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.