Continued from the last post..
Q: What can we say to people in our satsangs who keep bringing in knowledge from different gurus?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Listen and let go. Don’t engage in too much discussion with them. Let everyone air their own opinions. The main thing is being with your own contemplation.
Q: How does one balance work and life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: How do you balance on a bicycle? There is no “how.” You just do it.
Q: How can I sustain the peace of meditation, the “all is well” feeling?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: How do you sleep at night? You simply drop everything. When you wake up, you are fresh and have the energy and dynamism to deal with the situations. It is the same with meditation. You will see the contrast if you don’t meditate for some time.
Q: How do I break the cycle of feeling victimized whenever I go through difficulties?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You have already broken it the moment you realize the pattern. You realize it is your own mind’s making and that it has happened over and over again. This realization will come in its own time. And when this happens, be happy and grateful. Imagine where you were five or ten years back. How have you changed? How much better it has become since then. Put your attention on this. The more we are grateful, the more grace we will have in our life.
The first step to fun is relaxation. What tires you is anxiety and ambition for tomorrow. The anger and hatred of yesterday are also clogging our mind. In the same way feverishness pulls down our enthusiasm. In deep relaxation, you will find everything funny.
Q: How can I become more disciplined?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Why do you want to be disciplined? It will make you happier? It will improve your fitness or health? So it is the love for being in shape or the fear of becoming unhealthy that will keep you disciplined. Love, fear and greed bring discipline. If someone says you will get $1 million for being disciplined in your life, that will make you so.
Q: How can I feel your presence in my everyday life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You already feel it, no?
Q: How does one deal with the loss of a loved one?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When a dear one is lost, just bear it. Be with that moment. Let time take you out of it. There is no “dealing” with this. Just be in the knowledge.
Q: Is there a higher purpose to art?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There is no purpose to art. It is an expression of happiness. For the onlooker, art brings a sort of solace and comfort. For the creator, it is just an expression.
Q: I always run into obstacles when there is something I really want to achieve. What should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Whatever intention you put, that will manifest. Do not label yourself. There should be no “always.” Accept that you are unaware of your own potentiality. You may think you always have some difficulty, but thinking so is what points the intention in a negative direction. Just know that whatever you want will happen.
Q: How to get rid of hurt and anger?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Do Sudarshan Kriya, breathe, sing and meditate. There is no point in brooding. Move on in life. Don’t waste today for what happened yesterday. Wake up and say, “I have the valor and the courage to overcome this.” With someone else’s anger, you must play all your tricks to calm them. Then leave it to God. Educate and ignore. Give them some time. Ask for pardon and most people will not hold the grudge. If they do, it is only out of ignorance.
Q: What if we feel we have got more in life than we deserve and are afraid to lose it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Be grateful and prayerful. Know that whoever has given it to you cares for you and would not take it away. Do service. Put your attention on giving back to society. This is giving back to God. If negative thoughts, insecurities, doubts come into the mind, chant Om Namah Shivaya. This itself will put you on the right track. Take the past as destiny and the future as free will. What was meant to happen, happened. We tend to do the reverse. People who are foolish think the past is free will and the future is destiny. This only makes you miserable in the present.
‘Om Namah Shivaya’ has been there for thousands of years. The five elements are represented there and each sound in the mantra corresponds to one of them. For instance, Om is the life force or divinity. Chanting energizes our psyche, our inner self. It is very powerful and we should chant this everyday. It will keep away depression. Just try this. You will see that whenever you are low, saying Om Namah Shivaya removes the negativity.
Q: What is your advice to parents?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Know how to ride a horse! When you sit on horseback, you must move with it. You have to rock with the motion otherwise your back will hurt. Parents have to rock. You have to swing with them, know them and gently guide. Sometimes you tighten the reins, sometimes loosen. It is the same with kids. Put your foot down sometimes, but also give them freedom.
Q: Can you tell me what is the right career for me?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I leave the choice to you and give my blessings.
Q: How do I come out of negative patterns in my life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Once you see yourself acting in a pattern, you are already stepping out of it.
Q: You say that choice is mine and blessing is yours. How do I know I have made the right choice?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Time will tell. If it has come with a blessing, it will be good.
Q: How do I find strength in myself?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Be well rested and have your heart in the right place. You need both mental and physical rest. Thinking “Oh I have done so much!” will only bore you down. Just know that you will have enough time and energy to do what you were born to do in this life.
“That which you cannot express is Love.
That which you cannot reject/renounce is Beauty.
That which you cannot avoid is the Truth.”
That which you cannot reject/renounce is Beauty.
That which you cannot avoid is the Truth.”
~ Sri Sri Ravishankar
© The Art of Living Foundation
