life can be best experienced through sufficient pauses. Take your own time to understand the realities of this amazing journey, says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Often you are in a rush in life. And when you are in a rush, you are unable to perceive things properly. This takes away the charm, the thrill and the beauty from your life. You can never be close to the truth because your perception, observation and expression become distorted. The rush to enjoy robs the joy from life. It denies the freedom of celebrating the here and now. Often one does not even know why one is in a hurry. It almost becomes a biological phenomenon to be in a rush. Wake up and become aware of this. It is ridiculous to be in a rush that slows you down. Just be aware and it will take care of itself.
Slowing down does not mean lethargy or procrastination. It is easy to be in either extreme of being in a rush or being lethargic. Feverishness arises out of lack of a need to achieve; whereas dynamism is an expression of fulfillment.
The golden rule is to be awake, and being awake, you cannot help but be dynamic. Suppose you go to God, get a boon and walk away. When your intention is to get a boon, then you can’t be in a hurry. A person who knows he owns God is not in a hurry for anything. Infinite patience comes up in him. When you know you own God, you are not in a hurry to get something out of Him. Your hurry to get something throws you off balance and makes you small. When you have infinite patience, you will realise God belongs to you. Either through awareness or through practice, you reach the same conclusion.
Divinity belongs to you. When you know you are part of the divine plan, you stop demanding. Then you know everything is being done for you. You are taken care of. Usually we do it the other way: We hurry the mind and are slow in our action. Impatience means hurry in the mind; lethargy means slowness in action. Patience in the mind and dynamism in action is the right formula.
The very question — “What’s the purpose of lifeIJ” — is very precious. It means a lot to you. If this question has arisen in your mind, you can give a big pat to your back because this question can remove the cobwebs or confusion from your mind. It can guide you to the right track always. There is no single answer. It is a path on which we need to travel. “Who am I, what do I want, what is the purpose of my lifeIJ” It will move you forward in life. Many don’t even think about this question. They simply exist. They eat, sleep, watch television and then they die. You are on this planet for a very unique and big purpose, not just to eat, sleep and talk. Always remember that you are here for a greater cause and don’t lose your smile. This is something everyone has to find for himself/herself.
Many souls compete to get a body and only one can win. It’s like running a race. like millions of people compete and only one wins, in the same way there is a rush and only one gets a body. That’s why it is said that the human birth and life are very precious. Don’t waste it on insignificant things. We eat to live and not live to eat. Many people start living just to eat. There are many possibilities — what soul can come and what notIJ The possibilities are infinite. The ultimate truth of life is that we will leave everything behind. We may have kept all our valuables in a locker and keep the keys safely with us, but when we die, we will leave both the locker and keys behind. We do not take anything with us. When you travel in a bus, train or airplane, do you consider that as your homeIJ You may enjoy the services there for the duration of your journey, but what will happen if you consider that as your homeIJ When you reach your destination, you will be forced to get out. No matter how much you protest, you will be forced to leave. You cannot say that it was your train or plane. You may drive your car to a destination but once you reach the garage, you will have to leave the car.
But there is a place you can come where everything is beautiful. Tourists travel from place to place looking for beauty. With photos and souvenirs, they try to take the beauty back home with them. They only get tired and tanned. Yet, the most beautiful spot anywhere is right here. When you come here, you find that everything is so beautiful. Where is this placeIJ
Don’t look here and there; look within you. When you are here, then any place becomes beautiful. Then wherever you go, you add beauty there. If you are unhappy, even the moon irritates you, sweet things nauseate, music disturbs. When you are calm and centred inside, noise is musical, clouds are magical, rain is liquid love. Book yourself on a trip to this most beautiful place in the universe. Then you’ll find that every day is a vacation and a celebration.
Courtesy: www.artofliving.com