Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
How do you know if an answer is coming from within or from the rational mind?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There is no criteria. The calmer and serene the mind is, the right answer will come to you.Q:
Guruji we have heard the terms spirituality and enlightenment so often. There are very abstract definitions of the terms. Would you please throw some light on these?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
(Jokingly) You want me to add more confusion to the words and give you one more definition! If I have a choice I would take away all the definitions and leave you in confusion because from that confusion something flowers up in you. My understanding is not going to help you. It has to come from within you. When you wake up and see, you will be surprised. I would like you to experience that WOW. Don’t make it a concept. If you don’t know what enlightenment is, thank God and say ‘ I don’t know what enlightenment is. Let me wait for it.’ It is the concepts that keep us away from experiencing the reality. That’s what I feel.Q:
What is your advice to parents?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Know how to ride a horse! When you sit on horseback, you must move with it. You have to rock with the motion otherwise your back will hurt. Parents have to rock. You have to swing with them, know them and gently guide. Sometimes you tighten the reins, sometimes loosen. It is the same with kids. Put your foot down sometimes, but also give them freedom.Q:
How do you speak so sweetly always?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It’s like asking jaggery, how can you taste so sweet? It’s the nature of the jaggery to be sweet. I don’t put any effort to speak sweetly. If I put in effort, it will turn to be salty. What I am, I speak the same. That’s why you find it sweet. And secondly, you are also sweet so you find me also sweet. If your mind is turbulent then even if I speak sweetly, you will find it salty. I also don’t know how to be otherwise. I am grateful that I never got an opportunity also to do something which is not in my nature. There was never a need to speak a lie or cheat someone. It has never happened that I pretend to be someone else which I am not. It doesn’t seem also I would be doing it in future. (laughter) But I don’t give any guarantee (more laughter). It hasn’t happened till now and God knows about future.Q:
Guruji I have been doing pranayama, meditation, but I don’t think its helping. I think I am wasting my time doing this because I am still not able to study. I did not even fair well in my last exam, so am I wasting my time doing meditation?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Sometimes you think you have too many thoughts. If you want your mind to be still then you need to do abhyasa (practice) and vairagya (dispassion).Through practice and dispassion you can meditate. An over ambitious mind kills the spirit. Listening to knowledge for 15 to 20 minutes a day and doing the practice will ensure to you get into meditation.
Q:
Guruji why is it that Sanskrit language that originated in India finds its second reference in Chicago? This is still the case.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You are asking my question! We are giving away our ownership over Sanskrit..You know Dr. B.R. Ambedkar asked that Sanskrit be made our national language.It was seconded by Nasiruddhin Ahmed.
Malayalam contains 80 % of Sanskrit, Telugu 70%, Kannada 70%, Tamil 30% and Hindi 80%. Even many words in foreign languages are similar to Sanskrit: Swasa – Sister, Duhita – Daughter. However, we have lost the link somewhere and failed to establish the reputation of Sanskrit. You know what rain is called in Italian? Piyorja! The Sanskrit word is parjanya. They are so similar in many aspects.
Q:
Today is my second day of silence. My mind is a devil’s workshop, it keeps having thoughts endlessly!
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Sing, observe nature, and observe your thoughts. Look at nature as though you are looking at it for the first time – look at the trees, and look at the birds.When you observe these things, your mind becomes calmer. Observe your thoughts. Silence makes you observe. As you observe, your thoughts will reduce.
The thoughts were always there, but only in silence can you observe them!
Q:
What to do if you love someone but the other person doesn’t love you enough?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Do not ask them “Do you really love me?” Ask them “why do you love me so much?” Tell them they love you too much and “I think I don’t deserve this.” You have to go on this trip and do everything with style. Any problem in life should be handled with style.The whole of life is a game to be played. It is not a struggle. Nothing can destroy you. You are a drop of immortality, a drop of something eternal. Your spirit is eternal. And it is alright if this does not ring a bell right now. I will just say what I know and some day you might authenticate it. Do not be afraid of anything. We have no choice.
Q:
How can I be contented? Lots of needs keep bombarding the mind.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Tell me one thing. Are you contented today?(The gentleman said ‘No’)
What do you need?
(The gentleman continues ‘I need to have something after having what, all my desires are pacified)
It’s good if you are aware that lots of desires are disturbing you. This desire - I want to get rid of all desires, is called mumuksha.
Q:
What went wrong that so many people lack self-esteem and what can we do to lessen this effect?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
‘Yes!+’ and ‘Yes We Can’ programs are good for that. We have ‘Yes We Can’ program in Europe. 140 youths from all over Europe participated. You should see how they came, and how they are after the program, how much self-esteem they gained.You know, in companies the big difficulty is the middle people, someone in between the supervisors. They want to gain the favor of the top management, so they complain about people below them. Then people below them complain about the boss and everything becomes messier. Many companies broke down because of that; because of lack of skillful, honest communication. There is no honest and skillful communication. You have to tell your boss your honest opinion and he will appreciate you because of that. First, he may not like it, but later on he will appreciate you. If you tell him lies and one day he discovers that you misled him, then he will be unhappy with you also. So, a skillful presentation of facts, honest, even if it is bitter, and put in nice manners, is needed. These skills come when you become a yogi, skillful in action. Yoga means skill in action. When does this come? It comes when you unite with your Self in meditation.