Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When an instruction is given, at first you are unsure whether you are following it correctly. Even to find the tip of your nose can be hard, so when you are told to look within, you’re not sure what exactly to do.You will find that different types of thoughts and emotions come up, but over time you should find that your meditations improve. We have shoved lots of things under the carpet in our minds, and in the first meditations, while we are in silence, they all come out.
It is like the first time you do Kriya. You feel rebellious and think you are wasting your time. In the same way, you may think that why should I be in silence? Let me go out and have fun.
But remember, you are doing this in order to have real fun. When the system is cleansed, real fun happens.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You don’t need to be aggressive but you should be assertive. You be firm and assertive.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The cause of insecurity is that you think nobody loves you. That is your own misunderstanding. There is so much love in the universe.1. I’m here. When you have that confidence, then fear disappears. At least here (at the ashram), there are so many people who love you.
2. Usually you feel that if someone loves you, you think they except something from you. I want nothing from you, other than your smile and happiness. When you know this, all your fears will vanish.
3. Practice pranayama, asanas, kriya, meditation regularly,
4. Your entanglement can cause fear. More the entanglement, more the fear. Only knowledge can bring freedom from entanglement.
Craving brings lack of peace.
Attachment brings fear and insecurity.
Greed brings ‘lack consciousness’, poverty.
Freedom from craving, will give you peace.
Through non-attachment, you are free from fear.
Generosity will help you to get over ‘lack consciousness.’
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See, are you calmer? Are you dynamic? Are you free from vices, bad habits and are you having a sense of belongingness with everybody around you? These are some of the measures; they don’t have to be the only measures.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.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
We don’t have to leave the six levels; we cannot leave the body, mind, intellect. We have to be with this and know the Self. The body, mind, memory, intellect, ego is there and let it be there. Start meditating and relaxing for a few minutes every day, before starting your work, after your work. See, when you meditate and your mind becomes quiet, that peaceful mind is the house of God. That is why you cannot know God but you can be one with God. You are feeling peaceful, you are feeling happy, going deeper and deeper. In this, you will start to experience that 'I am everybody, it is all only me'.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Islamic world is an integral part of the Art of Living family – we have projects in Iraq, Pakistan, and Turkey too. The responsibility is much more on all of you who are coming from the Islamic world to educate people in inter-disciplinary, inter-faith knowledge.We must move from extremism, and fanaticism to the center – change the image of countries like Lebanon, and Afghanistan from being war zones to places of peace.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Accept: ‘Ok, I am going to fail. So what? I still want to do it.’ It's like a game you play, whether you win or lose, you play the game. Correct? If you are playing soccer, you just play, no matter if you win or lose, you just play. In the same way, don’t be afraid of failure. If you fail, never mind, still do it. Ok?You need to take some risks in life.