Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Shiva is not a person sitting somewhere. Shiva himself is meditation. Shiva is Shiva tatva. How do you experience it? By meditation. When you sit and meditate, you get in touch with the Shiva tatva deep inside you.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well, during the course of time impressions started piling up on the consciousness. Consciousness never become totally impure, its only impressions which are on top of it and that goes away with meditation, seva, sadhana and satsang.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Never mind! Who keeps a count of how much you drink. There are better things to do. Every day you drink eight litres of water. The figure goes to 1,200 litres of water for a year. This is a conservative figure. If you’re forty years old – imagine how many gallons and gallons of water. And how many truckloads of food?This lifetime itself is a lot to count. Why bother about other lifetimes?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Ask yourself, have you given 100 percent. If the mind says no, you have given your 80 percent or even 95 percent, then wait till you give your 100 percent. Even better, give your 101 percent for the sake of the children. A little sacrifice for the children will take you a long waySri Sri Ravi Shankar:
First understand what freedom is. Drop whatever burden you feel in the mind. Quieten the mind.The mind will say: ‘I want this’, ‘I want that’ - drop everything.
Have the sankalpa: I am happy, contented and don’t need anything.
When you are free, bliss follows you.
If you are chasing 20 desires, there is no freedom.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
SureSri Sri Ravi Shankar:
To forgive does not mean that you allow yourself to be made a fool again and again. Deal with the situation with compassion.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
In every seeker’s life there comes a time when the heart is at unease, and there is restlessness. In the West, it is known as the “dark day of the soul”. There comes a time when satvik shakti (positive energy) is less and rajogun and tamogun are high, that leads to the restlessness. There are three kinds of taap (penance) and one such taap is known as adhyatmic taap (spiritual misery). Yet it is for a short while. Therefore satsang is very important, especially when you don’t feel like doing it.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Keep this question with yourself – from time to time, the Divine will take the appropriate gift from you.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
What is the purpose of life? Make a list. Your purpose is not to eat, breathe, sleep. (laughter) Your purpose is not to watch TV, die, fight. Your purpose is not to be selfish. If you go by elimination, you will find the purpose.