Saturday 27 April 2019
Thursday 25 April 2019
Wednesday 24 April 2019
Sunday 21 April 2019
Knowledge Sheets
Guruji, for the past 9 months, I have been feeling spiritually disconnected. There is no interest, no practice, no seva, and no longing. This has become quite painful. Any advice?
SriSri - Such things can happen to people, this is called the Dark night of the soul. Suddenly, you lose interest in spirituality, or anything that is good. Your mind goes into things which are really not evolutionary, or may get into a destructive mode. Such things can occur once in 12 years or 30 years. If it comes once in 12 years, it stays for a year, and if it comes once in 30 years, it stays for nearly 2.5 years. The best way to overcome this is to hang on to your sadhana, and chant Om Namah Shivaya. It is the best chant to sail through such unpleasant vibrations or mindsets.
[22/04, 05:48] Savita AOL: *Love and Truth*
Why would someone tell a lie to their close ones or to their beloved? This is a question most often asked by lovers. Since love cannot stand untruth, this causes relationships to break up. The solution lies in understanding the paradox of love and truth. People tell lies just to save and maintain their love. The fear that the truth might damage their love causes lies to be told between husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, parents and children and in family situations. In love you feel weak and truth brings strength. Yet why do people prefer love over truth, i.e. weakness over strength? (laughter) No one wants to sacrifice love. Thus people are ready to give up the truth for their love. Love takes the luster out of truth. Sometimes truth can make love bitter while in love even lies can appear sweet, like Krishna’s lies to his mother Yashoda! The truth that does not nourish love has no sense and the love that cannot withstand the truth is not true love. When one is assured that the love is so strong that the truth can neither break it nor cause bitterness, then the truth prevails and love shines. Truth has judgments, but true love is beyond judgments. Thus true love makes you weak and yet it is the greatest strength.
~ *Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* Guruji, for the past 9 months, I have been feeling spiritually disconnected. There is no interest, no practice, no seva, and no longing. This has become quite painful. Any advice?
SriSri - Such things can happen to people, this is called the Dark night of the soul. Suddenly, you lose interest in spirituality, or anything that is good. Your mind goes into things which are really not evolutionary, or may get into a destructive mode. Such things can occur once in 12 years or 30 years. If it comes once in 12 years, it stays for a year, and if it comes once in 30 years, it stays for nearly 2.5 years. The best way to overcome this is to hang on to your sadhana, and chant Om Namah Shivaya. It is the best chant to sail through such unpleasant vibrations or mindsets.
[22/04, 05:48] Savita AOL: *Love and Truth*
Why would someone tell a lie to their close ones or to their beloved? This is a question most often asked by lovers. Since love cannot stand untruth, this causes relationships to break up. The solution lies in understanding the paradox of love and truth. People tell lies just to save and maintain their love. The fear that the truth might damage their love causes lies to be told between husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, parents and children and in family situations. In love you feel weak and truth brings strength. Yet why do people prefer love over truth, i.e. weakness over strength? (laughter) No one wants to sacrifice love. Thus people are ready to give up the truth for their love. Love takes the luster out of truth. Sometimes truth can make love bitter while in love even lies can appear sweet, like Krishna’s lies to his mother Yashoda! The truth that does not nourish love has no sense and the love that cannot withstand the truth is not true love. When one is assured that the love is so strong that the truth can neither break it nor cause bitterness, then the truth prevails and love shines. Truth has judgments, but true love is beyond judgments. Thus true love makes you weak and yet it is the greatest strength.
~ *Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* Guruji, for the past 9 months, I have been feeling spiritually disconnected. There is no interest, no practice, no seva, and no longing. This has become quite painful. Any advice?
SriSri - Such things can happen to people, this is called the Dark night of the soul. Suddenly, you lose interest in spirituality, or anything that is good. Your mind goes into things which are really not evolutionary, or may get into a destructive mode. Such things can occur once in 12 years or 30 years. If it comes once in 12 years, it stays for a year, and if it comes once in 30 years, it stays for nearly 2.5 years. The best way to overcome this is to hang on to your sadhana, and chant Om Namah Shivaya. It is the best chant to sail through such unpleasant vibrations or mindsets.
[22/04, 05:48] Savita AOL: *Love and Truth*
Why would someone tell a lie to their close ones or to their beloved? This is a question most often asked by lovers. Since love cannot stand untruth, this causes relationships to break up. The solution lies in understanding the paradox of love and truth. People tell lies just to save and maintain their love. The fear that the truth might damage their love causes lies to be told between husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, parents and children and in family situations. In love you feel weak and truth brings strength. Yet why do people prefer love over truth, i.e. weakness over strength? (laughter) No one wants to sacrifice love. Thus people are ready to give up the truth for their love. Love takes the luster out of truth. Sometimes truth can make love bitter while in love even lies can appear sweet, like Krishna’s lies to his mother Yashoda! The truth that does not nourish love has no sense and the love that cannot withstand the truth is not true love. When one is assured that the love is so strong that the truth can neither break it nor cause bitterness, then the truth prevails and love shines. Truth has judgments, but true love is beyond judgments. Thus true love makes you weak and yet it is the greatest strength.
~ *Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar* Guruji, for the past 9 months, I have been feeling spiritually disconnected. There is no interest, no practice, no seva, and no longing. This has become quite painful. Any advice?
SriSri - Such things can happen to people, this is called the Dark night of the soul. Suddenly, you lose interest in spirituality, or anything that is good. Your mind goes into things which are really not evolutionary, or may get into a destructive mode. Such things can occur once in 12 years or 30 years. If it comes once in 12 years, it stays for a year, and if it comes once in 30 years, it stays for nearly 2.5 years. The best way to overcome this is to hang on to your sadhana, and chant Om Namah Shivaya. It is the best chant to sail through such unpleasant vibrations or mindsets.
[22/04, 05:48] Savita AOL: *Love and Truth*
Why would someone tell a lie to their close ones or to their beloved? This is a question most often asked by lovers. Since love cannot stand untruth, this causes relationships to break up. The solution lies in understanding the paradox of love and truth. People tell lies just to save and maintain their love. The fear that the truth might damage their love causes lies to be told between husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, parents and children and in family situations. In love you feel weak and truth brings strength. Yet why do people prefer love over truth, i.e. weakness over strength? (laughter) No one wants to sacrifice love. Thus people are ready to give up the truth for their love. Love takes the luster out of truth. Sometimes truth can make love bitter while in love even lies can appear sweet, like Krishna’s lies to his mother Yashoda! The truth that does not nourish love has no sense and the love that cannot withstand the truth is not true love. When one is assured that the love is so strong that the truth can neither break it nor cause bitterness, then the truth prevails and love shines. Truth has judgments, but true love is beyond judgments. Thus true love makes you weak and yet it is the greatest strength.
~ *Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar*
Monday 15 April 2019
Thursday 4 April 2019
The Art of Giving
The Art of Giving
*Rivers do not drink their own water, nor do tree eat their own fruit, nor do rain clouds eat the grains reared by them. The wealth of the noble is used solely for the benefit of others!*
Even after accepting that giving is good and that one must learn to give, several questions need to be answered.
The first question is:
*When should one give?*
We all know the famous incident from Mahabharat.
Yudhisthir asks a beggar seeking alms to come the next day. On this, Bhim rejoices that Yudhisthir his brother, has conquered death! For he is sure that he will be around the next day to give. Yudhisthir gets the message.
One does not know really whether one will be there tomorrow to give!
The time to give therefore is now.
The next question is:
*'How much to give?'*
One recalls the famous incident from history.
Rana Pratap was reeling after defeat from the Moghals.He had lost his army, he had lost his wealth, and most important, he had lost hope, his will to fight. At that time, in his darkest hour,his erst while minister, Bhamasha, came seeking him and placed his entire fortune at the disposal of Rana Pratap. With this, Rana Pratap raised an army and lived to fight another day.
The answer to this question how much to give is:
"Give as much asone can!
The next question is:
*'What to give?'*
It is not only money that can be given away. It could be a flower or even a smile.
It is not how much one gives but how one gives that really matters. When you give a smile to a stranger that may be the only good thing received by him in days and weeks!
"You can give anything but you must give with all your heart!"
One also needs answer to this question whom to give?
Many times we avoid giving by finding fault with the person who is seeking. However,being judgmental and rejecting a person on the presumption that he may not be the most deserving is not justified.
“Give without being judgmental!"
Next we have to answer:
*'How to give?'*
Coming to the manner of giving, one has to ensure that the receiver does not feel humiliated, nor the giver feels proud by giving.
In giving,follow the advice 'Let not your left hand know what your right hand gives? Charity without publicity and fanfare is the highest form of charity.'
'Give quietly!'
While giving, let not the recipient feel small or humiliated. After all, what we give never really belonged to us. We come to this world with nothing and will go with nothing. The thing gifted was only with us for a temporary period. Why then take pride in giving away something which really did not belong to us?
Give with grace and with a feeling of gratitude.
*"What should one feel after giving?"*
We all know the story of Eklavya. When Dronacharya asked him for his right thumb as 'Guru Dakshina', he unhesitatingly cut off the thumb and gave it to Dronacharya.
There is a little known sequel to this story.
Eklavya was asked whether he ever regretted the act of giving away his thumb. He replied, and the reply has to be believed to be true, as it was asked to him when he was dying.
His reply was"Yes! I regretted this only once in my life. It was when Pandavas were coming in to kill Dronacharya who was broken hearted on the false news of death of his son, Ashwathama, and had stopped fighting. It was then that I regretted the loss of my thumb. If the thumb was there, no one could have dared hurt my Guru?
The message to us is clear.
Give and never regret giving!
And the last question is:
*‘How much should we provide for our heirs?'*
Ask yourself 'are we taking away from them the gift of work? - A source of happiness?
The answer is given by Warren Buffett:
"Leave your kids enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing!"
I would conclude by saying:
Let us learn the Art of Giving,
and quoting the Saint Kabir:
*"When the wealth in the house increases, when water fills a boat, throw them out with both hands!"*
This is the wise thing to d
Monday 1 April 2019
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