Ravi Shankar Teachings

8/2/2019 Ravi Shankar Teachings

1/35

The whole world is made up of love and everyone is made upof love. All is God. All is love. But then what is the purpose?Where is life heading? Life is heading towards perfection. Why?

Is it not already perfect? No! Because love has six distortions -anger, lust, greed, jealousy, arrogance and delusion.

In animals, these six distortions are also present. However,they have no way to go beyond these distortions becausenature rules them. But human beings are endowed withdiscrimination. This is the purpose of all sadhana, meditationand practices. Moving away from the distortion of creation topurity or back to the source.

Usually we go from one imperfection to another imperfection.For example, if someone is greedy, you are angry about theirgreediness. Well, that person is greedy, but you are not lessthan them. You are not bringing the purity in you, but changingthe flavor of impurity. Change of distortion does not bringperfection. Normally everyone does this, they just change thedistortions, lust becomes anger, anger becomes jealousy,

greed, arrogance or delusion.

Anger is no better than lust, it's worse than lust. Jealousy isworse than anger. That is why it is called 'Vikara'. Vikara meansdistortions. The whole creation is made up of nature, anddistortion of nature -Prakriti and Vikriti . Anger is not our nature;it is distortion of our nature. Jealousy is not our nature; it isdistortion of our nature. You know why anger, greed, jealousy,lust, etc are impure? It is because they do not allow the Self toshine through.

Sin is that which does not bring the spirit inside to shine forthfully. Sin is not your nature; you are not born out of sin. Sin islike wrinkles in the cloth, it needs proper ironing. You know whylust is a sin? Because in lust you do not consider the other

person as life, you do not honor the life, instead you use themlike an object. You make them an object of your enjoyment so


2/35

you are somewhere over-shadowing or not looking at the Selfin the other person.

This is the only reason why lust is sinful. Love is the reverse of

it. In love there is surrender, you see the other person asDivine. You elevate the matter into the level of spirit. Forexample, you worship an idol - a stone, it is matter. When youare worshipping the idol, it becomes a living reality. You aregiving life to it. You elevate it to the level of God. This is movingtowards perfection.

Anger is a sin because when you are angry you have lost the

centeredness, you have lost the sight of the Self. Again, yourfocus is not on the Divine, infinite. You have made things smallas objects again. So anger is a sin. Jealousy is a sin. Guilt is asin. Why? In guilt you are not recognizing the Self as the onlydoer in the world. You are limiting the small mind to an actionwhich has happened, or which has happened throughsomebody.

Playing your part.

Be thankful for the qualities you have been bestowed upon asthey are not your own making. In the same way, it depends onthe part that you have been given to play. Say, in a drama, youare given the part of a villain, and you play that role perfectly. Avillain always knows that when I am playing the role of a villain,it's just a role I am playing. I'm very sincere to my role.There is a saying in Sanskrit, Durjanam Prathamam VandeSajjanam Tadanantaram. First, worship the bad person, and

then the good man. The bad man is falling and giving you anexample, "don't do what I did." Do not hate a criminal in jail,because he's a criminal. In prison, if there is a criminal, he is anembodiment of God. He has done you a greater service. Don'tever hate a drug addict, because he has given you such abeautiful lesson, and he has been given that role. He is justperforming his role that way.

When you understand these basic laws of truth, then your innerperfection becomes so stable that nothing on this planet can


3/35

shake your inner perfection. Nothing can shake you. Yourknowledge of a mistake comes to you when you are innocent!The knowledge of a mistake dawns in the moment when youare 'out of the mistake'.

However the past has been, whatever mistake has happened,do not consider yourself to be a sinner or the maker of thatmistake. In the present moment you are new again, pure andclear.

Mistakes of the past are past. When this knowledge comes,that moment you are again perfect. Often, mothers scold their

children and afterwards feel so guilty. Then they go onregretting, "Oh, poor thing. I got so angry and annoyed at thiskid, poor child! I should not have done this." Then you prepareyourself to get angry again. Okay, you got angry with your kidonce or twice. Why? Because of lack of awareness! Awarenesswas missing so the anger came up, it happened.

That's what Krishna tells Arjunaa, "Arjunaa, you think you arenot going to do what you are supposed to do? I tell you, you will

do it. Even if you don't want, you are going to do it!" In a veryclever way He puts it: "You better surrender to me directly."

He says: "Drop everything. Surrender to Me, and do what Isay". Then He says: "Well, I have told you whatever I have tosay, now you think it over and do what you like, you dowhatever you want to do, do however you like". But then Hesaid, "but remember, you will do only what I want".

These last few sentences of Krishna were so confusing, andpeople have struggled to make sense out of them. There arethousands of commentaries trying to make sense out of thesefew words, three contradicting statements. First He says,Surrender everything, I'll do everything for you, or just do as Isay. Then he says: Think, think and see what is right for you,do whatever you feel is right. And then in the third statement hesays: But remember (anyway) you will do only what I want you

to do.


4/35

All of our wanting to do, 'doership', is there to eliminate thetamas or inertia in you. Once inertia is eliminated, then you arein activity. When you are acting, you become a witness to theacting. Then you know you are not doing. Things arehappening through you. This is the final level of realization. Youcan see this in every action of yours. Have you noticed this?You are busy 'doing' when you accomplish something. In thebeginning you think, "Oh! I have accomplished." But youraccomplishment becomes more and more and more and astime goes by, you will begin to feel, "no, it's all happening. I didnot do anything, I did not accomplish."

A writer will feel, "I did not write, it just started flowing, it startedhappening." All the creative work in the world - whetherpainting, dance, drama, music, anything - has all come fromthat unknown corner. It just spontaneously started happening.You are not the doer. The best sculptor will say, "I didn't do it, it

just started happening." The best painter will say the samething; the best music composer would say the same thing.

I tell you, the same is true for criminals too. You ask the worstcriminal, "did you do this?" He will reply, "No, it happened!What could I do?" Knowledge of the Self is the only thing thatcan take you from imperfection to perfection.

Deepening the mystery of creation is science. Deepening themystery of the Self is spirituality.

The purpose of technology is to comfort human beings.

When spiritual values - human values - are ignored andneglected, technology brings fear and destruction instead ofcomfort.

Technology without human values would see nature as a deadobject. Science gives insight into the life of nature, and


5/35

spirituality makes nature come alive. For example, in the eyesof children, there is nothing dead in the world; animals, trees,the sun and the moon all are alive, and have emotions andfeelings. But in the eyes of a stressed and ignorant person,even human beings are like robots or objects!

Technology without spirituality is destructive. Spirituality is thetechnology of consciousness, and the whole world is the playand display of consciousness.

One whose eyes are not yet opened is not amazed by the

magnificence of this creation. Tell me, what in this creation isnot a mystery? Birth is a mystery. Death is a mystery. Life itselfis certainly a greater mystery.

Samadhi is being completely immersed in the mystery of lifeand in this creation. Your knowing or believing in it doesn'treally matter.

This creation is an unfathomable secret! A wise person makesno effort to conceal a secret. But he does not make an effort toreveal a secret either. For example, you do not talk aboutmenstruation or death to a five-year-old. But as children growolder, these things are not hidden from them. They becomeknown as a matter of course.

There are five secrets that are sacred and guarded by thesubtle beings and angels in this creation.

They are:Janama Rahasya or the secret of birth: Birth is a secret. How asoul takes a body, and the criteria for selecting the place andtime of birth, type of body, and parents are all a secret.Marana Rahasya or the secret of death: Death is a highlyguarded secret. Death remains a mystery. The process ofseparation of spirit from matter and its journey from then on is asecret.


6/35

Raja Rahasya or the secret of governance: The principles ofgoverning and the principles of maintaining orderliness increation are a secret.

Prakriti Rahasya or the secret of nature: Nature is a mystery.The more you know about nature, the more the mysterydeepens. The more a scientist knows, the more he realizesthere is to know. Science, though appearing to resolve themystery in creation, has deepened it. Knowledge of particles,wave functions, black holes and the vacuum state have onlydeepened the mystery.

Mantra Rahasya (the secret of mantras): Mantras are theimpulses or rhythms of consciousness. The mantras and theireffect, influence, method and mode of working are all amystery.

In the West, a secret is usually shameful and dishonest.However, in the East, a secret is honored and consideredsacred. Mysteries of the creation only deepen. Getting steepedin mystery is devotion.

Deepening the mystery of creation is science. Deepening themystery of the Self is spirituality. They are the two sides of thesame coin. If neither science nor spirituality can create wonderand devotion in you, then you are in deep slumber.

Whenever you consider a symbol, place, time, person or act assacred, your attention is undivided and whole. When things arethe same, you tend to slip into unawareness and inertia. Whydoes an act that is performed repeatedly lose its sacredness?This happens when your memory overpowers yourconsciousness and you lose your sensitivity. For example,people living in Benaras, a holy city in India, do not feel that it isa sacred place. Through living in the present moment andthrough sadhana, spiritual practices, we can preserve thatfeeling of sacredness in our acts.

There is a pleasure in rest and there is a pleasure in activity.The pleasure in activity is momentary and causes fatigue. The


7/35

pleasure in rest is magnanimous and energizing. To the onewho has tasted pleasure in rest (samadhi), the pleasure inactivity is insignificant. But In order to have deep rest, one mustbe active. The proper balance of both is essential.

The MindLet us examine the five factors that influence the mind: space,time, food, past impressions, and associations and actions.Space: The place you are in. Every place you are in has adifferent impact on the mind. Even in your house, you can seethat you feel different in different rooms. A place where therehas been singing, chanting and meditation has a different

influence on the mind. Suppose you like a particular place, youmay find that a little later it will not be the same.

Time: Time is also a factor. Different times of the day and yearhave different influences on the mind.

Food: Different types of food that you eat influence you for afew days.

Past impressions or karmas: have a different impact on themind. Awareness, alertness, knowledge and meditation all helperase past impressions.

Associations and actions: The people and events you areassociated with influence your mind. With certain people yourmind behaves one way and with others a different way.

Although these five factors influence your life and your mind,

know that the Self is more powerful. As you grow in knowledge,you influence them all.

RestlessnessNow let us examine the types of restlessness and its remedies.There are five types of restlessness:The first is due to the place you are in. When you move awayfrom certain places, streets or houses, you immediately feel

better. Chanting, singing, or the innocence of children playing


8/35

and laughing can change this atmospheric restlessness. If youchant and sing, the vibration in the place changes.

The second type of restlessness is in the body. Eating the

wrong food, Vata-aggravating food, eating at odd times, notexercising, and overworking can all cause physicalrestlessness. The remedy for this is exercise, moderation inwork habits and a one to two day vegetable or juice diet.

The third type of restlessness is mental restlessness. It iscaused by ambition, strong thoughts, likes or dislikes.Knowledge alone can cure this restlessness; this includes

seeing life from a broader perspective, knowing about the Selfand realizing the impermanence of everything. If you achieveeverything, so what? After your achievement, you will die.Knowledge of your death or life, confidence in the Self and inthe Divine can all calm down mental restlessness.

There is also emotional restlessness. Any amount ofknowledge does not help here. Sudarshan Kriya helps! All thatemotional restlessness vanishes. Also the presence of the

Guru, a wise person, or a saint will help calm emotionalrestlessness.

The fifth type of restlessness is rare. It is the restlessness of theSoul. When everything feels empty and meaningless, know youare very fortunate. Do not try to get rid of it. Embrace it! Thisrestlessness of the Soul can bring authentic prayer in you. Itbrings perfection, Siddhis and miracles in life. It is so precious

to get that innermost longing for the Divine. Satsang and thepresence of enlightened ones, soothe the restlessness of theSoul. Do not look for the Divine somewhere in the sky. SeeGod in every pair of eyes, in the mountains, water, trees andanimals. How? Only when you see God in yourself. Only Godscan worship Gods.

Heightened awareness brings you close to the reality. And forthis, you have to increase your prana. This can be done

through: 1. Fasting and eating fresh food 2. Pranayamas,


9/35

Sudarshan Kriya, and meditation 3. Silence 4. Cold water baths5. The right amount of sleep 6. Emotional contentment 7.Presence of the Master 8. Singing and chanting 9. Givingwithout Givership and service without Doership

All of these together is Yagya. When you have reverence forthe whole universe, you are in harmony with the wholeuniverse. Then, you do not need to reject or renounce anything.When you have reverence in all your relationships, your ownconsciousness expands; Even small things appear to besignificant and big. Every little creature appears dignified. It isthe reverence in every relationship that saves the relationship.

Cultivate the skill of having reverence for every moment in yourlife.

God is never an object of isolation but the very core of yourbeing. The difference between Self and God is just like thewave and the ocean. Can there be a wave without the ocean?

Who are you? Do you know about yourself? Find out aboutyourself first. If you think you are just the body, that is notpossible because the body has its limitations. If you think thatyou are the mind then that is also not possible because themind too has its limitations. It is just another layer of ourexistence. If you know that you are Silence or that you are

Space, then it is possible God is also space.

Just like your body is made up of proteins, amino acids andcarbohydrates, your mind and soul are made up of love. Youare made up of love. Everyone is full of love and love is God.So you are made up of God! Every little atom of your body ismade up of love and that is what is God. Do not think God issitting somewhere in heaven. God is here and now!


10/35

God is not somebody with a big white beard, sitting in heaven.God is love. He is space. When you are meditating, when youfeel at peace, at home with everyone, you are in touch with theDivine force. Can you live without love? In the Upanishads, it issaid

kham kham brahma- the space is God, in which every thing is and into whicheverything dissolves.What is not God? What is the definition of God, if at all there isone? You describe it as that which is everywhere; which is all-powerful, which is responsible for this creation, for its

maintenance, and for its dissolution; which is Omnipresent,Omnipotent, and Omniscient. You say, "I want to see God".When you want to see God as something, as an object, then itis not everywhere. Then you are not God. This wanting to seeGod as separate from you is also an illusion. God is not anobject of senses, but the feeling of feelings, the presence ofpresence, the sound of silence, the light of life, the essence ofthe world and the taste of bliss.

Just as love is felt in the heart, so is God's presence felt. God isnever an object of isolation. God is the sum totality. When youdissolve, God remains. When you are there, there is no God.Either you can be there, or God can be there, not both. Sowhen you meditate, you become one with God. You are God.That is why it is said, Tat tvam asi, meaning, 'Thou art that.'

God is to be felt in the depth of your heart. God can neither beperceived through your senses nor through the mind. God isthe seer himself. Who sees? That is God. Space is God. Spaceis everywhere, and everything is in space. Nothing can touchspace. Nothing can destroy space. And you cannot see spaceas a separate object.

There are three types of space: Bhuta Aakash: Outer space inwhich all this universe exists, Chitta Aakash: The world ofimpressions, thoughts, and dreams that exist in your mind, and

Chida Akaash: The sky of consciousness that is all permeating,


11/35

everywhere; the consciousness, the basis of all creation, that isDivine - that which knows all.

You cannot make God an object of your sight. If you make it

that, then it is no more God. You can live God, can be God, butyou cannot consider God as an object which gives you thepath.

The whole existence has a mind of its own. It is just like you.You have a mind and it has such intelligence, that's why itkeeps everything orderly. Similarly, this moment is seen by thisbig mind. This moment knows exactly what to do. There are so

many activities happening in the whole creation. Right now,some people are sleeping, some are waking, some activity orthe other is happening in the whole world. Right now enormousactivity is happening in the mind, in the present. In the Now!This mind is what you can call Atma or God and that is whatyou are.

The one beyond the Self is God. First one needs to reach theSelf at least. The difference between Self and God is just like

the Wave and the Ocean. Can there be a wave without theocean?

GOD is the Generator, Operator and Destroyer (Brahma,Vishnu and Maheshwara). The present moment has generated;the present moment is operating; and the present momentdestroyed the past. So you are in God and God is in you. Thereis a place for everybody in the heart of the Divine.

The mind is so used to looking to the concrete and promisesthat it cannot appreciate something abstract. Then the mindneeds promises. When you love somebody, you want apromise from them that they really love you. That is why Jesussays, "I am partially exposed so you will know what I'm sayingto you. You just know me partially, and there is a big part of methat you do not know."

If you are inside the house, the doors do not mean much toyou. You do not need the door to be closed or open when you


12/35

are already inside the house or inside the room. When you arenot inside the room, you need the door to be opened. Jesussaid, "You have burned enough in the sun, in the heat. Youhave roamed all over the place. Just come inside; this room isready for you." This is the confidence that a master gives you.

You do not believe what you do not know. You say that you donot believe in God. God is the very core of your being. Like anonion, if you start peeling the layers one by one, when youreach the center, there is nothing. Everything is made up of thatspace. The whole is God, everything is God and thatconsciousness is present everywhere. I am present here, I am

present there, I am present everywhere. That being, that space,the very consciousness is what people have called Godbecause it is present everywhere at all times. It is to thatomnipresence, that omnipotence that all the different nameshave been given.

You can look at it this way. In the body there are many cellsand each of them has its own life. New cells are coming up andold cells are dying but they have no knowledge of you. Yet,these cells are affected by you and you are affected by a singlecell. In the same way, know that the big life and the big mind,which encompasses all our minds and all our lives, is what wecan give the name - God. It is useless to find a meaning. Aflower blooms. What is the purpose of beauty? You may saythat it is to enjoy. What is the purpose of joy? There is nopurpose to joy, it is an end in itself.

Life, when it is lived in its totality, is an end in itself and abeginning in itself. Love, joy, beauty, all that is precious andvaluable in life, are really beyond value, beyond meaning,beyond purpose.


13/35

Adi Shankara spoke about dispassion, detachment, andrenunciation. However, he foresaw that if he only talked aboutrenunciation, people might start liking and encouragingsadness. He did not want people to stop appreciating beauty,so he sang a hundred verses on beauty.

Beauty has three levels: indication, expression and exposure.Spirituality indicates, art expresses, and science exposes.

The Divine is beauty, and beauty is Divine. Deva means onewho loves to play, one who is effulgent, glorious, and one whoplays. Demons fight, men live in peace, and Gods play.

Playfulness cannot happen if there is no beauty; they gotogether. Enthusiasm, the same force that is beauty, createsplayfulness. Beauty is associated with shyness, and shynessenhances beauty. For example, a small child sometimes makesa very shy face. When everyone notices and appreciates thechild, he just hides his face. Likewise, shame is a part ofugliness. Shyness softens you; ugliness or shame hardens you.When a person feels ashamed, he becomes hard inside andbecomes violent.

The way of Gods, the way of the wise has always been indirect.There is a saying in Sanskrit, 'Paroksha priya hi vai devaha?'which means, 'Gods love indirect methods'. Poetry is indirect. Itis exaggeration. The heart always exaggerates, while the mindputs the fact forward. Fact is intellectual. But when it comes

from the heart, the fact is decorated. It becomes doublybeautiful.

Direct expression is necessary when one is not awake. Withthe Awakened, hints and indirect expression make it all themore charming. But it does not mean that something is good orsomething is bad. Everything has its place and its time. Totalexposure is not the language of the heart. Total exposureprovokes and concealed beauty invokes. That is why this


14/35

nature conceals the whole creation during the night inside itself,and reveals it the next morning.

Love is at its peak when no effort is made to express it. It is not

that you should not express it sometimes- otherwise you mayburst! There is beauty in not expressing it completely. In thatsecretiveness and the unveiling of Love, there is knowledge,there is opening, there is joy, and there is beauty. That is aDivine quality. Intellect has its place and poetry has its place.Both make life fuller. That is the beauty.

See people beyond their expressions. What a person

expresses is not what he is all about. There is a lot ofunexpressed love in each life. Just recognizing this fact, youexpand. Your heart expands. With this knowledge you wouldnever dwell on what someone says or does. What someonesays is very small, and what someone does is just the ribbonon the package. If you do not like the ribbon, just take it off andlook inside.

Everybody is a packed gift. Look at more than just the wrapper.

Inside each person is a very precious gift. Some packageshave firecrackers! Some packages have sweet candies. No boxis empty. There is place for everybody in the heart of theDivine. That is what Jesus meant when he said, "there aremany rooms in the house of my father".

So do not worry that there are so many people. Do not ask howyou can be close to God. Do not worry about how you can

belong there. There are many rooms, and each one of you willhave your own private room! And Jesus promises, "if there arenot many rooms, I shall make room for you and then come totake you there". The mind cannot appreciate the abstract; It isso used to looking at concrete things and promises. The mindneeds promises. When you love somebody, you want apromise from him or her. You ask, "Do you promise me? Doyou really love me? Tell me for sure!"


15/35

The second aspect of beauty is gratefulness. When you don'tfeel that you lack something, then you feel grateful. You cannotbe grateful and feel that you lack something. The two cannot gotogether. You can experience both, but only at different times.When you feel you lack something, the grumbling begins. Withthe knowledge you have, you become grateful. When you aregrateful, by natural law you will be given more. As Jesus hassaid, "those who have will be given more. Those who have not,even what little they have, will be taken away from them."

Whoever you want to love, first of all, know they love you verymuch. If you doubt in somebody's love, your doubt grows no

matter what, you receive from him or her. If you want to beclose to someone, first begin to feel they are already close toyou. When you ask people whether they trust you, you alreadydoubt their trust. You grow in doubt. There is no limit to it; thereis no end to convincing people of one's love, one's trust, one'sgoodness. That is why it is said that those who have not,whatever little they have will also be taken away from them.

And those who have will be given more, and more, and more.

This is the very law of nature.

Not having is just an attitude in you. It is the direction you aremoving in. Whatever is inside you is what grows. The seeds arealready there. You sow the seeds and the seeds will grow.They become plenty. If the seed itself lacks something, howcan anything grow? Open your eyes and see what you havebeen given! When you recognize what you have been given,you become grateful. In that gratefulness, life grows.

Why did Communism fail? It was a great policy to give to thosewho did not have. When everyone was provided for, the peoplebecame poorer and poorer in the material plane and inconsciousness. Without knowledge, without wisdom, there is noprogress.

This power, this energy, this beauty, this wealth has been

given. It is permeating the whole Creation and without it not ablade of grass can move. However clever the devas, or angels


16/35

are, they cannot move, cannot do anything without the power ofconsciousness and this life. Without life there is no beauty. Abody is beautiful because there is life in it. The entire creation,the trees, the birds, animals, stones, and rivers are full of life.Life is not just biological life. Life includes the consciousnessthat permeates much beyond.

In creation there is beauty, in the operation of creation there isbeauty, and in the destruction of creation there is beauty. Youcan see it in nature all the time. Spring has its own beauty; inmid-Summer everything is green; during Fall all the leaves falland it looks spectacular! The Niagara Falls are so beautiful. To

maintain these ancient falls year after year, a certain process isrequired. The clouds have to rise, and rain on the Great Lakes;and the Great Lakes have to flow. Only then the Niagara Fallscan remain forever. Otherwise, if the water only flows downonce, there is no more water to flow. If it does not rain, thewhole beauty is gone!

Underneath creation's beauty is a maintenance principle thatmaintains it time after time, for centuries. Even a dead log ofwood has its record embedded in it; its beauty, in the past andpresent, is recorded in its genes and particles. Even intransformation there is beauty. Even in anger, there is beauty.Just look at somebody who is very upset. The best awards inthe film festivals go to the actors who show intense emotionslike anger and frustration. All emotion that gets exhibited isappreciated.

Just imagine somebody yelling at the top of his voice, grindinghis teeth, holding his fists, with red eyes and all the veins intheir throat popping out. Just looking at them is such fun!Without them, the whole world would be very dull. Imagineeverybody walking around with an "air-hostess" smile all thetime. It is no fun! It is the same thing when children cry. Thereis some beauty even in crying. When they laugh or smile, thereis beauty in it. If they are angry, there is beauty in it. Beauty is


17/35

all-pervasive. You only have to open your eyes and see thereality that is there

Be thankful for the qualities you have been bestowed upon asthey are not your own making. In the same way, it depends onthe part that you have been given to play.

Say, in a drama, you are given the part of a villain, and you playthat role perfectly. A villain always knows that when I amplaying the role of a villain, it's just a role I am playing. I'm verysincere to my role.

There is a saying in Sanskrit, Durjanam Prathamam VandeSajjanam Tadanantaram. First, worship the bad person, andthen the good man. The bad man is falling and giving you anexample, "don't do what I did." Do not hate a criminal in jail,because he's a criminal. In prison, if there is a criminal, he is an

embodiment of God. He has done you a greater service. Don'tever hate a drug addict, because he has given you such abeautiful lesson, and he has been given that role. He is justperforming his role that way.

When you understand these basic laws of truth, then your innerperfection becomes so stable that nothing on this planet canshake your inner perfection. Nothing can shake you. Your

knowledge of a mistake comes to you when you are innocent!The knowledge of a mistake dawns in the moment when youare 'out of the mistake'.

However the past has been, whatever mistake has happened,do not consider yourself to be a sinner or the maker of thatmistake. In the present moment you are new again, pure andclear.

Mistakes of the past are past. When this knowledge comes,that moment you are again perfect. Often, mothers scold their


18/35

children and afterwards feel so guilty. Then they go onregretting, "Oh, poor thing. I got so angry and annoyed at thiskid, poor child! I should not have done this." Then you prepareyourself to get angry again. Okay, you got angry with your kidonce or twice. Why? Because of lack of awareness! Awarenesswas missing so the anger came up, it happened.

That's what Krishna tells Arjunaa, "Arjunaa, you think you arenot going to do what you are supposed to do? I tell you, you willdo it. Even if you don't want, you are going to do it!" In a veryclever way He puts it: "You better surrender to me directly."

He says: "Drop everything. Surrender to Me, and do what Isay". Then He says: "Well, I have told you whatever I have tosay, now you think it over and do what you like, you dowhatever you want to do, do however you like". But then Hesaid, "but remember, you will do only what I want".

These last few sentences of Krishna were so confusing, andpeople have struggled to make sense out of them. There arethousands of commentaries trying to make sense out of these

few words, three contradicting statements. First He says,Surrender everything, I'll do everything for you, or just do as Isay. Then he says: Think, think and see what is right for you,do whatever you feel is right. And then in the third statement hesays: But remember (anyway) you will do only what I want youto do.

All of our wanting to do, 'doership', is there to eliminate the

tamas or inertia in you. Once inertia is eliminated, then you arein activity. When you are acting, you become a witness to theacting. Then you know you are not doing. Things arehappening through you. This is the final level of realization. Youcan see this in every action of yours. Have you noticed this?You are busy 'doing' when you accomplish something. In thebeginning you think, "Oh! I have accomplished." But youraccomplishment becomes more and more and more and as

time goes by, you will begin to feel, "no, it's all happening. I didnot do anything, I did not accomplish."


19/35

A writer will feel, "I did not write, it just started flowing, it startedhappening." All the creative work in the world - whetherpainting, dance, drama, music, anything - has all come fromthat unknown corner. It just spontaneously started happening.You are not the doer. The best sculptor will say, "I didn't do it, it

just started happening." The best painter will say the samething; the best music composer would say the same thing.

I tell you, the same is true for criminals too. You ask the worstcriminal, "did you do this?" He will reply, "No, it happened!What could I do?" Knowledge of the Self is the only thing thatcan take you from imperfection to perfection.

If you are not tired, you will never reach home. Only if you'retired, will you ever rest. Everything in the world will tire you.Only one thing does not tire you. That is love.

Love does not tire you because that is the end, the home. It isnot possible to be tired in love.In fact, enjoyment brings tiredness! Tiredness is a shadow ofenjoyment. What puts you on the road is your desire to enjoy.What brings you home is being in love. In your life, you movefrom one place to another in search of enjoyment. Whereveryou saw joy and reached for it, you found that it was furtheraway, somewhere else. So you had to move on and that

moving is tiring.Look at your whole life. A child gets tired of playing with toysand wants new toys. Tired of playing with new toys, they wantpeople to play with, they want new friends. They grow a littleolder. Their games change. The object of the game changes.They want something more. So it's like moving from one type oftiredness to another type of tiredness.

As a teenager you looked for something else, not toys. Which isthe new movie? What is the new fashion? You want to have the


20/35

best match for you. You are married. You make a very goodcouple. Then what? You want to have your own home, children.Those who are single think that married people are better off.Those who are married think that single people are better off.

Some think that people with children are happier. People withchildren wish everyday that their child grows up quickly so thatthey can be free. They wait for someone to give them a break,to take care of their children. Everything is tiring.

You move from one spiritual path to another spiritual path, fromone practice to another. Sometimes people say, "Oh, I have

meditated for 20 years. I am sick of meditation now. Pleasedon't tell me to do another meditation. Enough is enough." It'sboring. People have no time. They find it boring to meditate.What to do? Where to go? When is that rest? That solace?That peace? When is that love that is so comforting, so eternal,so blissful? And you cannot rest until you reach home.

You may sit in the path here and there but you cannot be thereforever. You may take a break. On the motorway, there is some

rest place. On the way, you stop your car, use the restroom,stay a while and stretch. But that is all. You cannot rest there,or be at peace there. At the back of the mind the drive is there -move on. There is no fulfillment.

It is the desire that tires you - the 'want' in the mind. Your mindtires you more than the physical work. If you are willing to dosome work, even 15 hours at a stretch, it will not tire you.

However if you are not willing and you have to work even forfour hours, it will tire you.

You have a party at home or you are arranging Christmasdecorations. So you may work many late hours but still not feeltired. You feel good about it. But you work in some place youdon't like, you'd like to have four coffee or tea breaks and eventhen you feel it's tiring! Do not do any work at all. Just sit and goon thinking. You'll be terribly exhausted. For many people, the


21/35

tiredness and exhaustion comes from thinking and worrying,not by working.

Thinking you need rest makes you restless.

Thinking you have to work hard makes you tired.Thinking you have worked hard brings self-pity.There is a place to rest. That is the Divine, that is surrender andthat is love. And you can't do it unless you get really tired,unless you get sick of everything. You drop down. That is calledsurrender.

There was a king, an emperor. He attained all that he wanted to

in the world, all the wealth, the whole continent was under hiscontrol. He thought that this is his world. Thousands of peoplewere under his command, all the wealth at his disposal, all thepleasures at his beck and call. He could snap his finger and getanything he wanted. But that couldn't get him home. It madehim more and more tired.

Then he went looking for some spiritual knowledge. He wentfrom place to place, collecting things here and there, but

nothing worked. Everything seemed to work for a while. Finally,he got so tired that he renounced everything. That also didn'twork. Being an emperor didn't work. Renouncing everythingdidn't work.

One day he fell near a tree. He was exhausted of looking for,but not finding, a real master. It's not easy to find a master.Even if one finds a master, it is difficult to recognize and let go.

So, he finally dropped under a tree and at that moment a dryleaf fell down from the tree.

He was looking at the leaf and that leaf flew to the east whenthe wind blew east and it flew to the north when the wind blewnorth. Looking at that, something in him suddenly snapped - the"doership" - The 'want' simply dropped from him. The verymoment he realized that that moment is so eternal and hecame back home.


22/35

Make life that way - become like a dry leaf - agree with what theDivine has provided for you, float with the moment. Do notregret the past, do not anticipate the future. That is what all theenlightened masters say, "Keep practicing on your own. Whenyou feel you can't do any more, that it's all so tiring, then comeand rest." That's why the places of enlightened masters arecalled 'ashrama', where you come and get rid of your tiredness.'Shrama' means effort. Ashrama means the place where all theefforts loosen up. All tiredness, both mental and physical,vanishes. Even spiritual, you don't have to strive for it.

Just sit there. There is a candle, a light burning for you. You

only have to sit under its light. You're lit. You don't have to doanything. It's burning for you. You only have to connect, sitthere and feel the presence. Be a part of the divinity, then youwill find that nothing can tire you in the world. You will becomethe source of love. You are the home. Things cannot irritateyou.

When you are tired, small little things can irritate you, push yourbutton, can throw you off balance. Our peace is so fragile thatanything, even a phone call, can blow it off. Our peace will be inhundred pieces - just a few words from someone. Fragile peaceis of no use. The peace and love in our life should be so solid,like a diamond. Nothing should shake or move it.

Desire, awareness of the Self and action all are manifestationof the same energy that is you. Among these three, one ofthem dominates at a time. When you have lots of desires, you

are not aware of the Self. When desire dominates, self-awareness will be at its lowest, and that's why all thephilosophers around the world have always advocatedrenunciation and dropping of desires.

When the awareness is dominant, then happiness dawns.When desire dominates, stress and sorrow result. Whenactions dominate, restlessness and disease is the result. When

your actions and desires are sincerely directed to the Divine orto the welfare of society, then the consciousness is


23/35

automatically elevated, and self-knowledge is sure to beattained.

You cannot rest when you have to do something that you

cannot. And you cannot rest when you feel you have to besomeone whom you are not. You are not required to do whatyou cannot. You will not be asked to give what you cannot give.Nothing is expected of you that you cannot do.

Doing service involves only doing what you can do. And no onewants you to be someone whom you are not. This realizationbrings you deep rest. You cannot rest if you have either

ambition or lethargy. Both are opposed to good rest. A lazyperson will toss and turn at night and be 'restless' and anambitious person will burn inside.

This rest brings up your talents and abilities and brings youcloser to your nature. Even a slight feeling that the Divine iswith you brings deep rest. Prayer, love and meditation are allflavors of deep rest. The only thing you have to do in your life isto make your peace strong, your love profound and your joy

eternal.

Make your home God's home and there will be light, love andabundance. Make your body God's abode and there will bepeace and bliss. Feel that your mind is a toy of God and youwill watch and enjoy all its games. See this world as play andas a display of God Himself and you will repose in the non-dualSelf.

Life is more than matter. If it were just matter, there would beno need for comfort. Matter does not feel comfort or discomfort,beauty or ugliness, love or compassion, joy or sorrow. Will achair ever feel sorry or happy? No, matter does not have these

finer values.


24/35

They belong to the realm of the spirit. But life is also more thanspirit. If it were just spirit, there would be no need for water,

food, or rest. Human life is a combination of both matter andspirit.

The nature of the spiritSpirit experiences and expresses values. Values are feelingsand emotions - that which cannot be captured totally by wordsor understood by the intellect. The goal of the spiritual path is tounderstand the spiritual dimension of life and live fully all the

values that the spirit represents. What are those values?Peace, love, joy, beauty, unlimited knowledge, and the capacityto understand both mind and matter.

Comfort: A quality of consciousnessWhatever one does is directed towards one goal, happiness orcomfort. Often people think that comfort comes in a materialway, through matter alone. Comfort is a quality ofconsciousness. To some degree it does depend on matter, but

to a greater degree it depends on attitude and understanding.

The true nature of the spirit is comprehension.You listen, you understand and you absorb. Who isunderstanding? Who is absorbing? It is the spirit in your bodythat is taking in the knowledge. And this knowledge is notcoming through sight, sound, smell, taste and touch alone. It isalso coming from inside as intuition.

The very nature of consciousness is knowledge.You can say that at every level of consciousness, knowledge ispresent. And consciousness is present! If it were nothing, itcould not be present. It is something, yet it is not finite. Youcannot measure consciousness, so it is present and infinite.

The nature of your consciousness is peace: You are love.Consciousness is peace. You are peace, you are truth, and you

are energy, walking, moving, talking, sitting. The Self is energyand the Self is knowledge, the knowing and the knower. This


25/35

consciousness is love, you are love. Understanding and livingthis is the spiritual life. Life attains its richest form through thespiritual dimension. Without it life becomes very shallow andyou are unhappy, dependent, depressed and miserable.

The effects of the spiritual dimension on societyThis is a great sense of belongingness, responsibility,compassion and caring for the whole of humanity. The spiritualdimension, in its true form, smashes the narrow boundaries ofcaste, creed, religion and nationality. Wars will be eliminatedonly through spiritual understanding.

The spiritual path is not an escape from lifeActually, the spiritual path makes life more difficult! In Indiapeople think the spiritual life is easy - go to an ashram whereyou don't have to work hard. No! The spiritual path is not anescape from hard work or sincere action, just as social serviceis not an escape to a comfortable life. In both situations youhave to put your heart and soul into your actions and be readyto give one hundred percent of yourself. The spiritual life willbring you enormous joy, more contentment, more peace andmore energy than you can find, but it's not an escape.Remember that.

The spiritual path is not an escape from responsibilityThe spiritual path means taking responsibility. If you think it isdifficult to manage your children and your husband or your wife,you will be given more people to care for. If you are ready totake responsibility for twenty people, two thousand people,

twenty million people, then you are on the path. The spiritualpath is not an escape from responsibility, but takingresponsibility.

The spiritual path is not an escape from hard workIntelligent, effective work is part of the spiritual life. When youare working hard you may think you deserve compassion. I saythat if you are working hard and doing it with intelligence, then

you need appreciation, not compassion. If someone is taking 5


26/35

hours to complete something that can be done in half an hour,it doesn't need compassion.

Knowing peace

Another aspect of spiritual life is peace. Knowing that peace isyour nature. At any moment, in any place, you can just sit andlet go, knowing inside you there is a pure clear space that'svast and deep. That inner space is what you are. Feeling this isknowing your spiritual dimension. "I have come from peace, Iam in peace, I will go back to peace. Peace is my origin and mygoal." This inner affirmation or experience makes you a seeker.

A sense of sacrednessStill another aspect of spiritual life is a sense of sacredness.When you have a deep sense of thankfulness combined withregard and respect for everything that comes to you in life, itbrings a sense of sacredness. In sacredness there isawareness. Your mind is fully present in fear, anger orsacredness.

Service and silence

Silence heals and rejuvenates. Silence gives you depth andstability and brings creativity. Service brings the dynamicexperience of heart. It creates a sense of belongingness. Lackof service can land a person in depression. Service alone canbring contentment in life, but service without silence tires you.Service without spirituality will be shallow and cannot besustained for a long period of time. The deeper the silence, themore dynamic the outer activity becomes. Both are essential in

life.

Why do you need a Master?You can be loving, compassionate, and live all the values of thespirit without a teacher or a master. Then what is the need for aMaster? You do not make your own cloth. Someone elsemakes the cloth and you wear it. It is the same with spiritualknowledge. Many ancient people have found valuable

knowledge about breathing, pranayama (breathing exercises)and yogaasanas. The intelligent thing is to use these tools


27/35

which have already been established. And it is better to take aguide for your practice and progress on the spiritual journey.

Have confidence

Have confidence in yourself. One who does not haveconfidence cannot achieve anything. Confidence clears doubt.Doubt is the opposite of confidence. Once you eliminate thenegative, you will see that the positive has already happened.When doubt clears, confidence appears. So to gain confidencein yourself, you must understand what doubt is.

The nature of doubt

If you observe the nature of doubt, it is always about somethingthat is positive. You doubt the goodness of other people, nevertheir bad qualities. You doubt your own capabilities, never yourincapabilities. On the spiritual path, you learn to handle thingswith intuition and inner freedom. I don't say don't doubt. I saydoubt as much as you can. That will help you get through itbefore progressing further.

One of the acharyas of Ayurveda has said, Rase sidhekarishyami nirdaridryam idam jagath which means I am givingthis knowledge of Ayurveda to take away suffering from theworld. The study of life is Ayurveda ('Ved' means to know,'Ayur' is life). The approach of Ayurveda towards life is holistic.

Life has four characteristics: it exists, evolves, expresses and

extinguishes. For this, it depends on five elements: earth,water, air, ether and fire. To make it easier to understand wecan bring in the five senses and its objects: sight, smell, taste,sound and touch.

According to Ayurveda, life or existence is not a rigidcompartment, but a harmonious flow. Even the five elementsthat make up the whole universe are not tight compartments ofdefined objects. They flow into one another; each one of theelements contains the other four.


28/35

The subtlest in us is space, the element the mind is made of,and the grossest is the earth element, which makes our bones,marrow, skin and the structure. This is further divided into thethree Doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha .

Ayurveda is a way to understand the characteristics of humanphysiology, its reflection on the mind.

When an illness arises, it comes first in the thought form, thesubtlest aspect, then the sound form, and then the light form, orthe aura. It is only then that illness manifests in the body.Simple symptoms arise in the fluid form, which can be

eradicated, and then it manifests in the grossest form, where itneeds medication.

In treatments such as aromatherapy, an illness can be curedthrough fragrance. It is mostly focused on preventive treatment.The holistic approach of Ayurveda includes exercise, breathand meditation. It is very interesting to notice the relationshipbetween breath and the different Doshas in the body, namelyVata, Pitta and Kapha. These three Doshas affect certain parts

of the body more than the others.

For example, Vata Dosha is predominant in the lower part ofthe body such as the stomach and intestine. Diseases of thedigestive system and joints are caused from Vata imbalance.Kapha dosha is predominant in the middle part of the body.Cough is mainly a result of Kapha imbalance. (Perhaps theword cough has come from the sanskrit word Kapha). Pitta,

affects the upper part of the body ie, the head. Short temper isa sign of Pitta.

Yoga, breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya (The Art OfLiving Healing Breath Technique) and three-stage pranayama(used to channel Prana or life force to different parts of thebody) all affect these three Doshas.

Among the different pranayamas and breathing techniques, are

specific breathing exercises for the lower, middle and the upper


29/35

parts of the body. These help bring balance to respective areasof the body.

How do we bring good health to our system? First, by attending

to the ether element - the mind. If your mind is bogged downwith too many impressions and thoughts, your resistance isdrained and your body is prone to illness. If the mind is clear,calm, meditative, and pleasant, resistance in the body willincrease and prevent illness from entering the body.

The first remedy is to calm the mind. This comes from ether,the subtlest aspect of Creation. The air element, or breathing is

the next way to keep the body strong. Aromatherapy falls intothis category. Color therapy is a way to use the light element tostrengthen the system. Before an illness manifests in the bodyyou can see it in the aura of a person. By energizing oursystem with prana or life energy one can clear the aura andprevent illness. Water is the next element. Fasting with water orpurifying the system with water can bring a lot of balance withinthe system.

That is what yoga does. The purpose of yoga is to stop thesorrow before it arises; yoga burns the seed of sorrow before itsprouts. When all else fails, or we neglect these other steps,the final recourse is medicinal herbs, medicines, and surgery.

Our breath holds a lot of secrets. For every emotion in themind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath. Eachrhythm physically affects certain parts of the body. You only

need to observe it to feel it. For instance, we feel a sense ofexpansion when we are happy and a sense of contraction whenwe are miserable. Though we feel both the happiness or miseryand the sensation of contraction and expansion, we often fail tonotice the connection.

Knowledge is knowing that which expands. What is that? Thisknowledge, this enquiry is the study of consciousness, is thestudy of life, that is the study of prana, the study of Ayurveda.

Have you ever counted how many times you breath in a


30/35

minute? Breathing is the first act of life and it is the last act oflife. In between, the whole life we are breathing in and out, butnot attending to the breath.

Ninety percent of the impurities in the body go out through thebreath because we are breathing twenty-four hours a day.However, we are using only thirty percent of our lung capacity.We are not breathing efficiently enough.

The mind is like a kite and the breath, like a thread. For themind to go high the breath needs to be longer. You do not haveto take Prozac if you can attend to the breath.

In one minute we breathe nearly sixteen to seventeen times.

If you are upset it may go up to twenty, if you are extremelytense and angry, it could total twenty-five per minute. Ten if youare very calm and happy, two to three breaths if you are inmeditation. Deep meditation can reduce the number of breathsyou take.

If you observe an infant, you will be amazed at how balancedthey breathe. They breathe from all three sections of the body.

As they breathe in their belly comes out, as they breathe outtheir belly moves in. You breathe in the reverse direction themore nervous and tense you are. When you breathe out yourtummy will come out and when you breathe in, it goes in.

With a sharp mind, such lessons can learnt by observation,without teaching. But our mind is so preoccupied with infinite

thoughts, judgments, opinions, and impressions that we areunable to observe or perceive the refined phenomena in nature.

This is why we need to study. The yoga asanas are somethingthat everyone has done as a child. Have you seen a six-month-old baby lying on its back with its legs up? She kicks her legsand head up, almost like what you do with the abdominalmachine. Then it rolls on its back and does the 'cobra' posture

in yoga. If you observe a sleeping child, its thumb and the indexfinger slightly touch, a formation called the 'Chin mudra.'


31/35

Go to a zoo and observe the monkeys. Even they do many ofthe asanas to keep themselves healthy. These are the thingsthat coordinate body, breath, mind and spirit. Ayurveda attendsto this holistic approach. There are so many points in the bodywhich correspond with different sensations; these arereflections of something which is beyond all this. What is thatsomething? That is the source of life.

Health is: a disease-free body, quiver-free breath, stress-freemind, inhibition-free intellect, obsession-free memory, ego thatincludes all, and a Soul which is free from sorrow.

Everyday nature provides a tiny glimpse of death to you: yoursleep. Death is akin to your sleep. When you are awake youare engaged in various activities, but the moment you hit thebed, what happens to you? Where do you go?

However your day has been, pleasant or unpleasant, sleepprovides you deep rest. Sleep takes you in its arms. It comfortsyou and makes you fresh to worry again the next day! Sleepheals you, comforts you, and enriches your waking state ofconsciousness. If you do not sleep, your wakefulness will bedull.

Sleep and wakefulness appear to be contradictory, or on

opposite poles. However, they complement each other. Goodsleep makes you more awake and alert. Isn't it? If you observeyour sleep you will know a lot about your death. We sleep everynight, but we have never met our sleep. Have you noticed thelast thought in your mind just before falling asleep is the sameas the first thought you have as soon as you wake up? Thesame happens. Death is a long sleep. You drop one body andget into another body.


32/35

Death is a friend of life. This does not mean you should commitsuicide! So many people commit suicide thinking they will getrid of the anguish, agitation, and agony, but they will be bornwith the same thing next time. Suicide is not death. Deep desireto live makes you commit suicide. When life is just a game andyou have lived life, then you embrace death naturally when itcomes. It is the fear of death that dampens life, and there isfear because we do not know what it is.

Sleep, meditation and love are synonymous to death. You seeChrist on the cross; this indicates that love, death, and pain aretogether.

What does Death mean? Dropping the past. Die every moment,and you are born every moment. As in sleep, even inmeditation, there is deep comfort. And you realize thateverything in this Universe is changing; Everything is dying. Tellme one thing that is not dying - plants, animals, and humanbeings. Everything dies and everything is renewed. Millionshave walked on this planet, stood up perpendicular on thisplanet, sat down perpendicular, and then became horizontalunderneath! Just wake up and see, what is the fear? You know,some people are afraid to go to bed. The fear is that you thinkyou may not wake up. Lack of understanding of life causesfear. People are afraid of love, people are afraid of meditation,people are afraid of death, people are afraid of themselves.Ignorance and lack of awareness is the cause of fear. Just aglimpse of the Being, of the Self that you are - that you arebeyond death - roots out the fear totally. This happens topeople who clinically die for a few moments. When they arerevived they know death is nothing to be afraid of. You simplyknow you are much more than your body. The Self is beyonddeath.

As I was saying, the last thought in the mind before fallingasleep will be the first thought when we wake. In the same waythe last impression in our mind will come to us in the next life as

the first impression. There is a saying in India that it doesn't


33/35

matter how your life has been but the last thought is veryimportant.

In one house, in one family, children are born with the same

genes but they are very different. Even twins are different.Though they have a lot of physical, mental and emotionalsimilarities there is something different between each child thatcomes from the previous impressions.

The first law of thermodynamics says that 'energy can neitherbe created nor destroyed'. Our mind is energy and energycannot be destroyed. What happens to this mind when it leaves

the body? It capsules itself in the impressions like an invisibleballoon and remains for a time until it again gets another bodyto come back.

Knowledge of death makes you immortal. It is wrong to evensay that it makes you immortal. It makes you aware that youare immortal anyway. Do you see the difference? You arealready immortal. Something in you never dies. You mightnotice that when you turn around and look at people you think,

"oh, they're all grown up" and you feel you have not aged. Wefail to notice that something in us is not changing or aging. Juststand by the beach all by yourself and ask yourself: 'Have Iaged? Have I changed? Is there something in me that is thesame from my beginning?'

Truth in the voidWhen someone dies a vacuum is created suddenly, and being

totally with that vacuum you know that you also are thatvacuum. What are you? What is your life? It's total void. Notjust death is void, life is also void. That is Nirvana. Buddha saidthat life is void and void is truth. He said the forms are illusiveand they have no existence. The formless is the only existence.The formless governs the form.

Your mind has no form. Does your mind have any form orshape? Any color? Any taste? Have you tasted someone's

mind? The Mind is beyond taste, sight, or any of the five


34/35

senses. The Mind is formless, and is it not the mind that isruling your body? For example, is the body or the Mind movinga car? It is the Mind. If the Mind is not in the body, the bodyalone cannot do anything. The body without the Mind ishorizontal under the ground!

The formless is ruling your life. The formless is ruling the world.There is a greater formlessness that is ruling the entireCreation. You are the center of that greater formlessnesswhatever you call it, God, Consciousness, no mind, Nirvana,spirit, etc.

Death creates a void. In the ancient days people were asked tomeditate in burial grounds. Do you know why? This gives youdispassion so your mind does not wander. Meditation is similarto this experience of void. In meditation you realize that you arenot just the body, but you are more than the body. Thisrealization annihilates the fear of death.

Many secrets about your life will be revealed by attending to thebreath. Knowledge of death will improve the quality of your life.

Knowledge of your breath will do the same. It makes you stableand strong. That is called 'immortal life'. Your memory becomesso sharp that you know all that has happened thousands ofyears ago, and you will have intuitive thoughts about the future.

At the last moment, all that we did in our life will come to us in aflash. If you always do things that are life-supporting, the sameimpressions will carry on. That is why all human values, likefriendliness and compassion, are given great importance; They

are investments for the future. Why are some people born inviolent environments and others in comfortable environments?It indicates the impressions one carries from the past. Thehuman body is so precious because in this body you have theability to erase all the unwanted negative impressions.

No one knows when their last moment is. When the lastmoment comes, you cannot have a new impression. The last

impression or the strongest impression in the mind is what will


35/35

pop into your mind at the last moment. Don't wait for the lastmoment to have a good impression!

In all religions there is a practice that when someone dies or is

dying one sits and prays to send good vibrations and thoughts.There is some truth to this. When you meditate or pray, andwhen you are in that space of vastness, calmness and love,you emit certain vibrations. These vibrations transcend physicalreality and reach the subtle levels of existence.

Prayer is not just sitting and saying so many words, but is beingin that serene, calm, meditative state. When you meditate, you

send out peaceful radiation and waves of light. Those who haveleft their body, who have reached the other shore, benefit fromthat in your life.

Ravi Shankar Teachings

Documents

Transcript of Ravi Shankar Teachings