Saturday, September 17, 2011

Now....




How long can we drive looking in the rear view mirror..

Life is all about letting go and moving on...

The hurts and resentments we hold, hurt ourselves more than others

Pain is washed away by time...

and Forgiving is living the moment, moments of gratitude...

Its all about the Now.... :)

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Praising is Divine....

Adulation shows the magnanimity of the one who adores, rather than the one who is adored! Adulation indicates that the ego has become transparent; the best antidote for ego is adulation. Adulation works in three ways: If it is for someone else, it is ...not palatable to an egoistic person. If it is for you, it boosts your ego. If you adore somebody, it dissolves your ego and makes you magnanimous.

Unanimous chorus : When Guruji is adulated, E V E R Y O N E adores it! (laughter) Adulation indicates the magnanimity of the person who is adoring. And the one who is great, does not get swayed by adulation. So the test of the greatness of a person is that he is not shaken by any amount of adulation.

A desire for adulation is a sign of immaturity. Aversion to adulation is small-mindedness. Lack of adulation in life is dryness and boredom. A healthy mind would always like to adulate, to elevate others. An unhealthy mind would like to pull down everything. Adulation indicates the trust, enthusiasm and richness in a culture. Lack of adulation is a self-centred, small-minded, fearful and culturally-impoverished society. Being indifferent to adulation when it comes to you and being magnanimous when it is to be given, is the way of the wise!

Sri Sri..

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

11 Expressions of Love :)


"Love is incomplete. And it will have to remain incomplete. If something is complete, it means that you have marked the boundaries; found its limitations. For love to be infinite, it has to be incomplete. Love is infinite and it finds expression in infinite ways. They can be categorised as eleven ways of expressing love, or eleven ways in which love finds its expression.


1. The first one is Gunamahatmyasakti, imbibing the qualities of the Divine,

appreciating the qualities of the Divine. When you love somebody, what is that in him or her that you love? You'll find some qualities. So‐and‐so is kind, so‐and‐so is caring... Qualities do not have form. Loving God in this sense means imbibing all the qualities that God represents. Normally one picks all the negative qualities in a person. Even in God, you will pick some negativity! The moment your mind is not in love, it behaves thus. When you are living Divine love, you will enhance and rejoice in Divine qualities wherever you find them.


2. The second is Rupasakti. Some may not be able to appreciate the qualities, because they don't see the qualities as qualities. And qualities cannot be seen without a form. When you're unable to appreciate the subtle qualities, you can definitely appreciate the form that is in the form of you. And forms are everywhere! When you appreciate a flower, you appreciate the form. When you see truth in the form as a quality and glorify it, it takes you beyond the qualities. In the same way, if you love a flower, and deeply appreciate it, you will see that it dissolves into the formless. You will see the space which is hiding deep inside that flower.


3. The third is Pujasakti, the interest in worshipping, honouring. Love can find its expression in the form of puja, form of honouring. And one who has done this will know the taste of it. As the state of your wholeness, your mind says, ''I want nothing. I just want to be worshipping like this all my life.'' Pujasakti is a sign of love. If you love someone, something, and whenever there is love you'll see that you start worshipping that which you love.


4. The fourth is Smaranasakti, which means remembering. That something which stays constantly on your mind. Have you noticed that when you love something, and have a desire, that desire lingers on in your mind? Sometimes, as soon as you get up, the same thing rolls on in your mind. When there is strong desire for something, that thought pours in all the time. In the same way, when you hate something, it runs through your mind all the time. This is called smarana. How wonderful it will be if the Divine just rolls in your mind like that?


5. Dasyasakti is the fifth. It means being a servant of God. It means saying, ''I am just the servant of the Divine; He's taking care of me. I do whatever I have been asked to do. My life is here not to get something out of here — I have come to this world to serve Him. Service is expecting nothing in return. Whatever service He wants from me, I'll do it. Whomsoever He will send in front of me, I will be useful to them, I'll help them.'' This is dasyasakti.


6. The sixth is Sakhyasakti, companion of God. A feeling of companionship with the Divine. Many may not like being a servant. Sakhyasakti is a feeling that I am the beloved of my Lord. He is my beloved. I'll do whatever I can to please Him. It is wherein you are able to share fearlessly with the Divine. And this will have to come from you. It's not that one is superior to the other. Gita was taught to Arjuna, and Arjuna made Krishna his friend, sakha, companion. That's why Krishna was called Jagad‐guru, the teacher of the whole universe. He was both a master and a companion.


7. The seventh is Vatsalyasakti. Vastsalya means affection, being affectionate. Can we treat the Divine as a child, as a naughty person? In vatsalyasakti, devotion can take the form of the care you have for a child, or mothering the Divine. The devotee then orders God. There's such a sweet feeling behind it. The devotee tells God, ''See, if You do like that, I'll be angry with you. If You don't make Your presence felt today, I'm not going to talk to You tomorrow.'' So just like a mother deals with a child, a devotee deals with God. Feeling that closeness is vatsalyasakti.


8. Kantasakti is the eighth form. It is the beloved husband‐wife, relationship. Feeling that the Divine is part of you, and, ''He cares for me so much that He cannot exist without me! How can He exist without me?''


9. The ninth form is Atmanivedanasakti, offering one's very self. That is a great form of love that, ''my very breath, my very existence is Yours. Every particle of my existence is offered to You. Every breath I breathe in is Yours. I am Yours.''. That total surrender, letting go. ''You do whatever You want with this life! It is Yours!''. This flavour, of not even keeping any bit of ''me, I'' inside, is atmanivedanasakti.


10. Tanmayatasakti is the tenth form. This is seeing everything as You. That everything belongs to You. The totality of prana, the flow of prana, finding itself everywhere is tanmayatasakti. Being soaked in the Divine love is called tanmaya, tanmayatasakti. Anyway, everything is already soaked in Him! It only has to be recognised!


11. Paramavirahasakti is the eleventh form. Viraha means extreme agony and the pain of longing, of separation. This also a sign of Divine love. Love can never be complete because there is longing. It's the longing that makes love incomplete and infinite! So the pain of longing itself is Divine love. In that painful longing, prayer dawns. Blessed are those who go through that pain.


Usually, when people love something and there is a longing for it, they try to get rid of it because it's painful. The more you try to run away from it, you are destroying not only the longing but also the love. But if you can accept the pain of longing, that brings you the recognition of infinity."


Sri Sri

Monday, April 18, 2011

Slow down...... ;)


"If you run very fast, the very speed gives you an intoxication. That’s why there is so much addiction to speed. If you drive a car, the mind wants to go faster and faster. It makes you intoxicated. Speed releases certain chemicals in the body and in the blood; that’s why you would like to go on pressing the accelerator. Just run fast one day and watch what happens. A moment comes when the speed takes over: that is the acceleration of speed.


Just the opposite happens if you slow down. What is a Buddha doing under the tree? — slowing down the speed, nothing else. What am I continuously teaching you? — slow down the speed. Come to a point where there is no speed within you, nobody running. In that moment awareness happens — you become enlightened.


There are two poles: one is speed; then you are intoxicated, you become unconscious. The other is no speed — slowed down completely, totally, an absolute stop. Suddenly you become enlightened."


The method :

Slow down your speed. Eat slowly, walk slowly, talk slowly, move very, very slowly, and by and by you will come to know the beauty of inactivity, the beauty of passivity. Then you are not intoxicated — you are completely aware and conscious.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Keep the Faith.... :)


"Even your spiritual practices are based on faith. If you didn't have faith you wouldn't even be practicing. Everything requires faith. That is why the scriptures say that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.

Strong conviction is faith. If you have conviction, it is easy to accomplish what you set out to do. But before you even begin, you must be convinced. Otherwise you will just think, "Oh, okay, I'll try to do it. " Don't think that way. Your thought should be, "This is what I want, no matter what happens. All the rest is nothing. I won't stop until I get it! This is the most important thing in my life."

Tests will come to see if you are really strong in your faith. Do you know how to install a flag post or a telephone post in the ground? You dig a hole and put the post in; but you don't just leave it at that. You put stones all around and hammer it to make it strong. You hammer the ground all around, and then you try to shake the post. If it shakes, you hammer again. As long as it keeps shaking, you keep on hammering. When do you stop hammering? When it stops shaking.

Life is like that. As long as you are shaking, you'll be hammered. It's true. God is trying to make you steady, and unless that hammering occurs you cannot be strong and steady. So don't be afraid to face the hammering."

Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi

Sri Swami Satchidananda

Friday, January 28, 2011

Karma Talk... :)

And the Master spoke on Karma --- Throughout the talk, I felt that all he wanted was to take the focus on what we can do "NOW" rather than digging out the Past and worrying about it!!
Meditation, Seva and Guru Grace (kripa) :)

A compilation of knowledge bytes on Karma by Guruji on Januray 29th, 2011.... :) Enjoy!!


What is Karma: "Karma simply means the strongest impression in the mind, the action it has propelled...
Every particle in the universe is filled with action and dynamism. The universe is filled with karma..getting rid of karma means -- getting rid of the impressions .. Negative impressions cause pain..Good karma means positive impressions, bad karma means negative impressions..
Breathing techniques, Meditation and Pranayama erase negative impressions ...not the positive ones :)
Attachment to positive impressions is also karma..Nirvana is freeing(not attached) yourself from postive impressions and negative impressions... "

"Latent impressions propel you into action again.. The skill is not to be affected by these..In every action there is some stillness.. recognizing this stillness, which is a witness to all the action'Seeing the inaction in action is seeing ...the consciousness.. freedom is not stopping action.. its doing the action but being a witness to it.. :)We have to keep acting yet not get attached to the actions.. everyday you do daily chores, but they don't become a big impression.."

"All habits are nothing but karma.. Induced karma...Erase those karmas from your consciousness..When you meditate, you clear the impressions.. mind becomes clear -- hollow and empty.. then you are in touch with your intuition..."

"Guruji says --Three types of karma
1)Prarabdha -- Impressions stored and which have started yielding results..Have to Experience!!!
2)Sanchit -- Accumulated from past.. can be erased
3)Agami -- Future.. can be erased
Prarabdha -- everyone has to experience...
...Gahana karmanogati -- Unfathomable are the ways of Karma..Which would sprout when, you don't know!!
Final-- Don't worrry !!! :)) Just do what you have to do.. Do your duty.. The most learned are also confused when it comes to karma..
Family Karma -- DNA.. our genes are part of Karma!!
By practice of meditation and pranayama -- certain genetic structure changes.. "

"Along with Karma is also remedy... Remedies are available..
Habits can be changed..One can come out of their impressions....with support, little help, with little suffering..."

What are the ways to come out of Karma except Meditation??
Guruji said: What are the ways to get out of hunger except eating ;) :D
"What are the ways to quench your thirst excpet thru drinking !!!"

"The grace (Kripa) Love and devotion..... can get you our of Karma..
Meditation is not an action.. its a state of pure love and devotion :)
If you are in love meditation happens..."

Can one person's karma be changed by another's blessing??
A : To some extent.. definitely :)

"Love fear and hatred are made of same energy.. If you have fear, there is love lacking..Fear is love upside down... Meditation, Seva can help Love stand on its feet rather than on head" ;) :))
"You have to do only that which you can do... God doesn't want you to do what you cannot do..:) But what you can do and are not doing -- means irresponsibilty...
Karma is that which we can do!! Swabhav main jo hai, wohi karma hai..What is in your nature is what we are expected to do" :)

Answering somone's query on being able to remember the Past!! Guruji said --
"If you remember all your past karma, you may not smile at all" ;) :))

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Meditation.... :)


Gurudev's quotes on Meditation:

"The Art of Living is about enhancing that inner space of love in our life, and life around us; and that is meditation."

"Everyday you should meditate. You brush your teeth, you have a bath to keep your body clean. Similarly, you should listen to a little bit of knowledge and meditate. Cleansing of the intellect happens through knowledge - that knowledge which tells you that everything is impermanent. Music and harmony cleanses the emotions and enriches the heart. By giving, the heart becomes pure. With knowledge and meditation, everything becomes pure."

"When you’re meditating, we’re doing so much good to society, to the world around. It generates and releases positive ions in the environment and it is the positive ions that effect thinking, mind, spirit and body, the environment in the universe. It is very important, very precious - not only for us, but also for the world around."

"The busier you are, the lesser time you have, the more desires and ambitions you have - the more is the need to meditate. Meditation not only relieves you of stress and strain, it also enhances your abilities,strengthens your nervous system and mind. It also makes you more capable. What else do you want?
I would say if...... you want to be happy and healthy, you’ve got to meditate."
Meditation helps to change your perspective. It improves the way you perceive things. It brings clarity in the mind. It improves your interaction with people around –what you say, how you react and act in different situations, you become ...more aware. In general, from a stress-free society to peace and health in individuals and from a violence-free society to a sorrow-free soul – all are side effects of meditation."


"The knowledge which is born out of meditation is authentic knowledge. Even astrologers and astronomers experience good meditation. They think about stars, galaxies and about quantum physics and they go into deep meditation. From knowledge, meditation is born. Both – knowledge and meditation - give birth to bhakti (devotion). If you do meditation, a fountain of devotion flows in your heart. Bhakti also rises in the heart of the knowledgeable person. They all are one. They seem to be different only from the surface."


"Many believe meditation is concentration or a lot of effort. Meditation is not concentration. It is the opposite of concentration. If you want to drive anywhere, you need concentration. If you have to simply relax at home though, there needn’t be an effort. You don't need concentration. Meditation is deep relaxation and not concentration. So if thoughts come during meditation, we don't try to chase them. The more we chase them the more they come. If you want to get rid of a thought it won’t go easily. It will come back stronger. So we take another strategy. If bad thoughts come we give them a hug. We shake hands with them. Then they disappear. If good thoughts come we give them a hug, then they become quiet. Whatever thoughts are coming, we don't try to stop them. It's an effortless process."

"There are three golden rules for meditation. The first is you say “I want nothing.” If you say “I need to drink water or change my position,” then meditation cannot happen. When you want nothing, then you also do nothing. The second golden rule is “I do nothing.” You only breathe. Do not make an effort to think “I want nothing” and “I do nothing” - Just an effortless attention. Then the last one is even more important, “I am nothing.” While meditating we drop all notions about ourselves of being rich, poor, intelligent, stupid or any other. So what are you? Nothing. Just a little attention to - “I am nothing. I want nothing. I do nothing.” After meditation you can again be something. It is your choice, but during meditation if you think you are somebody great or somebody hopeless, there is no way you can settle down to that deepest core of the being. To settle into that consciousness of which all of us are made up of, this must be our initial step for meditation. It is the journey from sound to silence."


"We want to achieve success in professional life. Isn't it? That's why we take up an enterprise or profession. That provides you means to have comforts for the body. Yoga, meditation and spirituality are about giving comfort to your soul. When the room is very hot, you switch on the air conditioner to give some comfort to the body. AC (Air conditioner) for the mind is meditation – Absolute Comfort to your mind."


"The more sattva/purity rises in your life, the more easily your tasks get accomplished. The amount of sattva/ purity in us decides the productivity of our input. If you put in a lot of effort and the result turns out to be less or below your expectations, it means that there is a lack of sattva/ purity in life. When we meditate, then our work happens easily. How many of you have noticed this? (Audience raises their hands). People are unaware of this secret. They think why to spend 20 – 30 minutes meditating, when that time can be spent to earn them money. It is very important to meditate whenever we get time, so that you accomplish your tasks more efficiently and with ease."


"Prayer is asking, meditation is listening. In prayer, you ask, ‘Give me this, give me that’, giving instructions, demanding. In meditation, you say, ‘I am here to listen, what is it that you want to tell? Tell me, whenever you are free, I am here. Culmination of prayer is meditation. Prayer goes to the peak and that is meditation."


Q: I see some images during meditation. Is that ok?
Sri Sri: There is no need to pay attention to that. It is just an experience. In Kriya or meditation you may hear something, see some images or visions but all these come and go. It is a form of stress release.

Q. During meditation, the mind wanders to so many places. Once you said, “Let the mind go wherever it wants to”. Does that mean me and my mind are two different entities? If yes, then what is the mind and who am I?
Sri Sri: When you try to keep hold of your mind, it runs here and there. When you become aware of the wandering mind, then you realize you are bigger than the mind. When you find you are not this mind, not this body, not anything else, whatever remains is the Self. Knowing your Self, recognize the Supreme Self. Then you find you are everything. You are the mind, the thoughts, you are the whole world. But that happens at the second level. When you know your Self, you know the Divine. Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma – Everything is One Divinity. Knowing this, become established in this knowledge.