Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Dear Guruji, when faced with the choice of two equally attractive options, what is the determining factor in making the choice?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This can happen only happen with two things - either your job or your relationships! In these circumstances my single advice is ‘choice is yours blessing is mine’.Q:
What would you say to all those who suffer from depression in the world today?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Firstly, I would say that everything changes, and secondly that you need to see the hand of the Divine in everything that happens. Thirdly, look at the situation of those around you and you can certainly find someone who is in a far worse position than you. If you can help those who are worse off than you, your depression will be lifted. The fourth thing is to learn breathing exercises. This can ward off the depression before it even starts, just as vaccinations remove the danger of disease before they strike.n
Q:
Can you tell us about the process to discover the techniques you teach?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
For me personally, it was with limited food and ten days of silence and going with fruit juice and cleansing the body but, it's not for everybody. One has to listen to their own body. What they feel is good for them. You don't need to do all that; you just need to learn a little bit about your breath. That is for everyone.Q:
Is leadership in the Art of Living based on seniority or spiritual evolvement?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There is chaos and bliss here! Everyone is welcome to contribute to the organization’s growth, and grown himself. The Art of Living has one policy: we don’t reject anybody. We carry everyone along with us. That is a very tough job. There are hundreds of challenges.The human mind is like the wild elephant – its makes all sorts of concepts, and ideals. People who don’t work have great ideals. When they start work, they realize that many ideals don’t work.
On the other side, there are people who have no ideals, and go with the chaos. Both approaches are wrong. If you drop ideals completely, organizations become hopeless. However if you don’t see practicality, and don’t have a foot on the ground, you cannot perform a dance. If your feet are buried in the ground, can you dance? If your legs are not on the ground, can you dance? You have to have a foot on the ground. Life is about balance.
Life is complex, and the world is full of complexities. Many complexities will arise. What you need to take care is not to get frustrated, and deal with them. We have to. Conflicts, and complexities are everywhere - in bureaucracies, political parties, social organizations, NGOs, schools, colleges, everywhere. Even in a house, there could be so many complex behavioral patterns. Yet, rejection is not the way, frustration won’t lead you anywhere. That is the skill you need to acquire. Skill will help you move through sleeping elephants. A saint from India once said: You have to walk through sleeping elephants. When wild elephants are awake, you can’t walk.
How do you get the skill? Silence is the mother of all skills. When you lack some skill, sit quietly for a moment. Then that part of the brain becomes active, that can give you intuition and ideas.
Silence is the mother of all skills, innovations, and inventions. A few moments of quietness. This is the first step. Take a step away from the situation. When you are in a situation, you cannot be a good judge – you have to step out of the situation for a minute and look at it. Through quietness: you will gain the skill right there!
We need to get out of the blame game. If anything goes wrong, you either blame others or yourself. This tendency is so deep in our psyche. Silence gives the skill to see the distance. This principle and philosophy has been developed in this country. However, it has been kept only with a few select people. That is why spirituality should be kept alive in every part of the world, so that everyone can gain skill with ease, and grace. This is the main advantage of meditation practices: it enables you to handle situations with ease and grace. A few moments of silence will bring up tremendous talents from within us.
However, if someone practices too much silence, then also they lose their skills.
Ati sarvatra varjayet – drop anything that is too much. Avoid extremes.
(A member from the audience says: If the bliss and happiness felt here (in the ashram) could spread all over the world, there would be no violence in the world.)
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Absolutely. That’s why you should come here, and spread the word, like sahasra sesha. Each one should inspire at least 1,000 people. Have the intention of bringing knowledge, joy, love, and happiness to the lives of 1,000 people. This is real merit.
Good luck does not come by lucky charms. It comes from good work. Good deed is to bring happiness into the lives of people. This is the best way. I have seen that. So bring this joy, solace, and happiness in people’s lives. When the hearts and minds of people get healed, their spirit blesses you. That becomes your real merit, good luck.
Q:
I feel so fortunate to be listening to a modern-day Vivekananda. How does one know which specific field you are cut off for? Then we can be more effective.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, its true…. All those who want to do some service activity, want direction, come here. Let us make a team, take specific targets and do service. We have adopted 38 slums around Bangalore. There are many of you who can go and inspire them and help them.n
(Another visitor narrates his experience of hearing Art of Living bhajans when passing by a police station. Sri Sri says: “Even in prisons, inmates hear these bhajans all the time.”)
n
Q:
How can someone with a family life achieve spiritual growth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Family life is not contrary to spiritual practices. If you go deep into spiritual practices, then your relationships with people, with your children become better.Q:
I am young and sometimes I like to go out and drink with my friends. I don’t feel guilty. Should I?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Sometimes you do so only socially. When you become unhappy, this socialising drink will catch on and you will drink more and more. You could become an alcoholic. Just say no, keep away. Be firm that you won’t have it, then you are in a safe place. From here, you can never turn into an alcoholic. I’ve seen so many people become alcoholic with the same logic. They start with ‘once in a while’. Alcohol does so much damage to your nervous system that can reflect in the pure consciousness, the deeper reality. Drink brings dullness. It is like driving with the brakes on. If you want to progress, you must put some barriers,for instance, tobacco. Smoking was considered part of the culture some 35-40 years ago. Today, it is not. We have been saying this for years and it has taken so long and cost millions of lives. So many lives would have been saved. No smoking, no drugs, no alcohol – put these barriers.Q:
Is homosexuality a sin? Is it possible to change the orientation of a human being by Sadhana and Spiritual Practices?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See, these tendencies come in you because you are made up of both mother and father, a combination of two. Everybody has both male genes and female genes. When male chromosomes are dominating or when female chromosomes are dominating, these tendencies come and go. You don’t have to brand yourself about that. It can all change. There is a possibility of those tendencies changing. Know that you are more than just the body. You are a scintillating consciousness, energy. You are sparkling light, and so, identify yourself with that light more.Q:
How do know when to keep knocking on the same door and letting go?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, do both – knock and let go and let go and knock.Q:
Dear Guruji, I do Sudarshan Kriya everyday but even then I have not seen the changes that I expect as of yet. Still there is a lot of negativity in me. What should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
What changes are you expecting? Sit with your teacher for a little time and do DSN or listen to Ashtavakra Gita, negativity will not stay, definitely will not stay in you, they will all go away.
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Founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar,The Art of Living is an educational and humanitarian movement engaged in stress-management and service initiatives.
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