Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sometimes I think I live in a world surrounded by formalities and exchanging superficial words. But the question is I feel that there is more to it, life cannot be just being nice and living in this cordial way but there is more because I worry that when I die, I wouldn’t even remember where to start again?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Now I understand there is a longing, there is emptiness, and there is a craving for something higher. Right! And that gives that pain. So, that pain to attain something very fast is in a way good, but what is needed along with this is a little patience.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well, when you feel tired of the run, then a quest for the higher growth rises. You are fortunate that you can see there is something more to all this.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Pick up good things like cleanliness and following the rules from the Western society. Western Civilization has such cleanliness and the sense of following rules. Learn the Human values from the East. Every country or tradition has something good to offer. We need to learn hospitality from the Japanese, precision from Germans, etiquette from the English and marketing from America and from India, human values.
We can also learn, what not to learn or what to unlearn? Too much formality! At some places, the mother has to take permission to go to her daughter, or the daughter has to take appointment from the mother. This has started to happen somewhere in urban society here also. The naturalness, sense of belongingness is disappearing from the society. That has given rise to depression and other disorders in so many countries in the west. There is such a sense of belongingness and human values even in a village in the east, and that is to be maintained.
How do I know if I am doing the right job?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If you had a million dollars in your bank and would still do what you are doing, then that means you are in the right place. - Contributed By Yes Plus Teachers
People around me feel jealous due to my good performance. Please suggest what I should do in these circumstances?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Ok! About jealousy! Just join hands with them or praise them. Another thing that you can do is not to take any notice of their jealousy at all. - Contributed By Yes Plus Teachers
How to choose right career path?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Identifying your energy type is the most important. There are 3 energy types, predominance in creativity, sustenance or challenge facing ability. What kind of person are you? First identify that. Then it will become easy for you to choose a carrier. – Contributed By Yes Plus Teachers
In a world full of jealousy and hatred, how do I go on a path of humbleness and serenity?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Don’t label the world. Some people are this way, but don’t pay too much attention to them. Just move on. Let them get cooked in their jealousy. It is alright. That which you put attention on, will grow. Manifestation follows intention and attention. If your intention is clear, I tell you, you will move on. If someone is jealous, what do you do? Just move on. Your attention should be on something higher, on the blossoming of the self.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
What is destroying this world? It’s the greed, jealousy, hatred, narrow mindedness, selfishness, and all these negative emotions and qualities which are destroying the world, right? Because of greed of few people, anger and hatred of few people, lack of awareness, lack of understanding or misunderstanding and narrow mindedness of a few people, the world is getting destroyed. How can these negative emotions be overcome? Is there a way? Yes, SPIRITUALITY. It is only spirituality which can turn hatred into love, anger into awareness and selfishness into compassion. It is only spirituality that can save the mind of the people, isn’t it so?!
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
As such there is no conflict. You have to balance your life. You know some spiritual practice every day, some breathing exercise and yoga would help you long way, and then some social service activity what we call seva in India. All that we earn, we spend on our self. Isn’t it good that we should keep at least 3 or 4% of our earning to give to those who are in need of it. There are around 300 million children in the world which need education. You can be part of it. You can help in Africal Even here you can help children to get educated. One day in a month, take a time off in a group, go and help clean the environment, and help environmental programs and social service activity you can take on. If we sit and think what about me all the time, then we will get depressed. You should see what you can do and how you can contribute to the world which is in need. That question and feeling should be within us. We all have to work towards having a violence-free society; drug and alcohol free healthy society. Violence free society, disease free body, confusion free mind, inhibition free intellect, trauma free memory and sorrow free soul is the birth right of every individual and that’s what I have been telling around the world. We are all one family, we all belong to one family. This knowledge is not the wealth of one community, or one religion or one nation – it belongs to the whole world, the technology to be happy and content. Technology to have the sense of belongingness with the world belongs to everybody, and not just to India or Hindus or Buddhist like that…Don’t you think so?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I think you have too much free time on your hands. Just get into doing something good for the world, some service projects, something. The mind is like that, sometimes up and sometimes down. You like something, next day you don’t like it. Who cares! If you’re caring for your emotions too much, you will be nowhere. One day you feel good, another day you don’t feel good. Again the same thing! So the mind goes up and down. Centeredness is knowing that you are much more than your mind, than your emotions, and mind plays tricks. Just imagine you are a mother and the mind is the baby. Sometimes the mother agrees with the baby, sometimes not. Sometimes the child cries and the mother will attend to the baby. At other times she will let it cry for a little while. Don’t be bothered by this all of the time. See how much harmony you can bring into others. It’s our responsibility; each one of us should take responsibility to create an uplifting atmosphere, one of positivity. Once you are centered than you become a source of inspiration, a source of joy, a source of peace to everyone. So we have to think, “so what?” Not every time, everything goes according to what we want, so then we say “so what?” and if “so what” doesn’t help then “so hum” (the Sudarshan Kriya taught in the ‘Art of Living’ courses) definitely helps. A combination of “so what” and “so hum” puts you on a higher platform.