Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
How to develop a sense of humor?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
By being relaxed. Have an attitude where nothing matters - only then humor arises. When things matter a lot, then your mind is tensed, you are goal-oriented. There is a part of you to which nothing matters. You are a combination of the nothing matters to everything matters. Have both! If everything matter, then there is no humor. If nothing matters then too, there is no humor. Don’t try to impress somebody. You will be fail miserably. When comedians try to make someone laugh - it appears unintelligent and foolish, childish humor. Those who are intelligent and mature, humor is natural to them.Q:
Why is human life considered the highest of all life forms?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Because you can ask these questions and understand the answers. If you don’t ask or understand you are not better than any other animal or species.Q:
Is it true that I have to love myself before others love me?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
My dear, you are love when you relax. Let go of the feverishness and desire. You are love. You don’t have to sit and say to yourself, ‘I am love’. You don’t have to make an effort. It is a noun. Your name is love. During a course in Switzerland, I was talking on the yoga sutras of Patanjali. A couple of participants went to have acappuccino during the break time. Nearby they met people, who said that they used to follow some other path and they were exchanging notes. They said, ‘We wake up at 3:00 in the morning. Sit and repeat I love myself for about an hour!’ We sleep well and love ourselves!If someone tells you, ‘you don’t love yourself’ – it is not true. Even if you are inflicting misery upon yourself, even then you love yourself because misery brought attention to you. When you understand this you will snap out of this tendency.
Q:
Technology and science have advanced so much, when will spirituality grow?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It’s already happening. So many of you are here. In our country science and spirituality are not in conflict. They complement each other. Both are necessary. Bhava (heart level) and buddhi (head level) are both required. When you watch TV, seeing and listening is important.Q:
When I am in a group I often feel I don't belong to them. How to overcome this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
That must have been an old pattern. Take a step, take a leap. Tell yourself, 'I will be at home, come what may', and then you be the master of your feelings. Don't let your feelings rule you. When you are in a group, and there is discomfort, this is because of barriers, of the ego. Take a deep breath, watch the discomfort, it will disappear.Q:
Guruji our politicians ain’t any good. How can you change corrupted ones like the one in my country?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well. I will leave that question with you. You may get some ideas. Share them with me too!We have to work on this issue. Politicians have lost the sense of belongingness with people. It has become another industry. Politics has ceased to be a place for responsibility and caring and protection of people’s welfare. Rather it has turned out to be self-aggrandizement, an industry of power and position and money.This has to change. You know, politicians will have to realize that they are servants of people. They have a responsibility. There are some very good politicians. Not that we should put them all in the same basket. But those corrupt politicians are the one we really needed to address. That can happen only through education and rising awareness of human values among them. I am very much concerned, especially about Africa, where people have very little to eat. The country is really going down and the politicians of Africa have hoarded billions - $280 billion - in a bank in England. When I was speaking to politicians at the European parliament, they told me that, ‘Guruji, we have good news. We have sent $79 million back to Africa to the people there because it’s the people’s money. But it’s not sufficient. It’s only a small portion of what presidents and prime ministers of the continent of Africa are holding there. Similarly, Indian politicians are holding huge amounts in Swiss banks. But it’s all been hushed up. There needs to be a wave of spiritual awakening, moral and spiritual awakening in the whole world, especially in this field. Only then can this be correctedSo, it’s a big task. Everybody has to work for it. We need politicians like Gandhi and Martin Luther King who are spiritual and who care for people to uphold ideals in society. Isn't it?Q:
I am not able to sustain any work I do. What should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Whatever work you do you’re not able to sustain it for too long. You don’t need to sustain it for too long. Do you sustain it for sometime at least? Sometime? Good. Then slowly increase that sustainability little longer, little longer, little longer.Q:
Bomb dropped in Hiroshima, etc... All the major atrocities result from decisions made by politicians...
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Politicians need to be spiritual. When you have compassion and caring you would not do that. Gandhi would never have done such things. Sometimes people are blind to any reason, but they would not turn to extreme measures unless it is absolutely unavoidable.There is a saying in Sanskrit - first with peace, then with forgiveness, then with compassion. If nothing works, finally, take the stick.
Q:
You always say we should surrender our sorrow to you but I feel guilty to give all my worries & problems to you.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You know whatever waste is given to Dharti ma (Mother earth) is returned back to us as manure and flowers! So, if Mother Earth takes your rubbish, am I any less? (Roaring laughter and applause). We carry the power of transforming all your sorrows to happiness and joy. No matter how much darkness there is, it does not affect the Light. When you come to the ashram, don’t you already feel good? (a resounding YES!).Devotee: We know you are the Light Guruji!
Q:
We believe that even a leaf falls due to God's will. If everything in this world happens due to God's will, then why does God give us unhappiness?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You always have the choice to do good or bad. The fruits of your deeds are good or bad according to the choice you make.Don’t cry if you make a mistake. Just learn from it, and move ahead. But, don’t repeat the same mistake - that’s foolishness! At least be smart enough to make new mistakes.
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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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