Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
I have fallen because of such a big ego. What can I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Never mind! If you have recognized that you have fallen, you will rise higher. That is good enough. You have recognized that your ego has been the hindrance. But now don’t fight your ego. Just keep it in your pocket. Let it be there. Don’t try to do anything with it. Say, “I like it” and let it be there. If you don’t like it, give it to me, but then, I would like you to keep it with you. You know our effort in trying to erase our ego becomes another big problem. You have enough other problems to solve anyway.Q:
There has been life for so many centuries on this planet. I wish to know why is it that some creatures live a prosperous and extravagant life, and yet there are some creatures who do not even have enough to eat? What is the basis on which a creature gets birth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This is one of the five secrets – the secret of birth. Nature has been very kind that birth has been kept as a secret. Otherwise, you would be living a miserable life remembering all previous incidents that happened in the past lives. But a time will come in your life when your mind would be completely established in the present moment, memory would awake, and you will remember what you were and who you were in your previous births. It is alright if it does not happen with some people.The whole world is made up of cause and effect. If somebody is rich, that has a reason. If somebody is poor, that also has a reason. But does that mean we don’t have any independence of Karma? You definitely have freedom. We have been given discrimination. So, we do have freedom of karma, and also we are bearing fruits of past actions also. It is like you get some capital from someone. Now, it is up to you what do you want to do with it. A poor man can become rich, and a rich can become poor. There are all possibilities. Your karma decided where you were born. But it depends on you where do you want to reach.
Q:
How can we strengthen the faith?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
: Your very thought to strengthen the faith strengthens it. Move ahead assuming that your faith is very strong. When your intellect is purified, faith automatically gets strong. We should have a pure diet in order to purify the intellect. So, pay attention on your food. If you eat food thinking all sort of negative things in the world, that also affects the intellect. Many times people get time to converse only during meals, and they discuss about topics like diseases while preparing and eating the food. This is very wrong, and we need to get rid of this habit. You become what you eat. The type of food you take governs your mind. And again your mind has a direct impact on your body. That is why you should eat food with a happy state of mind. If we are very excited, we cannot swallow food with ease. Also if we are restless, we end up eating more food. So, it is important to have food with awareness.Q:
My heartiest gratitude to you. Who are you Gurudev?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
First, you know yourself. Why are youputting your effort in knowing me? You don’t know who you are. First, know thathow many times have you come in this world? When you know yourself, it will bevery easy to know me.Q:
Whenever I see you, tears start to roll down the eyes. Ifeel as if I know you since ages. Is it true?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You are doubting your own experience. Thenit is surely true. We doubt the positive, and not the negative. We doubtsomebody’s honesty. Nobody has ever doubted dishonesty of a person. Same way, if somebody asks you if you arehappy, you say, “I don’t know whether I am happy or not”. But we are so sure ofour depression. We doubt in the existence of God. We never doubt in theexistence of this changeable and mortal world. Evolved scientists understand that there is a question mark on the apparently looking reality.Q:
How does one know whom to trust and whom not to especially, after Swami Nityananda incident?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Trust in yourself. Have faith in your choice of actions and the path you would be following. If you don’t trust yourself, how can you trust the Master? It is enough to have faith in yourself.A Master or a Guru does not remove the doubt, but He creates more doubt. The more you burn in the fire of doubt, the more strong you come out to be. Truth is never afraid of doubt, and truth can never hide.
There have been so many saints in ancient India like Vishavamitra, Valmiki, Gautum, and you will deprive yourself of knowledge if you start doubting all of them.
If you put your attention on the real and authentic, you would doubt the fake. But if all your attention is on the fake, you would start doubting the authentic also.
Q:
How to overcome self pity?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The moment you recognize, you stop it. That is it. If you are asking for someone else, then only they can come out of it. Only meditation can help. Do advance course.Q:
How to achieve excellence while following the middle path?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It will happen. Your intention is enough. Main thing is Sadhna(Practices and self effort), next is awareness, and third is - no feverishness.Q:
What is your definition of Happiness?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Happiness is the direction in which life tends to flow.Q:
I feel contented when I am alone. But mind stucks to the outside events and people while interacting with others. Is there any way that I can experience the serene solitude even when I am with people?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You are at the right place. We will see in sometime how it is possible. (Ashtavakra Talk continued the session)