Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Guruji, how to clearly identify intuition? What is the best way to identify and get rid of past happenings?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
A sense of deep acceptance, that nature has given in the past. No point in doing a postmortem of whatever happened in the past and questioning it. You know most of our time gets wasted when we start questioning the past. The future, you cannot question, because nothing has happened. So if you have a deep sense of acceptance for the past and be dynamic in the present you will see a new dimension added to your life.Q:
Guruji, who made God and why is God so powerful?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Really! Who made God? We made God, the devotees made God. If devotees are not there then how can God be thereQ:
Guruji, which desires need to be surrendered and left to God and which desires need to be fulfilled through self-effort? How do we know?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See, effort and surrender go hand in hand. So put your effort and surrender. That is why we take a sankalpa and then leave it. In pooja what do we do? We take rice, water, flowers in our hand and take a sankalpa, then we don’t hold on to the flowers. We drop it. When you to the cinema, you first buy a ticket and then you give the ticket back when you are going inside the hall. You have to give it right? 30 to 40 years ago you had to give the ticket, now also you have to give it, right? So, in this way we must take a sankalpa and then surrender. We give our 100 percent and then leave it to God’s will.Q:
Guruji, my parents don’t want me to be a vegetarian. How do I convince them?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You should simply say, ‘I am going to be a vegetarian’, finished, they will accept it.Q:
Guruji, my parents love me so much that their love at times becomes suffocating for me. What do I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
t is problem either way. Sometime you feel they don’t love you, which is not true. Sometimes you feel they love you too much and it is suffocating, what to do? You know when you feel suffocated? When you want to do something wrong. When your consciousness says, this is wrong I should not do it that is when you feel the suffocation of your parents. It’s good to be suffocated with that sort of attention. It’s good to feel the guilt to do something wrong. You know it is a safety warning for you.Q:
Why is it always said not to watch action and horror movies? Do they have an impact on my mind?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
What do you think? Do you get nightmares watching horror movies? Then better don’t. Okay you can watch one maybe in a year because the impact of it stays for too long time so better to avoid.Q:
Guruji we always keep on asking things from you. What can we do for you?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Spread this message to more and more all around, okay.Q:
What about people who cannot afford doing The Art of Living course?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No, we still give them. Speak to a teacher; those who cannot afford will also get to do the course. Thousands are doing like that.Q:
I would like to know why people in war time will give his life for his country but in the time of peace most people won’t do anything for the country.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, especially youth. When they are fed up with the systems. When they see things are not working properly, they have a commitment to do something for the country right. They only need proper leadership which would take them through the troubled times in a non-violent manner, it is very important. There is power in love, there is power in non-violence. Most of the people don’t realize this. What is happening in North of Africa is so unfortunate. These dictators are holding the fort and they don’t let people raise their voice. You know, you can’t live in the 15th century now. 15th century was of dictatorship, today democracy, liberty, freedom, this is what people are looking for and these people should facilitate democracy gracefully. That is important.Q:
Guruji, when we are on the spiritual path, it is okay to be aggressive in our day-to-day life? Sometimes you need to be aggressive in your work place to get things done.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You don’t need to be aggressive but you should be assertive. You be firm and assertive.