ART OF LIVING ARTICLES n VIDEOS

Whenever a problem comes in front of us, we eternalize and generalize it. We should stop this. If there is a problem and you say, I want you to say, ‘Oh, I will face this problem!’ Instead what is it that you do? When there is a problem you eternalize it, you say, ‘Oh, everybody is foolish, everybody is bad. Nobody likes me'. This is generalizing. How can this be possible? In our mind we blow it up, generalize and eternalize the problem. When you sow such seeds (in the consciousness), such things will occur more and more.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: ‘Annadata sukhi bhava’ means ‘those who are providing me with this food, let them be happy’. Will you all say this one mantra every day before your meals? When you say this, you are wishing prosperity for three people. One is to the farmer; the second is to the trader who buys from the farmers and sells the produce, and the third is to the woman who cooks the food and serves it to you. First, we wish well for the farmers. When the farmers are happy, then the ones who eat the food will also be happy. But, if the farmers are unhappy, and they are shedding tears and giving us food, then when we eat that food, we become sick. So, you must wish the farmers good health and happiness. In this country we are ignoring the farmers. Farmers are committing suicide because they are sad and unhappy. When they are sad, then the food they produce brings us only misery. So, all of you should wish them happiness. Second, we should wish well for the traders. If the ...

Stress is too much to do, too little time, and no energy, Do you agree with me? In a short time, we have to do a lot, but there is no energy, and this causes stress. How to get rid of stress? By reducing the workload - This does not appear to be a possibility these days. By increasing the time - This is which we cannot do. It is fixed, unless we go to another planet. By increasing the energy level within us - And this is the only option we are left with. When we have enough energy and enthusiasm, we are able to handle any challenge. One aspect of the yoga way is to provide us with tools and techniques to lead a stress-free life and a tension-free life. On the other hand, I would say, yoga is also the greatest wealth of humankind.

It is often believed that glory and dispassion are contradictory and cannot co-exist. Glory and luxury without dispassion is a nauseating pomp and show. Such glory does not bring fulfillment for anyone, it is shallow. Alternately, the dispassion that is afraid of glory is weak. True dispassion is oblivious to glory. The glory that comes with dispassion is something that is true, that is permanent and authentic. When someone runs after glory they are shallow. Like movie stars, politicians and religious leaders who try to hold on to their status, to their glory, they are certain to lose. If you run after glory all you get is misery. When you are dispassionate, glory comes to you. If you are afraid of glory, that means you are not well-founded in dispassion. In India, the Sadhus run away from glory. They think they will lose their dispassion and get trapped in the web of the world, the circus. The dispassion is so blissful, they get attached to the dispassion. They are a...

Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita: 'The foolish think of me as the un-manifest coming into manifestation, knowing not my higher immutable unsurpassed nature. 'I am un-manifest, but people only see my manifested aspect. They only see my outer appearance'. See, whenever you relate to somebody, you only relate to their external. In fact, it is the self or the mind, or the spirit inside them which you are relating to, but you never pay attention to that. Do you see what I am saying? When you are relating to someone, what is it that you are relating to, the body or the spirit? You have never even thought about this. Krishna continues in Bhagvad Gita: 'People think of me only as the external human being, they do not see that space, that consciousness which is in fact speaking and which is doing everything. They only see the eight fold prakruti, nobody sees something beyond that. Such people are not intelligent'. Then he says, 'And it is not their mistake also...

Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita: 'The foolish think of me as the un-manifest coming into manifestation, knowing not my higher immutable unsurpassed nature. 'I am un-manifest, but people only see my manifested aspect. They only see my outer appearance'. See, whenever you relate to somebody, you only relate to their external. In fact, it is the self or the mind, or the spirit inside them which you are relating to, but you never pay attention to that. Do you see what I am saying? When you are relating to someone, what is it that you are relating to, the body or the spirit? You have never even thought about this. Krishna continues in Bhagvad Gita: 'People think of me only as the external human being, they do not see that space, that consciousness which is in fact speaking and which is doing everything. They only see the eight fold prakruti, nobody sees something beyond that. Such people are not intelligent'. Then he says, 'And it is not their ...

Keep smiling and spread the smile and happiness. There is so much work to be done in the world. There are conflicts in Syria, in Egypt, in Ukraine, in Pakistan, in Columbia, and in many other parts of the world. We should see what we can do. If this is too big a task, you can take smaller tasks. In your city, in your town, wherever you are, spread happiness. Start happiness centers and let people come there, sit and breathe, and learn some knowledge, and become happy. Tell them, "Leave all your stress and tension, and smile more!". That is what we should do – put more smiles on the faces of people, don’t you think so? Give them confidence to move on in life. I think this is what you all can do. You can tell at least five of your friends, "Hey come, let’s breathe together, let’s get rid of tension, let’s spread happiness and not hatred. Let us learn to manage our mind".

Approaches to Life A wise person is said to have four techniques, both inwardly and outwardly — Sama, Dana, Bheda and Danda. To deal with people and be wise, the first thing you use is Sama which means in a peaceful and understanding way. When that doesn’t work out, then you try Dana which means allowing it to happen and forgiving. When people don’t recognise your generosity in allowing them space, then the third principle called Bheda comes in, it means to intentionally create a gap or misunderstanding. If a person still doesn’t realise that they have made a mistake then it is time to use the stick, Danda, the final approach. The same four methods apply to your inner life, your Being. Sama — maintain the equanimity. Take both the good and the bad with equanimity. Dana means giving up that which disturbs you, that which cannot put you in the royal seat of equanimity. It means to surrender the mind which is the cause of your sorrows, problems and misery. Dana includ...

You have to go from the form to the formless. If you jump only to the formless, that path is full of misery. Lord Krishna said in the Gita, that there are people who worship the formless, but that path is full of pain and sorrow. You can see this yourself. Take Moses for example, his path has been very miserable and sad. Jesus - his life was so sad. Take the example of Mohammad Paigambar, he had to undergo so much pain and struggle, and the bloodiest part of history is his. It continued after him too, all his family members had a very painful and sorrowful state. This is the reason why Buddha said, "Buddham sharanam gachhami", i.e., I go to Buddha for refuge. Buddha is the formless in the form. Then he said, "Sangam sharanam gachhami", i.e., I surrender myself to the society and take refuge in the service of society. And then he said, "Dhammam sharanam gachhami", i.e., I take refuge in the ultimate truth. To get away from misery, Buddha said f...

What is the mind? The mind means the many desires that you carry within you. Nature knows very well the number of desires you drag and carry as a burden within you. Nature sees how tightly and feverishly you hold on to your desires, so sometimes it grants those desires and sometimes it does not. But when we remain happy and centered whether our desires get fulfilled or not, then you can say that you have killed or overcome the mind. Suppose you are going to a cinema theatre to watch a movie and you stand in line to buy the tickets, and you get to know that the theatre is house-full. Do you feel angry or frustrated about it, or do you feel “Oh, it’s alright. Never mind”. and simply move on ahead. You may also think that since you did not get a ticket for the cinema hall, so you might as well go to a temple for some time (laughter); or sit in a satsang for some time. When you are able to do this (skilfully), then know that you have killed and overcome your mind. Have this ...

You are in the right place. Don’t be in a hurry. Do your practice and keep doing the Art of Silence program every 3–4 months, at least for a couple of years, and will start going deeper into meditation. Doing the Art of Silence course once is not enough. Not enough at all! You have to do it again and again. You know, when they whitewash the wall, they put primer first and then put one coat, and then the second coat, and the third coat, and every few years, you have to repeat the whole process again. This is because there is wear and tear. In the same way, we are using our mind, our intellect, our memory so much, that it needs overhauling, it needs servicing. Our body needs servicing, our mind needs servicing, and the Art of Silence courses give us the much needed servicing. Scientists say, if you meditate for eight weeks, the structure of the brain changes. The grey matter increases, your immune system becomes stronger, your intellect becomes sharper, and your memory beco...

Navratri means the nine nights and the new night. Creation happens in the darkness. In the womb of the mother and underneath the soil. Nine months in the womb are like nine long nights where the spirit takes human form. Night provides rest and rejuvenation. At night the entire creation goes to sleep including the ashram night watchman. (Laughter) People working come home at night and they really celebrate, rejoice and pray. Nine nights are precious as they have subtle energy. The subtle is enriched. There are 64 divine mother impulses which govern the subtle creation. These are responsible for restoring all earthly and spiritual benefits. They are simply part of one's awakened consciousness. These nine nights are celebrated to rekindle those divine impulses and celebrate the innermost depth of our lives. Cleanse your body and cleanse your soul. Cleanse your body with water and your soul with knowledge and your spirit with pranayam and kriya. There is no penance ...

Happy Navaratri to all !! During the festival of Navratri, Goddess Durga Devi is worshiped in nine avatars. During these nine holy days, each day Goddess Durga Mata is worshiped in 9 different avatars Day 1 - Mata Shailputri Day 2 - Mata Brahmacharini Day 3 - Mata Chandraghanta Day 4 - Mata Kushmanda Day 5 - Maa Skandamata Day 6 - Mata Katyayani Day 7 - Mata Kalratri Day 8 - Mata Maha Gauri Day 9 - Mata Siddhidatri Today on the 1st day of Navaratri, we worship Mata Shailputri... Mata Shailputri is a daughter of ‘Parvata raju’ (mountain king) – Himalaya / Himvanth. She is the first among nine avatars of Durga and worshiped on the First day of Navaratri . In her previous birth, she was ‘Sati Bhavani Mata’, the daughter of King Daksha. Mata Shailputri, also known as Parvati got married with Lord Shiva. On the first day of Durga Navratri, Paravathi Devi is worshipped. Mata Shailputri holds a ‘Trishul’, a weapon, in her right hand and a lotus in her left hand....