Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Where should we direct our energy during silence? Where does the attention go when we walk outside? Thank you Guruji
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Two things: Observe the nature, second is, observe yourself, your own breath, your own body. And do it with least amount of effort. Don’t use too much effort. Okay? Just a gentle awareness is good enough; some people put so much effort doing it. Then they get headaches, they get so tired. We shouldn’t do that. The whole process is effortless, sadhana is totally effortless. Got it? Hm. The only effort you need to put here is to make sure you don’t eat too much food. If it is too tasty, inform the kitchen. Ask them to make it less tasty. That’s the problem, the food is too tasty then you feel like having one more, one more. If you don’t eat too much, then you are on the safe side. Too much food makes you feel dull. Meditation doesn’t happen then. Moderation, don’t fast also, just the right amount of food.Q:
How did your parents raise you?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Very good.. Always understanding and always cooperative. nn
Q:
What are the qualities of a good disciple?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Why don’t you take it as your homework exercise? You write down the qualities and then tell me. Tomorrow we will put a sheet and everybody write one quality on that. For two days we will write down all the qualities. If someone else has already mentioned a quality, don’t write that again, you write something else. Whatever you feel like go and write and let’s see. And those of you who are watching on the internet you also send your own ideas, what should be the qualities of an ideal devotee or disciple.Q:
Guruji, music is my life but most of the people around me do drugs and have bad habits. How can I keep playing while being affected by all this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Stand your ground, it’s good.Q:
You have said in one your talks that three things destroy the planet: misunderstanding, miscommunication and misuse, how do we relive ourselves from this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, improve communication, have better understanding and don’t mistrust.Q:
Man says that the blood flow is controlled by heart. The heart is controlled by the brain. What controls the brain?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
That is the life force.Q:
What’s older, Tamil or Sanskrit? Why don’t you sing Thevarams in Tamil?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I only know one language. The language of the heart.How does it matter? Whether Sanskrit is older or Tamil is older?
There is a feeling that oldest is best... is that the thing?
In New Delhi, there is a 99-year-old man. But he is very alert. He has written 220 books on a wide range of topics like Ayurveda and history. He once attended a debate where historians were arguing on the location of the first man. There were three days of debate and discussion. Some people said Africa, some people said Mongolia.
Eventually this elderly man, who was respected by all, walked up to the stage. He claimed that the first man was definitely born in India. Everyone was surprised that he was speaking with so much authority. He went on to say that the man was born in Punjab. People were even more surprised. ‘Not only that, I know which town in Punjab he was born in, and which street, and which house,’ he said. Now the others started to suspect something. He eventually said, “I was born there!” But the historians understood his point. It was all speculation and hypothesis.
The heart seeks the old, and the head seeks the new, the latest and greatest. When in love, we feel that our connection is for ever. Life is a combination of the two – old and new.
Both Tamil and Sanskrit are very old. English, Italian, German are very close to Sanskrit. Russian, even closer. Sanskrit is the mother of all these Indo-European languages.
Q:
Guruji, how do I deal with people’s jealousy and greed that I may encounter on my spiritual path?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See, don’t recognize it, if they are jealous, it is their problem. You, thinking about their jealousy, you get angry. So, they got jealous but you got angry. You feel disgusted because they got jealous. Don’t recognize it, that’s their problem, from your side you be hollow and empty.Q:
Guruji, while doing pooja when we see the decoration of the idol of the Divine it feels very beautiful. But when we close our eyes and meditate, even that is very beautiful. So, what should we do, should we see or should we meditate?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Go deep in meditation and that is the best pooja. What is pooja? ‘Yena kena prakarena yasya kasyapi dehinad, santosham janayetpragyah tadeveshvarapujanam.’ What is the best form of worship? In whichever way, bringing happiness and peace to the hearts of people is the best form of worship; bring happiness to everybody. ‘Yena kena prakarena’ was said in those days. Now it cannot be done. Real happiness can be achieved only through meditation.Q:
How do I know the path that I choose to take is the right one when there are so many different paths that I can take?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When doubt comes, then know for sure it is the right one. Generally, we doubt only that which is true. All that is good, we doubt. If someone asks if you are happy you say, “Well, I am not sure.” But you are so definite about your unhappiness, right? Similarly if someone tells you that they love you so much, you will say, “Really?” And if someone says, “I hate you,” you never say, “Really?” So most of the time, our doubts are about something that is positive. So when you are on a path that you like, the doubt whether this is the right path or not will come.
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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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