The Spirit Blows Where It Wills

The 45 years of religious life of Sr. M. Concelia Mariampillai (Holy Cross Congregation – Menzingen) includes her active service in Sri Lanka especially in the domain of education and spirituality. Beginning her service as an AMI Montessori teacher, expanded to teaching at the secondary education level and is currently the lecture of English Litertature in Aquinnas University the Lecturer of English Literature in Aquinas University College, Colombo, Sri Lanka. She also worked as a Councilor and Spiritual Formator to young Religious over a number of years and currently serves as the Community Leader.

Her unquenchable search for “touching the Divine “ led her to cross all boundaries and seek to experience the newness of the Creative Holy Spirit in other religious like Buddhism and Hinduism. It is this search that led her to Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the Art of Living. She is regular write to the Catholic Messenger and to other Dailies.

“We are all Children of God.” (1 John 4/4) and ‘In Him we move and have our being.”(Acts 17/28). God is Love, and he who abides in Love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4 / 16).

“All nations are coming into even closer unity. Men of different cultures and Religious are being brought together in closer relationship. There is a growing consciousness of the personal responsibility that weighs upon every man.”- Cat. II Declaration on Religious Freedom

“ I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church, for you and I are sins and (daughters) of one Religion and it is the Spirit of God”- Khalil Gibran

“Spirituality is that which brings peace, joy, love, comfort and motivates one to do service in society. It builds character”- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

These beautiful statements poignantly highlight the idea that we are all children of God. The attitudes and values take flesh in one according to the experience s one goes through and how he / she takes in those experience. I am a child of God and so I am in my own little way, make bold to paint my own little way, make bold to paint my own experiences in truth, and by which, my experience of God has expanded greatly.

In writing this book, which is open to all who wish to know about the divine experiences, miracles and wisdom of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, I had in mind the readership to be mostly Priests, Religious and Christians.

Given this condition, I feel the necessity to explain the context in which I use the word’divine’.We Christians are mostly euro centered in our thinking and spirituality, and are highly influenced by the dualistic concept of Aristotle, whereas the scope of India spirituality is non-dualistic, and an undivided whole.

In this write up I try to give a taste of Indian spirituality. As such, ‘God’s image’ imprinted in every human being which in acknowledged by the biblical writings namely, “Let us make man in our Images and after our likeness” (Gen.1/26);” Do you not know that you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in you” (1 Cor.3 /16); “For we are the temple of the living God” (2Cor.6/16) all go to prove that every human being is endowed with this divinity and the realization of this in fullness is the responsibility of the individual. Most of us know these, but are we aware of it?

This is exactly what the Indian Spirituality is, which sees the ‘Divinity’- the Omnipresence in everything and in every creature of all forms, thus giving rise to a sense of respect and sacredness for everything and everyone. We need to be humble enough to learn this form our Hindu brethren. And this is one of the things I learnt from my Spiritual Master Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

In reading the book, you may be moved more or less significantly to expand your own Consciousness in a unique way that is yours alone and embrace all excluding none, and still peacefully and confidently hold on to your belief that you learnt on the knees of your mother. In our learning through experiences and knowledge, we unravel all those potentials that the Almighty God has given to us.

The most precious gift to us is the gift of faith that unities us with the Divine. “In your very nature, in the depth of your mind, there is omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience. All knowledge is already in the depth of your consciousness, All knowledge is already in the depth of your consciousness, of your mind” Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It is the responsibility of every one of us as children of God, to open up this most tender treasure which will eventually take us from the known to the unknown and allow it to unfold gracefully.

I attempt to delve into the mystery of who Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is , relecting from the Biblical, and from other spiritual writers including Sri Sri. It becomes clear to one, the fact that there is no controversy or confusion in the lived and professed by Sri Sri, against any religious belief, on the contrary, one could find all religious in him and in a sense no religion ties him down, for he seems to be in synch with all religious teachings living the spirit – filled life.

Finally, I dedicate this book; to my parents, who gave me life, love and everything I needed, my siblings and, those who have helped me to be who I am today : my Congregation – Sisters of the Holy Cross, His Lordship, Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannar, for his magnanimity in giving his time and support, Sr. Immaculate Joseph, the ex-Provincial Superior, who allowed me to follow the Art of Living on my path and made an indelible impact, Br. Vidyut Udiaver, who supported my decision to take up this endeavor and stood by me when my spirit was low, motivating me to reach my goal, and Rev.Fr. Joseph Eustace Fernado SJ., psychologist, Councilor and, the Spirtual Director for his inspiration encouragement.

I thank God for the privilege of sharing this endeavor with anyone who takes this book into his / her hand. I dedicate it to all of you.

Rev. Sr. M. Concelia Mariampillai

(Sister of the Holy Corss – Menzingen), working in Sri Lanka.