Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

There is not even one person in this world who has not experienced joy. If there was only sorrow, one wouldn’t be aware of it. To experience sorrow there has to be an occasional experience of joy. You experienced a little bit of joy that is why you are able to experience sadness. But we tend to eternalize our difficulties; ‘I always have problems’, ‘I am always sick, everyone is sick.’ If ten or fifteen people around you fall sick, what do you say, ‘Oh everyone in Goa is sick.’ Everyone being sick is impossible! In the same way sometimes you say, ‘I always make mistakes’. I say, that is not true. Do not eternalize or generalize problems. Take a sankalpa (resolution) today that only good things will happen to me. As you sow so shall you reap; so have faith in yourself that you will be successful in whatever you do, okay!

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

See, present Kaliyug is there only for five hundred years, and another twenty thousand years in the big cycle. But in the small cycle the good period has started. Now is the transition period and good period has started. Good people’s voice will be heard so don’t worry about having bad times. Kaliyug is not all that bad, you should remember. Even in Satyug there were four raakshasas (demons). They wouldn’t even allow you to do ‘Om Namo Narayana’ jaap at home. They would come with a ‘talvaar’ (sword) and cut your head. You have heard all that. So don’t glorify Satyug as though there was no crime then. I don’t think Kaliyug is so bad that all crime will be here now. So don’t sit down doing nothing but blaming the time. This is wrong, we shouldn’t blame the time.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

The fight against corruption should begin on one’s own effort. First you stop giving bribes. Do you know when we started this drive against corruption and against terrorism? On 1 March 2009 in Delhi. Then we went to fourteen states and in all the satsangs we asked everyone to take an oath, ‘I will not give bribe’. So it starts with us, by our not giving bribes.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

See there is will power and power behind a blessing. You can also do it. Those who have done the Blessings Course raise your hands. Are your blessings working for others? When we don’t want anything for ourselves, there is a power that can allow us to fulfil others’ desires. The main thing is one should not desire anything for oneself. One should be hollow and empty. The desire for moksha is enough, it will be attained.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Yes! You know twenty years ago there was so much more prejudice. And thirty years ago when I started Art of Living there was even more prejudice. People thought meditation, this must be somebody crazy. Someone who is not proper in their mind only will do it; it was not for normal people. Yoga means standing on their nail, it is not for normal people, this was the idea. Today if you see the advertisements of Daimler Chrysler or many of those top business advertisements, you will find relaxation; people sitting in lotus posture, in yoga postures. HSBC banks you will see relaxation, they will show meditation, yoga. So today the language has changed and the prejudice has gone down a great deal. It’s not the same as before. Then you know, there are some people who would resist anything that are different. So we need to keep communicating. I didn’t leave spreading or traveling what I have been doing all these thirty years, otherwise I should have left it long back. I would have said why should I go if there is prejudice and sit back in your own place where there is so much work to do, no! We have to continue doing our work. Now, how do we keep that inner Norwegian spirit of love that we all experienced now? Continue having celebrations and continuing to have multi- cultural events more often. And then keep talking to people; communicate with people. That is why I say you don’t need disaster to unite us. Anyways in disasters we unite but even in pleasant times also we can unite and that is what I call celebration; dialogue. So we should continue having this! I am all for it, okay.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You know I have been saying the world is my family from a very young age. I don’t remember what age, maybe at eight or nine or ten, I have been saying the whole world is my family. So when any disaster happens in some part of my family it is my duty to go and do what I can; visit that place. It is not just my duty it is my consciousness which does not allow me to sit somewhere else when there is problem somewhere else. And I had been there when the Catherine T SAI disaster happened in America or tsunami in South Asia, everywhere I usually go. My coming is not that important but what I would like people to start doing is trauma relief workshops, meditation workshop, healing workshop, that has to happen. And that I keep inspiring our volunteers and teachers to keep doing Your second question, what Norwegians have taught to the world and what can we learn from this? First it is an astonishing thing that such a thing can happen in Norway. Nobody thought about it in their wildest dreams. It happens so often in India, it happens in Pakistan so often; in Palestine, in Middle East all over. But in a peaceful country like Norway if this could happen that means we need to pay more attention to our youths all over the world. We can’t take it for granted that youths are educated in some parts of the world and not educated in other parts of the world. So the ill-educated youths could be anywhere in the world and so the world will not be a safe place unless and until we bring the education of non- violence and compassion right into our education system. This is what Norway can teach the whole world, that doesn’t take it for granted your peace; there could be some crazy elements anywhere in your society. And what you can do, you can have a vaccination for these crazy elements not to spread or not to sprout in your place, by multi- culture, multi- religious education. This is what Norway can give to the whole world and also the way Norwegian press and the society has responded again is a beautiful example, without going into a blame culture. You immediately came into a love culture, spreading love and going to the Square with roses. Not being angry with somebody or the government or the police or anybody. It’s understanding that love and compassion has more power than hatred.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Ideal role for the parent is, you gain knowledge and bring the knowledge to them, make them good citizens, helpful for the society, not being selfish, not being self-centered, but one who would work for the world.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Imagination is mother of creativity. You want to be creative first you need to imagine, this is number one. Second, you don’t have to see that I will never be happy unless everyone in the world becomes happy. If a doctor says I can’t be healthy unless everyone becomes healthy, then who will make the others healthy? Suppose if the doctor himself falls sick what will happen to the patient? So in order to make people happy you should be happy. If you are happy you can make others happy. It is not the other way around. You can’t say I can’t be happy because everybody else is unhappy. It’s like doctors are saying I can’t be healthy because everyone else is sick in the hospital. Got it? So if others are sick, never mind, you be happy and make others happy; spread your happiness. You can only spread what you have. If you are happy you can spread happiness. If you yourself are upset, angry, dejected, unhappy, how can you help others? Yes! So how do you find your inner happiness? By going deep inside; meditating. For few minutes cutting off from your environment and realizing your center, that is so stable and strong; beautiful! Getting to your own center you get to the souse of happiness. Then you come out and spread that happiness with everybody. This is what spirituality is all about; attending to that spirit which is the source of happiness, beauty, peace, love and joy. And then come out and spread that to people all around you.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Well, it’s not possible to think all through the day. If the thought comes now and then, here and there, then they come and they go. Treat them like any other thought that comes and goes, doesn’t matter. We are all united in a very subtle level beyond the thoughts. Thoughts coming and going is natural. You can’t do anything about it.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

I have a simple suggestion for you. Just take out two hours for four days and attend one of the Art of Living Basic programs and do Sudarshan Kriya. Once you do Sudarshan Kriya you will see that there is a deeper spirit within you. You will be able to experience it and it is a fantastic experience. How many of you have already done Sudarshan Kriya raise your hands? Am I correct? How many of you agree with me, it’s a great experience? How many of you think others should definitely have this experience? (Many raise their hands). So everyone should experience this, it’s such a beautiful experience of your spirit. And if you know this you can handle your mind so well. So take that time off, two hours, four days and there are very good highly qualified teachers here. They will take you through that inner journey and you would not get this experience in you life. Am I correct? Okay! Wonderful! Continue spreading peace, love and joy and I am with you. And I invite all of you to come to India whenever it’s convenient to you. I am sure in the month of February where you would like to have more sun here. So you are most welcome to come to India in February, March, January; and we all belong to each other.