In the summer of 1995, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar began a weekly tradition of creating a short talk, often on a subject relevant to current events. Each week, this knowledge flowed by electronic mail, by fax, and by post, all around the world, and each year, these talks were compiled into volumes. Celebrating Silence is a collection of excerpts from these talks, from the first five years.
The wisdom in this book will change the way you look at your problems and life situations. Once you read through the wisdom on these pages, you are likely to close the book with a more fulfilled heart and a peaceful mind. Here are some of the best quotes with supporting excerpts from the book.
1. “Joy is never tomorrow!”
All desires are for happiness. That is the goal of desire. But how often does your desire lead you to the goal? Have you thought about the nature of desire? It simply means tomorrow and not now. But joy is never tomorrow; it is always now.
2. “To be truthful, you do not need to be aggressive or assertive.”
Often aggression and assertiveness thrive on the idea of truthfulness. Aggressive people are convinced of the rightness of their position. Yet, intuition is close to the truth. Aggression and assertiveness overshadow intuition.
3. “If you are stuck with only rational acts, life becomes a burden.”
We step out of the rational mind when we do something that has no purpose. Accepting that, as an act, makes it a game. Life becomes lighter. Performing an act without any purpose attached to it is freedom, like a dance. So just step out of the rational mind. You will find greater freedom, an unfathomable depth, and you will come face to face with reality.
4. “As a flower withers away with time, so does a flaw.”
There can be a flaw in any action, person, or situation. Treat a flaw as you would treat a flower. Know it will wither away with time.
5. “Those who try to correct mistakes get caught up in more mistakes.”
When you acknowledge a mistake, you try to justify it without taking responsibility for it. And sometimes you accept that you made a mistake but you feel guilty about it. Mistakes are dropped when you are troubled by your conscience - Viveka - or when you experience grief. Those who try to correct mistakes get caught up in more mistakes, but those who recognize them are freed.
6. “Attachments take away mental peace.”
Attachments cause feverish breath which takes away your peace of mind. Without peace of mind, you come apart and fall prey to misery. Without fighting attachments, observe your feverish breath and go to the cool place of silence within.
7. “If you cannot eliminate vices, magnify them.”
Worry, pride, anger, lust, grief -give them a bigger dimension and a different direction. What is the point of getting angry about small events? Be angry about the infinite, about Brahman. If you cannot get rid of pride, take pride in owning the Divine. If you are bothered by greed, be greedy for Satsang. If cravings gnaw at you, crave the truth. Be averse to aversions. Get intoxicated with the Divine.
8. “When the body is stimulated, pleasures arise. When your soul is stimulated, love arises.”
Love has no end, but pleasure ends. Often people think pleasure is love. The stimulus of the soul energizes and the stimulus of the body brings fatigue. The distinction between pleasure and love has to be understood, but only the luckiest will understand this.
9. “You can be at ease with the uncertainty of the world when you realize the certainty of consciousness.”
The world is of change; the Self is of non-change. People get upset when they see the world is uncertain. You can be at ease with the uncertainty of the world when you realize the certainty of consciousness.
10. “Keep the money in the bank, and not in your mind.”
Keep the house where it belongs, not in the mind. Keep the money in the bank or in the pocket, not in the mind. Keep friends and family where they belong, not in the mind.
11. “Truth is beyond the rational mind.”
Everything you see is through the rational mind. But intuition, discovery, and new knowledge go beyond the rational mind. The rational mind is like a railroad track that is fixed in grooves. An airplane has no tracks; it can fly anywhere. A balloon can float anywhere.
12. “For too long, you have been following like a sheep; now it is time to be a lion.”
Do not follow me (Gurudev). In fact, you cannot follow me, because I am behind you. I am behind you to push you forward. You have to leave everything behind and move ahead. Everything - all your experiences - everything is part of the past. Drop everything. Move on and be free.
13. “Silence is the goal of all answers.”
If an answer does not silence the mind, it is not an answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q) Has Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar written ‘Celebrating Silence?
A) No, Gurudev has spoken on various topics included in the book. The book is a verbatim record of those discourses that he mentions in the above article.
Q)Is it recommended for a certain age group?
A)No, it is for anyone who can read :)
Q)Who do you recommend it for?
A)It is recommended for anyone who wants inner peace and happiness. Anyone who is looking for answers to life’s mysteries and problems.
Q)Can it be read in one go? Is any particular way recommended to read it?
A)It is recommended to just open it randomly whenever you feel like it, or whenever you need a solution to a life problem; the page that opens up is your exclusive read for that moment. Reading it in one go won’t have much impact on you. Reading it sip-by-sip like tea will help you appreciate the knowledge in this book more fully.
These are only a glimpse into the wisdom present in Celebrating Silence. Find an answer to every life question, get your own copy of the book.
