Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
What is the relation of sin and merit with life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Sin brings sadness and merit attracts happinessQ:
Is homosexuality a sin? Is it possible to change the orientation of a human being by Sadhana and Spiritual Practices?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Q:
Guruji, please explain to us laws of Karma, how can I revert physical illness and perform selfless seva? My physical illness prevents me from being active and happy and loving. I get tired very fast. Please guide. Love you.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You know, the best thing is not worry about it too much. Got it? Karma is only in the mind, yet you worry about physical illness “oh this is my karma...” See, the body has its limitations. Everybody’s body has a limitation. And if we have violated the laws of nature, it is going to take its toll some time. Okay? So, keep your spirits high, the rest will be taken care of by itself.Q:
Money, mind or meditation – All three are not in my control? Money doesn’t come, mind doesn’t stop and not able to meditate. What will happen to me Guruji?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You can’t do meditation? Okay, so first see why you are not able to meditate. The part of you that is entangled in money and mind, detangling it from there, entangle it in me! Then meditation will also happen, mind will also be happy and money will also come on its own.Q:
Is there a place in our consciousness where everything is known? If yes, how can we go there?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, our consciousness is like having a library. In a library, there are millions of books, right? The librarian holds all the books but it is not necessary that he knows every book by heart. But he knows where what is and when it is needed, he can pick it up and know it. In the same way, though our consciousness is the abode of all the knowledge, it is not necessary to know everything all the time. Impossible. It is impossible in a physical body to know everything all the time. But when you are still, when your mind is in absolute stillness, and there is no craving and aversions, it is just free. Then you are like the librarian, who possesses all. The owner of the library who has all the knowledge and he can access it when it is needed, if it is needed. A lawyer has all the books but he doesn’t by-heart all the books all the time. But when a particular case comes up he knows which book to pick up and where exactly to put his finger. In the same way our consciousness is an abode of all knowledge, right? When you are so still and free from mental modulations - that is when you are a yogi. Then you can know… that’s why the still consciousness, yogic consciousness is called sarvagna.‘Tatraniratishayamsarvagyabeejam’ is a sutra in yoga sutras. In that consciousness, when you’re in a Samadhi state, the seed of all-knowingness is present in that.Q:
If our fortune is decided by the supreme power then how much responsible are we for our own deeds?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Who said the supreme power decides your fortune? You decide your fortune.Q:
How can we achieve Trupti and be satisfied in whatever I have?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Just wake up and see. Even if you get crores of rupees in the future, then what? Can you spend all the money? You will just put it in the bank. Then you will die and your children will fight over that money. This is what we do. It is unwise to postpone being happy in order to gain something. Aspire for something but be happy now.When you feel that you have everything now, you will have more. Do you know who gets invited to dinners? The one who has plenty to eat.
Feel the plentitude.
Q:
Dear Guruji, how do I stop comparing myself with the whole world?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You have so much time to sit and compare yourself with everybody. My goodness, I have no time. Too much time on your hands, you better do something more creative. You are sitting and comparing yourself with the whole world, what a waste of time.Q:
Guruji, the four do’s of our scriptures is Dharma, Arth, Kama and Moksha and the four don’ts are Kama, Krodh, Moha, Lobha and Ahankara. So why is kama a paradox which finds itself in both do’s and don’ts?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes because excess of it is very bad and in the right dose it is good. Like salt in the food, the right amount of salt is good and too much salt is no good.Q:
Guruji, when we are doing our practices kriya and meditation together, are we affected by other people’s negativity and bad karmas?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No, no, no, absolutely not. Don’t worry. If you feel like you are getting affected by somebody’s depression or somebody’s negative energy, just say Om NamahShivaya a few times. It’s gone. It can happen. When people are so depressed and are not in proper shape and you meet them you may feel that. How many of you feel that, when you meet very depressed people something happens to your own body, right? Om NamahShivaya, Jai gurudev - it just disappears.