Knowledge is love

Hi all,
Just yesterday, my cousin sister asked me, “What do you get by following the Art of Living? What’s the point of following all this when you are still unsatisfied, unhappy?” These questions can be answered only through experience.

I was introduced to the Art of Living by my best friend, at a time when I hit the early life crisis of heart break!! This problem might sound absolutely routine to people around, and maybe that’s true, yet it is very difficult and painful for the one who goes through it. I was love struck when I was 20, and now 7 years have passed by since then, yet I haven’t had a closure to this issue. I had become so sick and obsessed with this one person that my entire life revolved around him. It might sound very filmy but it’s true that I stopped living for a while. He was my God! I was depressed when, after being in love with this person for a year, I finally told him that I liked him, and all he said was “Ya, I know” and simply walked out. For over 2 years, I kept pondering on “Why did he just say – He Knows”. He could have said no or yes clearly. His behavior, his answer bothered me so much that I was not able to concentrate on anything in my life. I got so absorbed in it that I even landed up failing one of my law exams. I had become absolutely helpless as all my attempts to have a clear conversation with him failed. It was at this time, around March 2011, that I was introduced to the Art of Living. Despite doing the courses, I still wasn’t over him, there was this small hope where I felt that things might still work out between us. But I hit the rock bottom phase of depression in a month’s time after doing my first AOL course in 2011, when he entered into a courtship period with someone else and got married a year later. I hated every moment then, I cursed myself for getting into AOL, as after doing the course I cried even more than before.

But in reality, that phase was nothing but a dark stormy weather before the colorful rainbow could shine in my life. No, I did not meet anyone special, nor did I feel that strongly for anyone, and to be honest I haven’t felt that way for anyone till now. But my mind and heart had to be free from the emotions that I had suppressed within myself for him for all this while, and the Sahaj Samadhi, Sudharshan Kriya helped me putting myself back, emotionally. It’s been 3.5 years now that I have been practicing the Kriya, and I can surely say one thing that yes, all this has helped me in a much positive way, and I am hoping this positive journey continues in my life.

It’s difficult to express the experience in words, as words limit the true feelings. I am not saying that by following the Art of Living, all my hardships have disappeared or that now I have no worries in life and I do not get depressed at times. Of course, I do, but the way of handling these emotions, the awareness, the alertness and skill to sail through these phases is what the Art of Living has taught me. Or to put it straight, I have achieved two enormously powerful treasures of life – Knowledge and Faith!! This Knowledge and Faith has helped me in all the areas of my life, be it Career, Relations, Family or Friends. I have personally met Guruji, and that experience is something that one cannot just write, but one needs to experience it to really understand when I say that there is paucity of words to explain what happens when there is a personal encounter with Guruji! That itself is a Miracle!!
Thank you for being there Gurudev!
JGD
Anonymous
(Name withheld on request)