August 10, 2013
Bangalore, India
Photo credit: Paul Bica / Foter / CC BY
What is happening today
is that, our education system has become so weak that even after getting a
master’s degree, people don’t get jobs because they don’t know how to do a
simple job. Skills are missing. We need a skill-oriented education. And that’s
what our Nagapattinam school does.
You know, when the
tsunami hit that area, that’s when our volunteers and teachers went there and
built this school. Along with that they also started skill training.
The 600 and odd kids, whose lives and families were affected by the tsunami,
are now bringing a tsunami of talents! This is really wonderful. We should
congratulate all the teachers and volunteers who have made this happen.
Another interesting
thing that the school authorities were sharing with me. You know, there were
two local MLAs who were trying to admit their children in our school through
recommendations.
There is generally a big queue to admit children to our school. But we admit
the children only if they fulfill certain criteria.
So our teachers, volunteers and the principal stood by the policy. Tremendous
pressure was put on them to admit these children out of the queue, out of
merit, and out of all logic. The school authorities said, 'No!' They stood up
for it.
It is a free school, still. Have you ever heard that there is a big rush to
admit children into a free schools? This is what happens when people work with
commitment. When you work with all your heart and soul, any
institution can become par excellence.
So the school
authorities said, 'No, even if you give us money we will not take. Anyway we
don’t take money, it’s a free school. We stand by our policy. You will have to
go through the regular procedures, and recommendations will not work'.
It is very nice. And it is not that somebody from the top, the trustees or
someone, are telling them (to do this).
Wakefulness dawns within a person automatically. The character and commitment
comes from inside, and that is what is called spirituality.
The effect of spirituality on your life is that it helps make you become
committed. You set a high standard for yourself; not to compete with somebody
else! You set standards for yourself and excel in it. That is what brings
fulfillment in life.
You own the world’s biggest army. You have the best commandos and
the most dedicated soldiers across the world. Your personnel never retire. In
fact, new are continuously joining, just because you pay the best salary –
happiness. Yet your vision for Vasudaiva Kutumbakam (One World
Family) seems a far off dream. Even in our own country, we haven’t united. How
do we move ahead?
Sri Sri: That’s a job left for you to do. You have a role to play. This is
what you need to do.
We
should go from village to village and unite the hearts and minds of people.
Don’t think it’s a difficult job, the unity is already there. There’s just a
little bit of misunderstanding, little selfishness, and a lack of vision which
is creating this atmosphere that everything is hopeless. People basically are
very good. 90% of the population have a very good heart. Even those 10%, I
would say, have a good heart. Something has gone wrong somewhere, but we can
set them right.
Kiran Bedi is
here with us today. When she was in charge of prisons in Delhi, she made all
those prisons into Ashrams. They were called Tihar Ashrams.
Even today in Tihar, we have a skill training center and our programs are continuing
there. We not only conduct meditations, but there is an Art of Living center as
well in many prisons. Do you know that?
Not only in India, even the largest prison in Argentina, having around 5500
inmates of that country, has an Art of Living center inside. Everybody does
meditation there.
When
I was in Brazil, they took me to visit the prison of Rio de Janeiro, and there
was an Art of Living board inside the prison! They have painted the swans as
well. I was surprised to see this, and there were tears in the eyes of those
people. The people who society has condemned as criminals, they have a heart
too!
In
Tihar jail today, the prisoners are learning different skills. We have started
teaching electrical skills as well. They are becoming electricians and
carpenters.
One of our Art of Living teachers (Deepak) has done tremendous work in Tihar.
He has opened so many skills training centers around the country through our
Rural Development Program (RDP).
So
basically, people are good in nature; they are intrinsically good. They just
need that spiritual kindling.
Without Spirituality, life is dry. Do you see? When you feel so dry, you can’t
but make mistakes. Anything you do will be a mistake. So you have a task, a
goal, a job to do. Just get on the wagon.
Is God present? All these Puranas look like
stories of fiction to me. How do I find God? How do I believe his presence, and
why should I believe?
Sri Sri: Now listen, let God rest. Don’t worry about God now. Worry about
yourself.
Who
are you? First atma (spirit), and then paramatma (the
Divine spirit).
The paramatma (God) is beyond the atma (individual
soul). First get in to the compound (i.e., know who you are), after that you
can get into the house (know God).
People
who say, 'I don’t believe in anything', should at least believe in the word
that they are saying. If you say that you don’t believe in anything, at least
you believe that you don't believe in anything, right?
So, who is the one who is saying it? Who are you? Are
you your thoughts? No, they keep changing. Are you your body? Just picture
yourself 5-10 years back, your body has changed so much.
In one year, every cell in our body changes. Do you know that?
So each cell of our body is changing. The lining of our stomach changes every
five days. Blood changes every 24 hours. Our skin changes in 30 days. And every
cell, every atom in our body changes in a year’s time.
So your body is a flowing river. Same river, but water is new. So you are
new and you are ancient as well. It is the same with Ganga, the same
with Yamuna, the same with Kaveri (rivers in India). The river is the same,
from many years, but the water is always new. In the same way, you are new and
you are ancient as well. Observe what is ancient within you and what
is new. Know yourself. God will follow automatically.
So,
don’t make an effort to believe. You shouldn’t force yourself to believe
anything. Faith is not something you can force on yourself. It is something
that comes up within you. Either through science or through spirituality.
Through meditation you reach the same one goal. What is that goal? The
whole universe is made up of just one wave function, just one vibration, one
thing! That one thing is responsible for everything. And that one thing is what
I am. You call it God, or Brahman, or he, or she, or
it, or anything, it will work.
When you go deep in meditation you merge, you dissolve, into that one pure
consciousness. With that innocent nature and with love, the attainment happens.
Love
means, when your mind becomes so light.
In anger and hate, the mind stays lifeless, and heaviness is felt. When you are
in love, the mind becomes so light. Have you experienced this?
See when you are happy, what is the feeling that you get? A sense of lightness.
And when you are unhappy, it feels like a stone is sitting on your head, right? Yoga
is the science to make you feel lighter. It is not just weight loss
programs, but it make you feel mentally lighter as well. You lose all that
mental stuff of anger, jealousy, hatred, greed, etc, that you acquire from
everywhere, and feel so light from inside.
When
can you feel light? When you know, when you believe, when you have the faith
that the right will win –Satyamev Jayate (Truth alone wins).
Then you have confidence that what you want will happen.
When you have a sankalp (resolve), and vishwas (belief),
then even if you have to fight someone in a court, you will do it with a smile.
Even for a fight you will go with a smile. Not with anger and heaviness of
mind. Are you understanding this? This is the essence of the Bhagavad
Gita.
In
Chapter 2, Krishna says, 'Yoga-sthah kuru karmani, sangam tyaktva
dhananjaya. Siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva, samatvam yoga ucyate'.
Become
steadfast in yoga, feel the lightness within you. Demonstrate belief of victory
and with this perform your duty, keep working. Then you will see, there is no
tiredness. When do you tire? When the ray of hope becomes dim. And when raga and dvesha (cravings
and aversions) dominate the mind, then a person gets tired.
If
there is a unique gift given to the world by India, it is this – fight
without cravings and aversions. This is a big gift to the world. So,
challenges come. Face the challenges with poise, equanimity, serenity and
dignity. Sincerity and serenity, these two are needed to face situations.
Dear Gurudev, is one lifetime enough for enlightenment?
Sri Sri: Absolutely enough! More than enough.
Gurudev, how to make my home a place of happiness. Even on
weekends my wife picks up arguments.
Sri Sri: You know what? I’ll give you an advice. Take turns in an argument,
don’t do it at the same time. You argue on Monday, let her argue on Sunday! And
you keep smiling. You know, an argument cannot be countered with an argument.
Questions cannot be replied with questions. When she argues you smile, okay!
Make this a policy, and keep rowing the boat!
Gurudev, what is the difference between tendency (Prakriti),
and crime (desire to harm). If love and service is our natural tendency, then
why is crime increasing?
Sri Sri: Lack of spiritual education, lack of human values in society.
People are stressed and they have never been taught how to release the stress,
and so crime is happening.
As I said, if you talk to these convicts in the prison, you’ll find that they’re
not bad people. They are good people. But in an emotional upsurge they
committed a crime. Something happened through them. If you ask them, they say,
'Oh, it happened. I never expected this to happen'.
Gurudev, if marriages are made in heaven, then why so many
divorces happen on Earth?
Sri Sri: Marriages are made in heaven, but divorces are made on Earth!
(Laughter)
Lack of patience. Somewhere in our country we are losing patience. We want
everything immediately, and we want quick result, and quick changes.
In
our Canadian organization, we had a president for a long time, around 10-12
years ago. She was an 82 year old lady. She used to tell me, 'Gurudev, if one
cannot row one boat they cannot row any other boat. Even if you change the
boat, you will not learn how to row the boat'. So she said, 'I’ve decided that,
so I’m rowing the same boat for last 45 years!' And she introduced her husband.
These
days the youngsters don’t know, they think by changing the boat they can row it
well! And that’s such a wisdom, you see? If you know how to row the boat, you
can row any boat. Many times newly married girls come and they complain about
their mother-in-law. I tell them, win them over by love – what is it that they
want? Why do you have to separate from your in-laws?
We
don’t know basic communication skills. I just asked these girls one question,
'Was your mother not criticizing you?'
They said, 'Yes'.
Just look, your mother was much more criticizing than your mother in law. You
tolerated everything your mother said, only when it comes from your husband’s
mother it pricks you more deeply and you want to get out of the house.
Just
treat her as you treat your own mother. Take whatever she says like your own
mother. You know it has made such a big difference in many, many marriages.
You
should know just this simple wisdom. Meditate a little bit. Okay, mother-in-law
is criticizing, let her criticize! Where there is belongingness, there is
criticism also! Your mother-in-law has said something, it’s okay! Just listen
to what she’s saying. If it hurts, keep cotton in your ears and keep listening,
keep smiling!
You
can win over anyone with love. And what is the difficulty in winning over
elders of the home? We need a little patience, a little endurance. If we lose
patience, we cannot progress in any aspect in the society. If you ask me how to
increase patience and endurance? I will say continue doing what you’re doing
here.
How
many of you feel that you have changed, you have more patience? Let me see.
Good.
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