Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Just like the wonderful environment of the ashram, how do I bring about this environment in my life and home?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You should take responsibility to create a beautiful environment in your home. It is not enough if you just take care of your home. Continue giving this knowledge and practice to all people among your contacts. Provide opportunity for everyone in the house to do meditation.Q:
Guruji, it is true that God is present every moment but why do we feel sometime separation or duality?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
That’s a game!Q:
Guruji, did Gopis ever meditate when Krishna was there?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Did Gopis meditate? Whether they meditated or they did not meditate, how does it matter? It is an old story. But meditation has to be second to life; walking, talking, sitting, doing, everything you are in a state of meditation. Krishna did meditate, every morning, in his routine, he used to wake up at 4 o’ clock sit for one hour and meditate. And then he would honor the scholars, and then 8’o clock he would take a round of the city, meet the general public and then in the evening he would celebrate in his style (with mischief).Q:
Guruji, what is the significance of the twelve Jyotirlings of lord Shiva? Is it necessary to visit them?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
These pilgrimages are intended to bring people together, and unite the country from Kashmir to Rameshvaram, from Kaamaakhya to Somnath. Shiva does not reside only in temples. He dwells in our hearts. Wherever you are, call out to Him and He will appear.Q:
Guruji, I have come to the ashram for the very first time, and love it. I feel as though you have brought me here. In our day-to-day life we come across good and bad things and sometimes tend to deviate from the path. I meditate, and perform yogic practices daily. When I am in solitude, I find it easy to stay centered and maintain saatvik (purity) qualities. My question on behalf of everyone is, how do we maintain this purity in the face of the positive and negative influences we are exposed to in the world?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The awareness of this will bring it about. Keep meditating, do Sudarshan Kriya, attend satsangs and stay in the company of good people; it will happen.Q:
Can dispassion and longing go together?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
They have to go together, that is wisdom. Longing is one side and dispassion is the other side. Where there is no dispassion, longing can turn into bitterness. If there is only dispassion, then there is no juice and we need some juice in life, some thrill, some fun. And spirituality is full of juice; full of thrill, enthusiasm, joy. Unfortunately spirituality is perceived as such a dull, boring, serious thing - it is never like that. The Divine is full of juice. It is juicy, and spirituality is so juicy. So anyone who has gone close to the Divinity, to the source has always become very juicy, not dry.Q:
How can we realize the whole word is a game of the mind?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Oh! You have not realized that? Tell me, how many times your judgments have proved to be wrong? Many times? nearly 80% of the time all your judgments have been wrong; 90%? (Answer – 70% to 80%). Whenever you have a judgment about somebody then you found yourself wrong, right? So that has taught you it is all maya, right? Your mind teaches you that it is all maya. You sit and you have some fear, you have apprehensions, you imagine things and suddenly you find all that is all wrong. It is all the making up of your own mind. At that moment, ‘Oh ya this mind is maya’, and that is what is the play. Just look at your own mind, you look at somebody, you judge something and then your find out it is not true. All these wrong perceptions, understanding, concepts, wrong ideas and judgments are good enough to tell you your mind is an illusion.Q:
In The Bhagwad it is written that there are 4 steps in the practice of Dharma: Truth (Satya), Discipline (Tapah), Purity, Compassion. As a supervisor in-charge in the Department of Agriculture I often find myself unable to practice compassion towards my subordinates as I am pressured from above to improve efficiency and productivity.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
One can feel compassion towards one who is miserable, not one who is arrogant, or commits wrong-doings. Such a person is dealt with strictness without compromising one’s integrity. Of the four qualities: friendliness, compassion, mudita (happiness), indifference: all one can do is to practice indifference towards one’s higher-ups.Q:
What role does Karma play in our life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Everything is karma my dear! You’re asking a question it is karma; karma means action. And to listen to your question - that is my karma. But then, to answer it or not is my choice and your karma, got it? Everything is karma.Q:
I do not follow Hinduism so I cannot understand and appreciate the rituals. Can I still grow in AOL?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Definitely! You know, some of the rituals are very ancient. On Monday all the ashrams do the pooja, you simply sit with your eyes closed in deep meditation. You feel the vibrations of the sound - that is all that needs to be done. Actually Hinduism is not a religion at all; it is just a way of life, the ancient way of life. Like Yoga is part of it, pranayama is part of it, meditation, chanting - these are all to enhance the life-force, life-energy and it is universal in its spirit. So you can follow your religion, no problem. You can be a Christian, you can be a Muslim, you can be Jewish or Parsi. Doesn’t matter whatever religion you follow. Religion is the rituals that are associated with your birth, your wedding, your cremation or that which people do after you are gone. But the spiritual practices are different, they are there to enliven the consciousness. That is so vital. It is important that people of the world, everywhere, become spiritual and grow spiritually and honor all the religions. You honor Christianity, honor Islam, honor Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Hindisum, honor everyone. And take good things, if there are good practices anywhere, that we should take into our life.