Liberate Yourself from Memory - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Memory makes you miserable or wise. Memories of events and experiences of the changing finite world, bind you but memory of your nature liberates you. Memories of the ever changing relatives — however good or bad — hanging self elevates awareness. Memories of past events and worldly concerns constrict the vastness of the Self. It is all a matter of where and what you are. If you are ignorant, it is because of your memory. If you are enlightened, it is because of your memory.

Forgetfulness of the infinite is misery. Forgetfulness of the trivial is ecstasy. How do we let go of unpleasant memories and limitations?

Know the impermanent nature of the world and events. Know that past events do not exist in the present. Accept the past as it was. Be dispassionate and centered. Do service to the noble. Increase prana — the vital breath, the force of life. Be in the presence of Divine company. Go to the moon.

When you are miserable, know that you have gone away from the Self. This is called ashaucha — becoming unclean. In India when someone dies, the close relatives are said to be ashaucha for 10 days because they are very sad. They are impure because they have moved away from the Self. After 10 days of just being with that experience and reading the Bhagavad Gita, being with the knowledge and pulling themselves back into the Self, they become shaucha. They have purged the impurities that arose during those events. This happens again and again in life. You become ashaucha and then you must get back to shaucha. Shaucha’s benefits are clarity in the intellect, a pleasing mind, focused awareness, control over the senses and eligibility to realize the Self.

© `Deccan Chronicle’ dated March 6, 2002. Reprinted with permission.

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