Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar answers a wide variety of questions from the audience in his quintessential humorous and light-hearted style.
1. Why are we attracted to negativity? How do we stop it?
Something that promises pleasure but gives pain and suffering is called negativity. Like smoking and gossiping. It seems like fun, but ends up making you feel disgusted and awkward.
A mind that moves away from its innate nature clings to negativity. You cannot run away from the mind, just as you cannot run away from your shadow. Wherever you go, it will go along.
What has made the mind move away from its nature? It is stress; it makes you swing between craving and aversion. So, you need to let it rest. Meditation and wisdom can help your mind rest.
2. How do you handle the mind when it goes through the cycle of worry and fear?
Your previous experiences. It is because of greed, possessiveness and aggressiveness that you go through fear and worry. If you are centered, things will come your way on their own.
The world is called maya. This is because if you try to grab or possess anything, it will move away from you. So, how can you attract good things to you? If you are steady, stable, still, and content within yourself, they will move towards you.
If you follow joy, misery follows you. If you follow knowledge, fun follows you!
3. God created this world. Who created God?
Answer this question first: where is the beginning point of a tennis ball?!
These sort of questions occur because of a linear way of thinking. In the East, we have a spherical way of thinking. There are three things that are neither created nor destroyed, that don’t begin or end – Divine energy, the universe, and the individual soul. They are like waves in an ocean. Where does one start and the other end? All these three are one. To see god, you must see the whole universe as just energy.
4. You say we should live in the present. Then, what is your opinion of astrology?
Every science has its place in life. Astrology also has. When you move with devotion and knowledge, life will naturally follow the ways of astrology. You won’t have to try anything. What you do naturally will go on as per the dictates of time. Satsang can help overcome any bad or inauspicious time that astrologers predict for you.
There is a proverb in astrology. An arrow came near my head; it took my cap and left!
You were unharmed. According to the laws of nature, there will always be difficult times. However, as long as you are on the path of love, devotion, faith and sadhana, you will not be affected by them.
5. Why is India so financially and economically backward when we have so much spiritual wealth?
Without this spiritual knowledge, we would have disintegrated like Yugoslavia. We have three times as many people as the US, but one-third of the area. We have 22 different languages, and multiple cultures and traditions. To top it all, we have been ruled by others for a thousand years. Despite all this, we have survived. That is a miracle! This is because of our spiritual strength.
Mahatma Gandhi was able to lead the nation out of foreign rule because of the strength of his satsang; his spiritual strength was able to unite people. It is because we are in an environment of sadhana and spirituality that we have so much love and union. It does not exist everywhere.
USA also has 30 lakh are beggars as well, but we don’t talk about that. The media does not like to write about India’s strengths.
6. Is there such a thing as bhoot (ghost) on Earth?
Earth is one of the five bhoots! (Bhoot also means element.) The five elements or Pancha Tattvas are air, water, sky, ether, and earth. What other bhoot are you looking for?! Someone who does sadhana does not see ghosts and such things.
Leave bhoot (another meaning of bhoot is past) and bhavishya (future), and live in the present!
7. We have been taught to accept situations around us. In Mahabharata, if Arjuna had accepted people and situations, then the story would have been different.
This is a misunderstanding. Arjuna did not want to accept the fact that war was a necessity. So, Lord Krishna had to remind him of his sense of duty and stop him from running away from it. He helped Arjuna accept the situation.
8. Is Ramayana a real story? Was Ram Janmabhoomi really where Rama was born?
NASA has discovered Adams’s Bridge based on their satellites stating that a man-made bridge was built between Sri Lanka and India. This coincides with our shastras (scriptures). What is there to doubt?
9. If God exists inside us, why do we need to do poojas (rituals) and say prayers?
There is no need to either go overboard with rituals or abandon them completely. Festivals have rituals, and man needs rituals. They have a good effect on children too. A little bit doesn’t harm anyone. How else will you stay connected with your ancestors? Keep some traditions - to some extent.
We light lamps when we begin functions. It is to surround ourselves with the light of knowledge. These are small rituals. Meditate, and serve people - these are the biggest poojas.
10. To gain something, you have to lose something. To obtain you, what would I have to give up?
All your misery, difficulties, and selfishness!
These are transcripts from talks by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. You can watch more talks on The Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar youtube channel. Subscribe today!
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