AUSTERITY

Weekly Knowledge #180 Bangalore Ashram 19 Nov 1998 India

Austerity is often mistaken to be poverty, self-denial. It is neither. Austerity comes out of maturity. It is a sign of social health. Often people who practice austerity are resentful of richness. This is a very pitiable state. Such austerity is not born out of maturity but out of compulsion. The true austerity has tolerance for richness and is never resentful. In fact, one who is mature will have pity for one who is not austere. Austerity is not against celebration and just vanity is not celebration. Celebration dawns in the spirit. Only one who is rich in spirit can practice austerity. One may be rich materially but if he is poor in spirit he can neither celebrate nor evolve. Poverty of spirit is vanity. Austerity brings freedom from the pride of vanity. But taking pride in austerity is again a vanity ! Austerity comes out of abundance, and austerity brings abundance. If you feel a lack in any area of life, immediately start austerity. Austerity not only brings freedom but nurtures sharing and caring.

NEWS FLASH ! Alerted by some noise at midnight, our gardener rushed out with a torch, and was amazed to find five wild elephants there ! He just said Jai Gurudev and prayed to them, and the elephants didnt damage the garden, though they did break the fence. Meanwhile, Gurujs cat has stopped catching mice - he leaves the job to us ! Bangalore saw its biggest Basic Course of 230 people, and Guruji gave a series of inspiring talks on the Bhagavad Gita in the local language.