Well baked pot

Weekly Knowledge #66
Bangalore Ashram
12 Sep 1996
India

THE WELL BAKED POT

If you pour water into a half baked pot, the pot becomes wasted and so does the water. If the pot is well baked and strong, then it does not matter whether you put the water into the pot or the pot into the water.

During Satsang that evening a devotee presents a beautiful hand crafted pot to Guruji. Another devotee presents a bouquet of roses. Placing the bouquet into the pot Guruji says, "If the pot is well baked, then it will hold the flowers."

Yet another gift of sweets is given to Guruji and He adds, "When you blossom the sweets come to you." Then came a box of (Sandesh) Sweets and Guruji concluded, "This is today's sandesh." (Sandesh is the Hindi word for message.)

��Jai Guru Dev��

Wish you a very Happy Shivratri

Whether you win or lose. Krishna b.day

Weekly Knowledge #65
Bangalore Ashram
05 Sep 1996
India

WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE

After the Satsang a small group of about 150 people met with Guruji and were playing with the words and arguing with him and telling him how mean he is that he doesn't spend much time with them and yet has stolen their hearts. Guruji kept winning by twisting their arguments and people laughed like anything.

Guruji: Whether you win or lose an argument with me you are still laughing. Why?

Because there is total sense of belongingness. When there is a total sense of belongingness, real play happens. Winning or losing is irrelevant.

Normally what happens to you when you lose an argument? You are sad and upset, hurt and angry. But when you lose or win an argument with me you are still happy. How come?

1. There is a sense of belongingness.

2. Your love stands out and everything else becomes secondary. Like perfection, comfort, desires, etc. Isn't it?

3. Your ability to put the "Being" before the happening.

4. And your confidence in the ultimate good.

Can't you have this same attitude with everyone?

Today is Krishna's birthday. Krishna's life was full of conflicts and yet he kept smiling and dancing. May you dance through the conflicts and contribute to this planet.

��Jai Guru Dev��

Special or ordinary

Weekly Knowledge #64
Grimstad
28 Aug 1996
Norway

SPECIAL or ORDINARY

Are you special or ordinary?

What makes you special on the path? (Everyone is silent) Your perception, observation, and expressionhave advanced. What makes you ordinary on the path is that you are special! (Laughter) . . . . Because everybody thinks they are very special in some way or another!

Your perception has improved. You see the cause behind every cause, the Divine, and you see the great plan behind every small plan. You don't see the intentions behind others's mistakes and you are not a doubting Thomas.

Kiran: Who was doubting Thomas?

Shirley: Thomas doubted Jesus.

Bhanu: But I think he also got enlightened!

Stefano: Yes, but he was not sure! (Laughter)

Before getting onto the path you never observed your emotions. Now you observe your emotions, positive or negative, love or hatred, anger or compassion, pain or pleasure. Your observation has improved.

Your expression has improved. In the center-core of everyone there are all the good qualities. In the unfortunate and stressed ones it has not found an expression, but you have given an expression to these great qualities.

And soooo . . . . . you are extra . . . ordinary!

��Jai Guru Dev��

Faith and devotion

Weekly Knowledge #61
Los Angeles, California
07 Aug 1996
USA

Faith and Devotion

Faith is the subject of head. Devotion is the subject of heart. And meditation is of both and connects both.

A mature intellect is devoted. A mature heart is full of knowledge. And meditation matures your intellect as well as your heart.

Mr. John Pb: But people with good intellect seem to have less faith.

Guruji: They have more faith in the matter. Head puts the faith in the matter more and heart puts the faith in the abstract more.

It's next to impossible that one can be in total lack of faith or total lack of devotion. It's only a question of balance.

 
��Jai Guru Dev��

You and your time

Weekly Knowledge #198
Banglore Ashram
08 Apr 1999
India

YOU AND YOUR TIME

When you feel time is too short, you are either restless or in expanded awareness. When you feel time is too long, you are miserable or keen minded. When you are happy and love what you are doing, you simply don't feel the time. Also, in sleep you don't feel the time.

In deep meditation, you are the time and everything is happening in you. Events are happening in you like the clouds come and go in the sky.

When you are ahead of time, it is dragging and boring. When the time is ahead of you, then you are surprised and shocked. You cannot digest the events.

When you are with the time, you are wise and at peace.

Narayana Sharma says, "Guruji, you spend a good time with us!"

Next week we will see how to manage time or how the time manages us.

�� Jai Guru Dev ��

A Prayer

Weekly Knowledge #199
Kauai, Hawaii
15 Apr 1999
USA

A PRAYER

Give me not thirst if you cannot give me water.
Give me not hunger if you cannot give me food.
Give me not joy if I cannot share. 
Give me not the skills if I cannot put them to good use. 

Give me not intelligence if I cannot perceive beyond it. 
Give me not knowledge if I cannot digest it. 
Give me not love if I cannot serve. 
Give me not desire that doesn't lead me to you. 
Give me not a path that doesn't take me home.
Give me not a prayer if you don't want to hear it. (Laughter)

Question :-When you pray, to whom do you pray?

Sri Sri :-To myself! In prayer the mind goes to its source, the Self. God, Guru, and the Self are the same.     

Dean says :- Give me not time if I don't know how to manage it.

Daniel says :- Gurudev says, "You're all out of time..." (Laughter)

�� Jai Guru Dev ��

Noise of non-violence

Weekly Knowledge #200
Apple Valley, California
21 Apr 1999
United States

THE NOISE OF NON-VIOLENCE

Often violence comes with noise. Non-violence happens in silence. People who are violent make huge noise; they make it  known.  People who are non-violent are quiet. But the time has come for people who are non-violent to make noise so that the violence will quiet down. The message of non-violence has to come loud and clear so that it can be heard from a young age.

A sense of shame has to be connected with anger and violence. The reason for violence in young people is a sense of pride in anger and violence, not a sense of shame. People feel proud that they are violent or angry. They think it is prestigious or a status symbol to be aggressive. Aggression is not thought to be a quality to be ashamed of. This promotes aggression and violence in the whole society, and when aggression and violence are promoted, human values diminish. Some movies and modern music glorify frustration, anger and revenge and make these a role model for children.

We need to promote human values especially love compassion and belongingness loud and clear. Speak to groups or through your local media in the newspaper and on TV and create as many Art Excel and Art of Living courses in your area as possible.

David asks:-"If people are ashamed to be angry, won't that keep them unnatural and set up resistance in them that will persist?"

  Sri Sri:-"If they are not ashamed, they will feel a free license to get angry and violent. Sometimes resistance is a good thing (Like resistance to disease or resistance to bad habits)."

 �� Jai Guru Dev ��