Spirit of Enquiry E-Book

Sri Sri Ravishankar

• Herausgeber: Aslan eReads
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Seitenzahl: 49

Beschreibung

H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar offers deep wisdom, a celebration of the Spirit of Enquiry on the spiritual path and the journey to the self. Spirit of Enquiry is a compilation of short talks given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on the search of Unseen and Unknown. Enquiry (Jigyasa) is the desire deep inside the mind to know the truth, to know reality. Author holds the hands and lead the jigyasu to the ocean of knowledge and truth. The truth which beholds the grace of god and pure enlightenment. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says if one wants to know god one has to know himself first. He says one who knows himself, who meditates, whose mind is free from tension, still, calm, hollow and empty can find the God in himself

Leseprobe

SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY

A compilaton 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: 978-93-85898-12-9

Layout by: Sri Sri Publications Trust

Contents

Title

PREFACE

SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY

KNOW YOURSELF. KNOW GOD.

TRUST AND THE SPIRITUAL PATH

IN SEARCH OF BLISS

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

The Founder

The Art of Living

The Art of Living Programs

International Centres

Landmarks

Cover

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 thought provoking collection of profound, yet simple to comprehend talks, given by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, over a period of time, celebrating the human spirit of enquiry.

SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY

You have always thought of God as a father, up in heaven somewhere! But, can you see God as a child?

When you see God as a father, you want to demand and take from Him, but when you see God as a child, you have no demands.

God is the very core of your existence. You are pregnant with God! You have to take care of your pregnancy and deliver this child into the world. God is your child, who clings to you like a baby until you grow old and die. This child clings to you, crying for nourishment… and sadhana (spiritual practice), satsang (collective singing) and seva (service) are the nourishment.

It is difficult to see God as formless… and it is difficult to see God as a form! The formless is too abstract and God, in a form, appears to be too limited. So some people prefer to be atheists.

However, atheism is not reality–it is just a matter of convenience! When you have a spirit of enquiry, or are in search of the truth, atheism falls apart. With a spirit of enquiry, you cannot deny something you have not disproved. An atheist denies God without first disproving God! In order to disprove God, you must have enormous knowledge… and when you have enormous knowledge, you cannot disprove God! For one to say that something does not exist, one should know about the whole universe! So you can never be an atheist a 100%. An atheist is only a believer, who is sleeping! In fact, an atheist is someone, who has a concept of God!

For a person to say, “I don’t believe in anything!”–it means he must believe in himself! So he believes in himself–about whom he does not know! An atheist can never be sincere because sincerity needs depth, and an atheist refuses to go to the depths because the deeper he goes, the more he finds a void–a field of all possibilities... and he then has to accept that there are many secrets, he does not know. He would need to acknowledge his ignorance, which he refuses to do, because the moment he is sincere, he starts seriously doubting his atheism. A doubt-free atheist is next to impossible! So you can never be a sincere and doubt- free atheist!

What does an atheist do, when he realizes his ignorance? Where does he go? Does he go to a Guru? What does a Guru do to him?

Atheism is when one does not believe in values, or in the abstract. So what happens, when an atheist comes to the Guru? What happens when you come to the Guru?

You start experiencing your own form, and you discover that you are indeed formless, hollow and empty… and this abstract “non-form” in you, becomes more and more concrete!

The Guru makes the abstract more real, and what you thought to be solid, appears to be more unreal. Sensitivity and subtlety dawn. The perception of love

—not as an emotion, but as the substratum of existence

—becomes evident. The formless spirit shines through every form in creation, and the mystery of life deepens, shattering atheism. Then, the journey begins… and it has four stages:

The first stage is “Saarupya”–seeing the formless in the form; i.e. seeing God in all forms.

Often, one feels more comfortable seeing God as being formless, rather than with a form, because with a form, one feels a distance, a duality, a fear of rejection and other limitations. In life, all our interactions are with the form, besides, when we are in deep sleep, or in samaadhi.

Also, if you do not see God in a form, then the “waking” part of life remains devoid of the Divine. All those, who accept God to be formless, use symbols… and they perhaps, love the symbols more than God Itself! If God comes and tells a Christian to leave the cross, or a Muslim to drop the crescent, they may, perhaps, not do it!

To begin with, loving the formless is only possible through forms.

The second stage is “Saamipya”–closeness; i.e. feeling absolutely close to the form, you have chosen, and reaching out to the formless.