Effortlessness

"Mehnat karke samajhna jo hain, buddhimani nahin hain. Kyon ki, mehnat karke jo samajhte ho, woh tumhaara anubhav nahin hain. Sahajta se jo samajh lete ho, woh tumhaara anubhav hain."

Translated as,

"To put effort to understand (something) is not intelligent. Because, that which you understand with effort is not your experience. What you understand simply and easily, that is your experience."

-- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Hrishikesh, India, March 2000

Over the years, I have heard many talks by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, fondly and respectfully addressed as Guruji by so many of us in the Art of Living Foundation. Each talk is a treasure trove of knowledge, ideas, wonderful realizations and valuable insights. Guruji is one who speaks about the complexities of the mind, the meaning of emotions, the depth of the Universe and the infinite potential of the Self in the most simple of words and expressions. As much as we complicate ideas and questions in our head, Guruji unravels these confused thoughts, making perfect sense of each question, and giving the most fitting answer.

Yet, sometimes, I end up turning his words over and over in my mind. For whatever reason, they don't resonate with me totally. And then it happens a few weeks later, maybe a few months later or a few years even. Something clicks and his words make perfect sense. I liken Guruji's words to seeds; each one lodges securely in the deep recesses of the mind, and when the time is right, sprouts into the most spectacular flower ever. That is, in my opinion, the perfect blossoming of knowledge, at the right time and occasion, when it makes the most sense and is the most relevant.

So, as Guruji mentions, absolutely zero effort is necessary. Everything unravels in its own time, at its own pace. All we need to do is let the process go on. Isn't this so wonderful?