Gurudev's New Year's Message from German Ashram:
That last hour of 2008. The time on this planet for us is a gift. Time is a gift to ourself. When we consider time as a gift our whole outlook towards life shifts. Like every year 2008 also has offered you many gifts. With it's thorns it has made you strong, with its petals it has given you joy.
Any event has the good and not so good. The not so good has made you strong and realize you can handle it. Good part gives you peace and tranquility. This last hour is good to reflect how you welcome 2008 when it came and how it swept you and swirled you and passed you on to 2009. 2008 has made many rich people poor. Those who never thought they could come down from their ivory towers had to smell mud. Many who have cheated got exposed. The flaws of capitalism laid bare before our eyes in 2008, like 20 years ago, in 1989 the bubble of communism burst.
2008 also saw terrorism, loss of life, sudan, iraq, India had the worst ever terror attacks.
People have asked me-- That they are feeling guilty to celebrate. Barely two months after economy fell, one month after terror attacks- how to celebrate?
Yes, you will fell guilty when your celebration is aimed at gratifying yourself. But if the intention is to uplift everyone in your area, just do it. don't delay it. We will never feel guilty if we do celebration to take people our of gloomy mood. This celebration becomes service and then there is no guilt. And when your service becomes celebration, there is no ego and pride in it.
Got this. When celebration becomes service, there is not guilt. And when service becomes celebration, there is no ego and pride in it.
Let us celebrate with this one intention that let's bring home the knowledge to everyone-- that life, events are impermanent. What is permanent is our spirit, our consciousness. It has no birth and death. Life at a higher plane is eternal and celebrate every moment knowing that every moment is a gift to us.
2009 we have a great responsibility to uplift from ashes of the disaster of 2008. Now hope, new creation has to made.
It is easy to get swept away in a negative mode. it takes courage to move out of it. i am sure all those who are here have this capacity, ... And all those who are listening also have the capacity.
At 11 pm, make 2 wishes:
1- Personal- What you want for yourself in 2009.
2- what you want for the world (i.e. peace in Sudan, peace in Iraq, stronger economy in the U.S.A... )
And if there is no diff bet these two wishes, then you are enlightened...!!!!
Last year there was a concern that there would not be enough food on this planet to feed everyone. This year i feel there will be plenty of food on the planet for everyone ( lot of yield will come through). Later this year economically Europe, U.S.A. will become strong. Don't have concern. It will become better and better .... second half of the year.
Jai Gurudev!!!
Happy 2009....
Watch your 'Thought,' they become words.
Watch your 'Words,' they become actions.
Watch your 'Actions,' they become habits.
Watch your 'Habits,' they become character.
Watch your 'Character,' for it becomes your destiny..
-- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
I GOT THIS MESSAGE FROM SOMEONE .. VERY SPECIAL.. :)
AND THOUGHT TO SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE.. :)
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!!
Knowledge for the day : December 28th, 2008.
In our general education we are taught many things. We learn to read and write, we learn something about science, mathematics, geography and history, art and music. But unfortunately, we are never hardly taught the most fundamental knowledge of the life; how to manage our own mind and emotions to develop and enjoy the fullest of what human life can offer. No other knowledge is more valuable in determining the quality of one's life.
Young children who have not accumulated a lot of stress they generally have a store house of energy and whenever we have chance to meet them we can feel extra strength and sense of living in them. But as we become adults then we lose our innocence because of the stress. The more stress we have, the more negative emotions such as fear and anger consciously and unconsciously, affect our lives.
With the innate wellspring of joy and love largely blocked from our experience, the mind is drawn toward distraction that provide a limited, temporary joy, and our attention focuses more on the past and future rather than the present moment. we never live the present moment.
Being present is not only being attentive to what is happening around us, but also being aware of how we are feeling inside. Feelings are often expressed without even feeling it. We often say, " I love you," and "it is a pleasure meeting you, without even feeling that for a moment.
We say something and our mind think about something else. :)
Cultural influences further condition us to focus outside of ourselves to find happiness, or love, or to place blame when we have feeling of anger, jealousy, or other negative emotions.
Often, people continually hope some state of happiness will come in future once some "thing" has been accomplished. The mind keeps thinking "I'll be happy when I finally have that." Young people think they will be happy when they have freedom from their parents. Single people will be happy when they find the right partner. Married people think they could be happy if only their partner would change a few things about themselves. Others think they will be happy when they have more money, more fame, a better job, a better house, when they retire, etc. Being happy is continually put of to future, but happiness can't be experienced in the future, only in the present.
But when the desire if fulfilled we may feel happy for a time, but then another desire comes and again we start looking to the future. No matter what success, fame, or relationship may achieve in the world, a lasting, profound fulfillment doest not come. Many simply accept that this is as good as it gets, while the purpose of their life remains unclear, directed toward shallow rewards, or is thought to be unachievable.
(continued.... )
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