades all forms and has all names. Recognising the one divinity in every form and every name is the celebration of Navaratri. Hence, special pujas honouring all aspects of life and nature are performed during the last three days.

Kali is the most horrific manifestation of Nature. Nature symbolises beauty, yet it has a horrific form too. Acknowledging the duality brings a total acceptance in the mind and puts the mind at ease.

The Mother Divine is recognised not just as the brilliance of intellect buddhi, but also the confusion, bhranti; she is not just abundance, Lakshmi, she is also hunger, shudha and thirst, trishna. Realising this aspect of the Mother Divine in entire Creation leads one to a deep state of samadhi.

This gives an answer to the age-old theological struggle of the Occident. Through wisdom, devotion and nishkama karma, one can attain advaita siddhi or perfection in the non-dual consciousness.

Ganesha Chaturthi: Experiencing the formless through the form

By His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated on the day on which Lord Ganesha is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees. Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, is worshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. Though it is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the symbolism behind the festival is much deeper.

The essence of Ganeshji is brought out beautifully by Adi Shankara. Though Ganeshji is worshiped as the elephant-headed God, the form (swaroop) is just to bring out its parabrahma roopa. Ganeshji is described as Ajam Nirvikalpam Niraakaaramekam. This means that Ganeshji is never born.

He is Ajam (unborn), he is Niraakaar (formless) and he is Nirvikalpa (attributeless). Ganeshji symbolises the consciousness which is omnipresent. Ganeshji is the same energy which is the reason for this universe, from which everything is manifested and it’s the same energy in which the whole world will be dissolved. Ganeshji is not somewhere outside of us, but the very centre of our life. But this is very subtle knowledge. Not everybody can perceive the formless without the form. Our ancient Rishis and Munis knew this; so they created the form for the benefit and understanding of people at all levels.

Those who can’t experience the formless, over a period of sustained experience of manifested form reach the formless Brahman.

So in reality, Ganeshji is formless; yet there is a form to which Adi Shankara prayed and that form carries the message of the formlessness of Ganeshji. Thus, the form serves as the starting point and gradually the formless consciousness begins to manifest.

Ganesh Chaturthi marks a unique art of reaching formless Paramatma called Lord Ganesh by repeated worship of the manifest form of Ganesha.

Even the Ganesh Stotram, the prayers recited in the praise of Ganeshji, conveys the same. We pray to Ganeshji in our consciousness to come out and sit in the idol for us for a while so that we can play with him. And after the puja, we again pray asking him to go back to where he comes from; that’s our consciousness. While he is in the idol, we offer back whatever God has given us through the puja of the idol.

The ritual of immersing (visaran) the idols after few days of worship reinforces the understanding that God is not in the idol, it’s inside us. So experiencing the omnipresent in the form and deriving joy out of the form is the essence of the Ganesha Chaturthi festival. In a way such organized festivity and worships lead to an upsurge in enthusiasm and devotion.

Ganeshji is the lord of all the good qualities in us. So when we worship him, all the good qualities will blossom in us. He is also the lord of knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge dawns only when we become aware of the Self. When there is inertia, there is no knowledge, no wisdom, nor is there any liveliness (Chaitanya) or progress in life. So the consciousness has to be awakened and the presiding deity of consciousness is Ganeshji. That’s why before every puja, the Lord Ganesha is worshiped to awaken the consciousness.

Therefore, install the idol, worship it with infinite love, meditate and experience Lord Ganesha from within. This is the symbolic essence of Ganesh Chaturti festival, to awaken the Ganesha tatva which is masked inside us.

Source: http://www.artofliving.org/Founder/QA/tabid/231/Default.aspx

Divine in the form and formless – by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Divinity is unmanifest, but man has an innate desire to perceive the divine
in the manifest creation around him. He creates idols, breathes faith into
it and requests divinity to be present in that idol for a while, so that he
can worship, express his love and play with it. At the end of his worship he
requests divinity to go back into his heart from where divinity manifested.
This is in all puja practices.

They are not actually worshiping the idols but worshiping the unmanifest
divinity which has all the divine qualities. So, the idol worshipers of the
East are not the same as the ones in the Middle East as described in the
Bible, because they are not just worshiping different gods and different
idols, they are worshiping the ONE divinity in many different forms.

Paganism, Satan and animal worship, without the knowledge of the one
divinity is very different from seeing the divine in every form of the
manifest universe. In the eastern tradition, gods and goddesses are part of
the one divinity like the different colors of white sunlight, whereas in the
Greek tradition, gods and goddesses are in themselves different entities.

Worshiping Satan and different entities is totally different from worshiping divinity in its various forms. Every form belongs to the divine.
When you adore the form, you are adoring the divine behind the form.

With this knowledge, the very act of worship, which is more an inner
phenomenon, assumes a more colorful and vibrant expression, indicating that
both the form and the formless are all divine.

The Gita of J. Robert Oppenheimer

The Gita of J. Robert Oppenheimer by James A. Hijiya

Learning has to be made more fun

Times of India, Bangalore, 22nd August, 2008

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, shares his insights into education:

Question: Do you think volunteering and community service by individuals can make a difference in education for children who have no access to formal schooling?

Sri Sri: Volunteerism is not an alternative to formal schooling. A formal school education is essential and we must focus on it. In this curriculum, we must have volunteerism for kids. We do have the National Service Scheme (NSS) system, but it comes much later, at the college level. There should be some service activity which must be introduced at the primary level itself, where children are asked to distribute things, etc.

Question: How can the problem of lack of education in rural areas, stemming from a lack of infrastructure, teachers and social conditioning, be countered?

Sri Sri: If all corporate houses adopt a few villages and a few districts in the country (this can be taken care of). There are 612 districts in the country and thousands of corporate houses. If NGOs, the government, and corporate houses can work together, I think the goal is not far away from being achieved.

Question: Do you think our education system’s methodologies need to be reviewed?

Sri Sri: Definitely. Children are asked to carry whole loads of books on their backs. So many children have a backache by 16, they can’t do anything else because their back hurts. We need to bring about a revolution in the education system, where a child learns with his own aptitude. We need to come up with innovative methods and not just learn byheart poems in a foreign language. When we were kids, we were taught Shakespeare’s verses. It is simply notnecessary. Memorizing is such a load. Instead, we must give them an education which uses the use right brain and left brain, like music and logic; relaxation, some yoga; give them proper food. All this will enable a child to learn better and learn more than you expect them to.

Question: How can attitudes be changed in rural areas towards education of the girl child?

Sri Sri: Through awareness campaigns. Kerala has 100% literacy. Karnataka is moving towards that. Tamil Nadu has high literacy. It needs to be a joint effort between religious institutions, NGOs and the government. Religion can help in a big way. People are religious, women are religious. If religious heads emphasize that every child should be educated, why wouldn’t a woman herself learn and send her daughter to school? If every priest in the village says the people must send the girl child to school, his word will be honoured.

Question: One of the primary problems in government schools is absenteeism, both among teachers as well as students. What is the solution to ensure attendance?

Sri Sri: Learning has to be made more fun. Then schools will be able to hold or draw the children to school. In some NGO schools, including Art of Living schools, the children want to come to school even during the holidays. That is because teachers have the attitude of caring for children, they take personal care of them. Teachers and principals must create such an atmosphere in schools.

Question: The Education Bill which will promise universal primary education is expected to be presented in Parliament. How important will this be in ensuring a fundamental right to education? What role should the government play in improving education infrastructure?

Sri Sri: Many a time, we see that policy makers in education have prejudices.Even among historians, there are left- and right-wing historians. A prejudice-free mind is absolutely essential for policy makers. We must have a balanced outlook.We also need to be contemporary. Some policy makers do not know how to operate a computer. They are two generations behind. They have lost touch with the mental state of the students in schools and colleges. A good teacher is one who can recognize where a child is and where he must reach. Only when a teacher understands the dfficulties or challenges of a student, can you become a good teacher, or a good policy maker. We need to have interaction, brain-storming. So often policymakers are not intouch with the ground reality. We need to keep having seminars, so that teachers and policy makers can update their knowledge. It is appalling to know that 40% of teachers are depressed. When teachers are depressed, what can they transmit to children? That’s why children don’t want to be in school, they want to run away from school. Policy makers must create learning systems for the teachers. One, through continuing education programmes. Two, by deleting unwanted things in the books that burden a child’s mind. A child who has studied high school and college, goes back home in the village and does not know how to repair a pump. They don’t know anything about agriculture. They don’t know how to fix a radio or a bulb. That is, students can’t earn a living with what they have studied. If education cannot help you earn your bread, we have to reframe education. After school, simple skills must be taught, specially in rural areas. Some knowledge of agriculture is a must.

Question: There has been talk of making education more inclusive by inviting public schools to open up their premises to accommodate second and third shifts after traditional school hours for the education of under privileged children.Do you think that can be an effective strategy?

Sri Sri: I think it’s good. It will go a long way in bridging the urban-rural divide, and the rich-poor divide. Quality education can be given to such children. Not just in cities. Even in semi-urban areas, buses must fetch the children from remote places. Taking a ride in a bus every day can motivate children to go to school. Adult literacy is also important. These institutions can play a major role in this.

Question: Broadly speaking, what measures do you think are required to achievethe Millennium Development Goal of education for all?

Sri Sri: Four institutions are needed to be able to achieve the MillenniumDevelopment Goals. The government’s role is essential. There must be a greater budget allocated to education. Not for just opening universities and having more unemployment, but for giving primary education at the lowest cost, or free of cost .Today, in India, 51% of postgraduates, 39% graduates and 0% of the illiterate are unemployed. This is appalling. Why would you want your son or daughter to spend so much time and so many years to become unemployed? When they are unemployed, crime increases.Therefore, a good primary education is a must. Religious and spiritual institutions must join hands in this. Those with a spiritual education will not get involved in criminal activities. So, spiritual institutions have a role.The third is NGOs as they have creative ideas, plans and proposals. If they implement these in their schools, such schools excel. The fourth is corporate houses. If all these four sectors come together, the MDG will not be a dream,but achieved in a couple of years.

Question: More than 90,000 people have responded to Teach India’s call for volunteers. What message would you like to give them and NGOs involved in education?

Sri Sri: Work together. Intellectuals often do not come together. Each one thinks he knows best. There is no team spirit. But they must come together with one goal — in bringing quality education for all. If this can be done, we can achieve it. For this, we need a violence-free environment, volunteers must be healthy, free from prejudices; with a little tinge of spirituality — it can bring about so much joy in those who want to work. If you are working as an expression of your joy, you will create that happiness all around. You will create that sort of education that you are aspiring for.

Twenty-five ways to improve life

…by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Courtesy: The Week

1. Review the context of your life.
2. Know life’s impermanence.
3. Make your smile cheaper.
4. Be enthusiastic and praise others.
5. Make meditation a part of your life.
6. Go to the most beautiful place.
7. Communicate effectively.
8. Take out time for your self.
9. Better the world around you.
10. Nourish your emotions.
11. Plan short and long term goals.
12. Prayer is a vital tool.
13. Implement the changes if needed.
14. Identify your limitations.
15. Do not lose your friends.
16. Don’t look for perfection.
17. Let us be unpredictable.
18. Have a sense of humour.
19. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
20. Overcome your prejudice.
21. Feel that “I am blessed”.
22. Do random acts of kindness.
23. Be a student always.
24. Dream the impossible.
25. Compare your performance.

1. Review the context of your life.

Look at your own life in the light of time. Millions of years have
passed and millions will come. What is your life ? 60, 70 or 100
years? Span of life is insignificant. It is not even a drop in the
ocean. In terms of space you simply don’t exist! This understanding
dissolves the ego. Ego is ignorance of your reality, ignorance of your
existence. Now, just to know this, do we have to do something else?
Just open your eyes: “Who am I? How I am on this planet? What
is my life time?” Awareness dawns in the mind, and you will stop
worrying about little things like, ” this person said this thing to me
and that person broke away with me and this happened with that person
and I am going to say this.” All smallness will simply drop away, and
you will be able to live every moment of your life.

Your life reels around your context. You should be happy in life. All
other business involve ups and downs which is very natural. If there
is a body, then it will get cold, cough, fever or something else and
it will go away. But take care to see that happiness is always
established in you. That is known as purashaartha. Our love, faith and
belief should be deep-rooted, then everything else moves on its own.
How many events take place in life? Are you able to maintain your
equanimity always? Not everything in the world is sweet. If you are
grounded with faith, like the husk with grain, you will progress.

Take this decision: “Whatever happens I will be there. I will be
grounded. God’s protection is there on me. Whatever happens, I will
never go down. I always have God’s hand with me.” Keep your mind in
peace in all situations. The rest will be taken care of. You have to
take at least one step forward, which is to be in peace and
equanimity. “Oh! Nothing happened. Nothing of my work happened.” If
you are able to laugh in such a situation, then understand that you
have protection with you! The world is filled with love. Everybody has
love inside them. You have to see that in your mind.

Your head will be in the mud in a few years; don’t put mud in your
head while you are still alive! If you review the context of your
life, the quality of your life will improve.

2. Know life’s impermanence.

See the impermanence in this life. That is the truth. Turn back and
see that all that you did is like a dream. All have passed, the whole
thing is finished.

Tomorrow will pass. Now and then, a pinch of unpleasantness comes. It
makes you aware of your pleasantness. Suppose you never had unpleasant
moments in life, you would have never pleasant ones. Your life would
stagnate in utter boredom and you would become like a stone. So, in
order to keep you alive, now and then, here and there, nature gives
you a little pinch. It makes life more lively. Accept it.

You don’t have to be afraid in life. There is always support. So,
every pinch that you are having in life is for the best, to make your
life more lively and enjoyable. Day and night you work so hard. The
whole week is spent working, coming home tired, eating, going to bed.
The same routine the next day. Weekends have become another routine.

If you’re awake, then you see there is so much foolishness! Just watch
when four or five people get together and have a gossip session. In a
gossip session, you can immediately change the topic of conversation.
This is the thing with a crowd. If ten people are talking about the
weather and you change the topic of stock markets, everybody will
immediately talk stock markets, whether they know about them or not.
It is great fun.

Being aware of this impermanent nature of our life, you find that
there is something in you that has not changed. There is a reference
point by which you can say things are changing. That reference point
is the source of life. That is wisdom. With wisdom, your life improves.

3. Make your smile cheaper.

A research done in England found that a baby smile 400 times a day, an
adolescent 17 times and an adult doesn’t smile at all! The more
successful one keeps a very stiff face. Is roughness a sign of
success? Is being stressed a sign of prosperity, growth or dignity?

You should smile more. Every day, every morning, look at the mirror
and give a good smile to yourself. You know what happens when you
smile? All the muscles in your face get relaxed. The nerves in your
brain get relaxation, and you get the confidence, courage and energy
to move on in life.

You know, your smile is so fragile! Just one telephone call is enough
to take it away! But what is the big deal about your feelings? Bundle
them up and thrown them into the ocean! Once you are rid of your
‘feelings’ you can be happy. Just see why your spirits go down?
Because somebody said something stupid to you. And why did they say a
stupid thing? Because they had some garbage they needed to throw out
and you were there, ready to catch it! And once you have caught it,
you hold on to it so passionately ! Come on! Wake up! Don’t let your
smile be snatched away by anybody!

Usually, you give your anger freely and smile rarely as though a smile
is costly. In ignorance, anger is cheaper and smile costly. In
knowledge, a smile is free like sun, air, and water and anger is
extremely expensive, like a diamond. Make your smile cheaper and anger
expensive! You are here for a greater

cause. Just remember that. Take a challenge: ” Come what may, I am
going to smile today and be happy!” Smile more.

4. Be enthusiastic and praise others.

Enthusiasm is the nature of life. We often have a tendency to put
cold water on other’s enthusiasm. Reverse this tendency. Take every
opportunity to praise others and support their enthusiasm. If you put
down other’s enthusiasm, the same may happen to you. As you sow, so
shall you reap. Recollect how much enthusiasm and joy you had when you
went to the primary school. Someone without enthusiasm is like a
corpse. But as you mature, the enthusiasm curve declines. As
enthusiasm declines, we stop communicating.

How would you like to see your self? Happy and bubbling with
enthusiasm or dull and difficult to please? Often, you like to be
pleased, appeased and cajoled. So you put up a tough, upset face and
act difficult to please. If a person has to appease and please ten
people all the time, it will be so tiring. People

who keep a long face and expect others to cajole and appease them make
others run away. Lovers often do this. They expend a lot of energy in
cajoling, and this brings down the joy and celebration of the moment.

If you feel down, appease and please yourself. Your need to be
appeased by someone else is the sign of grossness. If you want
attention, all you get is tension. It is not possible to attain Divine
Love with a complaining face. Become one whose enthusiasm never dies.

5. Make meditation a part of your life.

The higher goals in life can only be realized through a few minutes of
meditation and introspection.

What is meditation?

Mind without agitation is meditation.
Mind in the present moment is meditation.
Mind that has not hesitation, no anticipation is meditation.
Mind that has come back home, to the source, is meditation.
Mind that becomes “no mind” is meditation.

Deeper you are able to rest, dynamic you will be in activity. Even
though deep rest and dynamic activity are opposite values, they are
complementary. Before the body leaves you, you learn to leave
everything. That is freedom. What are you looking for? Are you looking
for some great joy? YOU ARE JOY!

I will give you an example. Have you seen dogs biting bones? You know
why they bite bones? Biting wounds their mouth. Its own blood comes
out and the dog feels that the bone is very tasty! Poor dog spends the
whole time chewing the bone but getting nothing out of it! Any joy you
experience in life is from the

depth of your self, when you let go all that you hold on to and settle
down being centered in that space. That is called meditation.
Actually, meditation is not an act; it is the art of doing nothing!
The rest in meditation is deeper than the deepest sleep that you can
ever have because in meditation you transcend all desires.

Meditation is letting go of anger from the past and all the planning
for the future. Meditation is accepting this moment and living every
moment totally with depth. Just this understanding, and a few days of
continuous practice of meditation can change the quality of our life.

The best comparison of the three states of consciousness – waking,
sleeping and dreaming – is with the nature. Nature sleeps, awakes and
dreams! It happens in a magnificent scale in existence, and it is
happening in a different scale in the human body. Wakefulness and
sleep are like sunrise and darkness. Dream is like the twilight in
between.

And meditation is like the flight to the outer space, where there is
no sunset, no sunrise, nothing! I am sure that deep within, every one
of you feel that you have not grown, meaning you have not changed, not
grown old. This indicates the soul in you, the depth in you, the
spirit in you doesn’t change, doesn’t grow old, it’s not aging. The
body is aging but something in you is not aging. Getting in touch with
that something that doesn’t age brings beauty in life.

That is meditation.

6. Go to the most beautiful place.

Only if there is alertness and presence of mind can your life improve.
For this, you need to cultivate the habit of listening. Most of us are
not good listeners. When you are listening to somebody, the speaker’s
very first sentence triggers some conversation within you. You are
constantly agreeing or disagreeing with the speaker. Have you ever
wondered whether you can listen without any thoughts or pre-conceived
notions? To cultivate the habit of listening, you have to “go” to a
place where everything is beautiful.

Where is the place? That most beautiful place is within you! When you
come to this place, then any place is beautiful. Then, wherever you
go, you add beauty there.

Learning something about our breath is very important. Our breath has
a great lesson to teach us: for every rhythm in the mind, there is a
corresponding rhythm in the breath, for every rhythm in the breath,
there is a corresponding emotion. So, when you cannot handle your mind
directly, through breath you can handle the mind. Neither at school
nor at home does anybody teach you what to do when you are upset or
angry or depressed. The first thing we did when we

came to this planet is that we took a deep breath and then we started
to cry. The last thing we’ll be doing: we’ll breathe out and make
other cry! In between, the whole life, we are breathing in and out,
but, we have learnt very little about our breath! No breath, no life -
know breath, know life!.

We need to learn a little bit about our breath. We need to know a
little bit about all the layers of our existence — body, breath,
mind, intellect, memory, ego and the self. This is what I call Art of
Living, learning a little bit about ourselves, the seven layers of our
life. And that makes you be in the present moment, and it helps us to
maintain the innocence that we are all born with, and feel at home
with everybody, anywhere. What I would suggest is, take

one week off every year for yourself, like you take your car for
servicing. During that time, align yourself with nature, wake up with
the sunrise, do some exercise, eat proper food, just as much food as
necessary, some exercises, a few minutes of singing, and then some
silent moments, enjoying the creation.

Book yourself on a trip to this most beautiful place in the universe.
Then you find that every day is a vacation and a celebration! .

7. Communicate effectively.

Learning to communicate effectively with everyone is a skill worth
possessing. Most of the time you find that you are out of place.
Communicating without prejudice is vital for success.

If you are faced with someone who knows more than you, be like a child
and keep your ears and eyes open for learning. If you are faced with
someone who knows less than you, be humble and strive to make them as
good as or better than you. Play with a small child as you played when
you were a child. Talk with an elderly person remembering that one day
you will be like that. Communicate with a person of your age group
like you are his / her best friend.

This world is varied beyond our imagination, and there’s always
something to share, learn and teach. When you are centered, you become
a powerful communicator. And when your communication improves, your
life improves.

8. Take out time for yourself.

If for the whole day you are engaged in only gathering information,
you do not take out time for yourself to think and reflect. A few
quiet moments are sources for creativity.

Some time during the day, sit for a few minutes, get into the cave of
your heart, eyes closed, and kick the world away like a ball. But,
during the day be 100 per cent attached to the work. Eventually, you
will be able to be both attached and detached. This is the skill of
living, the art of living.

Renunciation refills your energy. Creativity cannot happen only just
through efforts. There is a beautiful story about Chhatrapati Shivaji.
At one time Shivaji became so frustrated about ruling his kingdom that
he went to his guru Samarth Ramdas and told him that he is fed up and
that he just wants to renounce everything. Ramdas told him that he can
renounce everything. Shivaji became so happy and relaxed at the very
thought. Then Ramdas told him: “Now I am the king and you are my
servant. Will you do whatever I ask you to do?” Shivaji replied: “For
you I am ready to do anything.” Ramdas said: “Very good.

Will you run this country for me? Shivaji replied: “Yes, I will run
the country for you!” Total renunciation has brought zeal and
enthusiasm in him.

Creativity springs up when you are relaxed. You have to renounce all
work you have done the whole day, only then can you rest in the night.

Though many times pain, struggle and frustration have brought out
creativity in some people, these are not the only reasons for a person
to be creative.

Millions of people in the world are struggling or frustrated, but they
are not creative. So, taking out some time for yourself improves the
quality of your life.

9. Better the world around you.

A river needs two bunks to flow. The difference between flood and
normal river is that water flow is regulated in a river. During
floods, water 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 confused

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. For
life-energy to move in a direction, commitment is essential.

Life runs with commitment. If you observe every small thing or big
thing in life, they go with certain commitment. A student takes
admission in a school or college with a 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. Greater the
commitment you take, greater the energy/power you gain to fulfill that
commitment. Greater the commitment, easier things are. Smaller the
commitment, suffocating it is for you. Smaller commitments suffocate
you because you have more capacity, but you are stuck in a small hole!

When you have ten things to do and if one thing goes wrong, you can
keep doing the ten things; the thing that has gone wrong will set
itself right! But if you have only one thing to do and that goes
wrong, then are you are stuck with it. Usually we think we should have
resource and then we will commit. Greater

the commitment you take, greater the resources will come to you
automatically. 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 society, you enjoy the support of society.

Commitment will always bring comfort in the long run. Make a
commitment to make this world a better place to live.

10. Nourish your emotions.

A person without emotions is like wood without any juice. You need to
make your interesting to make people be with you. This will happen
when you nurture yourself with music, prayer and service.

The way to expand from individual to universal consciousness is to
share others’ sorrow and joy. As you grow, your consciousness should
also grow. When your expand in knowledge with time then depression is
not possible. 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” and “what can I gain from
this word?”, think “what can I do for the world?”.

Silence heals and rejuvenates. Silence gives you depth and stability
and brings creativity. Service leads to the dynamic experience of
heart. It creates a sense of belongingness. Lack of service can land a
person in depression. Pain is physical. Suffering is mental. If you
are not sensitive to others’ pain, then you are not a human being.
That is why you need to serve. Service alone can bring contentment in
life, but service without silence tires you. Service without
spirituality will be shallow, and cannot be sustained for a long
period. The deeper the silence, the more dynamic the outer activity.
Both are essential in life.

When you bring some relief or freedom to someone through seva, good
vibrations and blessings come to you. Seva brigs merit; merit allows
you to go deep in meditation; meditation brings back your smile. When
you sing and pray from your heart, your emotions are nourished and you
become “lively”.

11. Plan short and long term goals.

At any given point of time, our mind is oscillating between the past
and the future. Either it is angry or sad about the past or anxious
about the future.

Whatever actions you do in this state of mind, you regret after some
time. This is how you get caught up in the same old cycle. Does it
mean that you should not plan your future? No! You should plan your
short and long term goals. Then, and only then, life gets a channel, a
direction to flow. When the mind is totally in the present, the right
planning happens. Not only should you plan your goals, but plan the
means and methods to work towards them. Where would you like to see
yourself after three years? After 20 years? After 40 years? Don’t be
feverish about the results. Give your 100 percent. If you are feverish
about the results, it will lead you to disappointment.
Do not make a list of all the things you want to achieve. Select few
things that really matters. Once a teacher brought a glass jar to the
class and a bag with some big stones, some small stones and some sand.
He asked the students to put all the contents from the bag into the
glass jar. Some students put the sand first, then small stones and by
then there was no place for the big stones. The teacher later
explained that had they put the bigger stones first, then the smaller
stones. There was always space around the stones for all the sand in
the bag. This example teaches us an important lesson in prioritizing
things.

If we put things that will give us maximum fulfillment in the long
term, smaller things will automatically fall into place.
Among all planets in the solar system, the earth is privileged to host
life in its many forms, and among all the species, humans are most
privileged, for,they can host knowledge. Again and again you remember
that you are peace, you are love, you are joy and that you are hosting
the creator. If you do not realize that you are the host, you live
like a ghost!.

12. Prayer is a vital tool.

Prayer is a vital tool to improve your life. It also nurtures values
like integrity and honesty. Prayer happens in two situations, or in a
combination of situations. When you feel grateful or when you feel
utterly helpless. If you are not grateful and prayerful, you will be
miserable. In either case your prayers will be answered.What you can
do, you do.What you cannot do, you pray for!
It is said the divine dawns in you when you pray for it, when you cry
for it, when you sing for it. The divine is only waiting for you to
dig a little deeper into yourself. Because, it can then fill you with
much more nectar! Divine wants you to create more space in you. Cry
from your soul for help. This is for those seekers who are weak. Those
seekers who are strong with the power of knowledge can sing with that
joy of what they have achieved! The moment you sing in gratitude, in
glory of the divine, it immediately dawns in you, and fills you up
again. One type of people is grateful for all their growth. The other
type is helpless and weak. Both will be helped.

Spirituality is not some ritual, or doing something. It’s a very
pleasant, uplifted state of being and seeing that the whole world is
all spirit or consciousness. Use prayer to bring integration in your
personality. Whatever you do, know that the higher power has the final
say and it will always be for the best.

13. Implement the changes if needed.

Sorrow simply means that viveka (discrimination) is overshadowed.
Viveka means knowing that everything is changing. Your body, your
emotions, the people around you and the world – everything is
changing. Tie and again you have to awaken to this reality. You are
often fearful of change. Change is inevitable in many fronts through
security is hooked on to stability. You know there is a need for
change to improve your life, but you feel secure in the old pattern.
You need the courage to implement changes whenever it is necessary.
You have to evaluate the pros and the cons. You have to see whether
that gives you short-term joy and misery in the long run or short-time
pain and joy in the long run.

Life is a combination of both change and non-change. So, use your
intelligence and courageously implement changes when you feel that
there is a need for change.

14. Identify your limitations.

Every time you are unhappy or miserable, you are just coming in touch
with your own boundaries! And what can you do? You can just feel
thankful: “Oh, I came in touch with my boundary, my limitation. This
was my limitation.” You just turn the whole situation into a prayer:
“Let there be peace, not just in me but in everybody.” Prayer is that
moment when you come in touch with your limitations, your boundaries.

You are peaceful, you are joyful, you are happy as long as you have
not come in contact with your boundaries. At that moment what can you
do? You can just say, “My Lord, my God, You made me become aware of my
boundaries. You bring peace. I am giving it all to You.” 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.

In Hindi, love is written with two and a half letters. They say, “Who
is a master, who is a pundit, who is a wise person? Not one who has
studied a lot of scriptures, but one who has studied the two-an-a-half
letters is at this moment. It is a test of the moment, when you come
in touch with your limitations, your boundaries. You are happy,
peaceful. Are you in the boundaries? Or are you maintaining your
boundaries and the innocent love in the heart? Is it remaining? If it
is, then nothing can rob you of peace.

15. Do not lose your friends.

Mistakes keep happening all the time. Often you want to correct them.
How much can you correct? There are two situations when you correct
others’ mistakes.

1. You correct someone’s mistake because it bothers you. But even if
you correct it, this does not work.
2. You correct someone’s mistake not because it bothers you, but for
their sake so that they can grow.

To correct mistakes you need authority and love. Authority and love
seem to be contradictory, but in reality they are not. Authority
without live is stifling. Love without authority is shallow. A friend
needs to have both authority and love but they need to be in the right
combination. This can happen if you are totally dispassionate and
centered. When you allow room for mistakes, you can be both
authoritative and sweet. That is how the Divine is, the right balance
of both. Krishna and Jesus had both.

Don’t make a mistake by pointing out mistakes!

Once a lady came to me and said her husband had lied to her. She was
very upset. I asked, “Why does your husband lie to you? Because he
loves you, and is afraid to lose your love or hurt you. If he did not
love you, he wouldn’t lie to you!”.

Do not tell a person a mistake he knows he has committed. By doing
this, you will only make him feel more guilty. A magnanimous person
will not pick on the mistakes of others and make them feel guilty; he
will correct them with compassion and care.

16. Don’t look for perfection.

Many a time, you become angry or miserable because of the feverishness
for perfection. If you are too much of a perfectionist, you are bound
to be an angry person.

In a state of ignorance, imperfection is natural and perfection is an
effort. In a state of wisdom or enlightenment, imperfection is an
effort; perfection is a compulsion and is unavoidable! 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
realization that there is no vacation from wisdom. The world appears
imperfect on the surface but, underneath, all is perfect. Perfection
hides; imperfection shows off.

The wise will not stay on the surface but will probe into the depth.
Things are not blurred. Infinite actions prevail in the wholeness of
consciousness, and yet the consciousness remains perfect, untouched.
Realize this now and be natural.

In this world, everything cannot be perfect all the time. Even the
best, the greatest of actions, performed with the noblest of
intentions, will have some imperfections. It is but natural.
Unfortunately, the tendency of our mind is to grab the imperfection
and hold on to it. And, in the process, we end up

making our moods, our minds imperfect and our souls reel with this
nonsense. It is imperative to get out of these cycles, and to become
strong and courageous from within.

17. Let us be unpredictable.

We often behave like machines. A compliment makes us smile and an
insult makes us frown. We don’t have to react in the same way always.
You have the freedom to respond differently. You don’t have to answer
all questions posed to you. As people have a right to question, you
have the right whether to answer or not.So, be unpredictable!

18. Have a sense of humour.

You are endowed with certain naughtiness as a child. Keep it alive.
Humour will grease all tough situations. One who has humour can sail
through any conflict. Humour is the buffer that saves you from
humiliation. If you refuse to be humiliated, you become invincible.
Humour brings everyone together, while humiliation tears them apart.
In a society torn with humiliation and insult, humour is like a breath
of fresh air.

Humour should be coupled with care and concern. Humour can keep the
spirit high, yet if overdone it leaves a bad taste. Humour without
wisdom is shallow.

Humour without sensitivity is satire – it comes back to you with more
problems.

The wise use humour to bring wisdom and to lighten situations. The
intelligent use humour as a shield against humiliation. The cruel use
humour as a sword to insult others. The irresponsible use humour to
escape from responsibility. And fools take humour too seriously!

How does one cultivate a sense of humour?

Humour is not just words, it is the lightness of your being. You do
not have to read and repeat jokes.

Taking life not too seriously (because you will never come out of it
alive)!

Having a sense of belongingness with everybody, including those who
are not friendly.

Practicing yoga and meditation.

Having unshakable faith in the Divine and in the laws of karma.

Being in the company of those who live in knowledge and are humourous.

A willingness to be a clown.

19. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

Whenever a boundary is broken, it creates some fear. The fear creates
dislike. This dislike puts us back in the boundary. And to keep
yourself 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 more weak. 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. Often, mothers
scold their children and afterwards feel so guilty. Okay, you got
angry at your kid once or twice. Why? Because of a lack of awareness!
Awareness was missing, so the anger came up. 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!

20. Overcome your prejudice.

Your prejudice against gender, religion, caste and class does not
allow you to mingle with everyone around you. Often, you don’t sit
with people who are not economically or socially at par with you. You
have to learn to break that barrier. Also, there is age prejudice.
Teenagers don’t like to have fun with

elderly people and vice versa. Gender prejudice is more prevalent in
rural areas. Cast system is present even among the royalties of
Europe, the UK and Japan .

Religious prejudice is well known. There are good people and bad
people in every community, religion and every section of society.
Don’t be prejudiced against them. At the same time don’t be shy about
your identity. When you overcome prejudice, you will be very natural,
and your quality of life will improve.

21. Feel that “I am blessed”.

There is so much talk about success. Have you ever thought what
success is? Success is simply ignorance about one’s capabilities.
Success is ignorance about the power of the self. Because you assume
you can do only this much. If there are obstacles, you are clear about
your objective. With a calm and serene mind, think of many
possibilities. Know that failures are stepping stones for greater
success. Actually, there are no failures in life. All the seeming
failures are only stepping stones for greater success. If you feel the
obstacle is too much, deep prayer can work miracles. The feeling that
“I am blessed” can help you overcome any failure.

Once you realize that you are blessed, then

- all the complaints disappear,
- all the grumbling disappears,
- all the insecurities disappear,
- a sense of not being loved disappears, and
- wanting love disappears.

Ego is always ambitious and wants to do tough jobs like climbing Mount
Everest . Whereas in a simple act like watching a butterfly, watering
the garden, watching the birds or the sky, can bring deep relaxation,
and relaxation connects you with your source. Seemingly trivial
actions open a new dimension and bring in immense peace and rest. Just
come out of your little shell and feel free.

There is a saying: Behind every successful man is a woman. I will
modify this: Behind every success there is the Divine saying ” I am
behind you”.

22. Do random acts of kindness.

Abiding in the self you become the valentine for the whole world.
Spirit is the valentine of matter, and matter is the valentine of
spirit. They are made for each other. They uphold each other. If you
do not respect the spirit, then matter is not pleased. If you honour
the spirit then you will care for the world, and when you care for the
world it will take care of you.

You are the Christmas tree. At the time of year when no tree bears
anything, it has many gifts to offer. A Christmas tree bears the gifts
and the lights you are carrying in your life are for others. Anyone
who comes to you, you offer them your gifts. When you show kindness,
your true nature comes into play. Have you ever done acts of kindness
without expecting anything out of it?

Our services should not be mechanical. Once some boy scouts were at a
Sunday service, when the priest said, ” You should serve.” They asked,
“What is this service? Could you give us some example? “He said,
“Suppose an old woman wants to cross a road, go and help her cross the
road.

So the boys went and looked for a whole week, but there was no old
woman trying to cross a street. Finally, four of them found a woman
walking on a footpath.

One of the boys went and asked her, “Madam, would you like to cross
the road?” She turned and said, “No.” He was disappointed. So another
boy went and asked her again, thinking, perhaps, that the first boy
hadn’t asked properly. The woman was now a little bit confused. She
wondered why she was being asked this.

So, she said, it was all right for him to take her across the road.
Once they had reached the other side, a third boy came and asked her,
“Would you like to cross the road?” Now it really bothered her. When
the fourth one approached her, she almost screamed and ran away! She
almost screamed and ran away!!

You don’t have to plan acts of kindness. Just do something
spontaneously. When you do random acts of kindness, you come in touch
with your true nature.

23. Be a student always.

Know that you are a student forever. Do not underestimate anybody.
Knowledge may come to you from any corner. Remember the ancient saying
“let knowledge flow to me from all sides”. Each occasion teaches you
and each person teaches you. The world is your teacher. When you are
always looking to learn, you will stop underestimating others.
Humility will dawn in your life.

There is a nice story. A man earned a lot of money and them gave all
his property to his son. The son then built a small house behind his
big house and told

his parents: “Now you have to stay there.” So the old couple stayed
there, while the son and his family lived in the bungalow. One day,
while playing, the grandchild came to his grandfather’ s home, where
everything was in pathetic condition. The grandchild said, ” Grandpa,
be careful with your plate and chair.

Don’t break them.” When he asked why, the child said, “Because
tomorrow, my father will need them.” One does not realize this fact.
You are also going to be old one day.

24. Dream the impossible.

Unless you have a dream, you cannot realize it. Every invention has
come out of a dream. Dream the impossible. Obviously, dreaming employs
something which is beyond your perceived capacity. Consider the
faculty which is the preceptor of the dream. Some dreams have impacted
your daily living and others have not.

Some dreams you remember, and others you have forgotten.

We are all born in this world to do something wonderful and unique;
don’t let this opportunity pass by. Give yourself the freedom to dream
and think big.

Have the courage and determination to achieve those dreams that are
dear to you. Many a time people who dreamt big were ridiculed, but
they remained strong to achieve their goals.

Do something creative. Not a year should pass without doing something
creative.

25. Compare your performance.

As we flip the calendar, we need to keep flipping our mind as well.
Often, our diaries are full with memories. See that you don’t fill
your future dates with past events. Allow the space for creativity to
dawn. Celebration of the New Year allows you to be wise. Learn and
unlearn from the past, and move on.

In the past year, how many days were you in sanyas? How many days
were you struggling being caught in maya? Turn back and remember the
whole year. Do not run away from anything. Do not reject anything.
Do not go away from anything. At the same time, let your attention be
on the self. This is a delicate balance. That balance is yoga.

A poor man celebrates the New Year once a year. A rich man celebrates
each day. But the richest man celebrates every moment.

How rich are you? If you celebrate every moment, you are the Lord of
Creation. Review the year while you celebrate. This is your
homework. Compare your performance in the year before last and smile.

The year 2007 is fortunate because you are living at this time!!!!
When you are living for the sake of the world, the world is fortunate.
Let time celebrate your presence. You keep smiling as ever.

When you let time celebrate you, you are a witness amid celebration.
The heart always longs for the old, the mind for the new. Life is a
combination of both. Let the New year bring into our life ancient
wisdom and modernity, as life is incomplete without either of them.
Don’t feel shy to speak about human

and spiritual values. The time has come now to call the whole world!

Be ever new, happy you!!!!

Parenting

….by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Hindustan times – Mumbai

As a parent, you hold the reins, yet must learn to let go ever so often.

As the ancient saying goes, a child carries the legacy of the
parents – not only the financial , but also one of attitude, character
and behavior. According to the Shastras individual’s life and
character is shaped by four factors. One fourth of it comes from the
parents. Another one fourth is acquired through education, upbringing
and exposure to people and media, Karma and one’s own experiences make
up the remaining half.

So parents form the very first foundation of a child’s life. A child
starts his or her learning process by imitating the parents. We are
often surprised to hear a small child saying something like, “I have
been waiting for this all my life.” It’s nothing but parroting what her
mother says.

Children normally are keen observers. They observe everything. Every
moment. When the parents get angry tell lies or scorn at people,
children imbibe their actions. Unfortunately, most parents are
oblivious to the fact that children are scrutinizing them every moment.

It is important for parents to be free from stress because the
parents’ stress or joy and their character and attitudes get
transferred to the child. If the parents are violent, it they are
devoted or at least they act devoted, the seed of devotion will sprout
in the child and they will become genuinely devoted and mature.

While the parents have to ensure that their children do not become
too aggressive, at the same time, they have to take care that they
don’t become like a vegetable. If the children tend to be aggressive,
the parents should soften them up, and they are too shy and delicate,
it’s the parents’ duty to make them strong.

The parents’ greatest challenge is to guard against their children
getting an inferiority or superiority complex. In many families,
parents never scold heir children and let them go the way they want.
This makes children utterly weak. On the other hand, some people always
put a noose around children’s necks, making them fearful or completely
rebellious. It is really a skill to bring up children who are normal,
creative, confident, and emotionally mature.

Parents need to learn the skill of pointing out a child’s mistakes
without making him or her feel guilty. The courage to confess without
the fear of alienation needs to be inculcated in children. There is an
old saying in Sanskrit. “When your son or daughter turns 16, behave
with them like a friend.”. Don’t be their teachers; don’t tell them
what to do or what not to do. Just share their difficulties with them.
If you relate with them as a friend and no a parent, they will be more
open to you. Usually teenagers open up to their friends much more than
to their parents.

Children should be taught to be truthful without being prejudiced.
The parent must ensure that the child’s intellect is not clogged with
prejudice and inhibition. In today’s world, people have prejudice about
race, religion, professions and so many other things. Children must be
able to communicate and be friendly with everyone.

It is important to ensure that children have the required exposure
to broaden their vision and deepen their roots. It’s often seen that
children who are not taught ethical and religious values feel lost in
middle age, like uprooted trees. Youngsters in the west are so lost
that they go in search of their roots. Modernization is a natural
phenomenon. It is like a tree branching out. That’s why parents should
make sure that their children have strong roots before they branch out.
A cultural and spiritual foundation is vital to helping a child grow up
to become an intelligent and unbiased individual.

It’s absolutely critical that children get a multi-cultural,
multi-religious education. This is vital to avoid fanaticism and
religious terrorism.

If a child goes up knowing a little bit about all other religions,
cultures and customs, then there will be a sense of belonging with
everybody. I feel that when every child in the world learns a little
bit about every other religion, the child will not have inhibitions or
hatred towards other religions or cultures.

Teachers, gurus and mentors used to play the role of counselors.
Increasingly, this is not available to children. Parents, will have to
play the dual role of motivator and counselor. It is like riding a
horse: you hold the reins tight and yet let it loose frequently.

Dharma Will Prevail With Good Karma

Dharma Will Prevail With Good Karma – H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Times of India, 19th July, 2008

Why do people who do good suffer while those who commit injustice go unpunished?

Such questions arise when we see an event in its limited framework. No good action will yield a bad result. Or, no bad action will bring a good result. This is the Law of Karma. As you sow, so shall you reap! If you sow a mango seed, a mango tree will grow.

But along with the mango tree, some thorny bushes may come up because of the seeds present in the manure brought from somewhere else. It is not the mango seed that brings up the thorny bush. Your mango seed will bring mango fruit, in due course.

The question of justice and injustice arises only when one sees the world from a limited framework. This is probably why the Jain philosophy does not even accept the judge. They simply believe that the whole world is governed by the law of cause and effect. And they call it the Law.

When seen from this perspective, there cannot be injustice. If there appears to be an injustice, there are people who are bringing justice; this is also part of the Law. For example, if someone gets a disease, there is someone else who has the cure for it. If the person with the cure knows that somebody is suffering, it is his dharma to bring him relief. If it’s somebody’s karma to steal, it’s dharma of the police to catch him.

Karma and dharma go hand in hand. Karma is always dynamic, in the sense that there is perception and there is action. Karma means the action, its impressions and its result. It has three phases latent action, the action that is in process, and then the root of the action, or the cause of the action. All three things are a reality.

Karma is beyond all logic and reasoning. It causes people to be together or separate. It causes some to be weak and some, strong. It makes some rich and some poor. All the struggle in the world, whatever it may be, is the bondage of karma.

Some karma can be changed and some cannot. Only human life is blessed with the chance to be free from karma. And only a few thousands aim to be free from it. As a human being, you can accumulate karma. Awareness, alertness, knowledge and meditation all help erase past impressions. Only through Grace can the bondage of karma be burnt.

The awareness of dharma helps in comprehending the strange ways of karma. Whenever you see a bad karma or someone suffering, you need to help him. That is your dharma. Karma is also always bound by time, because every action has a limited reaction. If you do something good to people, they will come and thank you; they will be grateful to you as long as they are experiencing the effect of your action, but not forever.

Our perception of suffering, of good and bad, is always relative. God does not come within the purview of relativity. He is the absolute reality Sarva Sakshi a witness of all that is.

See God as a movie director, rather than as a judge. He has no ill feeling for the villain, and no special favour for the hero. Each one is playing his role. In the end, both the villain and the hero are rewarded. That is why in the puranas, every villain who dies also goes to heaven. After so many years, when the Pandavas reached heaven, they found Duryodhana already sitting there happily.