Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
I find it difficult to forgive my sister who had been very abusive to me?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Regarding the inability to forgive somebody, there are 6.5 billion people on this planet. Don’t forgive the 6.5 billon but just forgive this one person.You know inside every culprit there is a victim crying for help. You must understand that they are victims of situation and circumstances. They didn’t have that knowledge. They were never exposed to higher knowledge so they made mistake. Just reading books and understanding doesn’t help to get out of violent tendencies. These have to be fixed through meditation, breathing exercises and yoga.
Prisoners say that ‘the Art of Living’ is responsible for their being in the prison. If the ‘Art of living’ had given them this knowledge earlier, they wouldn’t have landed in the prison. Their life would have been much different’.And I agree with them.
Q:
How do we eliminate terrorism for future generations?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Terrorism arises when someone starts thinking that only they will go to heaven and everyone else will go to hell. They think, “let me teach the others my ways so that they also can go to heaven.” Narrow-mindedness is a cause of misery. If each child is educated in a multicultural environment, tolerance is bound to develop. If the kids in Afghanistan were taught a little bit about their roots, a little a bit about Hinduism, Christianity and so on, they would not have become so intolerant. The Taliban would not have arisen. They should have some idea of the great sayings like that of Buddha, of the Upanishads. Krishna said the same thing that Jesus said. Multi-religious upbringing will bring about love and harmony in the world. Interfaith education and inter-religious exposure will bring about love and harmony. If all countries spend even less than 2% of their budget towards globalizing wisdom, every child in the world would be a more happy individual.A young woman in India from the ’ The Art of Living’ Foundation went to the Ivory Coast to teach. Ivory Coast has very polarized Islamic and Christian communities. They live in different villages and historically have had little or no tolerance towards each other. Within a month of her being there, because of her work, communication opened up between the different religious communities. The Muslims built a school in the Christian village. The Christians built roads and toilets for the Muslims. This miracle happened in a very short span of time. If one individual could bring about this change, imagine what would happen if we all go together. If we move together, we can do something big!
Q:
Sometimes I sleep while sitting for meditation. Is it ok?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You sleep in the middle of the meditation! It is ok. When your sleep is completed, you can meditate.Q:
Suppose we want something, or want something to happen, then there are two things one can do–one is to drop the desire and let it happen, and the other is wanting it is so much that it happens. What is it that we should do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Take it as it comes. Sometimes you really pray for something and it comes. Sometimes you just have a gentle thought and it manifests. Right? So, there is no definite criteria for it, all is possible!Q:
Is it important to get married? How do I know that someone is right for me or not?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You have to decide if you want to get married or not. This is something that neither your parents nor your Guru should decide. With whom, that also you decide. This includes decision of both you and the person whom you want to get married to. What I say in this is ‘Choice is yours, blessing is mine’.Q:
Can a person struggling for livelihood progress on the spiritual path?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Some people say that to walk on the spiritual path you have to abandon your professional life. But I say you can continue pursuing your profession or business, and progress on the spiritual path as well. In fact, they are complementary to each other. Pursuing the spiritual path makes it easy to accomplish tasks in your professional life as well. Only listening to this knowledge doesn’t help. Doing your practices along with it is equally important.Q:
There are many cultures in the world. Are there things which work same everywhere?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Certain things work everywhere. Sudarshan Kriya works everywhere. Today you go to tip of Argentina and you will find the ‘Art of living’. You go to the North pole , and you will find the ‘Art of Living’. You go to Mongolia, and you will find the ‘Art of Living’. You go to Fiji, you go to tip of Newzeland, and you will find someone doing the Sudarshan Kriya. That is why everything in the ‘Art of Living’ is kept so universal.At some point in time, there was so much oneness in the world. People of Peru in Argentina do similar things as that of the natives of Arunachal Pradesh. Native tribes of Arunachal Pradesh do similar things as done by people in Venkovour in British. People from both the places worship all four directions. There were lots of similarities among native inhabitants of different parts of the world. People in Lithuania greet you with bread and salt. As there is no ocean there, salt is a very precious commodity there. Similarly people in Kerala put a pot flowing with paddy outside their homes, which shows there is abundance in home, so people are welcome.
Certain things are same, and there are certain other things which are unique to each culture and country. Those differences should remain. Every culture and country should maintain that uniqueness. Russian people have beautiful folk dance. Danish have their beautiful ways.
Love, compassion, meditation, yoga – These are universal.
Q:
Do you really need to have purpose for life or can you just be happy?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No, you have made that as the purpose of your life. You have made being happy your purpose. Correct? You’ve already have a purpose.Can you be happy if your family is not happy? Can you really be happy if your environment is not happy and people around you are not happy? You know when you expand your vision and awareness, you see that you are a part of everybody. If people around you are suffering you cannot simply shut your eyes and say, ‘I’ll be really happy’. The subtler you go, the more refined you are. The more sensitive you become, you feel for everyone in the world. Not just people, for trees, animals and plants as well. You begin to care for the environment.
Q:
Saints say that suicide is a crime. Then what is jeev Samadhi?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, suicide is wrong. Some saints take jeev Samadhi. They can effortlessly separate their mind and soul, and continue to live like that for 20 years or so. Saint Gyaneshwar and some other very great saints did that in the past. I am not in favor for it.One commits suicide out of sorrow, and tries to destroy the body. One tries to commit such a thing burdened with the sorrow, and in search of happiness. But committing suicide is like you removing your coat when you are feeling cold. There is only repentance after suicide, and one keeps on struggling to get a new body. Don’t try to finish this body, and also don’t hold on to it very strongly.
Q:
How to achieve excellence while following the middle path?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It will happen. Your intention is enough. Main thing is Sadhna(Practices and self effort), next is awareness, and third is - no feverishness.