Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Guruji, scriptures say that the divine is the only security. Insurance companies say that retirement plans are the only security. My wife says that our children will be our only security. I am a little confused. Where should I invest?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
A little bit in all three; and you have enough to invest in all three. I would say first in yourself as you are the source of insecurity if there is any. In spite of having a good family, children, house, money, everything, if your soul is hungry, it will still be insecure. So first fill your spirit with spiritual wisdom, experience and you will see there is no insecurity. Everything will fall in place.Q:
(A member of the audience asked a question and it was inaudible)
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Give it here. You come and give it to me. Why do you want to handle it? We will handle it with care for you. If you want we will return it back to you also. You just leave it here, dump it here. After all, why does an ashram exist, why is there a guru? So that you may dump all your pain, suffering and anxiety; so that you may leave it all behind, isn’t that so?Q:
Guruji, in Canada we are cutting so much of the forest and the animals are treated so bad and it hurts. What should we do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
We should do exactly what we are doing. We need to increase the awareness among people about vegetarianism and about meditation. Anyway it is much better than it was before. In the seventies and eighties you hardly find someone that is vegetarian, but today there are a lot more people, right! So you should continue increasing awareness about it. As such a beautiful hall has come up you all should go and tell everybody, ‘hey, let’s go here and let’s do something, let’s meditate.’ Once people do Sudarshan Kriya and one or two advance courses then they become vegetarians very easily, without having to struggle for it. How many of you agree on that? See, otherwise telling people to be vegetarian, they don’t feel like listening to that. But it happens naturally when you become subtle in your mind and go deep in your heart, you turn vegetarian naturally. The more refinement in the system, the system wants light food which is easily digestible, yes! What do you think? Isn’t it!Q:
Guruji, I have been brought up to believe that money is not God. But in today’s world, money is not less than God. Please give me some tips to appease this God.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Spend less and earn more! You feel lack when you earn less and spend more. I would say you need to keep a balance. Again, faith that your needs will come to you, will really bring that flavour to your life, that confidence. Otherwise some people have this habit of feeling this lack all the time. You believe you will have abundance. Whatever is needed, you will get it at that time, whenever you need it, and you will get it.Q:
How to drop judging everything? Like we have to be judgmental to take an action, but continuously judging, how to stop that?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See that let it happen through your intuition. Otherwise your judgments are all foolishness. First of all, if you recognize your judgments may have not been correct then that’s good. Got it? Turn back and see before you used to judge and you think that is how things are, but now you understand, ’oh I have thought bad wrongly, it was not correct’. Right!Q:
(A member of the audience asked a question and it was inaudible)
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
God is present in every one. Not only in Rama. Don’t think God is present only in Rama .God is present in you and in me.Q:
Guruji, how do you find an ideal Guru in the physical form?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I have no idea! Ideal disciple I can say but I don’t know what an ideal Guru is. Ideal disciple is one who does sadhana, seva and satsang, and does not dig wells in several different places and does not engage in spiritual shopping. One who honours everyone, and stays in knowledge. Guru is one who does not want anything for himself, one who shows the path to anyone he meets.Q:
Guruji, how should one become an ideal (not idol!) husband or wife?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Idol husband and wife are Lord Ram and Sita and they are in the temple. I am inexperienced in answering this question. I can only provide an answer to a question in which I have experience. But on the basis of what I have heard from people, I can say that a wife should never hurt the ego of her husband. It may be that the husband is not using his intellect and the wife is thinking, ‘oh he is so stupid!’ Instead she should say, ‘the world might consider you stupid, but I know how intelligent you are. You are the most capable person in this world.’ This is how you should flatter your husband. This is what wives have to do. The moment the husband enters the home, shower him with praise, strengthen his ego. Now a secret for men never hurt the feelings of your wife. A wife is sentimental. It is possible that she may complain about her parents, but you should never join in. You should stay quiet. Who knows when she might switch sides, and you will be stuck in the middle. It can be very dangerous. You need to be safe. Never say anything about the in-laws. Your wife may complain, but you should never say anything. Secondly, if she needs to go for satsang, shopping or to the temple, never stop her. Don’t ask her why she goes to shop every day. Just give her your credit card. Then there will be peace at home.Q:
(A member of the audience asked a question and it was inaudible)
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes. In Ashram everyone is needed, you can definitely do Seva. Whoever wishes to do Seva in the Ashram, come and talk to the Seva administrator and say how many months, one month or two months or how many days you can stay and work and they will arrange it for you.Q:
How to enhance the memory power in children?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
To increase the power of memory in children, do not allow them to watch television for a long time; not more than one hour a day. That is the first, secondly there are some special ayurvedic preparations which are prescribed for enhancing the memory this can be given to them. Then thirdly you must teach them pranayama, yogasanas and a little meditation.