You are what you are, only between two storms and hence, the frequency of the storms in life determines your level of settlement.
When the storms rise, the breath becomes heavier, the body becomes unbearable and you are not at all aware of your mind.
You are thrown off balance.
How to free yourself from the grip of storms?
This is the only basic problem in this universe.
The first thing is to become aware of it and stop regretting. Like waves come and go, storms in your life too will subside. No storm can remain forever.
One storm comes and subsides, another comes and subsides and it goes on. As the storm subsides, you experience that inner cool, soft, delicate aspect of yourself.
In that space of calm, all the anxiety, fear, feverishness lose their grip on you and you become yourself again. Love dawns.
When you stop resisting the storms of life and start accepting them with open arms, they will subside on their own.
Spiritual values
That is the purpose of all spiritual practices or ‘Sadhana’ and meditation.
When you realise that somebody really cares for you, you feel at rest and all fears and insecurities drop off.
You keep running away from small things – your feelings, sensations, desires and this leads to more feverishness.
Realise that like the ocean cannot be there without the waves, storms are inevitable in your life.
Every storm touches you somewhere and makes you grow stronger. A storm pulls you out of your likes and dislikes and purifies you.
Therefore, accept all that comes with both arms open. This is crucifixion.
If you say you cannot take them, you are resisting and that leads to more storms in your life.
You are much bigger than all the waves and commotions.
They all rise within you and they can in no way destroy you.
So, let them be. Even when the storms come, you are still the same ocean, as deep as ever.
Dawn of knowledge
This realisation is the culmination of knowledge.
When this knowledge dawns, you rise above events; you grow out of them. Everybody in the world goes through crisis, insecurities and confusions.
It is like drowning in the ocean of life. But the person with the life jacket can survive even in the worst turmoil. So, keep your life jacket of knowledge handy.
Being immortal means looking at your infinite nature.
That is why the saying, ‘Die before your death,’ just observe yourself in a bigger perspective.
In the ocean of your life, many waves are rising and dissolving.
All the waves that you see are your own forms.
It is like watching wrestling on television and imagining that both wrestlers are you. In life, you act in many forms, sometimes completely opposite.
Every name and form that is given in this ocean is part of the consciousness.
Do not be in a hurry to get rid of the storms, be with them.
Looking for perfection creates imperfection inside you.
Sri Ravi Shankar is the Founder of the Art of Living (AOL) Foundation with its headquarters in Bangalore, India. The above article, which appeared in The Times of India, was sent to us by Rozeena Parikh, a senior member of the Foundation based in Auckland.
