The Official Website of his holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

India (Bangalore), Sept. 19:

Jeevana
jeeva jagat nashwara

Nothing stays forever. Good as well as bad times go away. Be
happy, reminding yourself of this again and again. Our life as it is, is Sadhana.  True sadhana is relaxing, deep
relaxation. What do you want to know? Everything is destructible here.
Everything is changing – your body, your intellect. Everything will dissolve.
30 years have passed like a moment*. Time is running so fast. If you feel there
is something which is not changing, that is your consciousness. Let us settle
there, which is not changing. 
Make use of this time in the best manner. 

Consider your life as sadhana, sacred. When you put
efforts, you get some benefits. Your body is strengthened, your mind is
strengthened to some extent, and you gain skillfulness to some extent. For
example, you get skilled in sitar, computer or exercising with some effort. But
these are limited benefits as compared to the ones that you can have with true
relaxation. 

Sadhana happens when all
the efforts are dropped. When you are totally relaxed, you experience true
bliss. You cannot gain love with effort. True relaxation gives you happiness, kindles
human values in you, sharpens your intellect, and makes you creative and
skillful.

Relaxation does not mean inert rest or being lethargic. Why
to do yogasanas in the morning?
Relaxation can only happen after putting some effort, when laziness in you
disappears. The desire should be to be free from laziness.

The cycle of desires and sleep, we keep on oscillating
between rajogun and tamogun. This is bondage. Satogun dawns with genuine relaxation
and knowledge. The summary of the whole Ashtavakra
Geeta is to be able to joyfully relax while being awake – satvik relaxation. That relaxation is
true relaxation. In that relaxation all the attachments and bondages lose their
grip. So, consider your life as sadhana.

Lord Shiva is called Mahakaal.
Maha is grand and kaal is time. Lord Shiva is the field of
energy that dissolves in it the effect of time. Time follows some rule. It has
its own rhythm. Sometimes, something desirable happens and at some other times,
something undesirable. Time continues to teach us that opposite values are complementary.

*
2011 will be 30 years since the inception of The Art of Living

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