Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
I do seva for the society by organizing courses and I sometimes fail to do my home duties. In that case, my parents scold me saying, I am not taking care of home. Should I take care of the society or home? What to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Your know, how to ride bicycle? How do you balance? Like that, you have to do both and balance the duties.Q:
How does one balance between professional life and spiritual life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You know how to ride bicycle or motor bike? How do you balance? You just do it.Q:
Dearest Guruji, I had a question in my mind when we were speaking about energy centers today, in the knowledge tape. I feel constant energy in my secondchakra but I don’t have any desires to do sex because I know it leaves me tired and dull. On the other hand my creative energy has not manifested itself. I would like to use my creativity and write, sing, dance, etc. How will it come to this point? Please show me a way. Give me ability to make my creative energy alive.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Ya! Continue your meditation. If a particular chakra has been used a lot then automatically energy goes there quite a bit. But it will keep moving,definitely moving. You focus more on navel center and then dance, sing. Singing and dancing, that is all part of our practices. You know, it uplifts you in more than one way.Q:
How to get rid of hurt and anger?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Do Sudarshan Kriya, breathe, sing and meditate. There is no point in brooding. Move on in life. Don’t waste today for what happened yesterday. Wake up and say, “I have the valor and the courage to overcome this.” With someone else’s anger, you must play all your tricks to calm them. Then leave it to God. Educate and ignore. Give them some time. Ask for pardon and most people will not hold the grudge. If they do, it is only out of ignorance.Q:
I have been in love with a girl for the past four years. Recently she broke up with me because of some misunderstanding. I want her back and don’t know what to do.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Basically you broke your heart. Okay so what do you want? You want her back right? What is the guarantee that if she comes back to you she will be happy? Do you know how to achieve what you want? You have to go deep inside. You have to become calm and centered. When you are feverish, your mind is agitated. You lose all your charm. If you are not charming, what is the guarantee that anybody will stay with you? You have to make yourself pleasant, charming, strong and subtle. Who wants to be with someone who is unhappy, sad or depressed? First get rid of your sadness. Shake off the past. accept the lessons from the past and move on. You have to become strong, serene, and calm.Only when you meditate, do pranayama and Sudarshan Kriya, Yoga then you can have all the four. Do yoga and you will see the difference immediately? When the difference comes your wishes will start being fulfilled.
When you are desperate, you can do only two things. Either commit suicide or repose in yoga. Only spirituality and knowledge can bring charm into your life. A yogi is one who not only can fulfill his desires but can also fulfill others desires.
Q:
I feel very secure in the ashram and fear going back to the outside world. What can I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Ok, have fear. Awaken enthusiasm, whatever happens let it happen. At least believe that you are not alone, the Divine is there. Observe where the fear sensation is – heart, throat and other parts of the body. Do pranyama, bhastrika and Sudarshan Kriya. Keep yourself busy, do not give yourself a lot of time to think, then where is the time to fear?* kalyuga – Iron Age, Age of Darkness
Q:
Why is it that doing something wrong is easier than doing the right thing?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Is it? I thought to do a wrong deed, requires a lot of effort. See if you like something very much then all your energies go into that direction. Is it easy to slap someone? I don’t think so, I find it very difficult. If you think it is very easy to call someone names then it would be because of an old habit. A lot of people cannot use bad words, even if they wish to.We have to bring a transformation within ourselves and bring in human values in our life. Make an attempt for it. Even if you try and do a good action, its result will be good. Even if someone does a wrong action very easily, its result would be very bad.
Q:
Guruji, do you have any unfulfilled desires?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
(After a little pause) Yes, I want to see millions of people smiling and all these conflicts in the world to end. There should be no war. WAR itself means ‘Worst Act of Reason’. People who are involved in war give reasons to justify their actions but it is actually the worst act of reason. There is so much domestic violence in the world today. All this must stop. This can happen when people become more compassionate and understanding.Q:
If a person has two spiritual Gurus, whom should one follow?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If you are confused, why are you involving me in this confusion?! (Laughter). No matter what I say, your mind will still be in conflict. If I say follow the other Guru, you would say I have rejected you. If I say follow me, even then you would ask why have I asked you to leave the other. See one in all and all in one (applause). The Guru you had before has prepared you to be here. You decide. Are you satisfied being here? Are you centered? Are you established in your Self? Respect all paths but be committed to one path. That way you don’t get confused. You have come to this path, stick to it. Be playful, be happy; see if your smile increases. If it does not, even I will tell you to go somewhere else. (applause).Q:
I have done many sins in my life. Am I a right candidate for this sacred path? I want to repent for my wrong deeds.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Your very wish to repent has solved the purpose. This wish to repent is an indication that your intellect is getting matured. Otherwise, you would not have been aware of your wrong actions. Something wrong has happened through you and you want to repent for that, this means you are out of it in the present. The wish to repent arises only in the matured intellect. You are innocent in the present moment. Don’t live in the past, but take this sankalpa (Resolution) that you don’t have to do this in future.One with deluded intellect supports even his/her wrong actions. Know that the one who does a mistake and supports it is lacking in maturity of intellect.
Some people do repentance with guilt. That also doesn’t solve the purpose. That is why Master/Disciple tradition exists. Master would guide the disciple to do something to be free from the guilt. Or if you simply tell the Master that some mistake has happened through you, then also you come out of the guilt. Even if you tell this to yourself in your mind that you have done some mistake, the mind calms down. Why does a mistake happen? Because of ignorance. When you have lighted the lamp of this knowledge inside you, you become free in the present.