24 ways to rejuvenate one's life.

[Guest guest]

Dear friends and devotees,

 

Bhakti is eternal.

 

An inculcation of Pandit Sri Sri Ravishankarji on the eve of the

beginning of the current year, with regard to ways to improve our life,

is an excellent preaching to the humanity. Since the subject was so

impressive, I wanted to share with you all. I had already sent the

discourse on ‘TRANSORMATION’ on 23rd and out of 24 ways

to rejuvenate the life, 1 to 5 were sent on 24th and 25th ultimo. Now,

I am continuing from 6th onwards:-

 

6.Go to the most beautiful place.

 

Only if there is alertness and presence of mind can your life improve.

For this, you need to cultivate the habit of listening. Most of us are

not good listeners. When you are listening to somebody, the

speaker’s very first sentence triggers some conversation within

you. You are constantly agreeing or disagreeing with speaker. Have you

ever wondered whether you can listen without any thoughts are

pre-conceived notions? To cultivate the habit of listening, you have to

“go†to a place where everything is beautiful!

 

Where is the place? That most beautiful place is within you? When you

come to this place, then any place is beautiful. Then, wherever you go,

you add beauty there.

 

Learning something about our breath is very important. Our breath has a

great lesson to teach us; for every rhythm in the mind, there is a

corresponding rhythm in the breath, for every rhythm in the breath,

there is a corresponding emotion. So, when you cannot handle our mind

directly, through breath you can handle the mind. Neither at school nor

at home does anybody teach you what to do when you are upset or angry or

depressed. The first thing we did when we came to this planet is that we

took a deep breath and then we started to cry. The last thing we will

be doing; we will breathe out and make others cry! In between, the

whole life, we are breathing in and out, but, we have learnt very little

about our breath! No breath, no life….know breath, know life!

 

We need to learn a little bit about our breath. We need to know a

little bit about all the layers of lour existence-body, breath, mind,

intellect, memory, ego and the self. This is what I call Art of Living,

learning a little bit about ourselves, the seven layers of life. And

that makes you be in the present moment, and it helps us to maintain the

innocence that we are all born with, and feel at home with everybody,

anywhere. What I would suggest is, take one week off every year for

your self, like you take your car for servicing. During that time,

align yourself with nature, wake up with the sunrise, do some exercise,

eat proper food, just as much food as necessary, some exercises, yoga,

and some breathing exercises, a few minutes of singing, and then some

silent moments, enjoying the creation.

 

Book yourself on a trip to this, most beautiful place in the universe.

Then you find that every day is a vacation and a celebration!

 

7. Communicate effectively.

 

Learning to communicate effectively with every one is a skill worth

possessing. Most of the time you find that you are out of place.

Communicating without prejudice is vital for success.

 

If you are faced with someone who knows more than you, be like a child

and keep your ears and eyes open for learning. If you are faced with

someone who knows less than you, be humble and strive to make them as

good as or better than you. Play with a small child as you played when

you were a child. Talk with an elderly person remembering that one day

you will be like that. Communicate with a person of your age group like

you are his/her best friend.

 

This world is varied beyond our imagination and there is always

something to share, learn and teach. When you are centered, you become

a powerful communicator. And when your communication improves, your

life improves.

 

8.Take out time for yourself.

 

If for the whole day you are engaged in only gathering information, you

do not take out time for yourself to think and reflect. A few quiet

moments are sources for creativity.

 

Some time during the day, sit for a few minutes, get into the cave of

your heart, eyes closed, and kick the world away like a ball. But,

during the day be 100 per cent attached to the work. Eventually, you

will be able to be both attached and detached. This is the skill of

living, the art of living.

 

Renunciation refills your energy. Creativity cannot happen only just

through efforts. There is a beautiful story about Chatrapati Shivaji.

At one time Shivaji became so frustrated about ruling his kingdom that

he went to his guru Samarth Ramdas and told him that he is fed up and

that he just wants to renounce everything. Ramdas told him that he can

renounce everything. Shivaji became so happy and relaxed at the very

thought. Then Ramdas told him; “Now I am the king and you are my

servant. Will you do whatever I ask you to do?†Shivaji

replied; “For you I am ready to do anything.†Ramdas

said; “Very good. Will you run this country for me?â€

Shivaji replied; “Yes, I will run the country for you!â€

Total renunciation had brought zeal and enthusiasm in him.

 

Creativity springs up when you are relaxed. You have to renounce all

work you have done the whole day, only then can you rest in the night.

 

Though many times pain, struggle and frustration have brought out

creativity in some people, these are not the only reasons for a person

to be creative. Millions of people in the world are struggling or

frustrated, but they are not creative. So, taking out some time for

yourself improves the quality of your life.

 

9. Better the world around you.

 

A river needs two banks to follow. The difference between flood and a

normal river is that water flow is regulated in a river. During floods,

water has no direction. Similarly, the energy in our life needs some

direction to flow. If you do not give direction, it is all confusion.

Today, most people are confused because there is no direction in life.

When you are happy, there is so much of life-energy in you; but when

this life-energy does not know where to go, how to go, it gets struck.

When it stagnates, it rots. For life-energy to move in a direction,

commitment is essential.

 

Life runs with commitment. If you observe every small thing or big

thing in life, they go with certain commitment. A student takes

admission in a school or college with a commitment. Needless to say,

a family runs on commitment; mother is committed to the child, child is

committed the parents, husband is committed to wife, and wife is

committed to husband. Greater the commitment you take, greater the

energy/power you gain to fulfill that commitment. Greater the

commitment, easier things are. Smaller the commitment, suffocating it

is for you. Smaller commitments suffocate you because you have more

capacity, but you are stuck in a small hole!

 

When you have ten things to do and if one thing goes wrong, you can keep

doing the ten things; the thing that has gone wrong will set itself

right! But if you have only one thing to do and that goes wrong, then

you are stuck with it. Usually we think we should have resource and

then we will commit. Greater the commitment you take, greater the

resources will come to you automatically. Whatever you are committed, it

brings you strength. If you are committed to your family then your

family supports you, if you are committed to society, you enjoy the

support of society.

 

Commitment will always bring comfort in the long run. Make a

commitment to make this world a better place to live

 

10. Nourish your emotions.

 

A Person without emotions is like wood without any juice. You need to

make your life interesting to make people be with you. This will happen

when you nurture yourself with music, prayer and service.

 

The way to expand from individual to universal consciousness is to share

others’ sorrow and joy. As you grow, your consciousness should

also grow. When you expand in knowledge with time, then depression is

not possible. The way to overcome personal misery is to share universal

misery! The way to expand personal joy is to share universal joy.

Instead of thinking “what about me?†and “what can

I gain from this world?†, think “what can I do for the

world?â€

 

Silence heals and rejuvenates. Silence gives you depth and stability

and brings creativity. Service leads to the dynamic experience of

heart. It creates a sense of belongingness. Lack of service can land a

person in depression. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Pain

is physical. Suffering is mental. If you are not sensitive to

others’ pain, then you are not a human being. That is why you

need to serve. Service alone can bring contentment in life, but service

without silence tires you. Service without spirituality will be

shallow, and can not be sustained for a long period. The deeper the

silence, the more dynamic the outer activity. Both are essential in

life.

 

When you bring some relief or freedom to someone through seva good

vibrations and blessings come to you. Seva brings merit; merit allows

you to go deep in mediation; meditation brings back your smile. When

you sing and pray from your heart, your emotions are nourished and you

become “livelyâ€

 

11. Plan short and long-term goals.

 

At any given point of time, our mind is oscillating between the past and

the future. Either it is angry or sad about the past or anxious about

the future. Whatever actions you do in this state of mind, you regret

after some time. This is how you get caught up in the same old cycle.

Does it mean that you should not plan your future? No! You should plan

your short and long-term goals. Then, and only then, life gets a

channel, a direction to flow. When the mind is totally in the present,

the right planning happens. Not only should you plan your goals, but

plan the means and methods to work towards them. Where would you like

to see yourself after three years? After 20 years? After 40 years? Do

not be feverish about the results. Give your 100 per cent. If you are

feverish about the results, it will lead you to disappointment.

 

Do not make a list of all the things you want to achieve. Select few

things that really matters. Once a teacher brought a glass jar to the

class and a bag with some big stones, some small stones and some sand.

He asked the students to put all the contents from the bag into the

glass jar. Some students put the sand first, then small stones and by

then there was no place for the big stones. The teacher later explained

that, had they put the bigger stones first, then the smaller stones,

there was always space around the stones for all the sand in the bag.

This example teaches us an important lesson in prioritising things. If

we put things that will give us maximum fulfillment in the long term,

smaller things will automatically fall into place.

 

Among all planets in the solar system, the earth is privileged to host

life in its many forms, and among all the species, humans are most

privileged, for, they can host knowledge. Again and again you remember

that you are peace, you are love, you are joy and that you are hosting

the creator. If you do not realise that you are the host, you live like

a ghost!

 

To be continued….

 

With love and regards,

 

Sastry.