26 July 2013 - QA 2

Gurudev, I want to learn how to pray. Can you say a few words about how to pray?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Prayer is a spontaneous thing. It happens on two occasions, when you are very grateful, and you are expressing your gratitude. And when you are totally helpless, and you beg for help.

Prayer just happens, you cannot cultivate it. At the most what you can do is, look back at your own life and see where you were and how you have moved. Alternatively, look at other people’s lives and see how many people on this planet are miserable, and how fortunate you are! This gentle awareness will make you prayerful or thankful.

Prayer is the beginning, and meditation is its culmination. Prayer is thanking God for all that is given, and meditation is to be there, ready to listen to what God is saying. Meditation is a matured form of prayer.