Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar┃Posted: April 12, 2018
Life’s uncertain at times. We experience unexpected and unpredictable crises. Most of us would like to be confident and place our faith in some higher power, especially when we’re facing so much uncertainty. On the contrary, when a sense of helplessness sets in we feel the opposite of what we want: low confidence, anxiety, and worried thoughts. We want control, but we lack it.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of Art of Living, often talks on topics of interest, such as faith, surrender, confidence, acceptance, etc., in response to questions from seekers. Here is a compilation of brief excerpts from his various talks on faith, which you may find very useful in times of crisis and uncertainty.
Faith is a gift
Once he was asked, “How can we live life with absolute confidence that God or Guru is there to take care of me when I have surrendered?”
His explanation is an eye opener! It follows here:
There’s no way you can do it! You simply have to bear the cross. Whatever happens, happens - just say that and then see what happens. If you're trying to bring in confidence, it doesn't work at all. You might say that I want to keep my faith. What faith do you want to keep? Throw your faith! Trying to keep your faith is such a burden, I tell you. Instead, say, ‘I don't care!’
If there’s faith, it’s there. If there’s no faith, it isn’t there. What can you do? It’s as simple as that. Even faith is a gift. You can’t try to force faith on your head or heart. Sometimes, even when your head, with all its chattering and negativity, discards faith, still, something in you stirs and pulls you in that direction. Just recognize when this happens. And it does happen.
Whether you accept it or not, watch it or not, life is an act of letting go. It started the moment you were born. You let go of the womb and came into this world. As soon as you came here, you started breathing in and breathing out and you are taking food in and letting it out. It is a constant exchange. You cannot hold on to anything here, including your faith.
The world is a soap bubble: three types of faith
People have faith in the world - but the whole world is just a soap bubble. People have faith in themselves - but they don't know who they are. People think that they have faith in God - but they have no idea of God. If you want to doubt, you have to doubt everything.
You need three types of faith: faith in yourself, faith in the world, and faith in God.
You need to have faith in yourself -- without faith, you think, “I can't do this. This is not for me. I will never be liberated in this life.”
You must have faith in the world. Without this, you can’t move an inch in the world. Banks give you loans having faith that you will pay it back. You deposit money in the bank having faith that it will be returned. If you doubt everything in the world, nothing will happen.
The same is the case with faith in the Divine - have faith in the Divine and you will evolve. All these faiths are connected. You must have all three for each to be strong.
Faith and reason: complementary opposites
Not having faith itself is misery; faith gives instant comfort. While reasoning keeps you sane and grounded, no miracle can happen without faith. Faith takes you beyond limitations. In faith you can transcend the laws of nature, but it needs to be pure.
Faith is beyond reason, yet you need to accept and have faith in your own reasoning! Faith and reason cannot exist without each other. Every reason is based on some faith. Whenever reason or faith breaks, confusion and chaos prevail, which is often a step for growth.
There are two types of faith. Faith out of fear, greed and insecurity; and faith born out of love like the faith between the mother and the child, the Master and disciple. Whereas the faith out of love cannot be broken, faith out of fear and greed is shaky.
Faith can’t be imposed; instead, accept that faith is there
You decided that you don't have faith, and you tried hard to destroy your faith, or deny that you have any faith, and still, there’s something that came along, that didn't allow you to let go. There you must recognize, ‘Yes, faith is there.’
So, faith cannot be imposed, but it’s there. Once it comes, it stays. If it goes, it makes you miserable. When you become miserable, know that, ‘Faith is gone, that is why I am miserable.’ You don't want to be miserable. So the moment you resolve that ‘I don’t want to be miserable,’ then faith continues to stay with you.
Faith was there anyway. It just re-surfaces again and again. Your effort, trying hard to keep faith, makes everything so difficult.
Faith can’t be shaken, no matter what you feel
That is good if you feel like you are losing faith in me. Faith can’t come to an end, this is the first thing.
You’re trying to run away from something in your life, and you’re using God or your Guru as a pretext or reason for doing so. Faith that’s built in such a way surely will appear shaken at some point of time.
Every time your faith feels shaky, your devotion will be renewed from within once again. Truth never fails or gets shaken. True faith remains unshaken regardless of everything that happens. That which shakes is just some small belief at a very superficial level. It is your own expectations and desires which shake you, not your faith.
Who benefits from having faith: God or you?
Sometimes, people feel that they’re keeping their faith just because of God or Guru. If you think by having faith in God you’re doing a favor to God, you are mistaken. Your having faith in the Guru or God doesn’t do anything to Guru or God.
Remember that if you don't have faith in God, he doesn't mind. He says, ‘Okay, don't have faith, so what? I’m here! If you think I'm not here, you are free to think whatever you want. But I’m here, regardless!’ Your unbelief doesn’t change God’s reality.
Many people say, ‘Oh, I believe so much in God.’ So what if you believe so much? Whatever has to happen will happen.
Faith is your wealth
Our faith is so shallow. We keep faith for our own comfort, for little things to happen. Our faith, mainly, is to fulfil our own ambitions. If our ambitions are fulfilled, we say, ‘Oh, I have faith.’ If not, we say, ‘My faith is shaken, I do not have faith.’ I tell you, life is much more than ambitions. And faith is even more than life.
Faith is a wealth. Faith gives you strength instantaneously. Faith brings you stability, centeredness, calmness and love. Your having faith gives you immediate strength. Faith is a great wealth; it’s a blessing.
Faith remains and surfaces when sattva, purity or harmony, happens in you. All you can do is keep the harmony, and clear your mind through proper exercise, food and knowledge. All this will help you grow in that direction.
Based on talks by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
