Do you test god or does God test you?

Weekly Knowledge #187
Bad Antogast
13 Jan 1999
Germany

DO YOU TEST GOD, OR DOES GOD TEST YOU?

Testing is part of ignorance. You only test that of which you are not sure. If God is testing you, that means God doesn't´ know you well enough. How could people ever think that God is testing them?

God does not test you because he knows you in and out and your past, present and future. He knows your strengths and weaknesses and he alone gives you strength. He doesn't test you.

Only you can test yourself. Only when you do not have confidence, then you test. If you are confident, why would you test? If you are testing yourself, you do not know yourself.

Are you testing God?

God will never pass your test because He will never show up for your test. If He shows up for your test, then He is not God (laughter).

Whether you get this or not - just laugh!

�� Jai Guru Dev ��

CHANGE AND LOVE

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted: 12 Mar 2012

CHANGE AND LOVE

There are some who are longing for change. Feeling that everything is stagnant in their lives, they want to change partners, careers, dwellings. And there are some who are scared of change. They feel secure the way they are.

There are some who see the change, but don't acknowledge it, out of fear. There are some who do not notice the change at all. There are some who do not think there is anything to change.
And there are some who realize that everything is changing, yet see there is something that is non-changing. Those who recognize the non-changing amidst the change are the wisest of all.

Question : Must love as well always change?

Sri Sri : Love is your nature. What is your nature cannot change. But the expression of love changes. Because love is your nature, you cannot but love.

The mother has total love for the child, but sometimes she feeds the child, sometimes she is strict with the child. "Come on, sit and write!" Sometimes she slaps the child. She does this out of love, and these are all different modes of love. So the expression of love changes. But love itself does not change, because love is your nature.

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

Uncertainty

Weekly Knowledge #183
Bangalore Ashram
10 Dec 1998
India

Uncertainty

You can be at ease with the uncertainty of the world when you realise the certainty of the consciousness. Often people do just the opposite. They are certain about the things in the world and uncertain about God. They rely on something that is not reliable and get upset. Uncertainty causes craving for stability and the most stable thing in the universe is our Self.

The world is of change, the Self is of non-change. You have to rely on the non-change and accept the change. If you are certain that everything is uncertain, then you are liberated. When you are uncertain in ignorance then you become worried and tense. Uncertainty with awareness brings higher states of consciousness and a smile.

Bharat says: A certain smile!!!

Often people think that certainty is freedom. If you feel that freedom when you are not certain then that is 'real' freedom. Often your certainty or uncertainty is based on the relative world. To be certain about the uncertainty of the relative, makes you certain about the existence of the absolute and brings a 'certain' faith in the absolute. Nitin says: Yes, to understand this you certainly need to have awareness!!!

Question
:-Can we still be enthusiastic when we are uncertain?

Sri Sri:-
Yes, in knowledge you can be enthusiastic in uncertainty. Often people who are uncertain dont act, they simply sit and wait. Acting in uncertainty makes life a game, a challenge. Being in uncertainty is letting go. Certainty about the relative world creates dullness. Uncertainty about the Self creates fear. Uncertainty about matter brings certainty about consciousness.

�� Jai Guru Dev ��

Organization

Weekly Knowledge #184
Bangalore Ashram
17 Dec 1998
India

ORGANIZATION

The entire creation is a huge organization. Everything is made up of atoms. The whole world is nothing but organization, where the atoms have decided to organize themselves in a specific pattern to form a particular substance. And those particular patterns bring them specific qualities.

Death/decay/transformation happens when the atoms get bored of patterns and decide to recognise themselves.

e.g. : When the atoms of the apple say "Enough of being an apple", that's when the rotting starts. If there is never boredom of patterns, there can be no decay.

The movement from one organized state to another is also organized. This is the transient organization which we call chaos. This transient organization may need a catalyst. Knowledge is such a catalyst.

So, you have absolutely no escape from organisation.

�� Jai Guru Dev ��

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.