Humor is the buffer that saves you from humiliation. If you have a good sense of humor you can never be humiliated. And if you refuse to be humiliated you become invincible. Humor brings everyone together, while humiliation tears them apart. In a society torn with humiliation and insult, humor is like a breath of fresh air. A good sense of humor relieves you from fear and anxiety.
Humor should be coupled with care and concern. Mere humor without care and concern or appropriate action often irritates those who come to you with serious problems.
Humor can keep the spirit high, yet if overdone it leaves a bad taste.
Humor without wisdom is shallow.
Humor with wisdom creates an atmosphere of celebration.
Humor without sensitivity is satire - it comes back to you with more problems.
The wise use humor to bring wisdom and to lighten every situation.
The intelligent use humor as a shield against humiliation.
The cruel use humor as a sword to insult others.
The irresponsible use humor to escape from responsibility.
And fools take humor too seriously!
To make an effort to be humorous is nonsensical.
Question: How does one cultivate a sense of humor?
Sri Sri:
1. Humor is not just words, it is the lightness of your Being. You do not have to read and repeat jokes - just being cordial and
light-hearted brings out authentic humor.
2. Taking life itself not too seriously (because you will never come out of it alive!) (Laughter)
3. Having a sense of belongingness with everybody, including those who are not friendly
4. Practicing yoga and meditation
5. Having unshakable faith in the Divine, and in the laws of karma
6. Being in the company of those who live in knowledge and are humorous
7. A willingness to be a clown
this blog is related to the worlds best organization called the art of living run by volunteers
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
faith--- guru story
MASTER and US!!!
My father had not been keeping well for over a month now. Since Shillong does not have good medical facilities my family decided to take my father to Delhi. To our horror he was suspected of lung cancer. After performing a CT Scan and a PET Scan the doctors were 99% sure that he was sufering from lung cancer with multiple nodules observed in both his lungs. They took him in for biopsy. We decided to fly down to Bangalore to meet Guruji on his bday as the biopsy reports would come only after three days.
The flight from Delhi to Bangalore was painful for him but it was Guruji's call I guess. Soon things became alright and we reached Bangalore. My father felt that he had reached heaven's abode. We hired a flat a few kilometers away from the ashram. That evening he could not make it to the ashram for the satsang since he was not well.
We wrote conituous emails to Guruji, Swami Pragyapadji to seek their blessings. All the Swamiji's in the ashram were with us. Our letter reached Guruji and his secretary Girin Bhaiya called us up to inform that Guruji has read our letter and would meet us by 6.15. We could not make it on time as we were a few kms away from the ashram and there was no way we could make it by 6.15. Girin bhaiya informed that Guruji would meet us on the way to the satsang. How??? How would He recognize us? In the middle of lacs of devotees Guruji stopped in front of my parents. He blessed my father. He waved his hand over his head as though he was moving a magic wand and said that everything will be fine. He blessed my mother as well. We all felt as lite as a feather as though something heavy had been lifted. We were astonished that Guruji gave us such a beautiful darshan.
We left for Delhi the next day surrendering all our fears and worries on our Master's feet. My brother went to collect his report. In about 30 mins we get a call from my brother who could hardly speak but managed to say 'Jai Gurudev' before he broke down. The tests were negative. The doctors were surprised. It was a medical failure for them and a miracle for us.
Our lives our indebted to Guruji. Lets all do his work. Lets spread his message far and wide. He is there for each one of us. None is more blessed or more personal to Guruji. We are all his children and he will take care of us always. Just smile and love. All your messages reach Him. Just surrender.
How to deal with Jealousy or Envy
1. Know that the person that you are jealous or envious of has done some good karma in the past and they are now reaping the fruit.
2. Take it as an inspiration to gain merit now.
3. Create a sense of belongingness with them. See that they are a part of you.
4. Think of all you have that they don't have and feel grateful.
5. Ananda says, "Observe the sensations."
6. Join hands and form a team with them.
7. Realise that in the current of moving time all will perish.
8. Think of everyone that is jealous of you for what you have.
Stephano added: "And see that all that people envy you for has not brought joy anyway."
9. Stephano: "Go and ask them 'are you happy?'"
Caroline: "And what if they say 'Yes?'" (Laughter!).
If the answer is "yes" then they must be in the Art of Living (Laughter!)
Ananda: "What to do if others are jealous or envious of you?"
1. Praise them in superlatives.
2. Create a sense of belongingness in them by your kind actions.
3. Know that their feelings are temporary.
4. The best is not to recognise their envy or jealousy at all. If you recognise a feeling as a reality it only makes your ignorance grow.
5. Know all feelings and emotions are just like passing clouds.
6. Do not show off your talents to them.
7. Know that they are puppets. They will all perish like apples and tomatoes - just a longer shelf-life (Laughter!).
If nothing else works just go to sleep
2. Take it as an inspiration to gain merit now.
3. Create a sense of belongingness with them. See that they are a part of you.
4. Think of all you have that they don't have and feel grateful.
5. Ananda says, "Observe the sensations."
6. Join hands and form a team with them.
7. Realise that in the current of moving time all will perish.
8. Think of everyone that is jealous of you for what you have.
Stephano added: "And see that all that people envy you for has not brought joy anyway."
9. Stephano: "Go and ask them 'are you happy?'"
Caroline: "And what if they say 'Yes?'" (Laughter!).
If the answer is "yes" then they must be in the Art of Living (Laughter!)
Ananda: "What to do if others are jealous or envious of you?"
1. Praise them in superlatives.
2. Create a sense of belongingness in them by your kind actions.
3. Know that their feelings are temporary.
4. The best is not to recognise their envy or jealousy at all. If you recognise a feeling as a reality it only makes your ignorance grow.
5. Know all feelings and emotions are just like passing clouds.
6. Do not show off your talents to them.
7. Know that they are puppets. They will all perish like apples and tomatoes - just a longer shelf-life (Laughter!).
If nothing else works just go to sleep
Guru Punch!---7th feb'2012
If you have any problems, just give them to me. Just say, 'Guruji, take this'. Consider me your very own. Leave your troubles and problems here and go with the confidence that whatever is best will happen to you ~ Sri Sri
Daily Quote!!--7th feb'2012
If you strive to make yourself in such a way that nobody can help loving you, life will blossom, everything will yield.
Article about India by German Journalist---------GARHWAL POST (UTTARKHAND’S LEADING ENGLISH DAILY)
Recently, I spent time with my mother in Germany. She lives in a small town near Nuremberg with only some 6000 inhabitants. I was missing India. Reading newspapers and watching news on TV, it seemed as if there was no India. Yet, when I met people and mentioned that I live in India, all were curious, positive and keen to know more about the country. I couldn’t help telling how special India is because, as I see it, India and Indians have a lot going for them, more than any other civilisation. Parts of the Indian tradition have been hijacked by Westerners without acknowledging the source, be it yoga, transpersonal psychology or several scientific discoveries, apart from such basics as the decimal system. Yet, strangely, there is still no official attempt by India to own up and project India’s strong points
abroad.
In contrast, China is doing a lot to project a good image by making full use of their main ancient sage, Confucius. Even in that small town near Nuremberg, twelve high school students have signed up for a Chinese language course. It came in the local newspaper. The Confucius institute is financing it. The teacher is a young Chinese.
On the airport, I picked up the International Herald Tribune, and not surprisingly, there was an 8-page Advertising Supplement about China prepared by China Daily. Confucius was all over the supplement: “Confucius lives”, “The way of the Sage”, etc., were some of the
articles. Professor Zhang Qun, former head of the Confucius Institute, University of Naples, was quoted, “Western culture started to spread to China long ago, but now it is time for Chinese culture to be promoted to the Western world.” He underwent a wide range of training, including intercultural communications, religion, and even Chinese Opera, tai chi and paper cutting, “because foreigners love these things”, he said. Around 100 million foreigners are learning Chinese, the Chinese education ministry estimates. Though the Confucius Institute started only in 2004, it has now 350 institutes affiliated with universities and 430 ‘classrooms’ affiliated with secondary schools in 103 countries. As many as 260 more universities have applied for Institutes to be set up. Over 7000 young teachers are
recruited every year from Chinese universities, who are sent abroad for two years…
Again, I was missing India. India is the cradle of civilisation, it has Sanskrit, the language which, according to NASA, helps develop the brain apart from being a perfect language. It has the deepest philosophy still expressed in a vibrant religion, a huge body of literature, amazing art, dance, music, sculpture, architecture, delicious cuisine and yet Indians are in denial mode and wake up only when foreigners treasure India. They don’t seem to know the value and therefore don’t take pride in their tradition, unlike westerners who take a lot of pride in theirs, even if there is little to be proud of.
An example that Rajiv Malhotra gave IIT students in Chennai recently illustrates it. Malhotra was a successful NRI businessman who retired early to set up the Infinity Foundation promoting Indic studies in the US. In 2005, the Crown Princess of Thailand wanted to have a World Sanskrit Conference. She herself was a Sanskrit student, had sent her sons to India to learn Sanskrit, had brought out a Journal on Sanskrit and wanted to start a Sanskrit College. A professor from Delhi University was organising the conference for her, but to his dismay,
the Indian government did not want to sponsor it. He felt it was embarrassing, as many of the eastern countries, including Thailand, look to India as their mother civilisation. And here is this mother not taking any interest. So, he frantically called up Malhotra, asking him to help save face. His Infinity Foundation agreed to sponsor the event. The programme was set, when a few days before the start, the Indian HRD minister suddenly woke up and wanted to inaugurate the conference. A compromise was reached and both, Malhotra and the HRD minister, represented the Indian side. The conference was a success and the Indian Embassy in Bangkok gave a reception. Malhotra asked the young diplomats there about the Indian foreign policy in regard to projecting Indian civilisation as an asset, as soft power, as
something of value in Asian countries. They were taken by surprise. “Sir, we don’t have any policy like that. We are a secular country,” the diplomats proffered. Malhotra wondered what this had to do with secular. “There is a demand, so you should supply it,” he suggested. “Set up Colleges of Sanskrit, of Indian thought, of dance, etc. It will also help in trade, in technology, in setting up business in these countries.”
There is a demand for Indian thought and culture not only in Asian countries; it is there in Western countries, too, though may be still unconscious. It would bring fresh air in the fixed thought structures that make westerners believe that there is either a god or no god, that one has the choice only between believing what has been written in a ‘holy book’and being an atheist.
India has a different approach. Already in 1887, Paul Deussen, professor of philosophy in Germany, had written, that it would be of benefit, if Indian Weltanschauung would spread in the west: “It would make us realise that we are stuck in colossal one-sidedness with our entire philosophical and religious thought and that there is a completely different way of approach than the one that Hegel construed as the only possible and reasonable one.”
There is however a difficulty. Most educated, English speaking Indians, who could project Indian culture abroad, know neither Samskrit nor the strong points of their culture and philosophy. In fact, some of them might rather bite their lip than acknowledge that India is a great civilisation. And many of those who know Sanskrit and who know the strong points of Indian culture don’t speak English or are not interested in teaching foreigners. Maybe the solution is to start, like the Chinese, with students. Give students a chance to delve deep into original Indian thought in Sanskrit, bridge the gap between academics and Sanskrit pandits, between universities and gurukuls, and let the students go abroad for a couple of years. They may turn out to be good ambassadors for India and may actually love the idea of being sent abroad. Never mind if they get disillusioned there.
abroad.
In contrast, China is doing a lot to project a good image by making full use of their main ancient sage, Confucius. Even in that small town near Nuremberg, twelve high school students have signed up for a Chinese language course. It came in the local newspaper. The Confucius institute is financing it. The teacher is a young Chinese.
On the airport, I picked up the International Herald Tribune, and not surprisingly, there was an 8-page Advertising Supplement about China prepared by China Daily. Confucius was all over the supplement: “Confucius lives”, “The way of the Sage”, etc., were some of the
articles. Professor Zhang Qun, former head of the Confucius Institute, University of Naples, was quoted, “Western culture started to spread to China long ago, but now it is time for Chinese culture to be promoted to the Western world.” He underwent a wide range of training, including intercultural communications, religion, and even Chinese Opera, tai chi and paper cutting, “because foreigners love these things”, he said. Around 100 million foreigners are learning Chinese, the Chinese education ministry estimates. Though the Confucius Institute started only in 2004, it has now 350 institutes affiliated with universities and 430 ‘classrooms’ affiliated with secondary schools in 103 countries. As many as 260 more universities have applied for Institutes to be set up. Over 7000 young teachers are
recruited every year from Chinese universities, who are sent abroad for two years…
Again, I was missing India. India is the cradle of civilisation, it has Sanskrit, the language which, according to NASA, helps develop the brain apart from being a perfect language. It has the deepest philosophy still expressed in a vibrant religion, a huge body of literature, amazing art, dance, music, sculpture, architecture, delicious cuisine and yet Indians are in denial mode and wake up only when foreigners treasure India. They don’t seem to know the value and therefore don’t take pride in their tradition, unlike westerners who take a lot of pride in theirs, even if there is little to be proud of.
An example that Rajiv Malhotra gave IIT students in Chennai recently illustrates it. Malhotra was a successful NRI businessman who retired early to set up the Infinity Foundation promoting Indic studies in the US. In 2005, the Crown Princess of Thailand wanted to have a World Sanskrit Conference. She herself was a Sanskrit student, had sent her sons to India to learn Sanskrit, had brought out a Journal on Sanskrit and wanted to start a Sanskrit College. A professor from Delhi University was organising the conference for her, but to his dismay,
the Indian government did not want to sponsor it. He felt it was embarrassing, as many of the eastern countries, including Thailand, look to India as their mother civilisation. And here is this mother not taking any interest. So, he frantically called up Malhotra, asking him to help save face. His Infinity Foundation agreed to sponsor the event. The programme was set, when a few days before the start, the Indian HRD minister suddenly woke up and wanted to inaugurate the conference. A compromise was reached and both, Malhotra and the HRD minister, represented the Indian side. The conference was a success and the Indian Embassy in Bangkok gave a reception. Malhotra asked the young diplomats there about the Indian foreign policy in regard to projecting Indian civilisation as an asset, as soft power, as
something of value in Asian countries. They were taken by surprise. “Sir, we don’t have any policy like that. We are a secular country,” the diplomats proffered. Malhotra wondered what this had to do with secular. “There is a demand, so you should supply it,” he suggested. “Set up Colleges of Sanskrit, of Indian thought, of dance, etc. It will also help in trade, in technology, in setting up business in these countries.”
There is a demand for Indian thought and culture not only in Asian countries; it is there in Western countries, too, though may be still unconscious. It would bring fresh air in the fixed thought structures that make westerners believe that there is either a god or no god, that one has the choice only between believing what has been written in a ‘holy book’and being an atheist.
India has a different approach. Already in 1887, Paul Deussen, professor of philosophy in Germany, had written, that it would be of benefit, if Indian Weltanschauung would spread in the west: “It would make us realise that we are stuck in colossal one-sidedness with our entire philosophical and religious thought and that there is a completely different way of approach than the one that Hegel construed as the only possible and reasonable one.”
There is however a difficulty. Most educated, English speaking Indians, who could project Indian culture abroad, know neither Samskrit nor the strong points of their culture and philosophy. In fact, some of them might rather bite their lip than acknowledge that India is a great civilisation. And many of those who know Sanskrit and who know the strong points of Indian culture don’t speak English or are not interested in teaching foreigners. Maybe the solution is to start, like the Chinese, with students. Give students a chance to delve deep into original Indian thought in Sanskrit, bridge the gap between academics and Sanskrit pandits, between universities and gurukuls, and let the students go abroad for a couple of years. They may turn out to be good ambassadors for India and may actually love the idea of being sent abroad. Never mind if they get disillusioned there.
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