LAUGHTER🔗

Expression of enlightenment

Observe children all over the world. You will never find a single ugly child, no matter which country you look in. But have you ever seen a single man who is beautiful? The reason is, man has lost his spontaneity to laugh. When a child laughs, his whole body vibrates, flooding it with energy. That is why they are so alive and vibrant with energy. We grown ups are actually jealous of children. Never think you are helping your children when you try to control and discipline them. You have a subtle jealousy, which is why you try to control them - their spontaneous behavior and every action of theirs. Why do you think you shout at them? Because of this subtle jealousy. You are unable to manage the energy bubbling within them. Once they have become dull and dead buffaloes, we sit back satisfied that they have shaped up and are well behaved. We feel comfortable when they have become dull. The instinctive joy they express is too much for us to handle.

When there is laughter within our homes, we can try to control it, but when there is shared laughter outside, we cannot control it. Such laughter in groups is infectious, and draws us to respond likewise. This is why Laughter Clubs are places for group therapy and healing. According to me, Laughter Clubs are more religious than any church, temple, mosque or synagogue, because they create more life, more energy, more positivity in the world. In our ashram, we have a Laughing Temple where I conduct regular discourses. People question me about this place, and my reply is that it is a place where people are to make an offering of their laughter!

Laughter is one of the greatest religious aspects. A sense of humor is one of the greatest expressions of enlightenment. According to me, there is no enlightened Master who does not express a sense of humor. Some express love, some compassion, some silence, some great intelligence, there are others who express themselves by dancing. If you see Krishna, he is always singing and dancing. Buddha is observed as silent and graceful. Mahavir is always observed meditating, while Rama is observed living in righteousness. Every Master expresses some quality, but there is one quality which all Masters express...that is humor. A sense of humor is the basic quality of enlightenment expressed by every enlightened person on planet Earth.

The choice is always yours

There is an aphorism, a sutra in the Upanishad which says: a man who decides to LIVE is not affected by any of the karmas. You need to understand what karma is. Then you will be able to understand this one line. Karma means the conscious choices which you make. Conscious choices which you continuously make, is what is karma. Your life is nothing but the totality of conscious choices which you continuously make. Whether you want to or not, directly or indirectly you are choosing everything. Someone else does not choose. It is you who chooses. Continuously it is your choice, your decision. You may think somebody else decides. But it is only you who is deciding.

A small example can make you understand this basic truth. If somebody criticizes you, you choose to get offended. If somebody praises, you choose to get flattered. Because of your habit, you may choose it unconsciously. But somebody else never chooses, it is your choice only. Because it has become your habit, you have forgotten that you are choosing. Every time someone criticizes you, you choose to get upset. Every time someone praises you, you choose to get flattered. It is nobody else's choice but your own. You can decide either way. Sometimes when someone criticizes you, you can choose not to get offended. You can choose to remain calm, relaxed, and collected. It is just your choice to feel offended, and then when you try to defend yourself, you make a mess.

Continuous choices, your choices put together decide your life. If you don't decide consciously, and if incidents decide your life, that is what is called 'paralysis'. Our lives as of now are nothing but a paralysis. It is only when you decide to live your life without any interruption, without any guidance or outer forces, without any outer situations or decisions being forced on you, you decide to actually live. As long as you don't understand life is your choice, your living is just paralysis.

Girls from the Nithyananda Gurukul at the Bangalore ashram pose for a picture.