Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Why can’t we go back in time to correct our sins?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Correct our sins? They have all gone away from you. Everyday is a new life, live as though you are a new person. My dear, that is why you are here. If you have to live in the past and brood over the past you don’t need to be here in the satsang. You have come here know that it is new.Satsang is like a flowing river; not stale water, all the time fresh water.
Q:
Why do we dream while sleeping in the night? How is it related to our life? Does a dream come true?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Why do we dream while sleeping? You want to dream while awake? (Laughter – looks at the moon, over the horizon). There are many people who do that. Even the ocean has become still to reflect the moon. Isn’t it so artistic, look at the moon and the cloud, it looks like somebody emerging out of the cloud.There are five types of dreams.
The first type is your past experiences – so where you went to school, you went to college, or you were working in your office, or business.
The second type of dream expresses your innate desires. Suppose, if you wanted to drink cola and you didn’t drink it and you went to sleep, and in the sleep you are drinking cola. How many of you have had this experience? Whatever you wanted to do and you didn’t do. In the sleep you fulfilled those things. Your desires come to you as dreams.
And, the third type of dream is intuitive – whatever is going to happen in the future maybe six months later or a year can come to you in the form of a dream. Before the Tsunami happened, a few months before, some people dreamt of it. The waves rising six feet high. Many people had that experience. Even here in Indonesia many people had the experience of volcano erupting. So whatever is going to happen in the future, that can come to you as dream, this is the third type of dream.
The fourth type of dream is what? About the place you are in, suppose you go and sleep in Germany in a place or in somebody’s house and in the dream you hear all German words. In Russia, in the dream you hear and see Russian faces, in Russian language. It can happen in any place in the world. The fourth type of dream is related to the place you are sleeping and not to do with your own experiences.
And the fifth type of dream is a mixture of all of these. Some of it is the past, the present, the desires and the place you are in. Ninety percent of your dreams are this; that’s why there’s no clarity. Suddenly you are on a horse and the horse is inside a train, and the train is going in the water on a ship, then the ship is flying up in a sky. All sorts of weird things happen. That is why when people ask me to interpret my dreams, I say, “Take a cup of tea, and wake up.” Don’t worry about dreams, make a bundle and throw them in the ocean.
Q:
How does television affect our minds? When I watch movies why do I feel that the Divine is at a distance, away from me? When I do sadhana, satsang and seva I feel connected. Why is there so much of a change of a feeling?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Never mind. You watch television but don’t watch too much. It has a strain on the brain. It’s very tiring. Anything too much is tiring.Q:
If we should not blame ourselves nor blame anyone else, whom can we blame? Is it ok to blame you?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
By all means. I’m ready. I can watch the fun, as much as you want. Do you have to blame? If you have to blame then get it out of your chest.Q:
Guruji, in the Gita, Lord Krishna has said that people who remember him and serve him are more close to him. On the other hand, we say that God loves everyone equally. Please explain.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, Krishna gives a long list of those who are very close to him. It is a long list. The 12th chapter of the gita is full of it. He says, the one who has no dislike for anybody, one who is compassionate and friendly with everyone, one who does not have extreme attachment, one who does not have ego, those who are equanimous in all situations – are all close to me. Don’t you also express whatever you like? Your liking something does not mean you don’t like anything else.Sometimes Krishna also says this to create confusion. His work is to create confusion only. So when Arjuna was completely shaken by confusion in his mind, he asked Krishna to tell him one single thing(to follow). Then Krishna says –“All this is one. Even if I say different things, it is all one”.
Q:
How do we balance worldly activities and spiritual practices?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
How do you walk? You lift up one leg and keep the second on the ground, and then you alternate this. This is balance. Can you walk without balance? A man walking in his senses knows what balance is. Just like this you balance your life.If you leave all your work and only meditate, you will not even be able to meditate. And if you only do work and don’t do your practices, you will feel that longing for meditation. So listen to your heart. It gets pulled towards both. Balance both, do this as well as that.
Q:
In what ways and to what extent should we oppose the few people who violate rules and regulations? If we don’t get the result after opposing then what should be done? Just because of fear we are not doing anything. What should be done?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Sanghe shakti kalyuge means – only unity has power in this era. We need to stand in a group. Stand against whatever you feel is wrong. Write articles, make people aware about the happenings. Even today we have many ethical people. Include them all and take action together.Q:
I heard about the ten avtars(incarnations of God). Please tell us about the kalki avtar? I am little confused.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There are just not 10 avatars, there are 24 avtars of Lord Vishnu. Not only 24 but they have infinite forms and names, which means God is present everywhere in so many different forms. Kal means tomorrow. Don’t think that all avtars have already gone, one might be kept for the future also. 24 avtars have happened earlier and there will be more in the future also. So kalki refers to the future avtar. It was said that this avtar will come forth riding a horse. Horse in Sanskrit is called Ashwa. shwa means either in the past or the future. So ashwa means that which is right now. So kalki refers to one who is present in the consciousness this very moment. That divinity which brings together everything at this very moment, which takes away the feeling of separation from you and rekindles belongingness in you, is present here right now.Q:
How do we recognize if a Master is true or not? Whoever gets connected to one’s master puts full faith in him but then there can be a wrong use of this faith. So when someone ask me this question, it becomes difficult for me to answer in a proper way.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There are so many people in this world who betray their friends. Seeing this you don’t stop making friends. There are so many people who go to shops, steal things and go away. How would you feel being suspected as a thief when you enter a shop? So don’t be with that fear. Some doctors take out the kidneys of patients, then should people stop trusting all the doctors? Many time accidents happen, say a train gets off the track. Now should people stop traveling in trains because of this fear? This is paranoia. Listen to your heart. If your faith is true even if the master does wrong to you, it will not have any effect on you. Your faith will only raise you higher. If the master is doing wrong he will fall down, face problems, but it will not affect you at all. Your heart guides you to that which is right.Q:
I am crazy about your talks but tell me how to overcome the hurdles that you are creating on the path?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Don’t consider them as hurdles.