Art of Living

Wish you all a very happy Guru Purnima.

Pearls of Knowledge on Guru purnima.
Extract from the talks of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar and a few question and answers…

Guru purnima is the day to feel grateful for the great knowledge you
have received from your master. It is time to review how much knowledge
you could ingrain in your life in past one year. This may bring about a
realization  for scope of improvement which in turn will bring humility
in you. Be grateful  for the way this knowledge has transformed you.
Just think how you could have  been without this. There is a definite
change inside you. If you cannot see any change, then you haven’t had a
good look in yourself. Gratitude and humility together blossom a genuine
prayer inside you!

Guru is a tatva - an element, a quality; inside you. It is not limited
to a body  or a form.

Life is an ocean of love. Flow the lamp of knowledge in it. Even let
the knowledge be flown away in the ocean of love. The ego that comes out
of  truth and knowledge is dangerous. Sense of righteousness makes you
hard. So in the  wave of devotion and love; you even let the knowledge
get washed out.

Q. What is the story behind Gurupurnima?
A. Acharya (teacher) gives knowledge and Guru gives height of awareness
and makes you alive. Acharya gives information, Guru gives intelligence,
an awakened intelligence. Mind is connected with moon. Full moon is
completion, the pinnacle. On Gurupurnima the devotee wakes up in full
gratitude. Devotee becomes  like an ocean moving in itself. It’s the
time to come in fullness. It’s a time to celebrate. It’s also called
“Vyasa Purnima”. Vyasa had given knowledge on each and every
subject.

So in Gurupunima you remember all guru’s of the past. It is the day when
devotee arises in full gratitude, they turn back and see how they
changed and developed in the last 1 year. They assess what lessons they
have learned and how they are growing in knowledge. It’s reviewing
yourself in knowledge.  Mind needs to be reminded again and again, so we
review it.

Q. People blindly worship a Guru?  Is it ok?  Shouldn’t they
just worship the divine? A. Why does somebody adore someone else?
In college, rock star, movie stars, sports players are adored.
This adulation is part of human nature.  Deep inside it is your
ability to appreciate and honor good qualities.  This adulation of
Gurus has come down the ages.  In the East, people took pride in
their Gurus. There was a lot of respect but it’s missing in the
students now. They throw tomatoes at their teachers. We have now gone to
the other extreme.             
                    When
your life is full, you get a feeling of gratitude.  You start with
the Guru and end up adoring everything in life.  Guru is just a
beginning.  In India there is a festival in October when people
worship everything from cars, scooters etc.  Everything is
venerated.  Divine dwells in every particle.  In the East the
tradition was that before cutting a tree, you have to plant 5
more.  An innocent mind sees life everywhere.  Life has to be
honored, adored.  If you cannot do this, then what else is left in
life?  It is so dry, just eat, drink and sleep.  Whenever you
praise, the praise goes to the divine.  If you praise your Guru,
the praise goes to the divine.  When you praise someone, you own
consciousness is expanding. So for your own sake, adore and venerate
others.

Q. I feel like I want to be close to you and I don’t know how. I
love you. A. It is good, heart breaks and love flows.  In the world
out there heart breaks and misery comes, but here when heart breaks,
love flows and life blossoms. Good.  Just assume you are already
close to me and when you are smiling, when you do service, when you are
in knowledge - you are so much close to me.  And see more and more
people get the benefit of this knowledge what you are having.  Just
turn back and see your life, how much it has changed as you did the
practices, the meditations, your kriya and relate to yourself the person
who was there before doing the kriya.  What a big difference.
Isn’t it?  How many of you feel you are not the same person.
Almost everybody isn’t it, so that benefit, that opening, we need to
bring in others life as well, we need to do that.

Q.How to find a guru or choose a guru?
A.Guru is too big for you to make.  If you make Guru you are bigger
than the Guru.  Guru comes in your life in spite of your refusing
or rebelliousness.  Don’t struggle to make a Guru.  Just
relax.  Life keeps changing.  Wake up and see.  Feel
grateful.  Give all your garbage to the Guru.  Guru makes gold
out of garbage.  Guru makes a fool intelligent.  It is easy to
make that change because everyone is made up of that one thing.

Q. How to become a sincere devotee?
A. Just you have to assume that you are really sincere devotee. You give
grade to yourself. I am number 1 devotee. Nobody’s like me. But don’t
think so and so is number 1 devotee and I’m number 2. Each one of us
should say I’m number 1 devotee. Nobody’s like me. Then that is how the
devotion grows. If you think you are number 2, number 3, number 10, then
that much, you will be away from the knowledge. You know this problem is
there with many - that after basic course, you continue for sometime
then you drop. Then afterwards it becomes very difficult. If you do an
advanced course, it will bring you back in the knowledge.

Q. Guruji, you are the best.
A. Only best can recognize the best.

Q. A devotee is very happy on getting a Guru, does the Guru feel the
same happiness in getting a devotee? A. Seeing your happiness he gets
happiness.

Q. I want a Guru mantra from you.
A. That is there. Sudarshan kriya is there.

Q. Guruji, show me the path.
A. Why? Why shall I show you the path? I’m not so irresponsible.
I’ll  take you to your goal. It’s my habit. It’s the age of aero
planes and you are talking in terms of bullock carts. You have sat in
plane and your flight has taken off. Now, this plane will take you to
your destination, you don’t need to ask for the path.

Q. What quality should an ideal disciple have? Do you differentiate
between disciples? A. Don’t worry so much, just be like a child, and
take life with ease. Yes, I differentiate between disciples and you are
very special. Each one of you is unique and each one is special, so
everyone is different.

Q. You are so wonderful, when can I become like you?
A. First stop attempting to become like me. Second know that I’m you.



Read an interesting article on Guru Poornima: http://www.indiayogi.com/content/full_moon_festival/guru_purnima.asp