Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Where did these thoughts come in your head? It came in your head, right? Better find that out yourself. Before it comes, try to catch it. When you look inside, you will find that the thought is coming from an empty space. An empty space. And that empty space is the mother of all inventions, all creativity.That’s why, time and again, experience silence. You will get creative and innovative thoughts will come to you. Our mind is chattering all the time, 24 hours. That’s why be silent. Silence increases our energy level, our sharpness and awareness level. It has enormous potential. Imagine someone with insomnia – they are tired the whole day and are unable to sleep at night too. They don’t know how to rest. They chatter and chatter.
You continuously talk and listen to the television and radio. We get immersed in sound from morning to night, from the time we get out of bed till we go to bed again. Chatter, chatter! How much wear and tear would’ve happened to our brain! We don’t give it any time to rest. There is so much disharmony around you. You know why you like music? Because music is a harmonious sound and all disharmonious sounds gets submerged in it.
You will start enjoying that quietness. That inner harmony and serenity is much more pleasurable than the best music you can ever listen to.
I am not saying you should never listen to music. It is necessary but don’t overdo it. You should eat, but you shouldn’t overeat. Similarly, you should listen to music, but not get obsessed with it.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
That’s good. I am happy if you feel happy and when you move on the right path, right knowledge and engage yourself in sadhana, seva and satsang, it’s very good for you and everyone.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, they say everything is fair in love and then it turns into a war! (laughter)When they say everything is fair in war, they, in turn, get jailed. That’s what happened to Miloshevich and many other people who just didn’t care for any rules and thought everything is fair in war and love and finally, they landed up in jail.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Why should we not? Listen, now why should we have so many types of vegetables? You should have had only one egg plant. You should have asked why there are so many types of fruits. There are grapes, oranges, so many types of oranges, so many types of bananas. You should have had only bananas. Nature should have created only bananas. You eat the banana and go bananas. You would have really gone nuts. Nature loves diversity. So nature made so many types of rice. You know, in rice there are 152 types in India alone. World over if you count there are thousands of types of rice. There are types of rice, types of cows; different types of vegetables, fruits. The Divine loves diversity. So the Divine can manifest itself in so many diverse forms. That is what the ancient people said. You should give the freedom for Divine to wear whatever clothes it wants to wear. Don’t say that the should come in the same dress all the time.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You need the four things curiosity, fear, greed and love.Remember the planet has faced worse crises than these. If you have a crisis you only have to look at a bigger crisis – start to serve the bigger ones and yours seem smaller and you overcome it effortlessly. When a crisis seems too humungous for you and you feel you cannot handle your own, focus on a bigger one. Have you noticed how children come to you with a big problem, and it turns out that their friend doesn’t want to speak to them. It seems so big. Or you argue with your neighbor, your girlfriend or boyfriend. The problem seems so big but this planet has had so many crises. The tsunami, war, famine, economic meltdown and still we overcome them all. Have faith and confidence.
1. Have confidence in you. You have the strength to manage the problem. If the problem is the tail then the body is the solution. So have confidence.
2. If this doesn’t work then know that there are people with greater problems and start serving them. It will make you feel better.
3. Surrender to the bigger power. Feel your helplessness and offer the problem to God. The sincere prayer will make things turn around. You don’t have to think about what denomination to pray. Just from helplessness arises the spontaneous prayer.
4. Know that it is a passing phase. It will always go. See life in the bigger picture. No problem stays forever. It came and it will go.
Read more: https://www.artofliving.org/intl/Portals/0/founder/ontour/09April0SpiritualityIsRelevantToSociety.pdf
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Educate people about good food, health that is very much needed.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Emptiness is the doorway between the material and spiritual worlds. It is where you come to understand the nature of the spirit, if you do not know emptiness, then you cannot know the joy of the Being. The knack for experiencing the Being causes emptiness. From the emptiness begins the fullness.On one side of emptiness is misery and on the other side of emptiness is joy.
That is what Buddha said: “The whole world is misery and what is to be achieved is emptiness.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes it is okay. In deep meditation sometimes tandra comes and you fall asleep, never mind. Wake up and do a little more pranayam. Today, did you feel every cell waking up? (Many answer YES). How many of you felt your body became so light?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Change can happen by educating people. People like you (points to the crowd) do padayatras (walkathons) and educate people. West Bengal is far behind. There’s little industry and business, it has obsolete ideology. Make people aware.Communist China and Russia have changed their course. But in India, it doesn’t change because of lack of awareness. So, create awareness and meditate. Nothing is impossible. If something is impossible, then we can do it!
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Those who do not have certain things think that others do not have it too. Even I have been giving proof all along so you too keep giving proof for some more time. what else? Think of your examinations also as play so that you do not feel pressured by them. Of course you must study and do well in your exams. But what to do if the staircase is twisted? You also have to twist yourself a little bit, anyhow you have to climb. If you try to straighten the staircase while climbing then you will get stuck. So, even if the stairs are twisted you hold on to the railing and move forward. Once you have moved forward then later on you can work towards fixing the staircase.