14 July 2015 - QA 3

I feel that my wife and kids are moving away from spirituality. I do not want to push them. Is there anything I can do, except having patience?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

That’s okay. You don't push kids too much, but sometimes you should gently encourage them. Sometimes you feel too shy thinking that they might take it as pushing, so you don’t even encourage them. I would say, you need to encourage them to walk on the spiritual path.

Another trick you can do is, one day you say, "I am not going to meditate for two days", and then become so irritable. Your wife will ask you, "What is wrong with you?"
Then you say, "I did not meditate. I gave it up".
She will then say, ‘Please meditate. The days you meditate and do your sadhana, you are so sweet to us".

One mother shared this experience, her son came and said, "Mom, you seem to have not done your meditation. You are being nasty to me. The day you do your meditation, you are very sweet".
So, use all the tricks and skills and make your way through this world which is so complex.