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Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q: Why is my mind so restless during lunar eclipse? |
Sri Sri: There is a remedy to all celestial phenomena! You know what? ‘Om Namah Shivaye’. The vibrations of the mantra create an armor around us and protect and energize the whole body – mind complex.
Q: Whenever I see a good looking girl, I find myself in love. Is that love or infatuation? |
Sri Sri: Well, time will tell you! First, find out whether they are in love withyou or not. If that matches, it is a different story. If it doesn’tmatch, that is a different story altogether. Either case, you willbecome mature. But don’t keep falling in love. Rise in love! In love,you don't expect anything in return. If you want something in return,don’t call it love. Then that’s need. In a relationship there is aneed, but there is no need in love. Love is your very nature. If itsounds too philosophical for now, just keep it in the background andrelax. One day you will understand, when your heart breaks or when yourealize you expected something too much, something will pop up from thebackground of the mind and try to save you.
Q: If God is in all, why do natural calamities like tsunamis or earthquakes exist? |
Sri Sri: Suppose there is only a hero in a film and there is no villain! Whenthere are all kinds of thrill, only then the movie works. If it wouldhave been just a hero or heroin, they get married and live together,that’s it! How would the film be? This is all a play, a drama. So, allkinds of things keep happening.
Thesoul is eternal. This world is ever changing, different changes keep onhappening. Knowing this, just relax. Be of service. Where ever thereis a need, be ready to jump in that. Service is our very nature and wecannot live without it. Service should not be like a heavy weight, butjust like a flower petal – easy and natural.
Q: Guruji, can you tell us some story when you were a child. |
Sri Sri: I continue to be one even today! I leave the story for others to say. Knowledge byte: Remember one thing. The centre core of your existence is all positivity. All imperfection is only on the circumference. So deep inside you are pure, you are innocent, you are beautiful, and you must have total conviction in this. That is it. I am totally pure hundred percent, two hundred percent positive. Deep inside you are simply a most adorable, most lovable person. You should have zero doubt about it. And whatever imperfections you may find in yourself or in others are only on the circumference. This conviction is most important in spiritual growth. Otherwise someone blames you, you take the blame and then you burn with it. When you have this conviction, if anybody says anything to you, you will not care and will simply smile at them. You will not be an emotional wreck anytime, because you are so solid and well founded in the self. And that is what the whole spiritual exercise is! Shudhohum, budhohum – You are pure, crystal clear and solid. That conviction makes you rest so peacefully. If you are made by nature, you are perfect. Everything in nature is perfect. There is one school of thought which says find imperfection. Another school of thought is to move from perfection to greater perfection. That is what we understand. Praising each other and praising oneself, uplift the spirit all the time. Give criticism and stand up to criticism. If someone criticizes you, welcome that, knowing too well that whatever is the criticism is part of their perception or your projection. Imperfection is nothing but a projection or perception. From your side you have projected like that to the other person or that person has perceived you like that. Imperfection is nothing but your inability to project the way you are to others or the perception of other person towards you. That’s it. Got it? All these practices you do are to get to this stage – Improving perception, observation and expression. And that is it. It can never be hundred percent. It is relative, this is the thing. There can always be a chance for improvement in perception and expression. But there is no chance for any improvement in the being.
Q: Can you tell us how the time of the day and night affect our body and mind? |
Sri Sri: You have a mind and the mind passes through time. Why don’t you observeit! You have different moods in the morning, different moods in theafternoon, and different moods in the evening and night. Isn’t so?
Thereis alertness and wakefulness at sunrise. I don’t think anybody likes tolisten to romantic songs at dawn, dusk or afternoon. Unless you arenewly married or just fallen in love! In the morning, the mind is in a state of knowledge, alertness and wakefulness. It is action-oriented in the afternoon and in the evening, the mind is in a state of relaxation. Onewho wants to be unhappy can be unhappy the whole time, and one whowants to be happy can be happy throughout the day. A fool will beunhappy all the time and the intelligent one will be happy in spite ofchanging moods. In the same way, seasons also affect the mind. Definitely,the mind and time have a very unique relationship. If you havetranscended the mind, there is happiness throughout. An eternalcalmness and serenity dawns.
Q: The only mistake I make is that I keep on making mistakes. What should I do? |
Sri Sri: It is alright to make a mistake. Making a mistake is a part of life.Sometimes a mistake happens; it happens. Fine! Accept it and moveahead. The pain of making the same mistake again and again itself isgood enough to take you out of the same mistake. The pain and pinch ofsuffering will make you come out of that. But never justify yourmistake.
Q: If everything is as God wants it and if everything is written then why do we need to put effort for anything? |
Sri Sri: Even that is written. Your asking this question is written too, got it? But me giving an answer for it is not written!
Come on! Animals are governed by instincts. They have no choice, they are programmed. But the human system is programmed with a possibility of either / or. Human system has the choice also programmed. But animals have no program of choice. Do you get what I am saying? In the program it is fixed that human beings can have the choice. Intellect is present in the human system which can make the choices. That means there is freedom also. Got it?
Q: Life is so complex. How to stay simple like you? |
Sri Sri: Don’t recognize complexity. Keep your sight on the One. In Sanskrit it is said, “Antarmukhi sada sukhi”.If your mind is turned inwards, it will always be happy. What iscomplex? People’s mind! They are bothered about their complexity, whyshould you be bothered about the same? People are complex, and theywill come down. Have patience and compassion.
Q: Why should we deepen our roots if in the next life time we are going to be born in a different religion or culture? |
Sri Sri: Thisis for now! Deepening your roots means getting well grounded. That’sit. It is not about any particular religion or culture. Deepen yourroots means - be grounded and stable.
Q: Which is the way of being considerate in my society, neighborhood, my Art of Living group and my friends? |
Sri Sri: Why are you asking this question? You think you are not considerate of others? If you are very stressed then you don’t care what other people think or what others are doing. You just do what you want to do. But sensitivity comes with serenity, sensitivity comes with calmness, sensitivity comes with culture. Your background, your culture, how you grow up, and what were the situations around you. You have that ability to be considerate. Do not doubt that. Compassion is in our very nature. Only when you are extremely stressed, compassion appears to have disappeared. It really doesn’t disappear, it stays somewhere deep inside.
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