Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Satsang today 16 jan 2015 There is so much confusion about God on this planet. Life is considered to be a struggle and full of problems. And that is where the Upanishads come. Tomorrow we will take it up in the morning. “These days you can get a lot of answers from Google, Guru is not needed! What you can get from Google don’t ask Me. But there are some things that you will not get in Google, those you come to Me for” There are five types of questions. First type of question arises when you hear about something. What you hear, you ask a question on that. You hear some scriptures, someone talking, you hear some knowledge, a question arises from some knowledge that came from outside.. Second type of question, people ask just to make others feel they are present. You take it seriously and you start answering the question, they start looking somewhere else! They are really not interested in the answer, but they just want to make others feel that they are present. The third type of question is that which arises from within you out of some deep need for it. Like you have lost the way and there are no sign boards, and you u find somebody on the way and you ask them how to get there. That question is something that is arising from within you out of need. The other type if question is just arising and you are not really looking for an answer for it. Like people say ‘Why do I have this issue, why do I have this problem?’ you try to explain but they are not ready to listen to the answer. They reject the answer, they are happy holding on to the question.. In these sort of ‘Why me?’ kind of questions, they are really not looking for an answer.. In fact if you take away the question, they become unhappy!.. And then the fifth one is real inquisitiveness, scientific queries. This comes from a scientist.. We learned something and now something else is happening. This inquisitiveness, curiosity to know. This question also cannot be answered by a talk, by a lecture. The answer needs an in-depth study. And till this in-depth study finishes the question keeps up again. It should come, it should haunt the person. Then they become better scientists, better astronomers, better philosophers. One is a spiritual seekers question, that is not coming out of hearing somebody’s talk, or some scriptures. It is coming from inside, the innate urge to know, “Who am I?”. “Who am I?” is spiritual. “What is this?”, is science. And they both are complementary. So before you ask a question, find out in which category you fall! Ques: When to hold on to rituals and when to let go? #SriSri: A little bit of ritual focuses the mind, creates the atmosphere. Just imagine you are having Christmas. Suppose you don’t have Christmas tree, you are not decorating it, you are not lighting the candles, nothing at all.. there is no celebrations! Human beings cannot live without rituals. Whether it is secular or religious or spiritual, whatever, ritual becomes an essential part of everyone’s life. Just by exchanging a ring or tying a thread around someone’s neck, does not make it a marriage. But for the sanctity of the marriage we do these rituals. Somewhere in the subconscious of the mind it puts on some path, on some commitment, on some dimension. It is hard to explain.. the ancient people have some meanings with the rituals and every ritual has some significance. And it does something to the environment. The rituals of the ancient people are always connected to the subtle, the subtle world. The ancient people knew the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm and the parts of our body. It’s fascinating the deeper you go into it how the microcosm and macrocosm are connected. It’s so interesting. The cosmic rays are connected to particular birds, particular grains, and particular part of your human body! So a little of ritual brigs a certain flavor in human life. Yes for one who is totally centered, has total dispassion there is no need of any ritual. But for anyone who wants anything, a little bit of ritual is always recommended. Not much, just a little bit. Ques: How to increase the desire for liberation? #SriSri: Liberation is and bondage are two sides of the same coin. What are you bound to? First find that out. Is there is a desire for liberation let it be. What is the need to increase it? If it is there then that is enough. Even the desire for liberation is bondage! Listen to Ashtavakra Gita. Ques: You have said that meaning of Upanishad is to sit close to the Guru. You have also said that Guru and myself are the same. Then why do we need something to sit next to ourselves? #SriSri: Air is everywhere but when you sit next to the fan then you feel it. In the same way electricity is everywhere. The whole world is made up of electricity, but when the electricity passes through the wire to a bulb, only then the there is light. In the same way in the presence of a Master you start blossoming. If there was no need then this question itself would not have arisen. Since the question has arisen, it means that there is a need. Ques: Yudhishthir has said that one who has no debt can only be happy. Does it mean that debt is the reason of misery? #SriSri: Yes, debt is also a reason for misery. Debt means someone else’s wealth. See, debt and compassion, you should not have either of these two in life. Be careful with this. Debt and compassion are both dangerous on the spiritual path. Do not quote this out of context! Who do you show compassion towards? If your hand is hurt, do you show compassion towards your own self?.. You cannot do it, you should not do it. If you don’t have compassion on your own body then do you not see other’s as part of you? If you see others as a part of you then how can have compassion towards them?.. Even the term compassion is tied with ignorance. In the same way, you consider something as debt, when you consider others to be apart from you. How can you be indebted to your own people? Are you indebted to your body? The Self realized one is neither indebted nor does he have compassion towards others. He is blissful in himself, there is no one who doesn’t belong to him. That doesn’t mean you will reach into someone else’s purse! (laughter).. Don’t misuse knowledge. Ques: It is said that Bhishma, Drona and Karna knowingly fought on the side of Adharma. I too have to side with my boss at work. Then am I right? #SriSri: Well Bhishma had to pay for it. Yes but you will not be able to fight a war alone. And especially when you have responsibility at home, you cannot stand alone against corruption and wrong doings. Even then if you feel that what is happening is very harmful stand up and say you won’t do it.. and look for a job simultaneously. There is a limit to tolerance. You cannot do something beyond that limit. So this world is big, there are a lot opportunities, look somewhere for a job. Ques: Shiva and Vishnu have temples but there are no temples for Brahma. Why is that? #SriSri: But the work of Brahma is over! The other two still have work left to do! Ques: My son is walking on the footsteps of Lord Krishna. How do I inspire him to go Lord Rama’s way? #SriSri: You try to explain to him, or else the police will!(laughter) Ques: How to balance between the gross and the subtle? #SriSri: Both have their own place. There is no need to balance. They are both on two different dimensions. Ques: How do I serve the nation when there is corruption everywhere? #SriSri: First change your point of view. If you feel that everywhere there are only corrupts and tyrants, then that desire to do something will die inside you. You will also get into the same flow. So first change that perception. Here there are many good people doing a lot of good work, having a Sattvic nature. There will always be those with Tamasic nature.. you have asked the question of what you can do. This question is like a road that you can walk on many times. Keep asking yourself what you can do for your country, for this world. Keep asking yourself this question and whatever answer you feel is the best, get yourself to work on that. This is what is called a volunteer. A volunteer is not who goes around with a preconceived notion. He is available to meet the need of the moment. So what if there is corruption, you stand against it together with other youth.. If you have Sattva in you, then your work gets done by the strength of the Sattva in you. Have that faith in you. Take the sankalpa (intention) through your sattvic thoughts and actions that the work needs to be done and it will happen. Ques: From where does the ability to get knowledge come in us? #SriSri: From where did this question come? (from curiosity) And where did this curiosity come? (from sorrow) And how did sorrow come? (from desire) Where did desire come from? See where this desire came from? That is the source. The state you were in before that desire arose in you, that is the state that you return to once that desire is fulfilled. We are made up of knowledge, we are made up of bliss. So the desire to return to that which we are made up of, arises from within us. Ques: Is it necessary to move ahead in life with a philosophy? #SriSri: Not wanting to have a philosophy in life is also a philosophy! Whatever you say will become a philosophy. You not believing in philosophy is also a philosophy. Keep in mind some simple things - Clarity in mind, purity in heart and spontaneity in action. How do you get clarity? When the mind is not troubled by multiple desires.. And purity in heart. Keep your heart clean. Whatever event has happened in life, blaming someone else for that will bring bitterness in your heart. That should not happen. Save your heart. Whatever has happened to us is due to our karmas or our foolishness. Ques: Why did Lord Ram leave Sita? #SriSri: I am not Rama’s lawyer nor Sita’s. You don’t bother about why He left Her. You repose in yourself, in Rama. Behind every event there is knowledge. Hold on to the knowledge not the event. In the same way behind every person there is love, hold on to the love not the person. And behind every object there is infinity. The object maybe small but find out where it came from. There are some scientists who came and said that they have been studying matter for 40 years only to find out it doesn’t exist! I said you are doing the right thing. This is what Shankaracharya also said, this world doesn’t exist! The world of name and form doesn’t exist, cannot be seen. So behind every object is infinity, behind every event is knowledge and behind every person is love. The love of infinity has come to you in the form of this person. Ques: What is enlightenment? How to do you know you are enlightened? #SriSri: When you have a pain in your leg, how do you know you have the pain? You just know right? You don’t need any external agents to know that you have a pain. And that’s what exactly is realization. Got it? The ultimate blossoming of human potential.. Anything you do in life is for happiness and peace. And realizing that you are the source of happiness, you are peace is enlightenment.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 19:38:24 +0000
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