28 December 2012 - QA 4

How compatible are love and dispassion for a life companion?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You need both, passion and dispassion in life.
Usually we think, ‘When I have passion, how can I have dispassion? If I am dispassionate, how can I be passionate about anything?’
This is what the normal concept is in the minds of people. I tell you, it is not that way.
It is like, breathing in is passion, breathing out is dispassion and in-between the two, is compassion. You need all three.

You need to be passionate about something in life, otherwise you will go into depression.
Be passionate about knowledge, be passionate about doing seva, be passionate about thinking; or about anything. Some passion definitely needs to be there in life. You can have a passion for wisdom as well. So passion is essential!

Dispassion is essential as well. Without dispassion there is no joy; no happiness. You will be miserable if you do not have any dispassion.
And of course, compassion is needed in life. So all three are essential.