Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
How to educate those people who have developed a dislike towards Spirituality?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Are you single or married? (Laughter). If you are single then you don’t have that problem (More laughter).If your spouse is against your being on the spiritual path, then you have to apply an indirect solution. Through the close friend of your spouse you can reach out to your spouse and when it comes from them, your spouse will listen.
For others, you keep educating them. Share the knowledge with them. In English there is a saying ‘Familiarity breeds contempt’ but in our case it is lack of familiarity which breeds contempt because they don’t know. So educate them.
Also Maoist and leftist indoctrination has turned many people against spirituality. Within Nepal also so many people are against spirituality. Out of 600 districts in India 212 are not touched by the Art of Living. Once we reach out, a total turn around happens. There was an incident when a Maoist guerilla came to attack one of our teachers in a Satsang (song & celebration) in a village in Jharkhand. They came and saw people singing so happily that they also joined in. later on they insisted that the teacher have a Satsang for them as well.
The story of Angulimaala from Buddha’s life is not just history or a mythology. It is happening now, here, today. Where all legislations and money doesn’t work, what works is Love.
Q:
Despite having everything , what does the mind want to procure? Why is it restless?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It is a blessing if you are not content with small material things! The longing for the divine is the divine himself! One who is without longing has no juice in his life, no knowledge and no celebration.Q:
When to use dispassion and when to use compassion?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you are bothered about an attachment, use dispassion. And at all other times, use compassion. In fact, you can’t use compassion. Either you are compassionate or you are not. It is not a screwdriver which you can use at sometimes and keep aside some other times. Compassion is like your nose. To realize it is there you have to be there and if it is not there, you are also not there. (Huge laughter) Got it? To realize you have a nose, you have to be there and to realize it is not there, you won’t be there.Q:
When we meditate, why do we take our attention to different parts of the body when we have to go beyond the body level?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When we want to build a tall building, the foundation must be sufficiently deep. The string of the bow is stretched back further when the arrow has to go far. So to transcend the mind we bring our attention to our body, and then we realize we are beyond the body.Q:
Guruji there are mental hospitals for mentally challenged people, what is the place for people who are in love with the Divine?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
For them, this whole world is their own. Such madness is welcomed everywhere. Everybody will invite them; everybody will welcome them and would love to talk to them. Because they know, we spread such fragrance.Q:
If some politician in power is corrupt, and causes a lot of pain to many people, is it correct to pray for his death?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Pray for his sadbuddhi (good sense) and if that doesn’t happen then pray that he is removed from the position of power. In many temples, you will find that rakshasas (demons) are carved at the entrance. Yet their place is outside or under God’s feet. If they sit on the main throne then there is trouble.Q:
Is God present or not?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Good, keep this question in your mind. However, if you know that God is present, then your life will change.As long as you are attached to material things, you won't find God.
When you are tired of things here, when you have had enough, then you will find God. Then you will find maturity.
Q:
I don’t easily get things in life? Recently, my case was going on and it got dismissed?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Listen, you have made this notion in mind that you don’t get things easily in life. Who has said this? First remove this label from your mind ok? Whatever you want youask for that and go ahead with confidence, ok? Don’t think that you always fail, your things get haphazard. This is wrong. It doesn’t happen like that. Everyone faces some problems initially. It has never happened that nobody faces no problem initially, and it will never happen like that.
Q:
Guruji, why don’t I have same experience in doing meditation here and at home?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Places do have an impact – that’s only in beginning. The stronger you become, you start influencing places instead of places affecting you.Q:
Guruji, sometimes I feel connected to you and sometimes I don’t. I am confused if you are my master or someone else. What should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You know on these matters I don’t give any clarifications. I create even more confusion for you to work on that confusion .You are given an exercise so that you do it. The teacher gives you the problem and he wants you to find a solution to the problem. In schools and colleges you are not given solutions and asked to find problems for that. A teacher’s job is to create confusion so that you can exercise your intellect, your mind, your intuition and your inner voice to see and come up with a solution.
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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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