Are you happy?

The wise are happy with what they have and happy with what they don’t have. Fools are unhappy with what they have and what they don’t have. Misery is not given by anyone or anything in life. It is your own mind which makes you miserable or happy and uplifted.

If you are absolutely content with what you have there is no aspiration in life. It is important to have aspirations but if you are feverish about your aspirations, that itself becomes an impediment. If a cup is held under a tap that is running at full force that cup will never be full. Run the tap water at the right speed and the cup fills up. This is what happens with people who are too ambitious or feverish. Just have the intention, “This is what I want” — and let go.

Your whole life, every breath you take is a form of worship. Worship means loving with regard and honour. Adoration alone is not worship. Adoration is loving a person because of certain qualities they have. The truth is always simple and it permeates the simplest forms of creation. Know the change and see the non-change. Know that which is changing and you suddenly become alive; with this you can overcome inertia or death. The changing universe charms you by lifting you away from death; the unchanging universe gives you a glimpse of immortality.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The Path to the Divine

The Divine can only be found in deep rest (meditation).

Do you know what the obstacles to deep rest are? It is the cravings and aversions in the mind. If the mind is filled with cravings and aversions, rest is not possible. And if there is no rest, the goal of Sadhana (spiritual practices) cannot be achieved. That is why we need to be free from the cravings and aversions in our mind.

So, how do we do that?

‘I don’t need anything from anyone’, this is what we need to keep in our mind. When we don’t need anything from anyone, we will not have cravings towards anybody. When there is no craving for anybody, there will be no aversion to anybody. Let’s look at our aversions. Who are we averse to? Only those whom we think to be bad, isn’t it?

Don’t think of anyone as a bad person. There is no bad person in the world. If people do something bad, it is because of their ignorance or lack of awareness, or because their mind has been hurt. So, don’t have negative opinions about anybody.

If others have a negative opinion about you, it is their problem, not yours. From your side, do not consider anyone as bad. By doing this, your mind will be clear and pleasant and your intellect will be sharp.

Natural relationship

Just be yourself. Be natural and be simple. Relationships develop naturally. If you try to build a relationship that is when you become a little artificial. Then your behavior becomes artificial which is not natural.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Beyond

Beyond an event is knowledge, Beyond an object is infinity, Beyond a person is love…

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Pressure Cooker

Well, in the pressure cooker, when you are cooking, when there is more pressure – how is it built up ? Water vapor ! And is that more powerful than water or not ? So, subtler you go, the more powerful the things are. Which is powerful – molecule or atom ? Atom is powerful. The subtler we go, it becomes more and more powerful. Though, everything is made up of consciousness. This entire universe is made up of consciousness, when you become subtler and subtler, you become more powerful.

– Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

When you are stuck in the rat race…

When you are stuck in the rat race, do the cat walk. Walk with poise and confidence.

– Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Just look at yourself…

Just look at yourself. How many flaws you have! And Nature, the Divine, has accepted you with all your flaws. She has taken you in her arms. She never says, “You are so bad today, you are yelling at me, I will not let air into your nose! I am going to stop pumping your heart!” Nature does not judge you.

– Sri Sri

Surrender

Surrender has happened when you know that your life is insignificant in the span of time and space. When you know there are millions and millions of stars, how big the solar system is, where the Earth is – then what is one’s life? When you see this, surrender has happened.

– Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

When you look at the moon…

When you look at the moon, or a colorful scene, or a waterfall, you say, “Oh, so beautiful!” There is a different sense of beauty. But if you look at something you think you can possess or take control over – a boyfriend or girlfriend or a painting, your mind says, “I want to have it.” In that beauty, there is feverishness; then the beauty doesn’t stay for very long. There, a wave of beauty arises, but it dies like a ripple. Purity of beauty is in innocence.

– Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Reflection of your thoughts…

Whatever is the condition of your life at the moment, it is your mind that is responsible. Your life is a reflection of your thoughts. If there is a problem in your life, scan your own mind, you will find that the seed is there!! The outside is but a reflection of the inside!

– Sri Sri Ravi Shankar