Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
If a person has two spiritual Gurus, whom should one follow?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If you are confused, why are you involving me in this confusion?! (Laughter). No matter what I say, your mind will still be in conflict. If I say follow the other Guru, you would say I have rejected you. If I say follow me, even then you would ask why have I asked you to leave the other. See one in all and all in one (applause). The Guru you had before has prepared you to be here. You decide. Are you satisfied being here? Are you centered? Are you established in your Self? Respect all paths but be committed to one path. That way you don’t get confused. You have come to this path, stick to it. Be playful, be happy; see if your smile increases. If it does not, even I will tell you to go somewhere else. (applause).Q:
What is the one quality that you need to have to love everyone alike?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
An ease with yourself and everybody, simplicity. When you are open from within, then you can’t but love everyone and everyone can’t but love you. Neither you have a choice nor do they. You have done this as a baby. Do you remember how you were as a baby? Being natural, simple, innocent, without any barrier and free with everybody.Q:
How to keep the God and world together?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
How can you keep them together? They are already one. Where is the question of combining them? In the nature of form, it is world, and same is God in its formless nature. You don’t have to do anything to bring them together.Q:
What is the difference between rest and laziness?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
What you get after doing work is rest. Doing nothing and keep lying down in tamogun is not rest. You feel restless in this state.Q:
I have finished my final year engineering exam. I want to study, I want to pursue higher studies, but I cannot concentrate when I sit to study. I want to study, what should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If you are not getting concentration in your studies, watch for these three things(i) Your diet, watch what you are eating. Diet makes a big difference.
(ii) Do you do any physical exercises? If you just keep sitting on a couch watching TV, or keep sitting on computer with internet etc. then the circulation is less in your body. Then you tend to become lazy and will not feel like studying. So, it is necessary to do a little bit of physical exercise, yoga, pranayama, meditation and also participate a little in singing etc. Doing all these, whatever is the need for your system will be furnished, and then you can grasp more in studies. Also your learning and retaining capacity will increase, and you will be able to study as well as gain much more in shorter time.
Go for higher studies if you want to. Choice is yours, blessings are mine!
Q:
Is astrology a science?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, definitely astrology is a science yet that doesn’t mean all astrologers are scientists. (Laughs)Q:
Even after doing the Art of Living course why do some people live in such hatred and ego? How to teach them the language of love?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Bring them to satsang again and again. Sometimes, even after having good intentions in the mind, a person tends to fall because of the company (he keeps). This is called sanghdosh. People are good and wish to walk the right path, but due to bad company, are not able to imply their good thoughts. Thus, satsang is very effective and vital. Inspire others and bring them to satsang. Just like people push others to do wrong acts, similarly for good also we sometimes need to pull people.Q:
I am a coward. All my life I have been afraid of every little thing. I see risks and danger in my way and fear everything and everyone. I’m afraid to get hurt. How do I overcome all this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
First of all remove this label – ‘I am a coward’. Who said you are a coward? Drop this label. When you label, like the saying in the bible ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’ you go on encouraging that. You are wonderful. We are all here to support you, and I am here to support you, and everybody here will support you! Don’t think you are weak. Just drop it.Q:
What is the significance of asking if all the answerscome from within?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
What if I don’t answer? What is thepurpose of all answers? So that the mind says YES! The purpose of all questionsand all answers is to bring our mind to YES consciousness. That is meditation -to be in YES mind!Q:
Guruji, you love each one of us so much. I feel my love for you is much less as compared to your love for me. How can I increase my love for you?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No way, you can’t increase your love. It is already there. You simply have to relax and realize it is there. Never question or doubt your love. You think, ‘Oh, others are having tears in their eyes and I am not having any’. Never mind, never look from at things that angle. Every child from the mother’s womb is complete. It is not that the first child is more complete than second and third is further less. Every mother knows that every child is full, complete. Same way your love is total, complete, at its height. Never doubt that and never compare it with others.If you feel your expression of love is less, it is because of your selfishness. All that you can do is be generous, be less selfish and you can’t do it overnight. Day by day, slowly be more generous, be more centered, and be more dispassionate. Then the love which is inside you, will start expressing itself.Even in the expression of love it should not be too much or too less. It should be the middle path. The problem in the world is that in the West, they express love too much. Husband and wife keeps on saying ‘honey’ and then they become diabetic (laughter), can’t touch honey any more. (laughter) It is just the opposite in the East, they never express love at all. Both ways are extreme. There should be a middle path. It’s like you want a seed to sprout, it neither sprouts when buried deep down in the soil nor when it is put on the top. It needs a little bit of soil and put in it and that’s it. Take the best of the orient and the best of the occidental. That is the middle path.
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Founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar,The Art of Living is an educational and humanitarian movement engaged in stress-management and service initiatives.
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