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There are seven levels of existence: the (physical) body, the breath, the mind, the intellect, the memory, the ego and the self.

Is your mind here at this moment? Are you all here? Are you listening attentively to what I am saying? Or is your mind wandering somewhere else?

Your mind must be present here, right now. The faculty that helps you hear, see, taste, smell and touch is the mind. Then comes the Intellect.

The intellect is the faculty that helps us decide whether something we hear is nice or not; whether something we taste is to our liking or not.

Then come the memory or Chitta. It is that faculty that helps us remember all that we perceive and understand through our senses and the intellect. Events leave their impressions on the Chitta.
Then comes the ego, and finally the soul or the self. If we gain a little deeper understanding of these seven faculties of our existence, then it can bring about a great transformation in our lives. And this is what The Art of Living is all about. When you gain this knowledge about the levels of your existence, then you start blossoming with joy from within.

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The Role of a Guru

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When you meditate more, you will realize that the Guru is a Tattva, the Guru is a light that is ever glowing and eternal. The Guru is not the (physical) body. The Guru is the Divine light that resides within the body; the Guru is love.

Whatever you have received from your Guru, you must share it with others. In life, each one of us becomes a Guru for someone or the other. What does being a Guru mean? A Guru desires nothing from you except your well-being and progress on the path. That is the Guru Tattva. You will surely have to play the role of a Guru in someone’s life.

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VenuNaad in Presence of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Nashik - Click Here for Details

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Reincarnation

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Reincarnation definitely exists. Just know this for sure. In Physics it is said that matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed. The mind and the soul are pure energy, and they manifest again and again in different ways.

I have been here many times earlier and you too have been here in earlier lifetimes as well. The difference is that I know this while you are still unaware about it. That’s all. If you meditate more often, you too will have the same experience.

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Rudra Pujas with Sri Sri in Maharashtra - Click Here For Details

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Dealing with Insults

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See, when someone insults you, what can you do? You cannot control everyone’s mouth. In such a situation, you have only two choices:

1. You also behave in the same way and insult them. But that will not improve the situation in any way
2. You simply smile at their ignorance. Just tell them that every person has the right to their ignorance and to display it as well, and then be quiet.

See, even if someone insults you, it does not stay forever. For a few moments someone says something unpleasant to you, and it reaches your ears. But it is all temporary, just like bubbles in water. These unpleasant things come and go.

Who in the world has the time to stop and brood over these petty situations, or to keep thinking about someone else? So when such things happen, do not worry and get disturbed by them.

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How to Manage Cheating

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Listen, know that you are wise. Cheating someone is a two-way thing and takes two people to make it happen, just like clapping needs both your hands. If someone cheats and takes advantage of you, then it is also because you were not fully aware. If you are alert of what is happening around you, then how will they be able to deceive you? So you should stay alert.

If you do not get carried away by emotions then who can cheat you? This applies even for your brother, sister, your own family and personal relationships. Do not let your emotions get the better of you. Emotions have their own place in relationships. But where you have to be intelligent and act wisely, there you should not get carried away by emotions. Be alert and take intelligent action. Then you will not get deceived, and you will see that even your relationships will become sweeter and more harmonious.

When people do not use their wisdom and act purely on the basis of emotions, then you will see that they quarrel over very trivial matters. We should not give anyone a chance to take advantage of us, or deceive us.

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Festive Season Special Recipe - Chocolate Strawberry Truffle Pie (Raw)

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Handling Problems

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When a small problem comes, or (whatever you think as) a big problem comes to you, you get stuck with it. Wake up and see, there are bigger problems that people are facing. They need you and you can be of use to them. Start moving in that direction of helping people who are really in need. When you do this, then suddenly you will find that your problem is so insignificant, it is much smaller and not as big as you thought. The moment you recognize that your problem is not that big, you have already have found the energy and the enthusiasm to handle it and move through it.

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Sri Sri's Message on Christmas Eve 2014

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This time of the year when it is cold and nature is still and silent and it is darker, nature has less and less activity. Then in the middle of this springs celebration. See, when sun is there, there is so much activity. But at the time when there is very little sun, nature is sleeping, everything has gone into hibernation, the animals are quiet. In that still and quiet night, springs a celebration with lights, with joy, with love, and that is Christmas. So it is an outer symbolism for inner phenomenon. Inside also when you are still and quiet, when you are hibernating, then comes up from there a message of love. Stillness brings the message of love. In activity you are outward looking, in stillness you are inward looking. Love springs from looking inside.

The little mind is like the child. It is always dependent. And the big mind is like the mother. The individual self sleeps in the lap of the universal self. And that is the heavenly peace. Heavenly peace is not outside somewhere, heaven is when the small mind is in the lap of the big mind. When small mind is away from the big mind, then there is chaos, confusion, hell. Then the small mind starts crying and runs to the big mind, the mother, then it sleeps in heavenly peace. That peace is real peace. Holy, is when the mother and child are together. When you put the small mind in the lap of the big mind, that is meditation. Mother and child in heavenly peace is meditation.

Click Here To Watch the Video Message

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Give Peace to Others

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We have said, 'Vasudaiva Kutumbakam' (one world family). We have accepted the whole world as our family. Then you should rise up to that idea. Feel at home with anybody and everybody. Don’t just focus on what is comfortable for you and what is not comfortable. You should get out of your comfort zone and bring comfort to others. This is most important.

See as to how many people are comfortable with you. You can do a survey about yourself and see how many people you make happy and comfortable? If you dislike people, you will find you are not friendly.

As we expand, we become friendly with people of different natures and different parts of the world. Sometimes, we feeling comfortable with people of our own state or country or religion. Here you have to mix with everybody. We have people of different faiths all here, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs. We have people from every state of India, right from the Northeast to Kerala, and right from Jammu to Tamil Nadu. We also have people from all over the world and everyone has their own mannerisms and food habits. So you need to learn and bring comfort to others. You have had enough peace, now it's better you give peace to others.

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Christmas Special LIVE Webcast - 25th December 2014 | 12:30 AM IST

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Know Yourself to Experience Joy

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Have you ever thought what the purpose of your life is? What is life all about? These questions are very precious. When these questions dawn in your mind, only then your life begins. These questions help you improve the quality of your life.

But, when these questions come into your mind, do not be in a hurry to get an answer. Those who know will not tell you and those who tell you, do not know. These questions are the tools by which you can dig deeper and the answers come from within you.To know what you are on this planet for, find out what you are not here for. You are not here to grumble, you are not here to complain or blame. This will help you learn how to be happy in life. Life involves ups and downs which is very natural. Do not be afraid of this. Make your smile cheaper. Learn to smile more. You know what happens when you smile? All the muscles in your face relax. The nerves in your brain relax, and you get the confidence, courage and energy to move on in life.

Enthusiasm is the nature of life. Take every opportunity to praise others and support their enthusiasm, this makes life lively. If you put down other’s enthusiasm, the same may happen to you. Become one whose enthusiasm never dies.

Any joy you experience in life is from the depth of yourself, when you let go all that you hold on to and settle down. If for the whole day, you are engaged in only gathering information; you do not take out time for yourself to think and reflect. You feel dull and tired. The quality of your life deteriorates. So during the day, take out some moments for yourself. Sit for a few minutes, get into the cave of your heart, eyes closed, and kick the world away like a ball. Only when you are calm and pleasant inside can you spread it in your outside world. The higher goals in life can only be realised through a few minutes of meditation and introspection. The deeper you are able to rest, the more dynamic your performance will be and the more dynamic will you be in activity.

All our struggles in life are to know more. There’s always something to share, learn and teach. Always be open to learn. Do not restrict and limit yourself. Communicate with others, share ideas, share information and seek the same. When you are centred, you become a powerful communicator. And when your communication improves, your life improves.

You should plan your short and long-term goals. Then, life gets a direction to flow. Give yourself the freedom to dream and think big. Have the courage and determination to achieve those dreams that are dear to you. This world is varied and beyond our imagination. We are all born in this world to do something wonderful and unique; do not let this opportunity pass by. Start ‘living’ life rather than just existing.

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Are you a Disciple or Companion?

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Knowledge has an end. Knowledge completes. So also does discipleship. For the disciple is aimed at acquiring Knowledge.

Once you cross the water, however nice the boat is, you get off the boat. After twelve years, the disciple completes his studies. The master does a ceremony called Samavartha, where he tells the disciple that he is ending the discipleship and asking him to behave at par with him, and let the Brahman dynamically manifest.

Sakha is a companion in life and death; it never ends. In the path of love there is neither beginning nor end. Sakha only wants the beloved. He doesn't care about the Knowledge or liberation. Love is incomplete because of longing. And so it is infinite, for infinity can never be complete.

Arjuna was a sakha to Krishna and although Krishna was the perfect Master he was a sakha too.

What are you, a shishya (disciple) or a sakha (companion)?

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Expanding Your Awareness

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Wealth is Not Just About Being Rich

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One of the greatest illusions created in the world is wealth. There is so much disparity in the world. There is no reason why someone is begging for a piece of bread and another is wasting food. However, there are seven types of wealth:

1. Comfort in material wealth
   The first type of wealth is what we commonly understand as material wealth. Just being born in Ford’s home, somebody acquired all that wealth without any effort. Why does this happen when somebody else had to toil all his life to make money?
2. Health equals wealth
   Just having money is not sufficient. Some people may have a lot of money but they cannot eat well. They are suffering from many diseases — that wealth is nothing. Some people do not have money, but they have enough to eat and are healthy.
3. Courage to become wealthy
   One must see life as a game and should play without worrying about the outcome. But if one is afraid of making mistakes then one lacks the wealth of courage. And without that there is no fun in life even if the person has a lot of money. Someone may not have any money, but if they possess courage, they reflect wealth.
4. The friendly wealth
   The fifth type of wealth is friendliness. You may have the other types of wealth, but still feel no sense of belonging.That is what happens at most parties — rich people go to a party to show off their wealth, but feel out of place. Parties are like competition grounds or battlefields; everyone is carrying a shield. That is no wealth at all.
5. Need skill to be wealthy
   Another wealth is having different skills and talents. Some people write well, some good at debating, some have a knack for music, some cook well, some are good in administration, and so on. Some, put their maximum efforts to achieve what they want, yet they fail. Effort is not enough to achieve one’s goal.
6. Be dignified, be wealthy
   The world is full of lessons if only we observe it. Be as humble as the grass. Then nothing can touch you. No one can humiliate you. Always, walk like a king and be a perfect servant!
7. Memories are also wealth
   Our memory only develops when we are three or four years and we start understanding things. The moment we become aware of our source of memory, and our infinite past, our whole life changes. It’s just like someone suddenly realises how wealthy he or she is. Immediately your style of walking changes. This is the awareness of the source.

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The Real Glory

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It is often believed that glory and dispassion are contradictory and cannot co-exist. Glory and luxury without dispassion is a nauseating pomp and show. Such glory does not bring fulfillment for anyone. It is shallow. Alternately, the dispassion that is afraid of glory is weak. True dispassion is oblivious to glory.

The glory that comes with dispassion is something that is true, that is permanent and authentic. When someone runs after glory they are shallow. Like movie stars, politicians and religious leaders who try to hold on to their status, to their glory, they are certain to lose. If you run after glory all you get is misery. When you are dispassionate, glory comes to you. If you are afraid of glory, that means you are not well-founded in dispassion. In India, the Sadhus run away from glory. They think they will lose their dispassion and get trapped in the web of the world, the circus. The dispassion is so blissful, they get attached to the dispassion.

They are afraid of losing the dispassion, the centeredness and bliss that comes along with it. This is weak dispassion. Dispassion is a state of being and glory is the happening around it. True dispassion can never be lost or overshadowed by glory. True dispassion is glorious! Real glory is true dispassion!

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Condemns the Tragic Attack on the School Children in Pakistan

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False Security

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False securities do not allow your faith to grow. When you have dropped your securities, then your faith grows. When you buffer your life with securities, you keep the faith away. It is the faith that brings perfection in you. Faith is the greatest security.

If you have all the material securities and not have faith, you will still reel in fear. You have to let go of all possessions in the mind. False security is keeping things where they don't belong. It is an illusion of security because of having a job, a house, friends. Keep the house where it belongs, not in the mind. Keep the money in the bank or in the pocket, not in the mind. Keep friends and family where they belong, not in the mind.

The Divine is your only security. Faith is realizing that you always get what you need. Faith is giving the Divine a chance to act. Your body belongs to the world. Your spirit belongs to the Divine.

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Is Horoscope Matching Necessary for Marriage? - Take a Look at What Wisdom Says

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Ride on The Divine Power

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There is so much talk about success. Have you ever thought what success is? Success is simply ignorance about one's own capabilities. Success is ignorance about the power of the self. We assume that we are capable of doing very little. If there are obstacles, we become clear about our objective. With a calm and serene mind, think of all possibilities. Know that failures are stepping stones for greater success. Actually, there are no failures in life. All the seeming failures are only stepping stones for greater success. If you feel the obstacle is too much, deep prayer can work miracles.

The feeling that "I am blessed" can help you overcome any failure. Once you realize that you are blessed, then all the complaints disappear, all the grumbling disappears, all the insecurities disappear, a sense of not being loved disappears, wanting love disappears. Ego is always ambitious and wants to do tough jobs like climbing Mount Everest.

Whereas in a simple act like watching a butterfly, watering the garden, watching the birds or the sky, can bring deep relaxation, and relaxation connects you with your source. Seemingly trivial actions open a new dimension and bring in immense peace and rest. Just come out of your little shell and feel free.

There is a saying: Behind every successful man is a woman. I will modify this: Behind every success there is the Divine saying "I am behind you".

Prayer is a vital tool to improve your life. It also nurtures values like integrity and honesty. Prayer happens in two situations, or in a combination of situations. When you feel grateful or when you feel utterly helpless. If you are not grateful and prayerful, you will be miserable. In either case your prayers will be answered.

What you can do, you do. What you cannot do, you pray for! It is said that the divine dawns in you when you pray for it, when you cry for it, when you sing for it. The divine is only waiting for you to dig a little deeper into yourself. Because, it can then fill you with much more nectar! Divine wants you to create more space in you.

Cry from your soul for help. This is for those seekers who are weak. Those seekers who are strong-with the power of knowledge-can sing with that joy of what they have achieved! The moment you sing in gratitude, in glory of the divine, it immediately dawns in you, and fills you up again. One type of people is grateful for all their growth. The other type is helpless and weak. Both will be helped.

Spirituality is not some ritual, or an act. It's a very pleasant, uplifted state of being and being able to see that the whole world is all spirit or consciousness. Use prayer to bring integration in your personality. Whatever you do, know that the higher power has the final say and it will always be for the best.

The higher goals in life can only be realized through a few minutes of meditation and introspection. Any joy you experience in life is from the depth of your self, when you let go all that you hold on to and settle down being centered in that space. That is called meditation. Actually, meditation is not an act; it is the art of doing nothing! The rest in meditation is deeper than the deepest sleep that you can ever have because in meditation you transcend all desires.

Meditation is letting go of anger from the past and all the planning for the future. Meditation is accepting this moment and living every moment totally with depth. Just this understanding, and a few days of continuous practice of meditation can change the quality of our life.

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Meditations is the Art of Doing Nothing

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Meditation Connects You With the Universal Spirit

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What is the use of meditation for young people? This is a question many ask. Do you want to develop in to an all round personality? Then meditation is a must to be happy, healthy, compassionate, humorous, and loveable. All these human qualities blossom through meditation. Ok meditation has got 3 rules. The first rule is:

1. I don't want anything. How is it possible when I want better job, grades in school, family and prosperity? Only for next 10 minutes say “I want nothing”.
   Can you say that? Remove your wants like a cap & keep it on the side. Just for 10 minutes.
2. I do nothing. When a scholar came to Lord Buddha, HE said just relax, become hollow & empty.
   I do nothing for next 10 minutes. I don’t concentrate on anything, don’t focus mind on any thoughts: good thoughts, bad thoughts let them come & pass. I do nothing. Neither I welcome thoughts nor do I resist thoughts.
3. I am nothing. For next few minutes, put off the label of being student, corporate, male, female, anything. See that is it. Meditation means you do not feel the time. You get connected with Universal Spirit.

When done in a group, it is very good. Do it in a group SANGHA. Especially after your school prayers in the morning, just sit for some time with closed eyes and meditate.
Meditation can improve our ability. I feel happy to be with you. Become Talented and Compassionate world citizens. Learn good things from every part of the world.

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Meditations is the Art of Doing Nothing

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Window Shutters

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To the degree that you are awake, everything around you brings you knowledge. If you are not awake, then even the most precious knowledge does not make any sense.

(Suddenly there was much noise from outside and Kiran went to shut the window.)

Sri Sri: Awareness depends upon your ability to shut your windows. When there is a storm you need to shut your windows, otherwise you will get wet.

When it is hot and suffocating inside, you need to open your windows. Your senses are like the windows. When you have the ability to open and shut your windows at your will then you are free and you are awake. When your windows cannot be shut or opened, you are bound.

Attending to that is sadhana or practice.

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West Bengal Special AMP with Sri Sri at Bangalore Ashram

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You Are Strong

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Know that every test in an opportunity for you to grow. Don't take it as a test!
A test is not to know whether you are strong or not, but it for you to realize that 'Yes, I am strong'. God is not ignorant that he needs to check and see whether you have the strength or not. God already knows your capacity; nature knows your capacity. The tests are for you to realize that you are strong.
If you find that you are going through testing times, it is for you to realize that you are much bigger and you can overcome that. It is for your own knowledge.

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Sri Sri speaks on UN Declaration of June 21st as World Yoga Day

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Mind is Like Water

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Your body is like a hard shell. And your mind, the inner self is like water. You are like water inside. Nature of water is cooling and flowing. But when the innermost, which is like water, is burning with jealousy, anger, frustration and all the fires you put inside, then the water boils and its cooling nature disappears.

Then how does one cool the water? Just imagine a pot and underneath are all these burning sticks. To cool the water you have to remove these sticks. All emotions are linked with people, objects and events.

Catching on to objects, people or relationships hinders freedom, liberation. You are hankering for some greater joy that is not there, not going to be there.

So, remove all this firewood and the water will become cooler. Because “cool” is the nature of water. When all these other negative stresses, burning sticks are removed, water will possess all its natural qualities — humbleness, humility, and naturalness — just like the nature of water which flows down.

In the Bhagavad Geeta, Lord Krishna talks about all the good qualities. And then He adds that they are already in you. Just like in an atom, the core is positive and the negativity is peripheral. Know that it’s not in the core.

Your nature is calmness, coolness. If it wasn’t your nature, you would never feel at home in it.

Mind means moods, thoughts, opinions, ideas, all these things that we collect. And, ‘no mind’ is meditation. Yoga, meditation and spirituality are about giving comfort to your soul and transforming all the negative tendencies in the mind.

When you meditate, you go off the influence of the mind and go into the self. The mantra of knowledge is — in this world there is no other. The mantra of love is — there is no one who doesn’t belong to me.

When the mind is free from all impressions and concepts, you are liberated. When you know that everything is changing — all relationships, people, body, feelings — suddenly the mind, which clings on to misery, comes back to you.

A fulfillment, centeredness, a subtle solid strength comes from within. Then if fame comes, money comes, it doesn’t touch you. It comes or doesn’t come, it doesn’t matter to you.

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When Can We Truly Become One Family - Click Here to know

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Why Postpone Happiness to Tomorrow?

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Every living creature wants to be happy. Whether it is money, power or sex, you get into it for the sake of happiness. Some people even enjoy misery because it gives them happiness!

To be happy, you seek something. But despite getting it, you are not happy. A school-going boy thinks that if he goes to college, he will be more independent, free and, therefore, happy. If you ask a college-going boy whether he is happy, he feels that if he gets a job, he will be happy.

Talk to somebody who is settled in his job or business, and you will find that he is waiting to get a perfect soul- mate to be happy. He gets a soul-mate, but he now wants a kid to be happy. Ask those who have children if they are happy. And they say: how can they relax until the children have grown up and have had a good education and are on their own? Ask those who are retired and done with all their responsibilities if they are happy?
They long for the days when they were younger.

All of one’s life is spent in preparing to be happy someday in the future. It’s like making a bed all night, but having no time to sleep in it. How many minutes, hours and days of your life have you spent being happy from within? Those are the only moments you have really lived life. Those were perhaps the days when you were a small kid, completely blissful and happy or a few moments when you were surfing, swimming or sailing or on a mountain top, living in the present and enjoying it.

There are two ways of looking at life. One is thinking: “I’ll be happy after achieving a certain objective.” The second is saying: “I am happy come what may!” Which one do you want to live by?Life is 80 per cent joy and 20 per cent misery. But you hold on to the 20 per cent and make it 200 per cent ! It is not a conscious act, it just happens. Living in the moment with joy, alertness, awareness and compassion is enlightenment. Being like a child is enlightenment. It is being free from within, feeling at home with everybody, without barriers.

Don’t judge and don’t worry about what others think of you. Whatever they think, it is not permanent. Your own opinion about things and people keeps changing all the time. So why worry about what others think about you? Worrying takes a toll on the body, mind, intellect and alertness. It is like an obstruction that takes you far away from yourself. It brings fear and fear is nothing but a lack of love. It is an intense sense of isolation.

This can be handled by relaxing and doing some breathing exercises. Then you will realise that you are loved, you are a part of everybody and you are a part of the whole universe.” This will liberate you and the mind will take a complete shift. You will then find so much harmony around.

To find harmony, it is not as if you have to physically seek it by sitting somewhere for years. Whenever you are in love, your mind is in the present, you feel joyous. At some level, to some degree, everybody is meditating without being aware of it. There are moments when your body, mind and breath are all in harmony. That’s when you achieve yoga. The art of living lies in the present moment.

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There’s No Room for Guilt

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Life is a Dream, a Burden or a Joke?

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Often when you are happy you feel life is a dream because you do not believe in the reality of it. When there is misery you feel life as a burden. And we take trivial things very seriously. But one who has really gone through the pleasure realizes that pleasure is a burden. And if you have undergone misery thoroughly you will realize that life is a dream. In every miserable condition you have been walked or carried through and you realize life is a dream. When you see life is dream a burden or a joke only then can you be centered.

And when you have really gone through misery you have really seen life as a dream. And in between the pain and pleasure life is all a joke. Life is very uncertain. Before it takes you away, realize it is a dream, a burden or a joke.

Someone asked: What about life is a joke?
Answer: A joke you do not question. If you question a joke, it is no longer a joke. Do not question a burden either. It is a waste of time to question life and its events.

The burden makes you go deep. It gets you to the core of yourself. Realization of a dream wakes you up. And seeing life as a joke makes you light. The only certainty is that life is a dream, a burden or a joke and only when you realize this can you be centered.

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Art of Silence Program with Sri Sri in Boone, NC

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Desire for Truth

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Buddha said that desire is the cause of all misery. If your desire does not get fulfilled, it leads to frustration and causes misery. Even if it does get fulfilled, it leaves you empty.

Vashishhtha said that desire is the cause of pleasure. You get pleasure from an object or a person only when you desire them. When you do not desire an object, you do not get pleasure from it. For example, when a person is hot and thirsty, a sip of cold water gives him pleasure; but not if he is not thirsty. Whatever gives you pleasure binds you and bondage is misery.

Sri Sri says when you desire for truth, all other desires drop off. You always desire for something that is not there. But, truth is always there! Desire for truth removes all other desires and it itself dissolves. And what remains is bliss.

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Blossoming In Life & Body – Mind Complex

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Your body is a precious gift to you by Mother Nature. Respect your body. Your body is capable of inviting God. Your body is a temple in which divinity can enter and reside. Therefore, keep it healthy, transform it and just light a lamp in it. That is enough for Divine to come and reside in it.

Body is Divine’s most precious abode.

What is there in your body? It is Divine’s altar. Spread the altar of smile and light the lamp of knowledge and invite “anandakanda”, the child of bliss in your body. If the son of Nanda has to come to you, light is necessary, the altar of smile is necessary.

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Upanayanam with Sandhyavandanam in Presence of Sri Sri in Boone

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5 Secrets to Happiness

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Once a wise man drew a line on a board and told his student to make the line shorter without touching or erasing it. How would you do it? You have to shorten a line without touching it. The intelligent one (referring to the student) then drew a much longer line underneath that line. So, the line automatically became shorter. The lesson here is that if your difficulties appear to be very big, lift your eyes because you are only focused on yourself. If you lift your eyes up and look at those who are in a worse condition than you, you will suddenly feel that your burden is not as bad as you thought it was. If you think you have some big problem, look at people who have a greater problem. Suddenly, you will get a confidence that my problem is much smaller, and I can manage it.

So, the first point on how to be happy is to see the world where there are greater and bigger problems. Then, your problems will appear smaller. The moment your problems appear smaller, you will get the energy and confidence to deal with it or solve it. In simple words, serve those who are in greater need.

Second, look at your own life. In the past, you had many problems. They have all come and gone. Know that even this will go and you do have the energy and power to overcome it. You will get self-confidence by understanding and looking at your own past.

Third, and most important, do some breathing exercise and relaxation.

Fourth, do you know, in anger we say, ‘I give up’. Without frustration or anger say, ‘I give this problem up, I cannot solve it, let the Divine help me.’ And know that you will always be helped. Have the confidence that you will be helped; a power in the universe is going to help you.

The fifth one – what do you think is the fifth one? I leave it to you. You think about the fifth one. I can go on up to twenty-five or thirty (points), but I would like you to come up with it. We are always looking for solutions from someone. We forget that if we turn our mind inward, we can get some idea, some solution. This is the fifth one. Spontaneity! Be spontaneous. Spontaneity will come when you take a few minutes to go deep within yourself. There is nothing great in smiling when everything is normal, and when everything is going the way you want. But if you awaken the valor inside of you, and say, ‘Come what may, I am going to keep smiling’, you will notice tremendous energy, just rise from within you. And the problem is like nothing; it just comes and disappears.

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Maha Shivaratri Celebrations 2015 with Sri Sri - Click Here to know more

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Stress-Free Living

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What is stress, and when do we experience it? When we have too much to do in very little time, and when we feel that we do not have the energy to achieve it all, then that is when we feel stressed.

Now you could probably reduce your needs and responsibilities to reduce the stress in life. Or, the other way to deal with this is to increase your energy. When I say ‘energy’, I do not only mean physical strength. It also means being mentally and emotionally strong. So we need to think about how we can increase our strength and energy.

There are many techniques to increase our energy levels from within, but there are not many people in this country who make use of those techniques, and they unfortunately do not share them with everyone else.

In India, we are so divided on the lines of caste and religion. We are also divided by our greed and personal motives, even within our own families. People think, 'I should not teach this technique to anyone'. This is not a good thing. Why should one say so? You should in fact teach it to everyone. If this technique helps improve your health and reduces stress, then you should help others by teaching them the same technique too. Yet we end up keeping these techniques secret rather than letting others also know about it.

So I said that this is not how it should be. I said that techniques that help enhance one’s health and well being should be taught to everyone, such as the breathing techniques, some exercises and Yogasanas. Everyone in the world should know and benefit from these techniques, so that the common man is peaceful and happy, and is able to maintain harmonious relationships with the people around him.

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Christmas & New Year Programs with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bad Antogast

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Soaked in Love

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We are surrounded by vibrations around us all the time. Just by shouting, 'Peace, peace, peace', all the time does not really make the environment around us peaceful. For such people, there is neither peace in their voice nor in their presence. We convey more by our presence than by our words.

A small child at home cannot speak because he does not know the language. But just by looking in your eyes the child conveys all its love and emotion.

Just take the example of a dog at home. When you return home from work or from school, it runs all around you and jumps at you with so much excitement. It conveys all that love just by its vibrations. Even if someone confesses their love to you in a 100 words, it still doesn’t have that same feeling and effect. So for our vibrations to be positive, we need three things:

1. Clarity of mind
2. Purity of heart
3. Sincerity of action

You should have clarity in your mind and thoughts. Your heart should be pure, and there should be sincerity of action. Whatever you do, you should do it 100% with your heart and mind.

Alright, let’s do one more exercise.
Just tell to the person sitting next to you, 'I have no faith in you at all'. Were you all able to do it? Many of you were not able to say that? Even if you tried saying it, both you and the other person started laughing.

Alright, now all of you close your eyes and imagine that all the people in the world around you tell you that they have no faith in you. Imagine that they all see you with an eye of suspicion. Just do this for 30 seconds or so. Now open your eyes. How did you all feel? You felt very bad inside, isn’t it?

We do not want anyone to see us with suspicion or doubt us, yet we ourselves look at so many people in that very same way. We generate that kind of vibration around us, and people catch that same vibration. When we are caught up in doubts and suspicion, then we create that same feeling in others around us. When you are soaked in love, then you vibrate love and people around you also reciprocate that same love. This is a rule of nature.

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Take the Yogathon Challenge

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Goal of Education

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According to me, the true meaning and the goal of education is to increase prajna, i.e., one’s awareness. Education is not simply gathering more and more of information. That is something which even a computer can do.

Education is the art of making a human being a humane person. It is the ability to coexist with each other in harmony, and having a mature and non-violent approach to resolve conflicts between each other and arrive at mutual solutions to problems that benefit everyone.

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The Story About the Zero Budget Farming - Click Here to read

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Religion - An Asset or Obstacle?

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For the intelligent ones, religion is an asset. But for the foolish ones, it is an obstacle. There are some unique specialties in every religion which can help uplift our life and can help us blossom in life. But if we are foolish, then we make the same qualities a cause for differences and problems among people. So it all depends on us.

There is nothing wrong in any religion of the world. It depends on the understanding of the one who follows and practices it. You can use a knife to chop vegetables, slice butter and also to hurt yourself. It is like that.

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Gives an Overview of the Knowledge in Bhagavad Gita

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