3 types of experience

Weekly Knowledge #175
Montreal Ashram
14 Oct 1998
Canada

THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF UNDERSTANDING

There are three kinds of understanding: intellectual understanding, experiential understanding and existential realization.

Intellectual understanding says yes, agrees. Experiential understanding feels, is obvious. Existential realization is irrefutable. It becomes your very nature.

All you hear will simply remain a jumble of words if there is no experiential understanding, which is more on the feeling level. You can know intellectually you are hollow and empty but sitting and feeling you are hollow and empty is totally different.

When one gets an experience, one wants to understand more about it and becomes a seeker. If you have only intellectual understanding, you will think you know it all. Most theologians are in this category.

Existential realization contains within it both experiential and intellectual understanding. But it is beyond both of these.

Question:-
How do we get there?

Sri Sri:-
There is no way. When the fruit becomes ripe, it falls.

Question:-
What is doubt?

Sri Sri:-
It is one part of the mind challenging the other part of the mind.

�� Jai Guru Dev ��

fruit of past actions or the source of future karma?

Q. Gurudev are my actions in the present the fruit of past actions or the source of future karma?

#SriSri: We will see this in future. Its is part of a chain, it has a past and a future. Past karma give rise to present and present makes the future karma. Lets see.

divine forms in Hinduism

Q: How come some of the divine forms in Hinduism are depicted in such fearsome manner? For example, Kali wears a garland of skulls. Does it mean there is divinity is such forms too?

#SriSri: If you can love the fearful, the fear disappears. Fear and love are not two different emotions. It is the same emotion standing upside down. Since the last 10 years, if you see the toys, the figures and characters that children are using or are fond of, it is very different. It is fearsome. The fearsome characters either bring in valour in you or take away the fear from you. That is the reason that those days, such fearsome pictures were depicted and worshipped. When you worship that, there is no fear left inside you. And I have described the symbolism of the skull and the head. All that is to remove the fear. Skull is used either to create fear or remove fear. In modern days, whenever you see in electrical installations, there is a skull and two bones put in front of that. That is to warn you. Be careful. In all the countries in the world, this is the symbol that is used to depict danger. In ancient days, people used that same depiction for fear and to get over the fear also. There is much deeper meaning in it. We will take that up some other time. Symbolism should be taken only as symbolism. Shiva is again is a symbolism of the inexpressible. It is not someone with a snake hanging over his head as some people are propagating. Oh! Adi Yogi lived some 10000 years ago, 15000 years ago. This is all rubbish and has no scientific evidence. Nobody lived 10000 years ago in the Himalayas like Shiva with a necklace of snake and Ganga flowing from his head. Absolutely not! Shiva is a principle. Shiva tattva. Shiva is the fourth state of consciousness, which is neither waking, nor sleeping, nor dreaming. Something that underlines the three states, the fourth state of consciousness, which is benevolent, absolute peace. Shivam Shantam Advaitam Chaturtham. That is Self. Manyante Sa Aatma Sa Vigyayaha. That is worth knowing. It is the Self. Like space which is so vast, so they painted Shiva in blue. Yet the consciousness is very alert; they put a snake. What is Ganga? It is not a lady. It is not water just flowing out of the head. Ganga means knowledge. The word Ganga has four meanings: Gyan (knowledge), Gaman (movement), Prapti (achievement), and Moksh (freedom). And in that state, there is freedom, there is knowledge, there is movement, dynamism, and achievement. These are all present. They all come out of the transcendence and Shiva is the transcendental state. The trident indicates beyond the three states of consciousness: waking, sleeping, dreaming; beyond the three doshas: vata, pita, kapha; beyond sattva, rajas, tamas. This is all such a beautiful deep symbolism. Unfortunately, we have not understood this. That is why you should study Vedanta. Vedanta is the real essence of Indian philosophy. There you understand all these symbolisms and it comes to you as an experience. Meditating on it brings that experience.

chaos is never-ending

Q. Gurudev I work in an organisation where there is lack of leadership and total chaos, I agree with you that chaos brings out the talent in us but what if the chaos is never-ending, where to draw the line?

#SriSri: You can end it. If you think its too much and its getting on your nerves you can say goodbye, move on. World is very big. First you believe in your talents. i think chaotic situation is an opportunity for you to bring out your skills. So meditate with a calm mind and think how you should come up . Got it?

how to reduce unnecessary compassion?

Q. Gurudev how to reduce unnecessary compassion?

#SriSri: Seems Compassion is your nature. Channel it with measurement to others, give how much ever they need to get.

More close to you

Q. What can I do to be more close to you and to spend more time with you?

#SriSri: Well, you take up some good project, do some work, then you will more chance to interact with me, talk to me.
To be close to me you can’t get anymore closer to me because you are already close to me. From your side you should always think that you are close to me, that’s it. Don’t expect me to look at you and smile at you and say ‘hi, how are you doing?’ and all that. And if I say ‘hi’ to someone next to you, then you don’t get upset, saying that ‘Guruji looked at him and smiled but he didn’t even look at me..’, leave all this, this is nothing, okay. Don’t look for these sort of gestures that I may be doing to someone else. That doesn’t in anyway indicate any closeness, okay.

One to one guidance

Q. Lord Rama got ‘one-on-one guidance’ from Sage Vashishta, can you also guide me ‘one-on-one’?

#SriSri: What do you think I am doing? Forget about all others around you, I am just talking to you only. Even when there are millions, I only talk ‘One-on-One’!
Have you ever seen me giving a formal speech, never. ‘My dear Ladies and Gentlemen...’ I never start my talk like that, never ever. I have never done that, I only say ‘my dear ones’.

Sadhana & Meditation

Q. What are the milestones which can tell me that I am progressing on the path of sadhana and meditation?

#SriSri: Do you feel at home everywhere? You find a sense of unshakeable peace, a sense of unknown inner-strength. Do you feel comfortable and natural, at home, with people or without people, then you progressing.
If you feel uncomfortable with people or without people, in both cases you need to work on yourself a lot. Do you see that? You should feel at home whether there are people around you or when nobody is around you then also you should feel at home. That is the strength that meditation brings within you and a smile that is undying. If you think it’s little too much then never mind, it will keep happening. It will take it’s time maybe.

Don't do anything in mediation

Q. All the Art of Living teacher’s say don't do anything while doing meditation. Why it is so difficult to ‘not do anything’?

#SriSri: Where is it difficult? It is not difficult here. Somewhere else it might appear to be difficult. You sit here and see how I guide you all through meditation. Meditation is happening here, right.

Botheration basket

Q. After putting our botherations in the ‘botheration basket’ how do they get over?

#SriSri: It gets over, right? How does it happen that you leave it to me. How many have experienced this that your botherations got solved? Everyone raised their hands.) Just by putting your botherations it is taken care, you continue doing that. I will tell you this secret later. When you feel like everyone is your own and when you do not want anything for yourself then you become capable of doing everybody’s work. (Gurudev whispering: This is the secret!)

Tri Doshas

Q. Out of the three doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which prakriti is good for doing meditation?

#SriSri: By doing meditation you can go beyond all the three doshas (imbalances): Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Meditation is destroyer of all the three doshas. If you first do meditation and then check your naadi (pulse), you will see that it has changed. If there is equilibrium (sama-dosha) between these prakriti then that is suitable for doing meditation. If you are healthy then your meditation will be deeper. And by doing meditation your health improves. Both these things are there.

World Environment Day

WorldEnvironmentDay‬ was celebrated across the world. Only the ones who are un-polluted from within can take care of the environment. If someone’s mind is polluted with anger, aversion, hatred or greed how can that person clean the environment? A greedy person wont be concerned about the welfare of the environment. He will be busy doing his work.
Today, pollution in the environment is caused due to greed. See, If a person is angry all the time, he never finds anything right outside. His vision becomes clouded. And when the vision is distorted, the outcome of whatever work he undertakes will be similar. The person who is full of anger, his actions are followed by regret. This is for sure. You see within your lives, whatever you have done in the state of anger, haven’t you regretted it later on? It has to happen. This is because anger is not the right state of mind.
I am not saying that you should not get angry. But whenever anger comes, it should not stay for more than a minute in the mind. Then, it’s not pollution. But when anger stays for long in our mind, it creates pollution. You see, you eat a banana after removing the peel and leave the peel on the table, this does not create any pollution. But if, that peel stays at the same place for 2-3 days, then it creates the pollution. When you eat a chocolate and you leave the wrapper at the same place for 4-5days, it creates pollution. This accumulation of the garbage is pollution. Sometimes anger is needed in life, it can get work done. But when it makes a place within us, then it creates pollution. It pollutes our vision. Our work starts getting affected. We are filled with regret. Then there is hatred, it is solidified anger. A person who has hatred can never be sensitive towards the environment. The Nature and the environment are very delicate and sensitive. In order to grasp their delicate nature we need to have sensitivity within ourselves. The one who has this fluidity and simplicity within, can be sensitive towards the environment.
The environment is our first body. Out of the ‘Panchkosha’ – the environment is the first ‘kosha’(Sheath). Then comes the body made of blood and bones. The second ‘kosha’ is the ‘Pranamaya’ Kosha (Breath sheath), Third is ‘Manomaya’ (Mind Sheath), then ‘Vijnyanamaya’ (Intellect sheath) and fifth is ‘Anandamaya Kosha' (Bliss Sheath ). I believe that the environment is our body. How? See, if the air is polluted then your body cannot live. If the air is poisonous, the how will you survive? Therefore, it is the first body. We should clean up the pollution within our minds first. There are some people who say that the Art of Living has created pollution, it has become a fashion now. They say Art Of Living should clean the environment, we said we will clean the pollution from the minds first. The one who says that the Art of Living has created pollution, their vision is polluted. Clear the vision and you will see that we have not created any pollution. First we will clean the pollution from your mind then we will make you clean the pollution.

Devi & devatas

|| JGD ||
Q: When you say in the past our ancestors gave various names and forms to God. Then   are Devis and Devatas created in the minds of the Rishis or did they really exist from the very beginning of the creation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Nobody created the rainbow colors, they exist, they are there but when the white light passes through a prism you can say you created them. If someone asks you, are the colours created by you or no, what do you say? Yes and no together because the colors are already there but it was not visible, you made it visible when you made the light pass through a prism. In the same way, the Devis and Devatas have always been there but giving them a name and honoring them was the brilliance of the Rishis.

Inside out

Weekly Knowledge #145
Rishikesh
19 Mar 1998
India

*Inside Out*

Often people say, "Be the same inside as out". I ask you, how is this possible?

Inside you are a vast ocean, infinite sky; what you can show outside is only a tiny bit of it. Outside you are finite, just a small limited form, a normal stupid person!

All that you are, the love, the beauty, the compassion, the Divinity, doesn't show up fully. What shows up is the crust of behaviors. Ask yourself, "Are you really your behaviors? Are you just your behavioral patterns"? No....... Don't mistake this crust for your inside.

Neither take the limited body/mind complex as your inside nor show your Infinite Lordship outside, for Divinity is not easily understood. Let there be some mystery.

*DON'T BE THE SAME INSIDE AND OUT!!*

�� *Jai Guru Dev* ��

Wisdom in the rain

2nd June, 7.00 PM IST: Wisdom in the Rain with Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri: Sound stretched is music. You say aa it is sound. You say aaaaa it becomes music.
In the same way, mind stretched is music.
If you stretch your body, it becomes dance and yoga.
Stretching your ego is tapas and bliss.

It says everything is me. Everybody is me. That is bliss.
We will stretch the mind.
We have five pranas. The most important is vyana.
Prana vayu is one that goes up. Apana vayu is that which goes down.
Samana vayu is that which helps you digest the food.
The prana which helps you to digest the food.
Udana is that which helps you in move. When you get up and move your hand, your fingers, your body. It is also in the upper part of the body.
Vyana is that which is all over the body. In meditation, this gets stretched. That is when Samadhi happens.
So, let us meditate.
(After the meditation...)

Sri Sri: Was it good?
65 countries are with us today in the webcast.

Q: Today, we sang about the Buddha. What is the significance of sureendering to the uddha, Sangha?
Sri Sri: Surrendering brings lightness to our head.
We carry irrelevant plans, ignorant concepts, unfounded fears of the future. These things weigh so much on our head that we are unable to lead our life.
Surrendering is letting go.
When Buddha, an enlightened person is there, it is easier to let go.
Good qualities are your nature.
These negative qualities are not your nature, you let go these qualities to the Buddha. This happens automatically. Wherever you feel safe and free.
Where Buddha is not there, there the Sangha. A group which has a sattvic lifestyle. That Sangha also creates that type of energy, Where you feel freedom from fear, anxiety, and tension. Letting o in the Sangha is much easier. Unless you let go, meditation cannot happen. Unless meditation happens, there is no peace. If there is no peace, there is no happiness.
If there is no Buddha, no Sangha, then you acknowledge the Dhama. Dhama is the natural law.
If you see from the scientific angle, everything is nothing. If you see from the Vedantic angle, everything is Divine.
This is Dhama.

Q: Is time mightier than knowledge?
Sri Sri: Yes. You may be the law minister, but you also have to follow the law.
The maker of the law, follows the law.
There is a beautiful story of Lord Shiva. It is said that when the 7.5 years of Saturn starts in a persons life, you are ripped off everything if you are not on the spiritual path.
There is a but. The difference is that it is always beneficial when there is knowledge. Adverse situation becomes a favorable situation.
An arrow came towards my head, but it only hit my cap and not my head.
A little bit of that has to be experienced. This has come in the Puranas again and again and again.
The arrow just takes your cap away, you don't even feel it.
Karma is very deep and it is unfathomable.

Q: You decorated my life with justice.
Sri Sri: Believe in this word: Satyamev Jayate. In any war, there are setbacks. It is only in the middle, it is not in the end.
We know that we have not polluted the river Yamuna, the air, or the land.
We need to clear the pollution from the minds in Delhi.
We have left the place much better than what it was.
The Delhi Police said that this place was a place for antisocial elements, now that you have cleared it for all the debris, it has become so easy for us.
Some judgments have come, we will contest that.
I am quite calm and serene and these sort of allegations will not make us unhappy. But we cannot be complacent.
Today, I gave a tweet.
Anything we do, we do with perfection. When our intentions are right, our actions follow perfection.
A meek leader, destructive opposition, a biased judge, complacent Guru. They are all curse for the Nation.
But you are all blessing for the nation. People who are committed yet calm. I have to write about the boon also. You all think what are the boon. This could be our homework. All of you tweet the four things that you consider as a boon for the nation.
(Someone says in the curse you can add media.)
Sri Sri: In the list of boons, you can add unbiased media.

Fire

*Fire*

The senses are like fire. Your life is also like fire. In the fire of senses, whatever you put in burns. If you burn tyres, it creates pollution and bad smell. But if you burn sandalwood, it creates fragrance.
Celebration happens around the bonfire. Grief happens around the fire of cremation. The same fire that supports life in winter, can also destroy. One fire, like a ghee lamp, lights your way and purifies. Another fire made of toxic material creates pollution.
You are also like fire. Are you the fire that creates smoke and pollution or the flame of camphor which creates light and fragrance? A saint is like a camphor flame that creates light and the fragrance of love. He is the friend of life.
The fire that creates light and warmth and is useful is of higher quality. The fire that creates light and a little smoke as well is of medium quality. The fire that creates darkness and only smoke is of low quality. Learn to distinguish the different fires. If your senses are engaged in goodness, then you will create light and fragrance. If engaged in impurity, you create smoke and darkness. It is samyama that transforms the quality of fire in you.
~ *Sri Sri Ravi Shankar*