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Share the wisdom of Sri Sri Ravishankarji.

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Dear friends and devotees,

 

Bhakti is eternal,

 

Yesterday, I had sent an article THE ROLE OF GURU. It is Guru who

substantiates the four quadruple percepts (Purusharthas) and promotes us to

practice through Sadhana. Such Gurus are many straight from Lord Brahama, Sri

Anjaneya, Adi Sankara and Ramakrishna Pramahmasa etc, etc; and even countless

in our Hindu mythology. So far I am concerned, my divine Guru is His Holiness

Paramacharya who (I was blessed to hear from him personally) told me several

spiritual matters in a course of two decades and the living Guru is Bhagavan

Sathya Sai Baba. But there are more living venerable Gurus presently and the

preaching of every individual leads us to the same eternal bliss and spiritual

destiny.

 

Some time back, I shared with you all about the preaching of His Holiness Sri

Sri Ravishankarji and discontinued sending them. Subsequently, till now many of

our friends are expressing their desire to continue the same. The discourses of

our great Guru, which I had collected, are short notes on different subjects,

during his world tour. Those who are interested can compile them or can go

through each separately as they please. I will be sending the same, daily or

once in two days under the following heading:

 

Share the wisdom of His holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji.

 

Most of you are aware of our great Guru His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

That is the reason, I sent the discourses during past. Now, I feel it apt to

say something about Him, before commencing to forward his preaching.

 

When an admirer asked Sri Sri Ravishankar: “ How do you make everyone happy? ”

Guruji said: " Become me. "

 

Admirer: " How do we become you? "

 

Guruji: " What stands between you and me is your self image. Your self-image

restricts you from being me. Self image whether good or bad causes misery. When

you think well about yourself in a very subtle manner you think bad about

others. Then anger, jealousy, hatred—everything follows. "

 

 

The very sight of Guruji is enchanting. With a long and spotless white robe

encircling his slender frame, flowing hair and a trademark disarming smile, the

Guruji is as simple and natural as his prescription for the ART OF LIVING, one's

life to the fullest. Addressed as 'Guruji' by millions of his devotees the world

over; Sri Sri Ravishankar presented the world with his sudarshan kriya technique

and the organisation—The Art of Living.

 

Guruji's ability to connect with people is perfectly effortless and his

spiritual appeal irresistible. To use the words of one of his ardent followers,

Sri Sri is as compassionate as Jesus, as playful as Lord Krishna and as erudite

as Adi Shankara. He has this uncanny ability of helping people unburden their

stress-filled minds. His invaluable sayings act as balms for wounded souls.

Here's a sample: “Life is a ball in your hands to play with. Don't hold on to

the ball. "

 

Sri Sri Ravishankar is a unique combination of wit and wisdom, seriousness and

playfulness, who would provoke you to " celebrate while you are alone, celebrate

when you are with people, celebrate the silence and celebrate the noise.

Celebrate life and celebrate death. " It is not surprising then that, the Art of

Living is all about accepting life in its totality and its motto is only to

connect people across all communities and countries with love, to turn the tides

of time by reviving human values and strengthening it to make our times special.

A South African member of the Art of Living teaching program says, " After the

Art of Living course, racial tolerance is no longer an issue. We've moved beyond

tolerance to unconditional acceptance and love. Love has no dislikes, no

boundaries. "

 

Sparks of the spiritual master's striking personality caught peoples'

attention right from his childhood, which was an extraordinary one by all

accounts. Ravishankar was born on May 13, 1956, in a spiritual family in

Papanasam, Tamil Nadu State of India. His father R.S.V.Ratnam who is well versed

in Sanskrit, Tamil and English, is also a devout social worker besides being

very spiritually oriented. It is an interesting coincidence that Ravishankar was

born in a place named 'Papanasam', for it means—the removal of all sins. To add

to it all, he was born on Shankara Jayanti, the birthday of Adi Shankara (the

8th century Vedantic philosopher and founder of the Advaita theory of Truth) and

was christened on the 11th day of his birth, which also happened to be the

birthday of Ramanuja the renowned preacher of bhakti or devotion. Certainly, an

interesting combination of knowledge and devotion, in the consciousness of the

newborn!

 

At the age of four, little Ravishankar was discovered chanting the shlokas of

The Bhagavad Gita, and by the age of 17 he had completed his graduation in

science as well as his mastery over the Vedas (Hindu scriptures). His extreme

spiritual bent of mind also caught the attention of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the

founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement, under whose tutelage

Ravishankar blossomed into the spiritual figure we know so well.

 

In fact, soon after his college days, he came into contact with many renowned

spiritual teachers and leading intellectuals. The decision to embark on an

ascetic path instead of regular materialistic life was taken at this point of

his life. He remained in Rishikesh, India, with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for

several years, however, before going abroad to complete his doctoral degree in

the science of the Vedas.

 

Having completed his research, Sri Sri Ravishankar presented the world with

the Sudarshan kriya technique—a unique breathing process, which removes stress

and negative toxins from the body by rejuvenating each and every cell. The

technique is said to have been revealed to him during a spell of silent

meditation that he had gone into for 10 long days in 1982. It was the same year

that he started the Art of Living Foundation, which propagates his programs in

over a 100 countries. The Foundation aims at fostering health at every

conceivable human level-mental, physical, emotional as well as spiritual. Sri

Sri Ravishankar, also, started a number of educational and humanitarian

organizations for the service and all-round uplift of society. Besides the Art

of Living Foundation, the Prison SMART Foundation, Inc., Dollar-a-Day, Art Excel

and 5H Program are all the outcome of this selfsame and wholehearted commitment

towards humanity. But modest soul that he is, Guruji perceives

these programs to be nothing more than, seva or services for fellow human

beings who are merely reflections of our own 'selves'.

 

According to Sri Sri Ravishankar, even though the world is a mixture of

happiness and sorrow, it shouldn't deter any one from seeking enjoyment in

whatever one does. He elucidates, " It is written in the Upanishads, the Atman,

soul, is Satchidanandamaya (complete bliss). Spirituality is not boring. It is

the Rasa (flavor) of life. "

 

This blissful state can only be attained when one follows the religion of

humanity or in Guruji's term—Manava Dharma, by spreading loves in each human

soul. Beloved Guruji has even unfolded the path to this state, simply follow it:

" How far to Heaven? Just open your eyes and look. You are in Heaven. "

 

Guruji’s Discourses will be continued…..

 

With love and regards,

 

Sastry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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