Secrets of Relationships E-Book

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar

• Herausgeber: Aslan eReads
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 73

Beschreibung

Head-to-head communication happens through thoughts and words, while heart-to-heart communication happens through feelings. People, throughout the ages, have felt that they cannot communicate their feelings...

Leseprobe

Title

Secrets of Relationships

A compilation of Talks, given by GURUDEV SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

 

© Copyrights Sri Sri Publications Trust

This digital edition is published by arrangement with Aslan Business Solutions

Digitally Published By:

 

Aslan Reads -An imprint of Aslan Business Solutions Borivli, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Email: [email protected]: www.aslanbiz.com & www.aslanreads.com

Physical Editions Published by:

 

Sri Sri Publications Trust The Art of Living International Centre 21st KM, Kanakapura Road, Udayapura, Bangalore – 560082 Email: [email protected]: www.sattvastore.comToll Free: 1800-258-8888

© All rights reserved 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

ISBN: 978-81-931633-6-8

Layout by: Sri Sri Publications Trust

Contents

Title

PREFACE

FINDING REAL COMMUNICATION

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

ADOLESCENTS AND THE ELDERLY

THE SECRETS OF RELATIONSHIPS

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED…

The Art of Living & The International Association for Human Values

The Founder

The Art of Living In Service Around The World

The Art of Living Programs

International Centres

PREFACE

One of the world’s most inspirational and dynamic leaders, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, is also one of the most original thinkers of our times. Emphasising practical wisdom, He has transformed millions of lives all over the globe. His talks are a unique blend of knowledge and guidance, delivered with simplicity and humour - a powerful, unbeatable combination that touches lives and hearts, wherever heard.

It is with great joy that we offer this stunningly insight- ful collection of profound, yet simple to comprehend talks, given by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, over a period of time, unravelling the secrets of relationships.

FINDING REAL COMMUNICATION

Head-to-head communication is through thoughts and words, while heart-to-heart communication is through feelings. People, throughout the ages, have felt that they cannot communicate their feelings. If we could communicate all our feelings through words, then we would be living very shallow lives. Life is rich because feelings cannot be captured in words! So we use all these gestures – we hug, so that hearts come closer, we give flowers, so that feelings are conveyed… We put all our efforts into expressing our feelings… and still, feelings remain unexpressed.

Soul-to-soul communication is silence. When we transcend the feeling level, we become still. Stillness is at the peak of any experience – that’s why the saying, “Be still… and know your God”.

When our eyes are open, we are lost in activity, and when our eyes are closed, we fall asleep. So we miss the point – the point is in-between closing our eyes, and not falling asleep.

Meditation means seeing God within you, and love is seeing God in the person next to you. The two complement each other. The more you serve, the deeper you are able to go within.

We find two types of people in the world – those, who are just focused on themselves; on improving themselves, and those, who are lost in serving. Those, who are lost in serving, get tired, frustrated, angry… and then their service also suffers.

Some boy-scouts were at a Sunday service, when the Father (priest) said, “You should serve.”

They asked, “What is this service?”

He said, “Suppose, an old woman wants to cross a road, go and help her cross the road.”

So the boys went and looked for a whole week, but there was no old woman, trying to cross a street. Finally, four of them found a woman walking on a footpath. One of the boys went and asked her, “Madam, would you like to cross the road?”

She turned and said, “No.”

He was disappointed. So another boy went and asked her again, thinking, perhaps, that the first boy hadn’t asked properly. He asked, “Would you like to cross the road?”

The woman was now a little bit confused. She wondered why she was being asked this. So she said, it was all right for him to take her across the road.

Once they’d reached the other side, a third boy came and asked her, “Would you like to cross the road?”

Now it really bothered her.

When the fourth one approached her, she almost screamed, and ran away!

We think this is service! Service is not just doing something. It is that consciousness within you, where you are readily available to do something. Often people first say, “No!” and then, they think of saying, “Yes!”

You know, if someone asks you, “Would you like to give me a ride?” you first say, “No!”… and then, “Okay.” You may give the person a ride, but when you have already said “No” in the first place, the consciousness has already twisted somewhere. Service is seeing God in the next person, and when we serve, we are able to go deep within… The deeper you go, the more you are able to serve. They complement each other. Hmmm…

Now tell me, what topic, would you like me to speak on?

[Audience says: Abundance. Forgiveness. Seeing God in everyday activity. Appreciation. Love. Courage. Rivalry. Trust…]

Okay… Does it really matter, what topic we speak about? Are you all here, one hundred percent? If you’re hungry, you may be going to a restaurant, in your mind! You’re sitting in this church, but thinking about lasagne and pizza! Hmmm?

Abundance! How does one feel abundant? Right?

Know, you belong to God, and all that you need, will be given to you at the moment you need.

What is the sign of success? Everyone wants to be successful, but what is the sign of success? Worries, tension, diabetes, ulcers, blood pressure, fear and anxiety? No! A smile! A smile that cannot be stolen by anybody!

So, suppose you’re in business, and you make one million dollars in profit. Do you know what a successful man would do? What will he do? Keep the one million dollars with him? No! He will borrow nine million more from the bank! That’s a sign of success, right? Getting into greater debt! Now, who is richer – one who has a thousand dollar debt, or one who has a one million dollar debt?!

See, America is the most successful country in the whole world today… and it is America that is in the greatest debt too. Do you see that? So abundance is not just amassing money, or keeping a big bank balance; abundance is a state of consciousness – when you feel you have plenty. Remember the saying from the Bible: “Those, who have, more will be given to them. Those, who do not have, whatever little they have, will also be taken away from them.” Feel the abundance within you… and you can only feel this, when you feel connected to the Divine. There is no other way. When you feel connected to the innermost God within you, then nobody can take your smile away from you; no one can ever induce any fear into you, and then, you will have compassion, for the world, flowing out of you.

Forgiveness can never be complete, you know. We struggle, trying to forgive someone else. Do you know why? When you say, “I forgive,” you think that the person, you are saying it to, is a culprit, and when you think someone is a culprit, and then try to forgive him (or her), however you do it, a little bit of it still remains. It’s not complete. But, when you see the grand picture – the big picture – you will see that the culprit is also a victim – a victim of his (or her) own mind, ignorance, unawareness, or unconsciousness. Isn’t it? Don’t you think so? So compassion arises from within you, when you cannot forgive someone else.

There is a story about Buddha. A gentleman found out that all his sons, daughters, daughters-in-law – everybody in his family – were going to Buddha’s meditation sessions. He found out that they were all sitting and meditating, and this was something he didn’t like – something he couldn’t tolerate. His children wouldn’t listen to him, and so this well- respected businessman went to Buddha. There was an assembly of 10,000 people sitting in front of Buddha. The man went up to Buddha and spat on his face. Buddha never said a word. He just smiled back… There was such compassion radiating out from Buddha’s face, from his whole being, that this man just could not stand it… and he ran away from that place. He could not sleep the whole night. This was the first time that someone had not reacted to him. And something happened – the Divine took over him. The next morning, he was a transformed person, and he went and fell at Buddha’s feet, asking for forgiveness.