Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
![](/sites/all/themes/aol-zen/images/Q_A.jpg)
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!Q:
I do not know how to express my feelings and emotions. As I was trying to hide them, all the stress goes into myself. I do not know what to do with this. Is it very difficult to empty my mind even while meditating with your guidance?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Hmm! If you get too many thoughts, there are certain reasons. One of the reasons, for getting too many thoughts, is when your bowel is not clear, when your stomach is upset, constipated. If your bowel movements are not ok then you get too many thoughts. If there is no proper blood circulation in the body, then also you get too many thoughts, yeah? So, yoga and pranayama will help. Proper food and diet will help. Show to Ayurvedic doctor, he will say if there is too much pitta in your system, then he will suggest the food, which will also help.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:
Can you please talk about prayers?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Prayers happens when you feel utterly helpless or when you feel totally grateful. The third condition when prayer happens is when you are in wisdom. Then, you see that the quality of the consciousness has expanded beyond its limitations and has risen to another plane, another dimension which is so fulfilling, so intuitive and so full of wisdom and love.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:
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:
I’m confused as to who I am, how can I be more natural? How can I be myself and develop a strong sense of self? Is it ok to be very different than other people?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Confusion is a very good temporary state. Do you know when do you get confused? When you grow! When a particular concept in your mind just falls apart, breaks apart. You thought you were somebody, and that concept breaks so then there is confusion. So, it is a sign of growth. Is it shocking? Good. If you want to know who you are, you are in the right place and it is all right to be confused. In fact, we are all different yet we try to imitate others. That is where there is a problem. Just recognize the difference and celebrate the differences. To be yourself, you are in the right place. It’s all right to be different, your difference need not conflict with that of other people. People who are rebellious want to be different to compete. You can be different, but you don’t need to exhibit yourself as different. Got it?Q:
Is meditation concentration on some point in the centre of forehead?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Absolutely not!Q:
How can I forget a painful past doing the course?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It happens effortlesslyQ:
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.