Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Is there life on any other planet in the universe?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes there is.Q:
Why do we seek God when we know God is already within us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Because we don’t know but some idea is there. There is some prior experience of God. If you don’t know mango exists, you won’t go searching for it. You don’t go in search of something like burr-burr because burr-burr doesn’t exist! You have had some experience in the past but it is not there in the present. Don’t look here and there for God. Go deep within and look inside. Relax. It is there.Q:
How do you go beyond karma? When did it start and when will it end?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When did the world begin?Audience: I don't know!
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When will the world end?
Audience: I don't know!
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This question is also like that. We don’t know when the cycle of karma started. We don’t know the beginning but the seeds of karma can be burnt in the fire of knowledge.
Q:
Many people have started preaching their own practices like Sudarshan Kriya. What to do about it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Many people have started their own things. These kind of wrong practices don’t work in the long run. Don’t worry about all of them. People try, get headache and then they come here.The spiritual practices like Sudarshan Kriya are not only at physical level. It is the divine grace which works.
One can do 21 days teacher training, and spread this knowledge everywhere after becoming a teacher.
Q:
Sometimes questions come in my mind and are answered when I sit in meditation. However, sometimes, I get no answers. Is that because there is no connection?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No connection?! You mean you don’t get the range? (Huge Laughter). It only happens sometimes, so it’s ok. Maybe it’s a difficult question and I don’t have an answer! Maybe that’s why the connection gets broken! (Big laughter)Q:
I had an experience of being nobody and I was so happy, but then I started to take on some responsibility and started to feel like I was somebody again — different and special. The ego came up. How can I sustain being nobody at the same time as carry out responsibilities and playing the roles that I have to play?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Never mind. You do something and everyone adores you and says how good a human being you are.See life from a bigger context. There are six and a half billion people on the planet and they all live for sometime and then everybody dies. People who praise and people who are also praised, both die. The whole universe comes to an end at some point, so renounce it all. So when you see your life from a bigger context, you will see you are everybody.
Q:
Is religion necessary to get deep into spirituality?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Religion is different from communism. Being religious means being compassionate, honest and not treating others as you do not want to be treated as.Q:
Guruji whenever I think of you I become very emotional, tears begin to roll down and my heart starts melting. What to do? Is it good or bad?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Don’t tag your emotions as good or bad. When your heart opens up tears come, it’s natural. Let it be. It is said in scriptures that tears of love are so precious that even angels run to collect them. Even on heaven, there are no tears of love. The most wonderful thing on the planet, on earth is to have tears of love, tears of gratitude. That indicates that our life is glorious. That makes our life rich and fulfilled. Fulfillment in life is when you have tears of gratitude and that comes by luck. You can’t manufacture tears of gratitude; you can’t put glycerin and have tears of gratitude coming in. When you realize what all you have received in life, your heart opens up.Q:
I feel very uncomfortable in the presence of some people even if they are total strangers. Why does this happen?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Take it as an exercise. Meditate. Go deep into yourself. You will find this discomfort goes away. You give it too much importance. If you realize you are bigger, the vibrations will change. When you change they will also change.Q:
There is so much competition in society that kids have no time to relax. There is a fear that they will not fit into society. How do we handle this situation? What is the mantra for excellence?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I think you shouldn’t push them too much. You should teach them to relax. That is why I said music, meditation, some games will all help.
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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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