It is so nice being with you all here in Okinawa. Many of you have been coming to India, and always been asking me to come here. I am glad that I could fulfill the promise this time.
There are many secrets to life!
What we know about life is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many secrets to life and life has many dimensions. When you touch the higher dimensions you will find an underlying unity in all the diversity. You will feel that everything speaks to you and communicates with you. When you move further, you will find that there is nothing other than you, everything is a part of you.
From the small mind to the big mind.
It is strange but true – communication breaks down when you are thinking small. When the mind is small, you think small and as a result, you don’t communicate properly with people around you; there is friction. What we need to remember is communication stops in the small mind. And communication also stops when you are in the big mind, because you realize you are the big mind! In a state of enlightenment, there is no ‘other’ to talk about because everything is a part of you. See, you don’t talk to your own hand or a part of your own body because it is your own body and you don’t need to communicate.
A story of when Buddha got enlightened.
There is a wonderful story about Lord Buddha. You may have heard this but anyway, I want to tell you.
When Lord Buddha got enlightened, he was silent for seven days; he didn’t say a word. All the Gods and the angels got worried that he is not saying anything. They said that he has to say something, because what he says will benefit people for ages to come.
Lord Buddha came 2,500 years after Lord Krishna, and if he doesn’t say anything, what will happen? One of the Gods, Lord Brahma went to Buddha and said, “Please say something.”
Lord Buddha then said, “Those who know it, you don’t need to tell them. For those who do not know, there is no point in telling them because they are ignorant people, they have not seen. Any amount of telling them will not be of any use. They are in the small mind.”
Then the angels told Buddha that there are some who are in the middle; they know a little bit and yet, they don’t know a lot. When they hear you, they can move towards the higher truth. Thus, they convinced Lord Buddha, and then he started speaking. He travelled all over India and spoke for 32 years. In those days, there were no airplanes, otherwise he would have come to Japan also. His only intention was to bring compassion and inner peace to the people of the world.
The formula to enlightenment.
Each one of us has a ‘Buddha’ inside of us. Enlightenment is getting in touch with that. If you ask me, “Is it possible? Isn’t it too difficult?” The answer is – yes, it is possible and no, it is not too.
The formula is:
1. Having clarity in mind, purity in heart, and sincerity in action
2. Keeping a smile and doing meditation
3. Seeing the big picture in life
We have been on this planet many times; life is much bigger than just a few incidents. We should not let our mind get stuck in events, incidences and people. We have to sail through them all, and then our smile will be stronger. Otherwise, you get one phone call, and all your joy goes away. You cannot afford to be like that.
Though wisdom may be ancient, it is yet fresh and new.
I am here to bring the ancient modern wisdom to you. Wisdom is both, ancient and modern, like the sun and the sea. The sun is very ancient, but every sunset is new. The trees are old, but the flowers are new; every season is new, but the trees are very old. Life is a combination of the ancient and the modern.
While our head wants something that is the latest, our heart longs for the ancient. Have you noticed how we always take pride in the latest fashion and the oldest friends. You don’t say, “Oh, this is my new friend”. You say, “This person is my old friend” because an old friend is always precious.
Just like we have access to modern things, latest cars and gadgets, we should also have access to the most ancient knowledge on the planet. And the beauty is that though the knowledge is ancient, yet it is very fresh and new. And meditation and yoga are all part of it!
When you expand your mind and shift the context for your life, you become so strong, stable, solid and yet, so soft. Then there is nothing that can shake you.
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What Spirituality Can Do For You!
What Sri Sri Said on 2 April 2017
Anything that uplifts the spirit, anything that brings more happiness, love, joy, creativity, compassion and enthusiasm in life is spirituality.