Sri Publications - Celebrating Silence

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His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Publications Trust, India

Original title: Celebrating Silence

Excerpts from the talks by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

eISBN 978 9 351 06633 0

Copyrights 2008 All rights reserved.

Published by

Sri Sri Publications Trust, India

The Art of Living International Center,

21st km, Kanakapura Road, Udaypura,

Bangalore - 560 082

Phone: +91 80 32722473,

email:

www.artoflivingshop.com

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed by

Ramya Reprographic Pvt. Ltd.

Bommanahalli, Bangalore - 560068

I n June of 1995, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar began a weekly tradition of creating a short talk, often on a subject that was relevant to current events. Each week this knowledge flowed by electronic mail, by fax and by post all around the world, to every continent, and each year these talks were compiled into volumes. This is a collection of excerpts from these talks from the first five years.

Whether reading a talk from years past or hearing a current one for the first time, the knowledge is always fresh and meaningful. Those who are lucky enough to be with Sri Sri when the knowledge is created, discover truths that fill both the heart and the intellect. In his words, Being with the Guru means spontaneous integration of life and wisdom.

People often feel that the knowledge applies to an immediate need, and there are many instances where someone seeking wisdom or advice picks up a volume and opens it randomly to find exactly what they require at that moment. The paradigm of time, space and separateness breaks down.

The journey for this collection over five years began in New Delhi and ended in Rishikesh, India. The voyage in between included many passages around the world, during which many hearts and minds were blessed with the wisdom of this humble man.

This collection is thematic in preference to being chronological. The first chapter helps us understand the issues of anger, doubt and fear - those things we want to change, as well as love and dispassion - those things we want to culture. The second chapter, building on the first, educates us on what it means to be on a spiritual path, discussing service, spiritual practices and surrender. The third chapter is most sublime, leading us through an understanding of God, and back to our inner Self - that which we really seek, often without knowing.

The sun rises and celebrates
The sky embraces and celebrates
Winds blow and celebrate
Rivers flow and celebrate
Birds sing and celebrate
Peacocks dance and celebrate
Trees flower and celebrate
Buds blossom and celebrate
We smile and serve
Meditate and celebrate.

Prayer within breath
Is silence
Love within infinity
Is silence
Wisdom without words
Is silence
Compassion without aim
Is silence
Action without a doer
Is silence
Smiling with all existence
Is silence.

Being in a crowd when you are alone is ignorance. A feeling of oneness in a crowd is a sign of wisdom. Being alone in a crowd is enlightenment.

Knowledge of life brings confidence, and knowledge of death makes you fearless and centered.

Some know to celebrate when they are in a crowd. Some can only rejoice alone in silence. I tell you to do both. Celebrate while you are alone and celebrate when you are with people.

Celebrate silence and celebrate noise.

Celebrate life and celebrate death.

New Delhi, India
March 13, 1997

T he senses are like fire. Your life is like fire. Whatever you put into the fire of the senses burns. If you burn a tire, it creates pollution and a foul smell. But if you burn sandalwood, it creates fragrance. Some fires pollute and others purify.

Celebration happens around the bonfire. Grief happens around the cremation fire. The same fire that supports life in winter also destroys.

You are like fire. Are you the fire that produces smoke and pollution, or the flame of camphor that creates light and fragrance? A saint is a camphor flame that creates light and the fragrance of love. He is the friend of life.

The highest quality fire creates light and warmth. A medium quality fire creates light but also a little smoke. The lowest quality fire produces only smoke and darkness. Learn to distinguish the different fires. If your senses are engaged in goodness, you will create light and fragrance. If engaged in impurity, you produce smoke and darkness. It is samyama that transforms the quality of fire in you.

Montreal Ashram, Quebec, Canada
July 24, 1995

H ow can you rid yourself of vasanas - impressions? This is a question for all who want to break bad habits.

You want to get rid of bad habits because they give you pain and restrict you. Habits clog you when there is no liveliness or juice in life. The nature of vasana is to bother you, or bind you, and wanting to be free is the nature of life. Life wants to be free and when a soul does not know how to be free, it wanders through lifetimes desiring freedom.

The way to break habits is through vows, or samyama. Everyone is endowed with a little samyama. When your life force has a direction, you can rise above habits through samyama.

When the mind dwells on the useless thoughts of bad habits, two things can happen. First, all your old patterns arise and you feel discouraged by them. You blame yourself and feel that you have made no progress.

Second, you see the habits as opportunities for samyama and feel happy. Without samyama, life will not be happy and disease-free. You know you should not eat three servings of ice cream because it will make you sick. It is samyama that prevents such indulgence.

A vow should be time bound, and the time and place for making the vow should be considered. Suppose someone has a habit of smoking cigarettes and says, I will quit smoking, but cannot do it. He can take a time-bound vow for 90 days. If you have a habit of cursing and swearing, take a vow not to use bad language for 10 days. Do not take the vow for a lifetime; you will break it immediately. If you happen to break it before the time has elapsed, do not worry. Just begin again. Slowly increase the duration until it becomes your nature.

All those habits that bother you, that bring you pain - bind them in vows, in samyama.

Y our inability to do something, such as break a habit, causes a pinch and when you are deeply pained by something, the pain will rid you of that habit. If you are pained by your shortcomings, then you are a sadhak - a seeker. Pain takes you out of addiction.