Pleasure

December 12 , 1996Bangalore Ashram, India

The mind that seeks pleasure cannot be centered. When you are centered, all pleasures come to you anyway, but they cannot charm you any longer because you are the source of the charm.The mind that seeks pleasure can never achieve the highest. And if you enjoy drowning in your suffering, you cannot be centered; you are far away from the Path.If you are after pleasure, forget about Satsang. Why are you wasting your time? This is the Art of Leaving.You either seek pleasure or come to me.Susannah: What should we do when people talk negatively?Sri Sri: From your side, give license to everybody to talk about anything, about anybody, anywhere, at any time.Exercise: Talk maximum negativity about everybody this whole week. This is a challenge.

Self-Reliance and Surrender

December 25, 1996Lake Lucerne, Switzerland

Self-Reliance needs enormous courage. When there is nobody else or you want to depend on yourself for everything, you need a lot of courage.Surrender needs less courage.A person who cannot surrender cannot be self-reliant either. If you don't have enough courage to surrender, then it is not possible to be self-reliant; you simply fool yourself. If you don't have a hundred dollars, you cannot have a thousand dollars. Even a little fear is detrimental to self-reliance.Self-reliance contains surrender. Fifty dollars contains ten dollars.Often people think that surrender is a way to escape from their responsibilities, then they end up blaming the Divine for all their problems. In fact, true surrender is taking total responsibility for everything.Susannah: How can we do that?Sri Sri: You take responsibility and you pray for help.Surrender eventually leads you to self-reliance because there is nothing other than the Big Self.

In the Solitude of the Self

October 31, 1996Hong Kong

Buddha is not on the peak, rather the peak is beneath Buddha. One who goes up to the peak comes down, but the peak seeks the one who is stationed higher, in the inner space.Shiva is called Chandrashekhara, which means the mind that is in Shiva (transcendence) and is always above the peak.People run after parties and celebrations, but for the one who does not run after them, parties and celebrations follow him wherever he goes.If you run after parties, loneliness comes to you;If you are in the solitude of the Self, parties surround you.

How to deal with rude behaviour?

December 5 , 1996Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), India

What do you do when someone behaves very rudely towards you?
Get upset
React rudely back
Get frustrated
Run away and avoid the person or situation
Blame the person
Preach to the person
None of these will in any way strengthen you.

Then what are the options? See rude behaviour in this light:

It indicates the intensity of their commitment
It indicates their stress and insensitivity
It projects the upbringing of the person
It shows a behavioural pattern
It shows lack of knowledge
It shows lack of observation of the mind and its sensations
It shows you behaviour to avoid
It is an opportunity for you to welcome and absorb the rudeness
It strengthens your mind
It reveals the love that you are as unconditional

The next time when someone is rude to you, just give back a broad smile. If you can digest their rudeness, nothing whatsoever can shake you.

Celebrating the Silence

October 16, 1996Bangalore Ashram, India

One who has given you everything has also given you freedom. Honor the freedom and make good use of all things given to you.Your sankalpas (Intentions) and desires separate you from God. Offer them all to the Divine. Then you are divine... you are God...you are free, lacking nothing.Your mind does not belong to you. Don't blame it. Let the Big Self embrace it.

The Five Aspects of the Universe

December 19, 1996Bangalore Ashram, India

You have five aspects to yourself:

1) Asti (IS-Ness),
2) Bhaati (knowledge, expression),
3) Preti (love),
4) Nama (name), and
5) Rupa (form).

Matter has two aspects: nama and rupa (name and form).Consciousness has three aspects: asti (is-ness), bhakti (it knows and expresses), and preti (it is loving).This is the secret of the whole universe.Maya (ignorance or delusion) is not being aware of the three aspects of consciousness and getting caught up in the names and forms of matter.Question: Why are we imperfect?Sri Sri: So that we can grow to perfection. Life is a movement from imperfection to perfection. A seed contains the tree, but to become a tree it must cease to be a seed. In life you can either see imperfection at every step, or you can see a movement from one perfection to another perfection.Wherever you put your attention, that will grow. If you put your attention on the lack of something, the lack will increase.

See the Divine

November 6, 1996Kyoto, Japan

If you can't see the Divine in me, then open your eyes! If you can see the Divine in me, then you are a part of me; you cannot be away from me. If you feel a part of me, you will see the Divine in yourself. And when you see the Divine in yourself, you'll see the Divine in everyone.

Annihilate Conflict

November 14, 1996Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

When you are in a harmonious environment, your mind picks up any excuse to be in conflict. Often small things are enough to create a big turmoil. Have you noticed this?

When your survival is at stake, you don't complain that nobody loves you. But when you are safe and secure, you start demanding attention. Many people create conflict in order to get attention.

Ask yourself this question: Do you seek harmony in every situation, or do you seek to widen the differences and prove your righteousness?The seed of negativity and the tendency for conflict in you can be annihilated only by Sadhana.

Sincerity and Blessings

October 24, 1996Bangalore Ashram, India

Question: Many ask for blessings. But only a few will receive. Why?

Sri Sri: The giver is always giving but the taker is not there - the sincerity is missing. One who gives blessings gives freely but the one who receives has to be sincere. The qualification to receive blessings is sincerity. And everyone is free to be sincere at any time.

Question: Why do people choose to be sincere only sometimes?

Sri Sri: Because of the illusion that they are going to miss some mundane pleasure. Hankering after pleasure makes them insincere. When you are sincere, you simply enjoy pleasure without craving for it. Poor people fight for food. Rich people share their food. Richer are those people who share power. Richer are still those who share fame. Richest are those who share themselves. The richness of a person is indicated by his ability to share and not by what he hoards. Sincerity is being in touch with your depth.

In the Solitude of the Self

October 31, 1996 Hong Kong

Buddha is not on the peak, rather the peak is beneath Buddha. One who goes up to the peak comes down, but the peak seeks the one who is stationed higher, in the inner space.Shiva is called Chandrashekhara, which means the mind that is in Shiva (transcendence) and is always above the peak.People run after parties and celebrations, but for the one who does not run after them, parties and celebrations follow him wherever he goes.If you run after parties, loneliness comes to you;If you are in the solitude of the Self, parties surround you.

The Nine Nights of Navaratri

October 9, 1996Mumbai, India

Navaratri means Nine Nights and the New Night.Creation happens in 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 rejuvenation and rest. People come home from work at night and celebrate, rejoice, and pray. At night, the entire creation goes to sleep, including the ashram watchman.These nine nights of Navaratri are precious; they are enriched with subtle energy. Sixty four impulses of the Divine Mother govern the subtle creation and are responsible for restoring all earthly and spiritual benefits. These impulses are contained within one's awakened consciousness. The nine nights of Navaratri are celebrated to rekindle those divine impulses and to renew the inner depth of our lives.Cleanse your body and cleanse your soul.Cleanse your body with water.Cleanse your soul with knowledge, pranayam, Sudarshan Kriya and meditation.

The Perfect Balance

October 2, 1996German Academy, (Bad Antogast, Germany)

People who are free regret that they don't have discipline. They keep promising they will become disciplined.People who are disciplined look for the end; discipline is not an end in itself, it is a means.Look at people who have no discipline; they are miserable. Freedom without discipline is absolute misery. And discipline without freedom is suffocating. Orderlines is monotonous and chaos is stressful. We have to make our discipline free and our freedom disciplined.People who have company all the time look for the comforts of solitude. People who are in solitude feel so lonely and want company. People in a cold place want a warm place. People in a warm place love something cool. This is the dilemma of life.Everyone is looking for perfect balance.Perfect balance is like a razor's edge.It can be found only in the Self.

The Most Beautiful Spot in the Universe

February 01 , 1996 Honolulu, Hawaii

There is a place you can come where everything is beautiful.Tourists travel from place to place looking for beauty. With photos and souvenirs they try to take the beauty back home with them. They only get tired and tanned.Yet the most beautiful spot anywhere is right here. When you come here, you find that everything is so beautiful wherever you are.Where is this place?Don't look here and there; come within you.When you are here, then any place becomes beautiful.Then wherever you go, you add beauty there.If you are unhappy, even the moon irritates you, sweet things nauseate, music disturbs. When you are calm and centered inside, noise is musical, clouds are magical, rain is liquid love.Book yourself on a trip to this most beautiful place in the universe. Then you will find that every day is a vacation and a celebration.

Advice from Hawaii

January 24 , 1996Kaua'i, Hawaii

What type of time do you give the Divine?

Usually you give the time that is leftover, when you have nothing else to do, when no guests are coming, there are no parties to go to, no nice movies to watch, no weddings to attend. Such time you give. Yet this is not quality time. Give quality time to the Divine. You will be rewarded. If your prayers are not answered, it is because you have never given quality time. Give Satsang and Meditation your highest priority. Give prime time to the Divine.You will be rewarded.

Wrapping Paper

January 11 , 1996Weggis, Switzerland

All Sensory pleasures in the world are like wrapping paper; the true bliss is the Presence inside.
Divine love is the present, yet we hold on to the paper and believe we have already enjoyed the gift. It's like putting a chocolate in your mouth with the foil wrapping still on. A little chocolate may seep through, but the foil makes sores in the mouth.

Unwrap the present. The whole world is there for you to enjoy. The wise know how to enjoy the gift inside while the ignorant get stuck to the paper.

Is Guru Satisfied or Unsatisfied?

January 16 , 1996Ljubljana, Slovenia

A student's job is to satisfy the Master. But how can you satisfy someone who is already satisfied?
If Guru is satisfied, your growth is stunted.
If Guru is unsatisfied, he's away from the Self.
If Guru is satisfied, what can inspire you to grow?
If he's unsatisfied, he cannot be a Guru.
If he's satisfied, he cannot be a Guru.
So what is the answer?

Well baked Pot

September 12 , 1996Bangalore Ashram, India

If you pour water into a half-baked pot, the pot becomes ruined and the water is also wasted. If the pot is well-baked and strong, it will hold up whether you put water into the pot or put the pot into water.During satsang that evening. a devotee presented a beautiful handcrafted pot to Sri Sri. Another devotee gave a bouquet of roses. Placing the bouquet into the pot, Guruji said,"If the pot is well-baked, then it will hold the flowers."Then a gift of sweets was given to Sri Sri, who added,"When you flower, the sweets come to you."Then came another box of sweets - Sandesh brand - and Guruji concluded,"This is today's Sandesh." (Sandesh is the Hindi word for message)

Divine is a thorough businessman

July 03, 1996Montreal Ashram (Quebec, Canada)

The Divine has given you all the small pleasures in the world but has kept the bliss to Himself (or Herself). To get the highest bliss you have to go to Him and Him alone.Don't be too smart with the Divine and try to fool Him. Most of your prayers and rituals are just attempts to trick the Divine. You try to give the least and get the maximum out of the Divine, and He knows. He is an astute businessman; He will trick you even more. If you sweep something under the carpet, He will sweep something under the floor.Be sincere, do not try to outsmart the Divine. Once you get the bliss, then everything else is joyful. Without the bliss, any joy in the world will not stay.

The Fall that Rises

September 19, 1996 Bangalore Ashram, India

You see only the fall of the water. You don't see how the ocean becomes a cloud; it is a secret. But the cloud becoming the ocean is obvious.In the world, only a few can notice your inner growth and height, but your outer expressions are apparent.Never brood that people don't understand you. They can see only your expressions!

- Sri Sri -