Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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Q:
What is the goal of spirituality? I enjoy the path but do not know the goal.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The goal is to bring a smile on your face that doesn’t wither away. A smile that no one can take away. A peace that simply expands and spreads to others. A love that never diminishes or distorts. That’s the power that you grow into. It’s better that you don’t worry about the goal. You be in the moment, you will see you are on a conveyor belt or escalator. The steps take you where you have to go. You have to do nothing.Q:
Who are you and what your mission is?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I will give this question back to you and that’s my mission to put this question back to you, “Who are you?” Who you think you are and what you want your mission to be? And the journey has begun, the spiritual journey just begins with these two questions and don’t ask others, but ask yourself. Asking others is futile. Whatever the other person is, how is it going to help you? You ask yourself, “who am I and what do I want to do in my life?” It’s a very beautiful question.Q:
I was wondering what exactly the mind is. Is it a little space in our brain or is it universal? And yes, I want to tell you that you rock.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Mind is energy which is all over the body. See, every cell in your body is emitting some energy and the totality of all that energy around you is what you call the mind. Mind is not present at some point in the brain, but mind is all over the body. There is so much deep knowledge about consciousness; we should sometime go much deeper into it. We will understand more. The more you understand, the more wonder-struck you are. Wow! You know, people have phantom hand, that means they really don’t have a hand, but they feel they have a hand, and they feel sensations like itching or paining in that hand. People who have lost their hand or leg in a war or accident, later sometimes, they feel they have a phantom hand or a leg. Though, they don’t have it physically. That explains or gives a clue that the mind is not just in one spot, it is all around the body. The aura of body is mind. We think that mind is inside the body, it is the other way around - Body is inside the mind. Body is like the wick of the candle and mind is like the glow all around.Q:
Despite so much research there’s not yet a cure for HIV. Is there any hope and what is your message to those afflicted with HIV?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Those who are living with HIV and AIDS must remember that we are all going to lose our body one way or another. Everybody is going to die. Now lift your eye above this body consciousness to know your spirit. Spirit has no disease. Spirit is beyond it. Keep your mind alive, energetic, loving and happy. People with disease die and people with no disease also die. Sometimes they die out of nowhere. Sometimes sick people live longer and many times healthy people suddenly die. All possibilities are there. So, know that you are more than the body. You are consciousness. You are light. Honor that light. Please don’t sit and brood over it. Look ahead and engage your life in educating others who are not informed about HIV. And instead of seeking solace, become a giver of solace to others. “When the essence of religion and spirituality are universal human values, it is vital that we drop our miniscule identities, join hands and take bigger responsibilities to make this world free of disease, stress and social evils.”Q:
I want to understand about desires and how we are meant to deal with them. I feel that I shouldn’t be in the desires, yet I still want to achieve things or find myself attracted to another person. If we don’t have desires, where do motivations in life come from? Thank you.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Fine, have desires. Who said no? You should have desires, but the desires should not have you. It is like the horse is in control of you, and you are not in control of the horse. If you are, then it’s a difficulty. There is a story of Mulla Nasruddin. He was on the horse. And the horse was going round the same circles, same streets! So people asked him, “Mulla, where are you going?” He said, “I don’t know, ask the horse!” So, we are in similar situation most of the time in our lives. Our desires have us and they ruin us. Instead you should have desires, but you should be able to drop them any time you want to, and have them any time you want to! You should be able to get onto the horse when you want to and get out of the horse when you don’t want! Rather than you getting stuck in the horse, or horse throwing you down. Correct? That is more misery.Q:
It is quoted in every spiritual book that only that happens what god has decided then where does doing good or bad come from. If everything is decided by him then what are we doing here, and what are our duties?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Everything is decided for animals. But humans have Viveka, the sense of discretion. God gave choice to human beings, to chose the right or the wrong. Right is something that gives you long term happiness, which may be at the cost of short term sufferings, and the wrong is something that gives you short term joy at the cost of long term sufferings.Q:
Dear Guruji, it is easy for me to shut my mouth but it is difficult for me to shut my thoughts. How can I do it? Please help me.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You don’t need to do anything. Everything is done here for you. Hiren is giving all the courses, he will lead you at different times to different types of meditations and processes and it’ll happen! That’s why you need to be here, if it’s a first Hollow and Empty - your Advance Course, you may find it a little difficult to begin with but then you know when you continue, you will definitely find it very useful.Q:
Why is it so that we don’t feel same for a person all the time? Sometimes we are angry with the same person whom we love.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You know we go through all different types of emotions. We like somebody and the same person we dislike. We trust somebody and same person we start doubting and so all these mixed emotions keep rising and falling in our mind. Don’t be scared. All these emotions make you strong somewhere deep inside. Somewhere you will come out a very powerful human being. When you are aware that all these moving emotions are just a temporary phase, and that you are much bigger than this, you become strong and centered. Don’t get stuck in any of these emotions or make a concept in the mind.Q:
I’ve read you’re supposed to be one of the three wisest people in the world, you are so intelligent there is no doubt about that but why do you look so innocent?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Because I can’t hide it and I have no habit of hiding anything. I am just as I am, if you like it, thank you, and if you don’t like it, thank you.Q:
How to deal with and work with the people who have negative qualities like aggression, jealousy, instability and so on?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Skillfully. See that you don’t react to them but with compassion, see how you can work with them. Yeah? One thing is it can improve your skills. Second is it can improve your patience. You can gain patience. Third is it will make you realize that the person is not constantly jealous or angry. They also change! You will see and wonder on how people change!