Q: Dear Guruji, I notice that during meditation my mind wanders a lot and many irrelevant and absurd thoughts come and go. What do I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If thoughts are coming, never mind, you know. When you realize, you again come back, observe the breath and just sit, that’s it. Some irrelevant, absurd thoughts come and go, it’s all part of stress release, hmm? You may get some brilliant thoughts or some very bad thoughts, don’t judge at that time, we don’t need to get excited, just relax. After meditation if you have some brilliant thoughts you may write it down, you may get some poems, some ideas, creativity may come. That’s all fine, ok? So, just relax, hmm? Some people get ideas, some people can see some visions, some colors, some experience: some may smell some fragrance, or feel something – any of the 5 senses, I would say even the sixth sense, can just get activated during meditation, and it’s good. With all the hollow and empty meditation what’s happening is that the nervous system is getting clearer, purer and so it’s reflecting the inner realm, hmm?
Q: Guruji, I usually compare myself with others and it does
not let me enjoy the work or seva I do. I usually feel I am less than others,
what should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I think if you have to compare you should compare
with yourself: how you were yesterday, day before, two years back – that’s
healthy. Compare with yourself. See you’ve moved. You will always find you are
moving when you compare with yourself, okay? Comparing with others, not about
your personality, but in the work, is okay. If someone has done better, then you
feel inspired to do better than them. It’s okay. You don’t have to keep your
eyes shut. You know if you see somebody has done better than you in business you
put your target so you do better than them. This is okay to do, that’s what you
should do. Comparison should inspire you, not put you down. First of all accept
you don’t know who you are, you have no idea who you are. You’re not self-
realized, remember this! If you have that feeling, “Oh, I’m so bad, I’m like
this, I’m like…” you have no idea who you are. You have infinite potential
inside you. You can do ten times better than anybody else, better than what
you’re doing right now, hmm? So Comparison should only inspire you, not pull you
down. If you think you know about yourself, and you feel you are weak and think
you don’t have ability then it pulls you down but when you know there’s infinite
potential inside you, you don’t know who you are, then the comparison will only
inspire you to do better work.
Q: How much should one sleep? Is it good to sleep again if you wake up at 4
AM? I would gladly do my program at that time of the day but I can’t. How do I
make myself do it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know, take good sleep. You don’t have to wake
up at 4 o’clock and do practice, no. You do it when you’re complete with your
sleep. Whenever you have complete sleep and you wake up, then you do it, okay?
Don’t strain yourself. Our rule is what? Not to torture yourself or strain
yourself, hmm? Your inner connection can only happen when you are relaxed, not
if you’re tense.
Q: Dearest Guruji, is it possible for me to become a member of your team in
any way? I am translating now for Russian. I speak Russian, Spanish and English.
I would gladly work for any project full time. Thank you.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, you talk to Lars later on. See what you want
to do. You can do something. Yes, why not!
Q: Dearest Guruji, may I give u a big hug?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes…but flying ones (laughter from audience)!
Q: Could you explain what liberation is? How do we attain it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Liberation simply means freedom. Then you can say,
‘I want nothing for myself, I’m complete.’ Liberation is when you have accepted
the whole creation the way it is, you’ve accepted people the way they are.
Liberation is total peace; a peace which is unshakeable. And this sort of peace
dawns when there is forgiveness, compassion, naturalness. You know if you assume
you’re somebody then you can’t, if you are intelligent or stupid you have no
liberation. You are neither intelligent nor stupid, neither rich, nor poor – if
you think – ‘Oh, I’m a very poor guy or poor lady,’ no way you can get it! I am
nothing! That sense of lightness, easiness, is what liberation is. A simple
taste of it everyone has got, you know when? When your exams were over! The day
you finished your exams when you were a child you came back home and threw those
books on the sofa and just sat, relaxed! How did it feel? G R E A T, huh? That’s
all!
Q: May we sit down in meditation after Sudarshan Kriya or is it better to lie
down only?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Ya, you can sit in meditation, no problem.
Q: What can I do to lose fear of being able to achieve my dreams? I usually
lose confidence and clarity and get lots of doubts about my capacity or
abilities. How do I do it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I have no experience of this. Let me think how you
can do it…You know when you achieve success, if that is your goal - to achieve
your dream - you should be ready to face some obstacles on the path. And you
know that every obstacle is only bringing out more skills out of you, it will
not deter you from your goal but will only bring in whatever is needed to
fulfill your dream. Do you get what I’m saying? The obstacles that come on the
path are only to bring in more skills and it won’t deter or de-track you from
your goal.
Q: I have resolved to stop overeating many, many times. I failed repeatedly.
Mind wins, I suffer. How do I solve this habit step by step?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Take longer time to eat…longer time. You know,
usually people who overeat, they eat so fast. They stuff things so fast, but if
you keep the food in your mouth, chew it longer, just feel the food in your
mouth , you will see you will consume half of what you usually consume, yes?
Q: Dear Guruji, thanks to you to people are feeling better and the world is
getting better. How can we make politicians understand that a peaceful world is
better? Why is there so much hate, murders, drugs dealers, arms, wars? What can
we do? What would you forbid if you were the world’s president?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Thank God! I don’t intend to be, I don’t want to
be. Why, you don’t like me having a big smile? You know these are the questions
that u need to keep with you. You know an answer can be used only once, but the
question which appears like a path can be tread on many a time. These questions
you keep asking time and again you will get different answers and implement them
at those times.
Q: What can I do to make the world a better place? How can I help people? How
can there be less or no corruption in the world? How can there be more
compassion and less crime, stress free, violence – free society?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: These questions should arise in you, and you will
find answers from time to time and act on them, yes? Many a times alone you
cannot do it, but together you can do it. Many of you joined together can always
achieve this.
Q: We know we have to follow our heart but why is it difficult sometimes when
our rational side is stronger, and we think it is correct whereas the emotion is
weaker and sometimes more crazy. Thank you for sharing time with us.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know in work don’t use your emotions - in work
use your intellect. But with your family and friends don’t use your intellect so
much, use your emotions. If you mix it up, you are in trouble! You know, with
your wife and children if you are relating them with your intellect and doing
business with your emotion you had it! You know at home you have to be more with
the value of heart. When you do service you do it with your heart, right? But
when you’re doing your work you don’t have to be an emotional thing. Just use
your rational mind.
Q: Before the course when I was at home my mind would jump from job, gym,
party, plan, and here the mind jumps from breakfast to lunch to dinner (laughter
from audience). Why can’t my mind slow down?
I think we should have read this a couple of days ago, we could have told the
cook to make the food a little less tasty! Never mind, never mind, you have
recognized this, at least. The mind is jumping – it’s already coming to a halt.
You know those of u doing advance Course (The Silence Course) for the first
time, you would have noticed for the first few days, for the first few sittings
you can’t even figure out where the tip of the nose is! Or whether the nose is
hollow and empty or you don’t even feel any part of the body. Does it happen to
you? Your mind doesn’t stop, it keeps racing…but this is normal. Even if you get
20% in the first silence program, it’s a great achievement, I tell you! First
Advance Course, because you’ve never been silent except, while you’re sleeping!
Some aren’t even silent when they’re sleeping! We never experience this. We
never had a chance to have the mind turn inward. It’s like you’re racing the car
in the autobahn and you put the break - it takes some time for the car to stop.
It doesn’t stop immediately. In the same way, it takes a little while. It may
take… not for everybody it may take, mostly it takes a little time. You will see
that from yesterday today was better– today was good, no? Today’s meditation was
a little better? How many of you felt better today, huh? See, already it’s
better, two days into silence, tomorrow it get’s deeper and when it gets really
good then it’s time to leave. So, you got it! It’s good to do a couple of
advance courses once in 6 months or once in 4 – 5 months. Then the mind gets
trained to switch modes, you know? It’s easy to switch modes in silence and get
into that creative field within you, or be dynamic.
Q: What are the most sacred, most divine qualities of marriage? Is there a
mantra for a happy marriage?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I have no experience… to give you ideas, but
whatever I infer I can share with you. In marriage you should consider the other
person as your own part, part - like your arm, like your body. It’s two bodies,
one mind, one soul. So, whatever your spouse desires, you make it your own
desire, that’s it. Your spouse’s taste, consider it as your own taste. See, you
have many, different tastes, right? Sometimes you like this, sometimes you like
that. When the conflict arises? When your tastes start moving apart. You should
start saying your taste is my taste; your pleasure is my pleasure. I am here for
you, rather than, what can you do for me? When we start ‘What can you do for
me?’ then both become unhappy, yes? But when you say, ‘What can I do for you?
I’m here for you.’ This is the only mantra. Happy marriages are what? ‘I’m here
for you, come what may, happy times or unhappy times!’ See in life sometimes
there are disappointments, sometimes there is success. In either case, ‘I’m with
you.’ This is one thing. The second thing is, if one is upset, the other should
not get upset at the same time. Choose a different time to get upset. Know that
‘Oh, my spouse is upset! Okay.’ Give him or her the time to be upset. Don’t
question ‘Why are you so upset?’If someone is upset, the other gets angry and
expects them not to be upset. This is a big mistake! Someone is upset, leave
them that space. You know many of us don’t even know how to receive love! See,
someone comes and keeps telling you, ‘Oh, I love you, I love you so much, I love
you!!!’ Suddenly you go, ‘Wow, what do I say now!? How do I react?’ You get into
a corner; you don’t know how to react. You don’t know what to say, so that
person who kept saying, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you!!!’, suddenly finds
you are not responding, then starts accusing you, ‘See, look, you’re so cold!’
‘See you don’t know how to love. You never said you love me!’ and blah, blah,
blah…Demand – demand destroys love. Never demand love from your spouse. Take it
for granted they love you, but that’s it, finished, you know! So when we start
demanding and policing our spouse, we get into a mess, right! So that is
important and the rest you can have tomorrow when you are out of silence and we
can have a conversation. So, many of you can come out with your own experiences
and add more to this. What do you say, good idea?
Q: Guruji, The Art of Living has changed hundreds of thousands of us in Latin America. We have such gratitude for you! We now want the world to feel the way we feel: love, service, happiness, gratitude and celebration. Mucho gracias. Miracalindo! My heart is happy, can I hug you?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Flying hugs!
Q: I want to thank you for everything you gave me, but most
of all to the world. We’re blessed that you’re here for us!
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Thank you.
Q: How can I reach my full potential? I have so many thoughts on business, seva, relationships. How do I know which one to pursue? Is it important to try to find my purpose in life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, yes, yes! You can do that very comfortably (laughter from audience).
Q: What do you think of the muscular strength training? Is it
possible to extend the breath by lengthening and holding time or by making the
acceleration longer?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, long acceleration is always good, you know,
but it takes a little time to train yourself. Muscle testing – I’ll tell you
something about it tomorrow maybe. Ask me when you’re out of silence. I will
show you something – how your muscles can tell you what you need, what you don’t
need. They speak the truth. Do you know about it? How many of you know muscle
testing here? Okay, okay, ah, you already learnt last time! Hmm, okay! Tomorrow
or day after or one of these days I’ll tell you then you can test yourself –
what suits you, what your body says. You know, every muscle in your body speaks
the truth, amazing discovery! Wait for it tomorrow (Guruji whispers), tomorrow
huh (with a twinkle in his eyes)?!
Q: What does one do when knowledge becomes a barrier and turns to arrogance and jealousy? How does one free from this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Be like a child, unassuming, knowing the more you know there is so much more to be known. Knowing only leads to awareness that you do not know so much more. That brings humility. Do you see what I’m saying?
Q: If the core of our existence is full of love, innocence, perfection, how can a person be so mean and kill his or her whole family? It is hard for me to understand.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know you should go and talk to the people in the prison who have committed these heinous crimes. You’ll find these people are nice people. Why even talk about them, talk about yourself! You know sometimes you’ve been so nasty. Have you been nasty? Have you been angry? Have you been upset? Afterwards you see – ‘Oh, why did I do this?’ Do you regret? In the same way these people – they did a crime, they did commit something they were totally unaware of, and then they started realizing. That’s why spiritual education is so important, because this education doesn’t allow you to commit such heinous crimes! They never had an opportunity to have access to this knowledge, to meditation, to breathing. That is why they did all that.
Q: When will you come to Russia again?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I was just there this year!
Q: Please give me some technique to lessen the ego.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You’re asking about yourself or someone else? For God’s sake don’t do anything with your ego! Just let it be. If you find you have a big ego, don’t try to get it out of yourself. Let it be. You know, trying to meddle with your ego becomes a bigger problem. Then you say, “Look, I erased my ego!” “Nobody could do this!” Understand that? You know it’s so difficult to get rid of the ego. It’s like saying – ‘I’m the most humble person in the world! You can’t find anyone with more humility than me!’ Does it make any sense? So if you find there is any ego, let it be like that happily, huh? Don’t try to meddle or get rid of it. Just smile, yes! You know ego is stiffness. When you’re at home, you relax. When you feel ease, then ego is not there. The antidote for ego is just being natural. Or one day if you want to act crazy or foolish, it might help you a little bit, because your greatest fear is what others will think. Give everyone freedom to think whatever they want to think, right? Then you’ll find you’re so much at ease, at peace with yourself.
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