Art of Living Newsletter &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; April 22^nd,2009

3D"http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101093164665/natu=

Series on Yoga- The Science of Being: 3Dcloudedmin=

How to be in Yoga (i.e. in the State of no Mind)?

why & how to be in a stat= e of no mind....

Basic thing to understand here is : when the activity of thinki= ng is not there, you are there. Thoughts are like the clouds, when they disappear, your being, like sky is uncover= ed. You are always there, only covered by the thoughts, by the mind. Thus t= he mind always masks our true self.

Then how to stop the thoughts and be in the state of no mind. I= t is not easy because even when we are doing nothing, the mind is busy doi= ng something. Mind never stops. It is mostly reminiscing the past or dreaming of the future.

Patanjali says; "just look." Let mind go, let it do whatever it wants to do, let it go wherever it wants to go. You just watch, just be a witness. Do not go along, do not be concerned, just let it flow. It is flowing because of the past momentum ,because you have always helped it to flow. The activity has taken on its own momentum, so it is flowing. You j= ust do not cooperate any more, do not give any more energy to it. The mind will flow for a while and then the momentum will be lost, the energy has flowed out, it will stop. When the mind has stopped, the cloud of thoughts have disperse= d, you show up as the witness, the seer. In this state you are = not the doer and you are not the thinker. You are simply a pure being.

When you are not in the state of being a witness ( being in Yoga), you are in different states of identification with the mind. These identifications constitute the world. So when you are in the identifications, you are in the world, in the misery. If you have transcended the identifications, you are liberated. You are enlightened, you are a siddha, you are in nirvana. You have transcended this world of misery and entered the world of bliss.

This world is available here and right now. We need not wait a single moment. Just become the witness of the mind, you have become yogi. You have achieved the state of no m= ind.

A simple process:
Witnessing =3D Observing + Non-Attachment

3DSenses Series On Knowle= dge & Inspiration

Five Senses and The Mind

"Fights can only happen among equals. When you fight with someone you make that person your equal. But in reality there is no one at par with you. When you keep people either above you or below you, there is no fight. When people = are above you , you respect them. When they are below you, you love them = and feel compassionate. Either submission or compassion can quickly stop a fight. This is something to consider when you are tired of fighting. = But when you are well rested, you fight and have fun.

When the mind is caug= ht up in the senses or thinks it is equals to the senses, there is const= ant conflict. But when the mind is smaller than the senses, as in animals, there is no conflict. And when the mind realizes that is bigger than = the senses, again there is no conflict. When the mind transcends the sens= es, it comes back to its true nature, which is innocence ---'In no sense'= .

Does this make sense?"

&nb= sp; ---Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Bangalore Ashram, India on April 18,200= 0

One day a disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest. He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a = calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"The teacher looked at t= he disciple, smiled and said:
I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves = from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elepha= nt waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more and continued to do his job. This was repeated several times. The elephant suddenly stopped his work and as= ked the fly:"Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?" The fly answered: "I am attracted= to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in a= ll directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"The elephant stopped eating and said:
"My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eat= ing. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and contro= l my attention, and not the other way around."

Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He look= ed at his teacher and said: "I understand that if my five senses ar= e in control of my mind & attention, then my mind is in constant unres= t. If I am in charge of my five senses & attention, then my mind bec= omes calm"."Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, " The mind is restless and goes wherever the senses take it. Control yo= ur senses and you will be able to control your mind".

So my dear ones,

<= span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:= Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;color:#003300;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'= >· Be aware not only of the obje= ct you are experiencing, but more importantly, the senses with which you= are experiencing.

<= span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:= Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;color:#003300;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'= >· Mindfulness of the five senses is the preparation for deep meditation. =

<= span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:= Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'><= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· Like the bees following the q= ueen bee, so too should the senses follow the mind.