Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
What is Samadhi?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There are different types of Samadhi.
Why does The Art of Living not teach hygiene and other basic considerations through its courses, such as, not to spit, not to throw garbage outside the house and things that would have a more impactful effect in our country?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, we are doing that. We are conducting programmes like Bal Chetna,(a dynamic program for the less privileged children of society), and YLTP (Youth Leadership Training Program). You should take up any of these courses and go into the details of it. We also conduct the 5H program (Homes for the homeless, Healthcare, Hygiene, Human Values and Harmony in diversity).
You know, there is no point telling people who already know about it. There is no point in my telling you that you have to brush your teeth. You already know that. But I need to tell the people who live in remote villages and in tribal regions where they may not be paying much attention to these things. So we have courses designed for different areas, and The Art of Living has taken up the cleanliness program in a very big way. In fact, we started it in 2001. The Prime minister only gave a voice to it recently but The Art of Living has been doing it even before that.
I loved your tweet about spontaneity and impulsiveness. Could you also talk about righteousness and 'rightness'
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
"Often one confuses spontaneity with impulsiveness. While the former is the secret to success, the latter has only caused disasters. Spontaneity arises out of clarity, intuition & response, impulsiveness is only emotions & reactions.The way to change is meditation."
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Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Righteousness is associated with strong perception. When you believe in your perception, then you feel righteous. What you consider 'right' is only a perception. When you realize this, you see another dimension because the perceptions keep changing.
A particular situation can be considered right from one perception, and wrong from the other perception. This is where the conflict begins because to you something is correct and to the other person, it's not right. So it is very interesting to see that when you have an open mind, you perception changes. When your perception changes, your fixed notions change. Then you have an altogether different scenario.
Every time you are angry, know that it is because of righteousness. People who feel that they are righteous, they have tremendous temper and less patience. In a mature mind, when you have become more wise; of course you are righteous, but you go beyond righteousness. When you go beyond righteousness, you see everything in a different light altogether. Ascertaining righteousness, I would say is a weakness. Being righteous is good, but when you ascertain it, I would say there is a weakness somewhere.
What does it feel like to be Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Just me. Just what it is. There's no comparison. Be hollow and empty and you will get there too. Purity in heart, clarity in mind and sincerity in action.
Do animals have a mind? How come they don’t have any mental issues?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Animals do have a mind, they do have the feelings.
There was an article on how a leopard helped a baby monkey survive, and how a dog was helped by a dolphin. These are such many amazing things.
Usually we use the phrase ‘fighting like dogs and cats’, but in our ashram a kitten is being nursed by a dog. The kitten sits happily on the dog’s back and dog cuddles the kitten. They are such good friends.
Just a month ago, Bhanu (Gurudev’s sister) was telling me that she saw the peacock at our ashram escorting a snake. Usually peacock and snakes are staunch enemies, they kill each other, but because there were rabbits in the same place and the snake can kill the rabbits, the peacock escorted the snake out and saved the rabbits from being attacked by the snake.
So animals do have minds. If you see elephants, they are very intelligent. Our ashram elephant, if I give her rice, she will not take it in her trunk because she knows it will become messy. But if I give her a banana she will take it in her trunk. When I give her rice she will pull my hand and put it in her mouth.
The mahouts says that when she comes to my kutir (room) she runs, but when it’s time to go back, she’s very reluctant to go and doesn’t want to go. So she’ll do all sorts of pranks.
The mahout says, ‘She listens to me on the way to your kutir Gurudev, but she doesn’t listen to me on the way back’.
Animals are very intelligent. They do have a mind, but mostly they align themselves with nature. They don’t do anything against nature, they don’t overeat, and they don’t oversleep or not sleep. They don’t indulge in any excessive activity like human beings, like excess pleasure. They are better off because they are programmed to be aligned with nature.
I want to become a teacher and spread this wonderful knowledge, but I’m disturbed sometimes by the politics that I see on this path. Kindly guide me.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Wherever there are people there will be politics.
Politics means everybody has their own tendencies, and human beings have many tendencies. In this world, in any field, on any path, anywhere you go you won’t find everybody to be alike. If in your mind you think everyone should behave in the same way, or have the same attitude, same mentality or same level of growth then you are making a big mistake.
The spiritual path is like going to school. All the children in a school cannot be in the same class. Some are in A grade, some in B grade, some in C grade, some are in 8th standard, some in 9th and some in 10th. Even in a school there are kids of all age groups and all ranges of intelligence. Any path is like that. And the spiritual path is a place where some have just stepped in, while some have been there for some time. There are some kids who fail in one class for many years, you can’t just look at them and say you don’t want to go to that class. You have to go to that class! Sometimes someone gets stuck in one place.
Sometimes people ask me, why do I keep some very tough and rude people here and there (in The Art of Living). I say that I keep them close so that the world is free from them.
Sometimes, some people who are too troublesome, their parents come and leave them here. The parents say, 'Gurudev, we cannot handle him at home so you please take care of him'. How can I say 'No, so I say 'Okay'.
One such boy came to me and I kept him as the gate keeper to my old kutir (room). This boy would fight with everyone including with mother. When my mother would come, he would have a tiff with her as well. The boy was like that, which is why his parents said they couldn’t handle him at home. He stayed here for 4-5 years and now he is such a good boy. He is handling a business in which he is giving employment to 300 people. His parents are so happy, they have two grandchildren. This boy, who was good for nothing, who was fighting with everybody is now a different person.
I give a long rope and enough room for people to transform. You don’t worry about them, you leave it to me, I will handle them, it’s my Karma (duty). I handle all types of people.
I have said, 'Accept people as they are', so I can’t go back on my words, I am stuck! (Gurudev laughs).
In every field there are people who are an exception to the rule, or a black sheep in that field. You shouldn’t look at someone else and make a concept in your mind or be prejudiced towards them. This is very important. Prejudice kills people.
It seems, recently a movie has been released in which they show a sadhu (Hindu saint) in very bad light, In the movie, they project that if you go to a Dargah (Sufi Islamic shrine) your work will be done, but if you go to an Ashram (spiritual hermitage or monastery) you will be finished. They have portrayed Ashram to be a very bad place. Some people are creating this type of prejudice.
A terrorist from outside India has funded people and asked them to make a movie in which they put down spirituality. We should see the intention behind such acts. In the movie, the character says that they are for truth and anti-corruption, but in real life the makers of the movie bribed the Censor Board to pass the movie.
What they say in the movie and their acts in real life have no connection whatsoever. And our young minds are getting influenced by this. They should wake up.
The drug lobby is behind this. They want to take people away from spirituality. They want to put barriers in their mind towards participating in spiritual programs so that they can easily lure them, as they will feel an emptiness within.
One who has attended a spiritual program, and who is involved in bhajan, and spiritual discourses will not take to drugs or intoxicants. You are thousands sitting here. How many of you drink alcohol or take drugs? (Nobody raises hand). None! So this is a big loss for them. So to improve their business they target all such places which create a barrier against drugs and alcohol.
The people who do this are blind. They see only money and nothing is beyond money for them. Their philosophy is 'Make money even if the world goes to the dogs'.
There was a boy who was into drugs earlier, and then he left drugs and came onto the spiritual path and into knowledge. He was so happy, and these people saw this and put a doubt into his mind. They asked him, 'Why do you go to ashram and do meditation'. They told him, 'Nothing will happen by doing all this'. So the boy stopped coming here and doing his spiritual practices. He went back to taking drugs and fell back into depression. The boy then jumped off the bridge and committed suicide. Who is responsible for this? Those people who put such thoughts in the mind of the young boy and created barriers in his mind towards spirituality are responsible. We must be alert about this.
Dear Gurudev, during my morning meditation, a strange vision appeared. I saw my body in a crashed car. Is it only a fear of mine coming up?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, it is only your fear coming up. Don’t worry about it. Just chant Namah Shivaya' a few times and it will be gone.
Gurudev, how to be contented and happy?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You are not happy? You are not contented now? This very moment; right now (Gurudev snaps his finger)!
Greed takes away the contentment. It is the, 'I want more, I want more', which makes you miserable, which makes you put so much effort! You should think that whatever is needed for me, I will get it. You should have that faith, that it will come to you.
Why do you get so disturbed? It is greed which disturbs you. So, not wanting too much of anything; balance!
Happiness and contentment comes, the only thing you have to ensure is 1. You are not lazy. If you are lazy and you say, 'Let happiness come to me', it is not going to come to you. Lazy people will not be happy
2. Don't be selfish. If you are selfish, happiness is not going to come to you. If you only say, 'Me, mine, only me', you are not going to be happy. Selfish people will not be happy
3. Don't be greedy. A greedy one will not be happy. If you are greedy and say, 'I want more and more and more', you will not be happy
4. People with the feeling of revenge will not be happy. If you want to take revenge on anybody, then you cannot be happy
Gurudev many people have written about India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a politician. But you’re one of the few people who knows him as a man. Could you share your thoughts on Modi the man.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
He’s a tough man with a soft heart. And he means business. Few people know that he has a soft heart. I think that says it all.
Gurudev, is revenge justified?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Gurudev: Revenge is a sign of foolishness and stupidity. Any revenge shows you have lost your vision, that you have become blind.