Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
I have seen people blessing the food. What is thesignificance of blessing food?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The carrots, noodles, salad that youate yesterday are now listening to me. They are sitting here. Everything isalive in this universe in some way or the other. So today, when you have lunch,look at the food and welcome it to satsangtonight, to sing and to dance. Ancient people knew this and that is why theysaid to bless the food. Thought is nothing but a quantum of energy andconsciousness. Food absorbs thought. So, bless the food today for lunch. Don’t thinknegative while eating. That is where the negative cycle begins. It is veryscientific.Q:
How to increase our competence to receive knowledge?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Just have thirst, it comes naturally. There is no special competence required, a mere thirst is enough.Q:
Is feeling helpless is sign of weakness or strength?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Feeling helpless is obviously a sign of weakness but if with that helplessness prayer arises in you then an unknown, unseen, irrefutable strength comes to you. But you can’t force yourself to feel helpless or to pray. It comes automatically.Q:
No matter how sincerely I do sadhana and attend satsang, I am unable to get rid of eating non-vegetarian food. It makes me guilty, please help.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You talk to some of the YES!+* people. They will tell you all the ways. You know the main thing is to save your mind, don’t let guilt enter your mind. Just be natural.Q:
How can we become as big and as fast as this (Art of Living)?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I wonder about that too.I think you should have brainstorming sessions, sit with them those teachers and people of that country we can try those other things too and then wait for the time.Yes, there are two things:One is that our efforts, our skills matters.Second is the right time.A combination of both will definitely workQ:
Which is better: satvic guna (calmness, meditation) or triguna ateet (beyond the three gunas {roughly translated as energies})?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If you do not have satvic guna, you cannot be triguna ateet.You have to move from tamogun (inertia), to rajogun (that energy which is not used productively in activity and which becomes restlessness) and from rajogun to satogun.
From satogun, you will know mukti (freedom).
However, don’t get attached to satogun. You use soap to wash the dirt off your body. Do you allow the soap to remain on your body?
There’s a saying which says, drown your good deeds in a well. Otherwise, you become attached to them, and doing good deeds will make you arrogant.
When you are not attached to even mukti, then you will be triguna ateet.
There is a quote in Sanskrit:
‘Samam pashyanti sarvatra
up mam pashyati sarvatah’
Krishna says, ‘See equality in everything. The one who sees me in everything and sees everything in me, I won't be apart from him and he won't be different from me.’
* a type of breathing technique
Q:
What can you say about 2012?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen. Things will be as usual. In fact more and more people will become spiritual.Q:
How can one see Shiva in everything and everyone?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
‘Shiva is everywhere’ is spiritual truth, and another is practical knowledge. Both have to be considered together. One who is too much stuck in social behavior, does not get anything. So is true for one who is too much stuck with the concept of meditation and spirituality.If a thief comes to your house, you cannot let him do whatever he wants considering him to be a form of Shiv .(Jokingly) Then let the Shiva in the form of police handle this form of Shiva.
You cannot justify intake of drugs or alcohol, saying Shiva is present in these also. Our body is such made that if you increase awareness and prana(life force), you experience divinity. And if you decrease these, you experience inertia.
Where prana is there, that is true beauty or Shiva.
.
Q:
How to keep the God and world together?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
How can you keep them together? They are already one. Where is the question of combining them? In the nature of form, it is world, and same is God in its formless nature. You don’t have to do anything to bring them together.Q:
What is the difference between a dream and an aim?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you talk about an aim you think it is practical, but when you say I have a dream, you think it may be or may not be practical. When you say, ‘I have a dream’ there is a little doubt about it but you feel stronger about having an aim.