Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
What is driving many people away from faith and religion, and why do faith and power to pull people from doing good towards the society exist? Can you please talk about the destruction and dimensioning in the world about Maris in NZ and aborigine in Australia, all the native loving traditions are getting destroyed.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I am for preserving the natives around the world, and I always encourage them to preserve it. I have seen similarities between aborigine in Australia, Maori in NZ, Arunachal Pradesh in India and British Columbia in Canada. The way they welcome a guest is so loving. They all have similar traditions and cultures. In the past, there was some connection or similar culture all over the world. You know, we need to celebrate the diversity and not think that everybody should be like us. We should take good things from every culture and I feel that is the way we can overcome the terrorism in the world. If every child knows a little bit about all the wisdom in the world then they grow up much wiser. They don’t become fanatics or fundamentalist or terrorist. You know, terrorists think that only they know the truth, only they will go to heaven and everybody else will go to hell but they create hell for everybody else. No sense of global wisdom and we have to take responsibility because we haven’t globalised wisdom. We have globalised everything else on the planet from Potato Chips to Coco cola but we haven’t given a comprehensive wisdom for youth of the world, don’t you think so? Every child should know a little about all cultures and religions in the world and they will start to feel connecting with all the cultures. Every child should know little bit about Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, little bit about Hinduism, Shantoism... They will grow up with a broad mindset with the sense of belongingness to the whole world. I feel at home wherever I go in the world. I feel connected and everyone can do that because we all have that need of connection. In fact you don’t have to make an effort we are connected. Once a child asked me a question, Guruji dogs can communicate with any other dog in the world, but why not human beings? I still remember, this is some 25 years ago, in Manchester, UK. A small girl came to me and asked me, “Guruji, Why not human beings connect with everyone else in the world”. This is because we are so stuck in our identities, we have to grow beyond that, it’s good to have identity but we have to grow beyond that. Don’t you thinkQ:
Man creates wealth for security or insecurity?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
wealth is the means but if it becomes a means in itself then it becomes insecurity. If it is used as means then it definitely will help people more.Q:
I see lots of people around me, I do not why they have come here. And for what? it goes beyond me, even I am sitting here I have no clue why I am here, Is it because of some hollowness within me
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This is more a wonder then a question, I leave that wonder with you, Life should be full of wonders and it’s good to wonder, why is there so much beauty. You know we often question in misery. We wonder at the beauty in the world. Every wonder is nothing but a question which is not looking for an answer. Life is a journey where you turn question into wonder.Q:
Is meditation concentration on some point in the centre of forehead?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Absolutely not!Q:
I’m confused as to who I am, how can I be more natural? How can I be myself and develop a strong sense of self? Is it ok to be very different than other people?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Confusion is a very good temporary state. Do you know when do you get confused? When you grow! When a particular concept in your mind just falls apart, breaks apart. You thought you were somebody, and that concept breaks so then there is confusion. So, it is a sign of growth. Is it shocking? Good. If you want to know who you are, you are in the right place and it is all right to be confused. In fact, we are all different yet we try to imitate others. That is where there is a problem. Just recognize the difference and celebrate the differences. To be yourself, you are in the right place. It’s all right to be different, your difference need not conflict with that of other people. People who are rebellious want to be different to compete. You can be different, but you don’t need to exhibit yourself as different. Got it?Q:
How can I forget a painful past doing the course?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It happens effortlesslyQ:
What is the goal of spirituality? I enjoy the path but do not know the goal.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The goal is to bring a smile on your face that doesn’t wither away. A smile that no one can take away. A peace that simply expands and spreads to others. A love that never diminishes or distorts. That’s the power that you grow into. It’s better that you don’t worry about the goal. You be in the moment, you will see you are on a conveyor belt or escalator. The steps take you where you have to go. You have to do nothing.Q:
Who are you and what your mission is?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I will give this question back to you and that’s my mission to put this question back to you, “Who are you?” Who you think you are and what you want your mission to be? And the journey has begun, the spiritual journey just begins with these two questions and don’t ask others, but ask yourself. Asking others is futile. Whatever the other person is, how is it going to help you? You ask yourself, “who am I and what do I want to do in my life?” It’s a very beautiful question.Q:
I was wondering what exactly the mind is. Is it a little space in our brain or is it universal? And yes, I want to tell you that you rock.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Mind is energy which is all over the body. See, every cell in your body is emitting some energy and the totality of all that energy around you is what you call the mind. Mind is not present at some point in the brain, but mind is all over the body. There is so much deep knowledge about consciousness; we should sometime go much deeper into it. We will understand more. The more you understand, the more wonder-struck you are. Wow! You know, people have phantom hand, that means they really don’t have a hand, but they feel they have a hand, and they feel sensations like itching or paining in that hand. People who have lost their hand or leg in a war or accident, later sometimes, they feel they have a phantom hand or a leg. Though, they don’t have it physically. That explains or gives a clue that the mind is not just in one spot, it is all around the body. The aura of body is mind. We think that mind is inside the body, it is the other way around - Body is inside the mind. Body is like the wick of the candle and mind is like the glow all around.Q:
I want to understand about desires and how we are meant to deal with them. I feel that I shouldn’t be in the desires, yet I still want to achieve things or find myself attracted to another person. If we don’t have desires, where do motivations in life come from? Thank you.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Fine, have desires. Who said no? You should have desires, but the desires should not have you. It is like the horse is in control of you, and you are not in control of the horse. If you are, then it’s a difficulty. There is a story of Mulla Nasruddin. He was on the horse. And the horse was going round the same circles, same streets! So people asked him, “Mulla, where are you going?” He said, “I don’t know, ask the horse!” So, we are in similar situation most of the time in our lives. Our desires have us and they ruin us. Instead you should have desires, but you should be able to drop them any time you want to, and have them any time you want to! You should be able to get onto the horse when you want to and get out of the horse when you don’t want! Rather than you getting stuck in the horse, or horse throwing you down. Correct? That is more misery.