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Q. When clothes get smaller, werecognize physical growth.
How do we recognize spiritual growth?
Sri Sri: Very easily. It depends on how you go ahead in everysituation, especially
bad situations. Do you deal with the situationwith courage, and peace? If so, then, that is sign of your spiritualdevelopment.
The more you smile, and the more you are happy, the moreyou are spiritually developed.
Sometimes, in spite of doing a lot
of sadhana, you get angry, and thenyou tend to think that you have not developed spiritually.
Don’t blame yourself.
Even though you get angry, it is not the same asbefore. Earlier your anger would remain for long, now it subsides. Toother
people, you look the same but if you look within, the anger comesand goes away quickly. Earlier it used to take five years,
now it takesfive minutes to go away. This is our experience. That is why you shouldnot blame yourself when you get any negative
sentiments. Witness thefeeling and let it go. With practice, the consciousness becomesstronger.
A plant has to be watered
but when it grows into a tree, it is nolonger necessary. Similarly, if the inner consciousness becomesstronger, all these
vikaar (distortions) get erased.
Vishranti vikar mita (Deep rest removes negativity). That is why peopleare jailed. They
are tired of doing bad deeds, so we let them takerest. When they rest, the negative thoughts get destroyed. There is norest
deeper than meditation.
Q. What subjects is God testing us on? If we know, then we
can studyaccordingly.
Sri Sri: God does not test, he takes interviews. (Applause). Not evenan interview - interior view.
All subjects are relevant. Hence keepmeditating.
I do not believe that God takes tests. Only an ignorant person tests.The
One who knows, does not need to test. He knows the Past, Presentand Future. People believe that God conducts tests so that
they can getover it, it gives them courage.
Q. After how many years of sadhana do we get 100 % control
over ourfeelings?
Sri Sri: No emotions are bad. But if they stay for long, then it is bad.
Emotions should be like a
line drawn on the surface of water. It isalright to be angry, but only for a few seconds or a few minutes. But,if it surpasses
days and months, it is disastrous.
Q. People are being fired, and new jobs are hard to get. What
should wekeep in mind when choosing a new job?
Sri Sri: Don’t be too choosy. Just see how much you need to support
afamily. There are many choices, and there are many negative thoughts.Meditate, keep your mind calm, and then choose.
But
not during meditation! Do it after meditation, otherwise meditationwon’t happen. You will just keep thinking.
Q. We get good ideas during meditation, but we can’t
write them down.What should we do to remember them later?
Sri Sri: You must accept that the idea is there, inside your
mind. Itwill come up when you need it. Accept that the idea is in a safe lockerinside your mind. You can take it when you
need it.
Q. How should one enhance intelligence and will power?
Sri
Sri: There is no way. Not in this life, not in ten lifetimes. Youhave assumed that you have no will power; even Brahma cannot
give it toyou.
Where is the lack of will power? You have it in abundance. Just believethis and use it slowly. And don’t
spend it too fast.
Q. Does our past life karma decide who we meet in this life?
In thislife, are we meeting the people we knew in our past lives?
Sri Sri: Yes, perhaps.
You know your mind always wants
something new and the heart look s forsomething old. That’s why fashion is a topic of the mind. You want thelatest technology,
and the latest fashion. But if you like someone,then you believe that you have known them forever. The heart alwaystakes pride
in the old. That is why love is always considered assomething old, or ancient. You have been there forever. You never say,“This
is a fresh love of mine today.” You say, “Old is gold.”
So heart, or emotions take pride in the ancient,
and the old. The mindalways takes pride in the new, the fresh, and the latest.
Q. If there were a flaw in the Divine, what would it be?
Sri
Sri: Nobody can find any flaws or perfection in the Divine.
Only when you see perfections, do you see flaws. However, the
Divinehas neither flaws nor perfections. The Divine is nobody. The wholeevolution is going from somebody to nobody, and nobody
to everybody. Ina way, all flaws in the world are present in the Divine, becauseeverybody belongs to the Divine.
Vices,
and virtues are only viewpoints. For instance, Lord Krishna isan incarnation of God for Hindus. Yet Jains believe that Lord
Krishnais in hell, because he was the cause of the war (Mahabharata). This isjust a viewpoint. Sri Ram did not kill Ravana
according to Jaintradition. They believe that Ravana was killed by someone else. Theyhave to believe that Lord Ram is completely
non-violent.
Many siddhantas (values) are present in us, that’s why we say saguna(with form), and nirguna (without
form). In fact, our consciousness hasno qualities, and no attributes. We are a combination of these two.When you become nobody
from somebody, then negativity will simply leaveyou. It will no longer be a part of you.
The human system is like an atomic
particle. The nucleus is positive,and the circumference is negative. As you go deep, there are no moreelectrons. This is exactly
how every human being is. The scriptures saythere is God in the heart of human beings. He manages the wholeuniverse, not sitting
somewhere in heaven, but in the heart of everyhuman being. In the Bhagvad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna: ‘The Lordis
in all beings, and is present in the space of the heart, my dearArjuna.’
Q. How does one know exactly what one wants? Is it so confusing
to knowwhat one wants?
Sri Sri: This question is very confusing. If we have some clarity inthe question, then the answer
will be clear. Answers to unclearquestions create more confusion.
Q. God is in the details, but we should also have a broad
outlook. Howdo we combine the two?
Sri Sri: There is happiness in detail. When the heart is heavy, and thehead is like
a stone, there is no place for subtlety or details. Whenthe heart is light, then you experience love, and happiness. There
isno subtlety in sorrow.
Being light is being dense, and being dense is also being light. Whenyou go deep in meditation,
you will experience both density, andsubtlety. That is why so many processes are required to go deeperwithin you.
In surrender,
we feel subtle. Love is subtle, and work is dense. Afterlunch, we experience heaviness. In the morning we feel fresh, andsubtle.
Q. Can evil people meditate?
Sri Sri: Anyone can meditate.
When people meditate, they become good.
I don’t see anyone as bad. If they are bad, it is because they do notmeditate,
or they are badly hurt, or they are deprived of spiritualknowledge. That is why anyone is bad.
Q. What should we do if we find opposition from our parents
towards ourspiritual practices?
Sri Sri: Do well in your studies, and they will allow you. Maintain abalance. Don’t
be bookworms, then you would have no experience of thereal world. You could gain a doctorate but become practicallygood-for-nothing.
You can’t even handle simple human relationships. Youbecome completely cut off from interaction with people, and are
unableto gel with others. You are unable to contribute to society. You shouldbe good at academics but be social, spiritual,
and emotional beingstoo. Connect with the world. Don’t be caged in a box somewhere. This isvery important. That is why,
add a little bit of seva(service), andspiritual practices to your subjects of interest. They will alwayscomplement you. This
would make your parents understand.
Today a lady called me, and said: “My son meditates in the morning, andevening.
What will happen when he gets married? What will his wife say?”
I told her that these concerns are to be discarded. The mother
agreesthat her boy has changed tremendously after meditation. She is worriedabout how his wife will accept this. This is a
wrong concept – that oneshould not meditate, and that they should be ‘normal.’ Normal for themis really
abnormal. We need to educate them.
Q. We believe that even a leaf falls due to God's will. If
everythingin this world happens due to God's will, then why does God give usunhappiness?
Sri Sri: You always have the choice
to do good or bad. The fruits ofyour deeds are good or bad according to the choice you make.
Don’t cry if you make
a mistake. Just learn from it, and move ahead.But, don’t repeat the same mistake - that’s foolishness! At least
besmart enough to make new mistakes.
__._,_.___
No Judgement
Everything in life holds both a blessing and a curse. We deny
this when we label the events of our lives as either good or bad. The following old Zen story illustrates this lesson most
effectively.
A farmer had a horse but one day, the horse ran away and so
the farmer and his son had to plow their fields themselves. Their neighbors said, "Oh, what bad luck that your horse ran away!"
But the farmer replied, "Bad luck, good luck, who knows?"
The next week, the horse returned to the farm, bringing a
herd of wild horses with him. "What wonderful luck!" cried the neighbors, but the farmer responded, "Good luck, bad luck,
who knows?"
Then, the farmer's son was thrown as he tried to ride one
of the wild horses, and he broke his leg. "Ah, such bad luck," sympathized the neighbors. Once again, the farmer responded,
"Bad luck, good luck, who knows?"
A short time later, the ruler of the country recruited all
young men to join his army for battle. The son, with his broken leg, was left at home. "What good luck that your son was not
forced into battle!" celebrated the neighbors. And the farmer remarked, "Good luck, bad luck, who knows?"
"Do not judge, and you will never be mistaken."
-- Jean
Jacques Rousseau
Face every challenge thinking:
"If I can't,
who can..!"
but after winning, be humble enough to say:
"If I can, who can't..!"
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