8 January 2014 - QA 1

Gurudev, if your perception is your reality, then what is truth?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

What is the truth, is a very individual journey. Nobody can even answer this question. If anyone answers, then the answer will not be correct.
So, what is truth, is an individual personal journey that you have to go on. It is like, you have to have your own breakfast to fulfill your hunger, to quench your thirst you have to drink, nobody can drink for you. Same with the truth.

What is the truth is a very important question. It is a sign of very mature intellect. Meditate more, go deep in silence, and you will discover. If you want to read intellectually, you may read very ancient book on yoga, such as, Yoga Vasistha.
Yoga Vasistha is a book worth reading. Ten thousand years ago, people wrote about what is said in quantum mechanics today, that everything is but one thing. It is amazing.

I was invited to CERN in Switzerland. There, they took me on a guided tour, and showed me where they found God Particle. It was so interesting to see the scientists, and to listen to their understanding.
There was this one scientist who said, 'Gurudev, I studied matter for the last 45 years only to realize that it does not exist. Now when I give a talk, people ask me if I am talking Buddhist philosophy'.
So scientists say the same thing that is said in Vedanta, the ancient knowledge. I handed over them a book of Yoga Vasistha. They said it was startling. 'What we thought we discovered now, people knew of it ten thousand years ago; that all is made up of one thing'.

Science and spirituality are never at loggerheads. At least in this part of the world, science was always encouraged.
The first step to spirituality is to understand the material science. First understand Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Ether. After Ether comes the mind, and then comes the intellect, and then the ego. This is the eight fold nature. After that comes the Self and beyond the Self is God.
To get to God you must know the elements. The elements are God’s creation. To serve God, you have to serve the people; God’s people. If you understand the world, then you understand God.

Where is God? God is like the oil present in a sesame seed. A sesame seed is dry, but if you squeeze the sesame seed, you get oil. So, just like oil is present in a sesame seed, God is present in the whole creation. So never ever think about high or low, good or bad, etc., a person is. All people are good people. Love everybody. This is the whole message.