Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Guruji, is it important to have a purpose in life, a destination or should we just go with the flow?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There is no choice between these two, you have to have both. You should have a purpose. Move towards the goal, and take things as they come on the way.Q:
Money and power are much needed things nowadays. How can spirituality help me get these?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You don’t have to practice wrong in order to be rich. In fact, that will be very short lived. Spirituality enhances your intuitive power and positive energy thereby enhancing hit rate of your decisions taken.Have you noticed that some people you meet, you feel like avoiding them, and some other people you meet, you feel like talking to them? Each one of us emits certain vibes. Vibes convey more than our words. If vibes change, everything changes. This way our interpersonal skills are also enhanced.
Q:
My friends who have not done the course keep on asking me which meditation is best for them. What should I tell them?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There are many CDs here. Any one will work.Q:
What is Brahamcharaya?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I have talked about this in Yogasutras. You should listen to that. Brahama means infinite consciousness. Establishing mind in that infinite consciousness is Brahamcharaya.Q:
Dearest Guruji, I am very intelligent. I have heard that intelligent people cannot meditate. How can I be stupid?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Then even stupid people would not be able to meditate! Who has said you are intelligent? You have given yourself a certificate of being intelligent. One who certifies oneself or puts any label on oneself is a stupid. Asking this question has already made you what you desired to be. The very need to ask this question indicates that you are stupid!Q:
You have done a lot for my life? What can we do for you?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The society needs you. The society is to be benefitted through you. Like you have felt happiness, same way you can bring this happiness to 10, 20, 50 people. When you are happy and others become happy through you, I will also be happier.Q:
After my course and Advance courses, my anger has been reduced to 80 percent. How can I completely get rid of anger?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The remaining 20 percent will also reduce. You can keep some anger with you also. It would be a good source of entertainment for others.Q:
Can you please speak on success and failure?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Failure is a step towards success. Success is a measure of a part of your ability. You have expressed little bit of your potential and that is success.Q:
There is so many violence and natural disasters happening in the world. Why does God let this all happen? If God exists then why does all this happen?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You chop off some leaves and branches of plants. Don’t you prune rose plant? Does it die by pruning? It grows up. Same way nature brings all this from a bigger picture.It is not always ripe fruits that fall from a coconut tree. Sometimes even small coconut drops off. Baby fishes are also swollen by big fishes in an ocean. So, these natural calamities are all part of the nature. If we exploit nature too much, more natural calamities occur. We are putting dynamites in the Earth. We are blasting it every day. Imbalance gets created and so Earth starts shaking. Sustainable development is what is needed today. We need to care for the planet.
Nature moves with the law. God means a rule, a law. Everything goes by that. This planet Earth has to be protected and cared for.
One is natural calamity. Another is man-made calamity. Man-made calamities can always be avoided. People are not valuing human life for a little piece of gold. Human values need to be brought back into society.
Q:
Sometimes my parents say that I am so young and why I meditate at this age. What to say when being confronted with such types of questions?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I did not have this problem!What can be said in such a situation? You tell them that they are not young, so why don’t they do it. Once they do it, they will know that it is for you also. People often regret when they start meditating. You know, why do they regret? They regret thinking that why did not they do it when they were of your age.