Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Who controls God?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If someone controls God, he cannot be God. The one who cannot be controlled is God.Q:
Dearest Guruji, I sit here with you and after all that happened in my life in the past, today I know it was worth going through it to live and experience what I feel today. Fullness, love, gratitude, excitement and inspiration. All because of what you have given to this world. Eternally yours!
Q. Does the strength of the Guru lie in the fact that he represents a symbolic father who helps to heal the wounds from the real father?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The wounds need to be healed, that is more important. Whatever relation you put, whatever attachment you put, it is secondary. See the world from a fresh eye, from a fresh look. Anybody who has inflicted pain to you, know that they have done it because they have no knowledge. They were deprived of this spiritual knowledge. That is why they were behaving that way. They were handcuffed, they were blindfolded, they were dumbfounded and they acted the way they acted. They are victims themselves. See them from this angle, you will feel compassion for them and you will feel grateful for what you have got in your life, ya?Q:
Guruji is there any special message for us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Special message is that that you are very special. All of you. When I say you, it is not for any one person but for us. All of you are very special.Q:
When I come here I find so much peace and harmony. How can I take this same peace and harmony back to Kashmir also?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You also come up with ideas, I will also think. More youth like you should come from Kashmir, experience this and go back and serve. We will start the Art of Living in Kashmir and make it big. If you all resolve, we will definitely do it. We can do organic farming there. We can train more teachers, all can heal and bless them, bring happiness in them. We already have a residential school there. We all need to do more and more.Q:
When I see people who are sick or poor, I feel for them very strongly, and I spend days thinking about them. How to let go?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
In Patanjali Yoga Sutras, it is said there are four clues, ideas, or concepts on how to deal with real life situations.First, there is friendliness. If you feel friendly for those who are happy, you will overcome jealousy.
For people who are suffering, you should have only compassion, and not friendliness.
Be happy for those who do good work, who are productive, and meritous.
For those who are doing bad things, feel indifference, not hatred.
These are the four different attitudes in our life. If we practise these, we will save our 'mann' (mind). When any other feeling opposite to this bothers you, then reverse your feelings. When you feel jealous, turn it around to love. Feelings cannot be changed by effort, but only through intention.
Q:
Why is there suffering in love?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Without knowledge, there is suffering in love too. Despite knowledge, if there is suffering, then accept it. That is the nature of love.Q:
I want to love and accept myself but it seems difficult. Please, maybe you could really advise me on how to get through it. Thank you.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
My dear, you are love, don’t try to love yourself.Don’t say: ‘I want to love myself; I want to love myself…’
There is a movement here in the Europe. They get up at 3 o’clock in the morning, sit on their beds, look into the mirror and for two hours keep repeating: ‘I love myself, I love myself…’
A couple from this movement was in Switzerland at the same time that we had a course. A couple from our Art of Living course met them in a coffee shop. So, both couples started talking and shared about what they do. So, our Art of Living couple said: ‘You know, we simply love ourselves.’
The wife of that gentleman that does the process every morning said: ‘No, we get up at 3 am and for two hours we repeat: ‘I love myself; I love myself.’ So, the Art of Living couple said: ‘Why don’t you just do our course? It will make a difference.’ So they did the course and afterwards the wife said: ‘Oh, it is such a relief. Now, my husband doesn’t have to get up in the morning, and sit on the bed.’ She would get a headache while he kept doing this practice. She had become miserable. Finally, their relationship was at the edge of breaking. After the Art of Living course, they are now a happy couple.
You are love. Forget about loving yourself. You, anyways, love yourself. There is no need for you to go on repeating it. You should take certain things for granted. Like if you say: I am in Germany. You know you are, you don’t have to repeat it to yourself.
How do I know I am in Germany? And someone comes and tells you to repeat every day: ‘Oh, I am in Germany; I am in Germany…’ If you keep reminding yourself, then you would be taken to a mental hospital.
You know that you are in Germany.
Similarly, take it for granted that you love yourself. You love positive or negative qualities, however you are. You are beyond the qualities, you are not your positive or your negative qualities, you are something beyond both of them. When you acknowledge this, just know that this is it.
Some people say: ‘Oh, I don’t look beautiful.’ Who cares whether you look beautiful or not? Why are you bothered so much?
Q:
Guruji, yesterday you talked about prana level. You said for human beings it is between 7 and 16. How do one find out?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
All that you have to do is increase your prana level and you are doing it. Pranayama, meditation - all this increases your prana level.Q:
How to react in a situation where one see injustice being done to people around us or to our self?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you see injustice, you must stand up to it. And stand up with skill, don’t be foolish. You need to have the skill, power and support to stand up and that you need to garner, when you stand up to injusticeQ:
How can love move science?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When love for science is intense, it is already moving the world.The ultimate aim of a researcher is not to earn a livelihood. If the main aim of a researcher is to earn a livelihood, it is not a best quality research. It has to lead to a soul-search. Research is to know. The joy of knowing is itself the goal. Getting recognition is immaterial.
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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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