Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Is it possible to become like a child again and to rekindle that positive vibration around us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It is possible. The secret lies in our own breath. Through breathing exercises, certain breathing techniques and some practice of meditation, we can rekindle positive vibrations within and around us. Are you aware that sometimes for no reasons you feel like talking to some people, and sometimes for no reason you want to avoid some people? I am sure everyone has this experience! We convey more through our presence than through our words. If we are uptight, angry or stressed, then we become repulsive. Now, the question is how do these negative vibrations come in our aura? We are storing all these negative things that we have seen and heard in our aura.Q:
How do I forgive? I find it difficult to let lose off the grudges.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There are 6.5 billion people on this planet. Don’t forgive the 6.5 billon but just forgive this one person. You know, inside every culprit there is a victim crying for help. You must know they are victim of situation and circumstances. They might have done something wrong, but this is because they don’t have that knowledge. They were never exposed to higher knowledge, so they make mistake. See what is happening today, all the church scandals are coming out. It is so painful, so pity of a condition because just reading books and understanding doesn’t help violent tendencies or any kind of tendencies to be fixed. These can only be fixed through meditation, through breathing exercise and yoga. Only through that the violent aggressive energy doesn’t surround. Prisoners say, “AOL is responsible for our being in the prison, because if you had given us this knowledge earlier, we wouldn’t have landed in the prison. You are responsible and you should have given the knowledge much earlier. So, our life would have been much different”, and I agree with them.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 do you distinguish between intuitive powers and ego driven power while making a decision?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Intuitive power is like a gut feeling and to get clear intuitive power you must mediate. Without meditation, your intuition will go haywire; it won’t be intuition at all.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:
How can I concentrate on my workload? I get so upset and disturb at times with customers complaints, which are totally not true.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
what’s great is when you can smile at complaints. You have achieved something if you can smile at Complaints. Complaints are opinions. Listen to them carefully and if there is something good in it then you can take or if it’s an outcome of prejudiced or biased mind, smile at them. That’s my policy. You can take something on board. I say you should take criticism with open mind and also give criticism with open mind; you should never be shy about criticism.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 see lots of people around me, I do not why they have come here. And for what? it goes beyond me, even I am sitting here I have no clue why I am here, Is it because of some hollowness within me
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This is more a wonder then a question, I leave that wonder with you, Life should be full of wonders and it’s good to wonder, why is there so much beauty. You know we often question in misery. We wonder at the beauty in the world. Every wonder is nothing but a question which is not looking for an answer. Life is a journey where you turn question into wonder.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!