Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Is it possible to breath in a different way without thinking about it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
We all have talents. We all have ten fingers but some can take a guitar and produce music and some can’t. But, everybody has abilities. If we learn about the different rhythms in our breath, we are able to have control in our lives. Take long deep breaths in and breathe out as slowly as possible. Deep inhalation and slow exhalation calms the mind. When one is working with a computer the eyes start worrying and it's good to do some eye exercises. This will build up the circulation. I just landed now from India after eighteen hours of flight. Do I look tired?Q:
Guruji, in day to day life spirituality does not always work; I have now come to understand this. I am not able to even ask people for money for the work I have done. Please give me a solution.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you are working then do your work giving your 100% and when you are doing charity do that also to your best. Charity in work and work in charity will create problemsQ:
How much power is there in imagination?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well, there is a story.Once, Mulla Nasruddin imagines that he is dead. He was so convinced that he is dead, that if someone asked him to sign a paper he would say: ‘How can a dead man sign a paper?’
If someone asked him a question, Mulla would say: ‘How can you ask a dead person a question?’
If someone called him on the phone, he would say: ‘Hello who’s this? Mulla Nasruddin is dead!’
This went on for months and years. His wife was fed up. She couldn’t live with him anymore.
On someone’s suggestion, she took him to a psychiatrist.
Mulla Nasruddin told the doctor: ‘All these people don’t believe that this (pointing to himself) is a dead body.’
The doctor asked Mulla Nasruddin: ‘What are the signs of a dead body? Blood is not there, the
heart doesn’t pound….’
Mulla Nasruddin: ‘Yes, you’re correct!
The doctor thought to himself: ‘I found a way to cure him.’
He took a pin and pricked Mulla Nasruddin. ‘Look, blood is here!’ the doctor told his patient. Mulla Nasruddin then said: ‘Ha, ha doctor. Today I discovered that even a corpse bleeds!’
Now you have a proof in me. Re-write your medical books!’
That could be the power of imagination!
Q:
In the wedding vows does the couple get to accumulate their past karmas or do they exchange it and carry it forward?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well all is possible.Q:
What is the dharma of marriage?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Ask your spouse! They will give you long lectures on what your dharma is and what you should be doing. (Audience laughs)Our ancient people spoke about saptapadi – the seven steps one takes in life. The knowledge was so scientific even 1,000s of years ago.
A sense of commitment, co-operation, compassion, caring and less ego – these are the benefits that one finds.
Q:
There are times when people do something bad to you that hurts and you cannot seem to forgive them and time goes by and you still seem to keep that feeling. But you want to forgive them and you want to have a good relationship with that person.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, I think meditation will help. More understanding will help. If someone has done something wrong to you, see it from this angle that the person was just a post man to do what he did. Yes, this is number one. Second angle is, the person was ignorant he didn’t know what he was doing that is why he was doing it, right. Third is to see that person is a victim himself/herself, so they did the mistake the way they did it. In this way you broaden your vision. Suddenly you will see things are all turning aroundQ:
Guruji, it is said in Puranas that a wife wishes for the same husband for the next seven life times. Is it true?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See, I am not qualified to answer this question. You can ask people around you and find out. Some will say yes and some will say no, take a census and go by your experience. Once, this lady in America was telling that she has been married for 40 years and she has been living with the same husband. The other people present were wonder-struck at how she was living with the same man for 40 years. Then she said if you don’t know how to row one boat, even if you change the boat, you will not know how to row it. I said, ‘This is the story of every family in India and this tradition is there in the villages.’ If you don’t know how to row a boat, changing the boat is no use. That is why, however the people around us are, we have to maintain a good relationship with them and through whatever means and efforts we should nurture the good qualities in others. Just criticizing anyone is not helpful. Instead you have to become a bridge. If you are just going to sit and criticize then it will only bring distance. You have to understand them, where they are coming from and why are they doing wrong. And then you explain to them lovingly, win them over with love. This takes a lot of time; it is very easy to criticize someone and keep them away from you. That can be done in minutes but to be with them day and night, to explain to them and to bring change in them is very difficult and important. That is what should be done.Q:
Jai Gurudev. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a great sadhak, he did sadhana for his entire life but still at the end he suffered, why?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Sometimes, masters take the karmas of the disciples. Because of the disciple's karma, he has to go through those physical illnesses. It is not necessary everybody has to go through that, some masters choose to do that, that’s itQ:
What is time? What is life? Is there any correlation between the two? Also, do parallel dimensions exist?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes. Time is the measurement between two events. Space is the distance between two objects. That’s it. Life is between birth and death. The distance between birth and death is called life.Q:
Guruji, how to improve people’s skills and communication skills?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This is important. Talk less, observe more. Second, don’t put your ideas too much so that the other person doesn’t digest it or take it, got it? Don’t keep pouring your ideas. Sometimes we do that, we pour too much of our ideas. The other person, you don’t even observe whether they’re grasping it,whether they’re understanding it or not. Third, don’t bore them with your stories of failures or success. Your failure stories will bore others as much as your success stories. Oh I went here, I did this, I did that and the listener will say, ‘Oh my god when will this guy stop’! But in your own mind, there is such a joy that comes to you while talking; you don’t consider the other person’s listening ability at all. We don’t think about their listening ability or their relevance to it. How many of you agree with that? We must watch out for that. And then, instead of telling them what you like, ask them what they want, what do they like. Sometimes we declare all that we like and we dislike. Who asked you to declare? It’s not an income tax department, asking you to declare your assets or your achievements; we go out of the way to declare all of our achievements, our likes and our dislikes. For a listener,you appear to be a very self centered person, drop this. The more pleasant you are, the more centered you are, you’ll be more liked by people. What do you say? Correct. Be centered and you want nothing from the person. We, in our mind, we want some recognition from the other, we want some appreciation from others, we want some favor from others. Favor, recognition, or appreciation these are the things that puts a break on you being very friendly with people. In the heart when you say, ‘ I want nothing from this person, I don’t need to be appreciated by them’, then you will see the big shift that happens within you. It’s not out of arrogance that I want nothing from anybody, that’s not arrogance. Do you see what I’m saying? There’s a difference between arrogance and this. In arrogance still you want some recognition, yes? You don’t look for an approval or recognition from them. You should remember that everybody is caught up in their own little world.
Displaying 5271 - 5280 of 7916
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.
Read More