In the solitude of the self
Buddha is not on the peak, rather the peak is beneath Buddha. One who goes to the peak comes down, but the peak seeks the one who is stationed in the inner space.
Shiva is called Chandrasekhara which means that mind which is in the Shiva (transcendence) and is always above the peak.
Often people are running after parties and celebrations, but for the one who is not running after them, parties and celebrations follow him. If you are running after parties, loneliness comes to you, but if you are in the solitude of the Self, parties surround you.
|| Jai Guru Dev ||
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Friday, December 13, 2013
knowledge sheet - Formality is Foreign to Self Cordiality is One's Nature
You cannot eliminate formality in society. It has to be given its place. But devoid of cordiality, formality can be hypocritical. Cordiality alone may cause chaos and may even appear sometimes to be uncaring.
Formality improves communication; cordiality improves communion - oneness. Communication is only necessary where there are two. Formality maintains duality.
Structures are based on formality. Love and knowledge are based on cordiality. For love and knowledge to blossom, you need an informal, cordial environment.
An organization cannot happen, orderliness cannot prevail, if the formalities are abandoned. All actions are measured steps of formality. Devotion is informal and totally chaotic.
Cordiality is the core of one's existence, formality is the outer shell. When the outer shell is thin, it can reflect the inner light. Like the dome of the lamp softens the light. But if the dome is too opaque, you cannot see the light. So, we need to strike a balance between cordial formality and formal cordiality.
|| Jai Guru Dev ||
Formality improves communication; cordiality improves communion - oneness. Communication is only necessary where there are two. Formality maintains duality.
Structures are based on formality. Love and knowledge are based on cordiality. For love and knowledge to blossom, you need an informal, cordial environment.
An organization cannot happen, orderliness cannot prevail, if the formalities are abandoned. All actions are measured steps of formality. Devotion is informal and totally chaotic.
Cordiality is the core of one's existence, formality is the outer shell. When the outer shell is thin, it can reflect the inner light. Like the dome of the lamp softens the light. But if the dome is too opaque, you cannot see the light. So, we need to strike a balance between cordial formality and formal cordiality.
|| Jai Guru Dev ||
knowledge sheet - The Dangers of Belongingness and Advantages of Obligations
Belongingness can bring about a host of negative emotions. Like demand, jealousy, unawareness and lack of gratitude. Just look into your own life, you feel more grateful to strangers than the people you feel "belong" to you. Belongingness reduces gratefulness, awareness, and gives rise to demands which destroys love. This is the biggest problem in relationships. People are nice to strangers and give more attention to them. With a sense of belongingness comes care freeness and lack of attention.
Look belongingness can make you insensitive, dull, and take away the charm in life! Anyway, who belongs to whom in this world? Here you are a stranger and everyone is a stranger to you! Blessed are those who feel themselves as a stranger! You feel more obligation to a stranger than the person you feel belongs to you. Obligation is very good to keep a check on your ego. It makes you humble. There is no greater antidote to ego than humility. Being humble is the beginning of all virtues.
People have such resistance for obligations. They do not realize that they are always under obligations, whether giving or taking! Dull people think that one is obliged only when one takes. The wise knows that even when one is giving one is under obligations, as the person has accepted what one gives. So whether you give or take you are under obligations. And if someone does not give or take, you are still under obligation! For they are freeing you from visible obligations!!
That is to say, you are obliged to all those who do not make you obliged! A Got it?
Life (you) renews itself everytime by becoming a stranger in this old and familiar world. You are simply loaded with obligations and you are a total stranger in this world every moment!
|| Jai Guru Dev ||
Look belongingness can make you insensitive, dull, and take away the charm in life! Anyway, who belongs to whom in this world? Here you are a stranger and everyone is a stranger to you! Blessed are those who feel themselves as a stranger! You feel more obligation to a stranger than the person you feel belongs to you. Obligation is very good to keep a check on your ego. It makes you humble. There is no greater antidote to ego than humility. Being humble is the beginning of all virtues.
People have such resistance for obligations. They do not realize that they are always under obligations, whether giving or taking! Dull people think that one is obliged only when one takes. The wise knows that even when one is giving one is under obligations, as the person has accepted what one gives. So whether you give or take you are under obligations. And if someone does not give or take, you are still under obligation! For they are freeing you from visible obligations!!
That is to say, you are obliged to all those who do not make you obliged! A Got it?
Life (you) renews itself everytime by becoming a stranger in this old and familiar world. You are simply loaded with obligations and you are a total stranger in this world every moment!
|| Jai Guru Dev ||
knowledge sheet - Devotion and Organization
Organization is control. Devotion is chaos!
Organization needs attention to details, a material awareness. Organization is being worldly.
Devotion is getting lost, forgetting the world, being in ecstasy.
These are opposite in nature. They don't go together, yet they cannot be apart or exist without each other. No organization can arise without devotion. When there is so much devotion, you simply want to organize. Devotion brings faith, compassion, and responsibility. With responsibility and caring, you want to give knowledge, wisdom, and love. Then organization happens. So organization exists through devotion.
If you are devoted, you won't just sit. The nature of devotion is to give. If you think you are devoted and you are not caring for the world, then you are merely selfish. Real devotion means being one with the Divine, and the Divine cares for the world.
Often you lose devotion in organizing. And often in the name of devotion you create chaos and disregard the organization. You have to be a saint to be both in organization and devotion. If you have both, you are on the mark. So get lost and be guided!
|| Jai Guru Dev ||
Organization needs attention to details, a material awareness. Organization is being worldly.
Devotion is getting lost, forgetting the world, being in ecstasy.
These are opposite in nature. They don't go together, yet they cannot be apart or exist without each other. No organization can arise without devotion. When there is so much devotion, you simply want to organize. Devotion brings faith, compassion, and responsibility. With responsibility and caring, you want to give knowledge, wisdom, and love. Then organization happens. So organization exists through devotion.
If you are devoted, you won't just sit. The nature of devotion is to give. If you think you are devoted and you are not caring for the world, then you are merely selfish. Real devotion means being one with the Divine, and the Divine cares for the world.
Often you lose devotion in organizing. And often in the name of devotion you create chaos and disregard the organization. You have to be a saint to be both in organization and devotion. If you have both, you are on the mark. So get lost and be guided!
|| Jai Guru Dev ||
knowledge sheet - Handling Fear
Fear is what you feel when you think you have no support. When you feel separate, you feel fear.
There is a beautiful saying in Sanskrit, 'Dvitiyadvayi bhayam bhavati'. Fear happens when there are two (meaning when there is no feeling of belongingness). We simply need to recognize our origin, our source and get connected to our higher Self. Then fear simply vanishes. It only needs this recognition that, ‘The Divine loves me very dearly; the Infinity is with me and all of Nature is a part of me. There is someone to care for me’.
Just these thoughts and positive affirmations are enough to make that fear run away.
|| Jai Guru Dev ||
There is a beautiful saying in Sanskrit, 'Dvitiyadvayi bhayam bhavati'. Fear happens when there are two (meaning when there is no feeling of belongingness). We simply need to recognize our origin, our source and get connected to our higher Self. Then fear simply vanishes. It only needs this recognition that, ‘The Divine loves me very dearly; the Infinity is with me and all of Nature is a part of me. There is someone to care for me’.
Just these thoughts and positive affirmations are enough to make that fear run away.
|| Jai Guru Dev ||
Beat the illusion
Often people think they are in control of their life, their situation, their world.
Control is an illusion.
The whole world moves according to the laws of Nature in an auspicious rhythm of innocence, intelligence, and divinity. That is Shiva.
Shiva is the eternal state of Being, the One without a second, the harmonious innocence that knows no control.
Control is Vashi - Shiva reversed. Vashi is of the mind. Vashi is weakness. Vashi is doing something by exerting unnatural pressure.
Vashi requires two, and duality is the cause of fear. Shiva, that harmonious innocence, dissolves duality.
Shiva means wholeness of the moment. When there is no regret of past, no want of future, the moment is whole and compete. Time stops, mind stops.
Excerpts from the book An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Control is an illusion.
The whole world moves according to the laws of Nature in an auspicious rhythm of innocence, intelligence, and divinity. That is Shiva.
Shiva is the eternal state of Being, the One without a second, the harmonious innocence that knows no control.
Control is Vashi - Shiva reversed. Vashi is of the mind. Vashi is weakness. Vashi is doing something by exerting unnatural pressure.
Vashi requires two, and duality is the cause of fear. Shiva, that harmonious innocence, dissolves duality.
Shiva means wholeness of the moment. When there is no regret of past, no want of future, the moment is whole and compete. Time stops, mind stops.
Excerpts from the book An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Discover the various layers of your existence
Having attained that, human life becomes perfect. There is nothing that you feel you don’t have. That perfection dawns in life. Siddho bhavati, amrito bhavati - you recognise that something deep inside which has never aged, never dies. Tripto bhavati - it brings such fulfilment. Love brings such fulfilment in life.
Yat prapya na kinchid vanchati, na shochati, na dweshti, na ramate notsahi bhavati
Having attained that, there is no more craving, no more desires. Na shochati - you will not sit and cry for anything, there is no sadness. Na dweshti - you do not hate anything. Na ramate - nothing else is ‘rejoiceful’. Nothing else is pulling you off your centre, nothing else is charming.
Notsahi bhavati - then there is no other enthusiasm or excitement that can take you off. That does not mean you are devoid of enthusiasm - notsahi bhavati. You are not over-enthusiastic, not over-excited about anything.
Yat gyatva matto bhavati, stabdho bhavati, atmaramo bhavati Matto bhavati - knowing which you become intoxicated; stabdho bhavati - so still deep within you. Atmaramo bhavati - you are reposing in the Self. Only love can make you repose in the Self, only love can quieten you; matto bhavati - only love can intoxicate you. There are so many types of intoxication, but the intoxication that comes out of love is the intoxication, the supershot. You are amazed, wonder-struck. It is baffling. Atmaramo bhavati - and it reposes you in the Being.
The Rishi addresses all the three levels. Emotionally you get intoxicated, intellectually you are wonder-struck and you repose in the self.
The three layers of our existence are the Spirit (the Self), the Mind (the Intellect) and the Emotions. How does love have such a profound impact on all three layers? Cravings, desires and aversions arise in the heart. Curiosity, inquisitiveness, enquiry are in the intellect. Joy comes out of intoxication. That is why many people get into intoxication or curiosity when they read all sorts of magazines or watch television. Everything is for the intellect - to calm it down and satisfy the urge of the intellect to know. There is nothing so wonderful, so awesome, as this deep devotion.
Stabdho bhavati, atmaramo bhavati - is this just an emotional exercise or will it take us further towards the ultimate reality, the truth to Self-realisation? The Rishi says, “It takes you to the Self.
Such is Stabdho bhavati, atmaramo bhavati - is this just an emotional exercise or will it take us further towards the ultimate reality, the truth to Self-realisation? The Rishi says, “It takes you to the self. Such is the glory of Bhakti, of love.”
Yat prapya na kinchid vanchati, na shochati, na dweshti, na ramate notsahi bhavati
Having attained that, there is no more craving, no more desires. Na shochati - you will not sit and cry for anything, there is no sadness. Na dweshti - you do not hate anything. Na ramate - nothing else is ‘rejoiceful’. Nothing else is pulling you off your centre, nothing else is charming.
Notsahi bhavati - then there is no other enthusiasm or excitement that can take you off. That does not mean you are devoid of enthusiasm - notsahi bhavati. You are not over-enthusiastic, not over-excited about anything.
Yat gyatva matto bhavati, stabdho bhavati, atmaramo bhavati Matto bhavati - knowing which you become intoxicated; stabdho bhavati - so still deep within you. Atmaramo bhavati - you are reposing in the Self. Only love can make you repose in the Self, only love can quieten you; matto bhavati - only love can intoxicate you. There are so many types of intoxication, but the intoxication that comes out of love is the intoxication, the supershot. You are amazed, wonder-struck. It is baffling. Atmaramo bhavati - and it reposes you in the Being.
The Rishi addresses all the three levels. Emotionally you get intoxicated, intellectually you are wonder-struck and you repose in the self.
The three layers of our existence are the Spirit (the Self), the Mind (the Intellect) and the Emotions. How does love have such a profound impact on all three layers? Cravings, desires and aversions arise in the heart. Curiosity, inquisitiveness, enquiry are in the intellect. Joy comes out of intoxication. That is why many people get into intoxication or curiosity when they read all sorts of magazines or watch television. Everything is for the intellect - to calm it down and satisfy the urge of the intellect to know. There is nothing so wonderful, so awesome, as this deep devotion.
Stabdho bhavati, atmaramo bhavati - is this just an emotional exercise or will it take us further towards the ultimate reality, the truth to Self-realisation? The Rishi says, “It takes you to the Self.
Such is Stabdho bhavati, atmaramo bhavati - is this just an emotional exercise or will it take us further towards the ultimate reality, the truth to Self-realisation? The Rishi says, “It takes you to the self. Such is the glory of Bhakti, of love.”
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