Celebrating Love

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About the Book

To millions, he is a spiritual guide, a Guru, a source of unconditional love. For many, he is a dear friend of unusual depth and innocence. For the seeker, he is a treasure. For the suffering, he is a beacon of hope. His words give people solace and comfort. He is the inspiration behind numerous service organizations the world over. He is known to the world as His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

A glimpse of his precious wisdom is in this compilation of his weekly intimate notes - Celebrating Love - and the earlier volume - Celebrating Silence.

In this book, you will find guidance on dealing with violence, fear and anger, and education on how to transform these negative emotions into healthy relationships and spirituality. His perspective on dispassion, service, spirituality and God are unique and powerful. In essence these words set you free!

These short discourses trigger insights and open our minds to beauty and life's mysteries. As concise as a koan but clear and straightforward, Sri Sri addresses the problems, confusions and complexitie that confront us, and rekindles the human values within each of us.

Introduction

In 1995 His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar began a weekly tradition of creating a short talk for people seeking inspiration, wisdom or solutions to their challenges. Each week this knowledge flowed to every continent, and each year these talks were compiled into a volume called "An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker." In 2001 "Celebrating Silence" organized most of the first five years of weekly knowledge into one book. On September 5, 2002, Sri Sri distributed his last weekly knowledge ending a series of 365 notes of wisdom. This companion edition to "Celebrating Silence" collects the last two years of talks, including some notes that had been left out of "Celebrating Silence."

Those who were fortunate to be with Sri Sri when a weekly knowledge was created found the wisdom enlightening and the discussions sparkling with joy and insight. He once said, "In the presence of your satguru, knowledge flourishes, sorrow diminishes, and without any reason, joy wells up and all talents manifest." Today these notes continue to cause the same experiences, and when someone seeking wisdom or advice randomly opens a volume they often find exactly what they require - as if the paradigm of time and separateness was replaced by a timeless continuum of caring and intelligent consciousness.

The journey for these weekly essays began in Big Sur, California and ended in New Delhi, India - a giant seven-year circle drew to a close. The voyage included many passages around the world, during which the hearts and minds of millions were blessed with the wisdom of this extraordinary man.

For Anne and I, this also brings to closure the 7 years we facilitated the weekly knowledge. We continue to miss them, but the process of re-reading and studying these compact gems reminds us again and again how much this knowledge can guide us through tough times and through growth times - it just takes sincerity and an open mind.

Like "Celebrating Silence," this collection is thematic rather than chronological. The first chapter helps us understand the more concrete issues that we deal with, such as worry, anger and violence - those things we want to change, as well as those things we want to culture such as love and dispassion. The second chapter, building on the first, teaches us what it means to be on a spiritual path, discussing service, surrender, human values and having a spiritual guide. The third chapter is the culmination, with wisdom for understanding God, our relationship to Him, and to our inner Self - that which we sincerely seek, often without knowing, leading us to celebrate in love.

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