Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Silence is good, but in reality people who talk more, get more.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you are scared and afraid, you don’t talk when you should be talking.But when you are confident, you talk where you need to talk and don’t talk when you don’t need to.
Q:
Guruji, how to clearly identify intuition? What is the best way to identify and get rid of past happenings?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
A sense of deep acceptance, that nature has given in the past. No point in doing a postmortem of whatever happened in the past and questioning it. You know most of our time gets wasted when we start questioning the past. The future, you cannot question, because nothing has happened. So if you have a deep sense of acceptance for the past and be dynamic in the present you will see a new dimension added to your life.Q:
After how many years of sadhana do we get 100 % control over our feelings?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No emotions are bad. But if they stay for long, then it is bad.Emotions should be like a line drawn on the surface of water. It is alright to be angry, but only for a few seconds or a few minutes. But, if it surpasses days and months, it is disastrous.
Q:
I made a mistake and apologised for it. Will my dear people forgive me?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, you are forgiven. You made a mistake, that’s ok. Done, finished! With every mistake you learn something and you move forward. But if you keep repeating the same mistake again and again, then you have to be a little more concerned.You can make new mistakes, not the same old ones. That won’t be forgiven. Once, twice, thrice … No fun in repeating the same old mistake!
Q:
I feel so fortunate to be listening to a modern-day Vivekananda. How does one know which specific field you are cut off for? Then we can be more effective.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, its true…. All those who want to do some service activity, want direction, come here. Let us make a team, take specific targets and do service. We have adopted 38 slums around Bangalore. There are many of you who can go and inspire them and help them.n
(Another visitor narrates his experience of hearing Art of Living bhajans when passing by a police station. Sri Sri says: “Even in prisons, inmates hear these bhajans all the time.”)
n
Q:
How can someone with a family life achieve spiritual growth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Family life is not contrary to spiritual practices. If you go deep into spiritual practices, then your relationships with people, with your children become better.Q:
I am young and sometimes I like to go out and drink with my friends. I don’t feel guilty. Should I?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Sometimes you do so only socially. When you become unhappy, this socialising drink will catch on and you will drink more and more. You could become an alcoholic. Just say no, keep away. Be firm that you won’t have it, then you are in a safe place. From here, you can never turn into an alcoholic. I’ve seen so many people become alcoholic with the same logic. They start with ‘once in a while’. Alcohol does so much damage to your nervous system that can reflect in the pure consciousness, the deeper reality. Drink brings dullness. It is like driving with the brakes on. If you want to progress, you must put some barriers,for instance, tobacco. Smoking was considered part of the culture some 35-40 years ago. Today, it is not. We have been saying this for years and it has taken so long and cost millions of lives. So many lives would have been saved. No smoking, no drugs, no alcohol – put these barriers.Q:
Is homosexuality a sin? Is it possible to change the orientation of a human being by Sadhana and Spiritual Practices?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See, these tendencies come in you because you are made up of both mother and father, a combination of two. Everybody has both male genes and female genes. When male chromosomes are dominating or when female chromosomes are dominating, these tendencies come and go. You don’t have to brand yourself about that. It can all change. There is a possibility of those tendencies changing. Know that you are more than just the body. You are a scintillating consciousness, energy. You are sparkling light, and so, identify yourself with that light more.Q:
My mirror tells me everyday that I am maturing on outside. Which mirror should I use to measure the growth that is happening inside, my spiritual growth
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See, are you more calm, are you more fulfilled, satisfied? You feel a sense of expansion. Turn back and see how you were and how you are today. A simple reflection about yourself gives you an idea.Q:
Where is the seat of atma?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You have a mind. Close your eyes and search for it. You will that it is everywhere and nowhere. It is not an object to be kept somewhere. The field is all over.
Displaying 5371 - 5380 of 7916
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.
Mehr