Satsangs via posts !
(Missed satsangs are being posted now ... keep watching )
These are from the AMC at the B'lore ashram. The last night we had satsang out
in the open with a full moon. Guruji led a calm, soothing full moon meditation
that had a relaxing effect on all living beings in the vicinity. I saw a dog
who was running around before the satsang, peacefully asleep at the end of the
satsang :-)
Usual memory and translations disclaimers apply.
Q: When does a child have the first thought?
A: A child first has feelings. In the first week or within the first month the
child has feelings. And it starts to recognize things in the first six months
but cannot put a name to them. Also a child has memories of past lives upto the
first three years. Sometimes the child will also say something and the parents
will just disregard it but if they listen carefully the child may say things
about the memories of the past lives. But only upto three, four years old.
Q: What is the origin of thought?
A: What is the origin of this question? (laughter) Just sit for a while and ask
yourself that - then you'll see that this thought also comes from that quiet
space.
Q: What is the connection between suicide and rebirth? What happens to the
people who commit suicide?
A: Their souls wander for a while and then they are re-born.
Q: That's it?
A: (Laughs) That's it? Suicide is like when you're feeling very cold and you
take your jacket off. How are you going to feel then? It does not make sense.
Q: I've been fighting all my life - with my mother, with situations etc. How do
I get out?
A: First of all ask yourself have you been fighting 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year? Hmm? Is that possible? You know we tend to generalize
and eternalize our problems. And so the problems continue. We say everyone in
Bangalore is sick. How can that be! Just we happen to know 5 or 10 people are
sick and we think everyone in Bangalore is sick.
Remember you the center of your consciousness - you can change things. Just put
this thought in your head when you wake up in the morning that today my mother
is going to be happy. Maybe the first day it won't work, the second day it
won't work but the third day you will see your mother is happy.
Q: My boss told me that if all the CEOs and MDs had done the Art of Living
course - they would only be doing positive thinking and they would not have
been able to make much progress.
A: Just ask your boss - that if lot of stress and negative emotions causes
creativity and progress - why do you not see it in Afghanistan and Lebanon -
where the situation has been so stressful for so long. Do you see any great
creativity coming out of these places? Just ask him that.
This is a wrong notion that creativity comes out of stress and negativity.
Q: (Something about dowry and violence related to dowry)
A: The people who commit violence for dowry are doing wrong but it will not
help just to condemn such people or just punish them severely. They have to be
cured - some understanding of the problem has to be there.
That's why in the olden days each village/town had a purohit. He kept an eye on
the people in the town and if he saw some tendencies - he would take action to
correct it at an early stage not let it get to the violence. Puro-Hit - Pur
means city - 'hit' means welfare - the one who cares about the welfare of the
city. That tradition needs to be revived where there is someone wise in the
town, who is immersed in knowledge and meditation and can attend to these
matters.
Q: What is the connection between karma and free will?
A: They are mixed like fat in milk. If you remove the cream from milk - there
is still some fat in the milk, so there is still some karma in the free will.
If you make milk into curds also there is still some fat in it - only when you
churn it and make buttermilk then the fat is taken out - so if you take all
karma out - if you are free from karma then there is free will - then the
actions can be without karma - that is an enlightened soul.
Q: Something about doing service when you don't feel like it.
A: Yes, you should still do it. Don't think that I am not being true to myself
- I don't really feel like doing this seva but I am doing it. It's okay.
Sometimes you will not feel like it but still do the seva.
Q: How to develop the ability to work hard?
A: Don't work hard, work smart!
Q: How to work smart?
A: (Laughs) Smart does not mean tigdambaazi (being cunning) Don't get mistaken
about that. I'm not saying be cunning. But it is not great achievement to work
very hard for a small task. If someone says they have worked very hard then I
ask - why you don't have intelligence? (laughs) when you are completely
relaxed, the action that springs from that is intelligent action - when you can
do little but achieve a lot that is smart work..
(Thanks to Sushil Ji..)
JaGuDe!
Posted in: on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at at 2:56 PM
