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BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has inspired a global phenomenon of
compassion and service. A spiritual leader and humanitarian, his
programs have impacted more than 25 million people worldwide. He is the
founder of the Art of Living Foundation, a multi-faceted organization
that offers a wide array of educational and humanitarian programs that
uplift individuals, make a difference in local communities, and foster
global change.
Deepening the mystery of creation is science. Deepening the mystery of the Self is spirituality.
The purpose of technology is to comfort human beings. When spiritual values --human values-- are ignored and neglected, technology brings fear and destruction instead of comfort.
Technology without human values would see nature as a dead object. Science gives insight into the life of nature, and spirituality makes nature come alive. For example, in the eyes of children, there is nothing dead in the world; animals, trees, the sun and the moon all are alive, and have emotions and feelings. But in the eyes of a stressed and ignorant person, even human beings are like robots or objects!
Technology without spirituality is destructive. Spirituality is the technology of consciousness, and the whole world is the play and display of consciousness.
One whose eyes are not yet opened is not amazed by the magnificence of this creation. Tell me, what in this creation is not a mystery? Birth is a mystery. Death is a mystery. Life itself is certainly a greater mystery.
Samadhi is being completely immersed in the mystery of life and in this creation. Your knowing or believing in it doesn't really matter.
This creation is an unfathomable secret! A wise person makes no effort to conceal a secret. But he does not make an effort to reveal a secret either. For example, you do not talk about menstruation or death to a five-year-old. But as children grow older, these things are not hidden from them. They become known as a matter of course.
There are five secrets that are sacred and guarded by the subtle beings and angels in this creation.
They are:
Janama Rahasya or the secret of birth: Birth is a secret. How a soul takes a body, and the criteria for selecting the place and time of birth, type of body, and parents are all a secret.
Marana Rahasya or the secret of death: Death is a highly guarded secret. Death remains a mystery. The process of separation of spirit from matter and its journey from then on is a secret.
Raja Rahasya or the secret of governance: The principles of governing and the principles of maintaining orderliness in creation are a secret.
Prakriti Rahasya or the secret of nature: Nature is a mystery. The more you know about nature, the more the mystery deepens. The more a scientist knows, the more he realizes there is to know. Science, though appearing to resolve the mystery in creation, has deepened it. Knowledge of particles, wave functions, black holes and the vacuum state have only deepened the mystery.
Mantra Rahasya (the secret of mantras): Mantras are the impulses or rhythms of consciousness. The mantras and their effect, influence, method and mode of working are all a mystery.
In the West, a secret is usually shameful and dishonest. However, in the East, a secret is honored and considered sacred. Mysteries of the creation only deepen. Getting steeped in mystery is devotion.
Deepening the mystery of creation is science. Deepening the mystery of the Self is spirituality. They are the two sides of the same coin. If neither science nor spirituality can create wonder and devotion in you, then you are in deep slumber.
Whenever you consider a symbol, place, time, person or act as sacred, your attention is undivided and whole. When things are the same, you tend to slip into unawareness and inertia. Why does an act that is performed repeatedly lose its sacredness? This happens when your memory overpowers your consciousness and you lose your sensitivity. For example, people living in Benaras, a holy city in India, do not feel that it is a sacred place. Through living in the present moment and through sadhana, spiritual practices, we can preserve that feeling of sacredness in our acts.
There is a pleasure in rest and there is a pleasure in activity. The pleasure in activity is momentary and causes fatigue. The pleasure in rest is magnanimous and energizing. To the one who has tasted pleasure in rest (samadhi), the pleasure in activity is insignificant. But In order to have deep rest, one must be active. The proper balance of both is essential.
To learn more about the teachings of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar and Art of Living courses in Atlanta, please visit
www.artofliving.org/atlanta or contact us at 877-AOLIVING or atlanta@us.artofliving.org.
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