The holidays are upon us. It is one of the most wonderful times of the year, as stillness dawns and amidst the silence of the nature, we join our families and loved ones in celebration, love and joy. As we bid 2017 a pleasant, peaceful and joyous goodbye, here we give you the perfect wisdom notes from one of most revered spiritual masters and a global voice for peace and harmony, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of the International Association For Human Values, to carry into our hearts and minds as we bring in the holidays with more awareness and gratitude.
“Two aspects of celebration
Every excuse to celebrate is good. There are two aspects of celebration. One is celebration as thanksgiving, as an expression of gratitude for the Divine. The second celebration is to move forward by dropping the past, knowing that life is eternal.
The nature of spirit is celebration!
Life is like the Christmas tree – evergreen. No storm or snow can weather away its leaves. Similarly, our spirit is eternal and though time and again some adversities may try to cloud the spirit, the spirit moves forward through personal or social grief and emerges powerful. The nature of spirit is celebration! So celebration is the best medicine to help you move out of the gloom after a crisis. In celebration, you are not just having a party – when sacredness is attached to it, that celebration becomes complete. The body, mind and the spirit rejoice in unison!
Celebration is an Attitude!
A visit to the slums and poor areas make you realize that one can celebrate even while going through hardships. Just look at those people — they still celebrate! To celebrate life therefore, you don’t have to spend lot of money. Celebration comes from enthusiasm and joy; celebration is an attitude and that does not need resources. When situaions are tough, when life seems depressing — that is when celebration is needed even more.
Reconcile with the past and move on to the future with enthusiasm. Don’t feel stingy when celebrating; instead share what you have with others!
Celebrate to uplift hearts and minds!
Guilt in celebration creeps in when that celebration is for your own pleasure. If celebration is aimed at uplifting and uniting hearts and minds of people around you; if it is to help them to let go the traumatic past and kindle a light of hope for the future; if your celebration is aimed at uplifting society, then guilt will come nowhere near you! That type of a celebration is service, and it is sacred. Turn your celebration into a sacred offering for society rather than a self-centred, pleasure-seeking one.
When celebration has a tinge of sacredness and prayer, it gains depth and dignity. It is not just entertainment for the mind or excitement for body, but nourishment for the soul!
Life moves in the direction of the best!
Remember that Life will always be better — it moves in the direction of the best! Wherever there is something better, life moves there. On the way you may find some rough roads, but it is always towards the better! All difficulties you have faced in life have given you depth. Difficulties give you depth and joy gives you width. The wise will see the past as destiny, the future as free will and be happy in the present. The unwise regret their past and think the future is destined and become miserable in the present.
Welcome each day with a genuine smile from within. That smile comes when you know for sure that the Divine loves you. Celebrate Life!”
About The Author
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is an international humanitarian leader and a spiritual master who is the global rallying voice of this generation’s collective call for peace.
Named one of the “Seven Most Powerful People in India,” by Forbes, his world-renowned meditation techniques helped end the 60-year conflict in Colombia. He has been credited with bringing opposing parties together to facilitate meditation and peace talks in Iraq, Cote d’Ivoire and India.
Founder of the Art of Living Foundation and International Association for Human Values, Sri Sri is leading the way toward peace and tolerance through meditation and humanitarian efforts. Over 35 years, his programs and initiatives have touched the lives of over 370 million people in over 150 countries.
“Sudarshan Kriya,” the meditation technique introduced by Sri Sri is backed by research and implemented in schools, corporations, prisons, refugee camps and retreat centers around the world. As a spiritual teacher, Sri Sri has rekindled traditions of yoga and meditation that have helped millions of people achieve personal and social transformation by relieving stress and discovering inner peace in daily life.
