The seed of ‘Not Ok’: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Wisdom by Spiritualleader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

“Most people are hanging onto the ‘not ok’ and are unable to relax, to enjoy life, to chill, to be creative. They are holding onto the seed of ‘not ok’”. - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

When you say, ‘It’s not ok, it’s not ok’, the seed of ‘not ok’ is not letting your mind relax. When do you go to bed? When everything is ok, and when there is comfort. When you are hanging on to the discomfort, how can you ever be comfortable? You have to accept things as they are. ‘It’s not ok, it’s not ok’ keeps you all outside. Those imperfections are there for a cause or purpose. It is going to be ok, it will take some time. Things are ok the way they are now. They will be ok in the future. Whatever happened in the past was ok. When you understand this, you relax and in that relaxation you can meditate. 

When you want to retire, it’s nivriti but when you want to come out (of rest) its pravritti. Then you can act. When you are tired but you are hanging on to what is not ok - then you cannot retire. When you have to chill out, what do you say? ‘Everything is perfect,’ otherwise you can’t chill, you can’t act! It is neither pravritti, nor nivriti. Dhyan yoga is nivriti, Karma yoga is pravritti.

Most people are hanging onto the ‘not ok’ and are unable to relax, to enjoy life, to chill, to be creative. They are holding onto the seed of ‘not ok’. That person, this situation, the government, the administration - everything is not ok. Then it comes to you - I am not ok. Subtly, it reflects on you that you are NOT OK. Then you don't like that feeling, and to cover that up, you make up many justifications and the mind is all confused. 

If tamogun is too much, you don't know the pravritti or the nivriti. When there is Satva, then we know what to act, when to act, whether to act or not. When Rajogun prevails then its half way through - you regret and act. Many of us act and then we regret. Mother scolds her child, regrets and then becomes nice. In Satva, you don't regret, you retire and relax, there is clarity. In Rajogun, there is confusion and chaos. In Tamogun, there is total inertia and lethargy. There is no strict border between the three gunas. It is very fluid, one flows into another.

Three Types of Space: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Wisdom by Spiritual leader and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

  

“Meditation is recognizing these three spaces." - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Humanitarian Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says:
When children are playing the space is beautiful. When you are singing and everyone is singing the same tune, that space generated is harmonious and serene, especially the ancient songs, the old songs.

The Sanskrit chants have an added influence because these have been in the Akashic record for the last 20,000 to 50,000 years. Maybe more, you don’t even know since when it was there. So those vibrations make it very benevolent and have a strong influence on the system.

Anything that is Divine is always universal. Are you getting what I am saying? Yes! Culture is different, religion is different, ways of dressing is different, music is different, different places, but the space is the same. The inner space is the same. And it is amazing that this science was known thousands of years ago. Good, good, good!

So many of you have just come today and you must be just relaxing. How many of you feel that as soon as you entered the ashram already you feel lighter? A different experience, a different space; you could feel that right! It’s obvious; even in Bangalore ashram, because there is meditation happening there everyday people say, ‘I just come in and wow, I already feel lighter. My mind is clearer’. It’s interesting how the universe functions, very good!

Three Types of Space: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Wisdom by Spiritual leader and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

“Meditation is recognizing these three spaces." - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Guruji says:
Today I want to tell you about three type of space.

One is the external space, in which all the four elements are there. The second type of space is the inner space where thoughts and emotions come from. When you close your eyes – that is inner space.

And then there is the third space. That is the space of energy where there is no thought, no emotion but you just feel energy. In deep meditation you experience that, isn’t it? Or after kriya you experience that space. There are no thoughts, nothing but space.

One is called the Bhut Akash, the outer space, second is Chit Akash the space from where thoughts and emotions come, and third, Chid Akash, i.e., space of consciousness. Consciousness itself is another space deep within us. So we seldom understand; pay attention, to these three different spaces.

Whenever you are frustrated what do you say? ‘Give me some space. I want to be by myself.’ It is very important. All inventions come from these three types of space. In the Chid Akash, in the consciousness it is already there. All knowledge comes to Chit Akash from the Chidakash through thoughts and emotions. Songs come as emotions, science comes as thoughts and ideas and then they manifest.

Meditation is recognizing these three spaces.