By Dinesh Nath

There is wisdom beyond every event. There is love beyond every person. There is infinity beyond every object. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar These are beautiful lines spoken by world renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Though sounds very simple but these few lines are impregnated with vast wisdom which immediately bring the shift in consciousness by little dwelling. Other significance of these ' sutras ', the tenets of wisdom is that it covers most of mind stuff/activity/thought. If carefully deliberated one find mind dwells either on events, people or objects most of the times and all most all over conflicts whether personal or otherwise can be attributed to these three dimension of existence namely events, people and objects. Interestingly, events, people and objects brings two kinds of experiences, pleasurable or miserable. When these attributes brings pleasurable experience mind develop craving for those events, people or objects (e.g. partyin...

So what it means to be an ideal teacher. We all are student of life as well as serve as teachers to others at many juncture of life. Lots of people come in our contact and learn many thing about us and from us while sometime we take this formal role of teacher. I was writing my teaching philosophy and came up with following write up. Please go through and share your view on being an ideal teacher. This will help me to take different perspective as well as this exercise will help you as well to be a better teacher when situation needed. I am sure many of you remember this pic: Teaching is one of the most noble profession which is mother of all other professions. Since childhood, I have had a passion to learn anything and everything, not only knowledge but also the style of great teachers who shaped me. Now, when I look back; I find, it was not just teaching but a character-building process. This realization has helped shape my temperament to be an inspiring teac...

Stress is the root cause of all evils! Stress clogs our intellect, creates smoke-screen on our memory and induces disturbed emotions and under these impaired conditions even sane individual with all the formal training in ethics and moral values falter and indulge in violence at metal, verbal or action level which further fuel the stress in individuals as well as societal level.  In the wake of such times when the news of gun-shooting in US hitting headlines almost everyday, or safety and security of women is being compromised by heinous crime like rape against women and many other kind of emotional violence by creating terror of fluctuating market place and creating financial mess and sky rocketing-inflation, the helpless mind cries out for change. A change which can sooth the mind bring harmony among fellow human beings and in our society. Keeping this intention to create a violence-free and stress-free society, Art of Living Founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will join million...

As the part of tradition, we have been celebrating different festivals, following different rituals and sometime our intellectual mind doesn't agree following these age old traditions and ask what is the meaning behind all this and at that time the only what can quench our intellectual thirst is somebody wise de-codify the deep meaning behind these rituals and restore the faith. The following talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual Master from India whom millions of people around the world revere as Guru, has helped  to understand the meaning the traditions of navaratri and elaborate pooja performed during these nine days. I hope you also enjoy this. :-) DEVI MAHATMYAM ‘The Glory of Divine Mother’  A portion of the Markendeya Purana is called Chandi or Devi Mahatmya. It is also called Sri Durga Saptasati, which means 700 verses to Sri Durga. These sacred verses are recited during Navaratri, Durga Puja and chanted during the Chandi Homa. It extols the...

This is 100th post on this blog and I was just thinking about what we should pursue here as the blog reader are increasing and I am increasingly getting overwhelming responses on the diverse posts we are putting on the blog. We will be bringing more post which will help to introspect the deeper level of understanding in life. One of the subtle dimension which is the central force of the whole universe is MIND. We all know that we have mind yet we have not seen it with naked eyes and as you are reading these lines some part of yours telling you YES, this is true!; that YES is coming from the mind. Isn't it! We have not seen the mind yet we have experience this subtle field of bio-magnetic energy (why am I calling it bio-magnetic, I will come on it later) called Mind. This itself is enough to give us realization whatever we can't see is not necessarily false or non-existential or on contrary whatever we seen is not necessarily true and existential. Isn't it! This can also hel...

I think 30 years of selfless service has not attracted the eye of our media as much as a bullet. Ironically, the victim had to justify why the bullet was found close to him! A Swami is expected to remain silent irrespective of the seriousness of offense against him whereas strong voices of support are heard for terrorists and anti-social elements. Corrupt officials are not condemned and the society’s silence implies it is fine with them. ‘Swami’, a title much revered in India in the past only raises eyebrows in suspicion now. Swamis and Sadhus were respected for dedicating and sacrificing their lives for society and now they are being condemned. This shows the unfortunate deterioration of the Indian culture. Is it not a systematic psychological warfare against Swamis? We also see a section of the media in our country jumping to hasty conclusions especially in matters concerning swamis and spirituality. ‘You have the right to remain silent...’ is usually a warning given t...

One participant of my early Art of Living course raised these questions which I thought is worthwhile to answer here so that it can be helpful to others too. Q. 1. What's the difference between a Guru, Yogi, and a Swami? Guru: First of all I feel this space is too small to talk about Guru and the glory of Guru. Just one advice if you are walking on this path don't see Guru as physical identity. Guru is one who makes you realize there is no difference between Guru and you. Like Guruji (Sri Sri) says Guru, God and Self are synonymous. Now since God is one who is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient and We as ' self ' don't realize that omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience BECAUSE we are asleep. The Guru is one who wake us up and give us this realization that there is no difference between God, Guru & Your own Self :-) Guru doesn't make the follower rather he brings us up to realize our true ' self ' Yogi: Yogi is one who is practicing any kind ...

Wish you all very happy and prosperous Diwali

On the day of Guru Purnima in Chicago after grand magnificent satsang and soul soothing puja and dinner which was served as if it was heaven’s banquet when celebration was done and Guruji went to His suit and some of us from Pittsburgh Art of Living Family went there in the hope that we could get in and be with Him for sometime but all in vain there was so much of policing outside the His door so disappointedly we came back and I was walking in lobby and soon I saw 3 fellow teachers and just started following them and asked Birjoo where were those guys going :) he said to Guruji's suit and I with low heart responded हमारे लिए तो दरवाजा नहीं खुलेगा (door will not open for us) too much of policing :) then Birjoo replied that ऐसा बोल कर अपना दरवाजा ख़ुद से क्यों बंद करता है (by saying this why are you closing door for yourself). This struck me :) Next day TRM started and 11 AM Guruji came for session :) we had good time and when He ended the session again the same words struck me ag...

5103 years ago Sri Krishna was born. Gokul means the family/society where there is knowledge. If you look at Krishna's life its amazing. As a friend, child, thief, musician, husband, teacher, lover from every aspect He was the best and complete. He was an uncrowned king. We still remember His journey from Brindavan to Dwarka. Krishna said 4 kinds of people worship me a) Miserable people b) Those who want something c) Those who want to know what is life and d) Gynanis. Know that I am not separate from the Gynani. Gynani is Me and I am Gynani. Radha is longing and Krishna is love. Vasudeva ( Ananda ) brings Krishna to Gokul when every one is sleeping. This means when the senses sleep Love comes out through ananda. Rama and Krishna are completely opposite in nature. Rama was born in the noon and Krishna midnight. Rama was always a shishya, i.e. a student throughout His life, whereas Krishna was always a teacher. He was a Guru even to His mother. Rama respected every one. Every one re...

Sri Sri University Formal education trains people to take up different roles in the society in pursuit of economic growth and social order. With the Indian industry poised to take off as a global economic power, the demand for skilled youth to guide and carry on this pursuit can not be underestimated. Paradoxically, it is confronted with an ever increasing number of educated youth, with mismatched skill-sets: youth with an abundance of technical knowledge but clearly lacking in focus on inner joy, initiative and creativity. Sri Sri University is an international initiative to address this anomaly by developing tomorrow's leaders, managers of change, trained to the industry requirements, with an attitude and skill-set transcending specific disciplines. Inspired by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, students will look beyond their own limitations and share bigger responsibilities as worthy citizens and brim with confidence. In them we may see not just the smartest, but the leaders,...

Happy Birthday GURUJI LOVE YOU GURUJI

This one came to me while just coming to school this morning. In life there are different things which fill us with the spark of energy, make us enthusiastic & blow life in us. These are different situations, different dimensions which somehow touches the core of our being and take away all the dullness & make us like lump of energy TOTALLY ALERT & ACTIVE. I am calling them "sources of enthusiasm" Here I could stretch my consciousness to recollect the possible sources: 1. Inspirations Reading/Books : Have you noticed sometime when you are feeling dull and no hope in life and you stuck with inspirational reading may be a book, news article, interview and as we are going through the lines something start changing inside and by the time we are finish the reading we feel like taking some action, we want to do something constructive whether at gross level or at subtle level. SO KEEP READING INSPIRING STUFF (BEST FROM GURUDEV MOUTH) 2. Challenges: Have you noticed, som...

This is a cruelty guys. If we don't become accountable now these politicians will serve poison on our platter. Please Vote for change

Pals.... this is one of the life time opportunity one can have to celebrate the Guru Poornima with Masters itself. This is one of grandest opportunity one get in life-times and it has the power to change your whole life so don't miss it. Save your dates and plan ahead :) For more details and registering for courses please log on to www.artofliving.org http://secure.artofliving.org/course_details.aspx?course_id=4678

I have added some of videos of Sri Sri and AOL in one place on the side bar. It will help in grabbing then in the time of need... Use them important stuff for sewa.. As I told you guys that I working on blog for Guru Stories. It's under construction designing part is going on... I have already got so many good responses with wonderfull touching tales.... :) I encourage all you guys to write your own experiences in Art of Living and Gurudev and share with all... :) Some people are asking me if they can share so personal experiences with others.... :) SURE folks see if your experiences can inspire somebody and open some new avenue for them on this beautiful path of service, love and joy.... :) so please open your heart don't be shy and get inspired and inspire others too... what a beauty. All win win situation............. :)

India's problems are complex. And unfortunately these are compounded by vote-bank politics. Instead of uniting the different sections of society, many politicians divide it to keep their vote banks intact. If people are united, politicians won't be able to get votes through divisive politics. In such a situation, the only way for them to win votes would be through good performance. As citizens, we must protect our country from those who manipulate issues for their personal gains and who lead by playing vote-bank politics. Those with vested interests support insensible decisions and oppose sensible ones. We have to steer clear of such leaders. We must encourage broad-minded politicians and leaders to come forward and take charge, and to educate and uplift the society - spiritually, morally and socially. We need leaders who are satya-darshi (truthful), sam-darshi (equanimous), priya-darshi (pleasant), paar-darshi (transparent) and door-darshi (visionary). So, before we elect our ...

Dear all You must have heard so many miraculous experiences of others and you must also have had so many like that which we them GURU STORIES. Listening these stories or having such experiences always consolidate our faith and help us to understand the knowledge more clearly. Since these are live experiences they always have more impact on our consciousness also. I remember in Narada Bhakti Sutra also Gurudev explain in one of sutra: "Bhakta ekantino mukhyah, kanthavarodha romancha shrubhih parasparam lapamanah pavayanti kulani prithvim cha" Means: devotees has such one-pointedness that when they get together and talk. They speak about Divine, their throats choke, their hair stands up, tears roll down their eyes and they uplift each other and they purify not just their family, not just their relatives, but the whole world. That is divine love. That is the power of talking about divine. So lets open your heart and go back in your life and explore those moments which you always...