Questions and Answers with Guruji (archives)

Q: Guruji, my mind wonders everywhere how do I meditate?

Sri Sri: Take a stick and start chasing your mind. See where it goes.
If it goes to Goa chase it to Goa, if it is going to Bhavnagar, chase it
there, if it is going to bhelpuri, chase it to bhelpuri, if it is
going to Bhagdad, chase it to Bhagdad�.. Chase, keep chasing and you see
your mind is so tired that it will come and fall at your feet. That's why
Maharshi Patanjali says meditate on everything, meditate on elements,
on Rishis, who are out of craving, even if you meditate on Rishis who
are out of craving, you get into meditation. And when you sit for
satsang, you get into meditation. But sometimes if you sit for santsang, and
you are not there 100%, you count the ceiling, you look here and there.
You have to bring interest yourself, You have to bring the juice (ras/
necter) yourself. It is already there, you have to see the one behind.
The one who put the juice. Don't think I have to do, I tell you need
not do anything its all burning for you, you don't have to
lit it at all. When you are in Gangaji, you don't need a shower, when
you are taking a dip in the Ganges, why do you need to have a tap and a
shower? Become effortless. Just know that I am nothing and I don't
want anything. But don't start thinking about it continuously, this is
also a Maya.

That's why Adi Shankaracharya says it is foolish to even think that I
am Zero.

Q: What is more important- knowledge or devotion?

Sri Sri: They go in hand. Its like a chair� if you pull one leg, the
other will also come! Knowledge brings devotion and devotion brings
knowledge


Q: How can you incorporate spirituality in daily life?

Sri Sri: The first step is not to think that spirituality is not for
daily life. It is not different from daily life. So you don�t have to
make an effort and try to incorporate it in your life. Your life can never
be away from spirituality, it is only a matter of awareness.

Q: Guruji, I enjoyed my silence, I really found peace. So if I become
dumb, will I get moksha?

Sri Sri: (Laughter!!! ) Oh ! God, if you find something good you will
go on doing it!??!?! There are so many dumb people in the world, is
everybody enlightened. Extremity is a problem in our country. There are
some people who keep silence for 12 years. And after that their voice box
don't function, looks like almost rusted. They cannot speak God has
given an instrument, use it. Otherwise it would get rusted. But don't
speak too much, and don't speak less as well. It your words are able to
bring happiness, solace, definitely you should speak. Silence is also
important. At least two to three times a year. Silence helps us to become
more competent, become more courageous and efficient. So do both, keep
silence and also speak. If you speak for 24 hours, then you loose your
creativity.

Q: If there is Shiva inside us, then why do we do bad things?

Sri Sri: When you do bad things, your Shiva is sleeping. When your
Shiva wakes up, He says, �It doesn�t matter. Go ahead and everything will
be alright.� He brings back the power, the enthusiasm and the energy to
move on and on.�

Q: In business or commerce, we only think about taking or getting, but
on spiritual path, it is all about giving. How can we shift from one to
the other? How can we remove the feeling of guilt?

Sri Sri: Being on the spiritual path is also about getting � you get so
much joy just by seeing the joy in others. So, you do not have to feel
guilty. Business is done with the head � you take more and give less.
Spirituality comes from the heart � you give more and take only little.
So never do business with your heart and spirituality with your head.

Q: We all say that if we are more spiritual, we can be better human
beings. How can I be more spiritual?

Sri Sri: Just this question is good enough! From time to time, it will
give you many ideas. How can I be more useful? How can I be more
spiritual? That very question, that very inquisitiveness, is enough.

Q: Comment about attraction, desire and entanglement. How can we avoid
entanglement?

Sri Sri: You are the source of energy. Attraction happens when the
energy on you wakes up. It is just electro-magnetic energy. One energy
manifests at various points in the body (the seven chakras) as different
flavours, different colours. When attraction gets satisfied very quickly,
then love does not blossom in life. When attraction is difficult to
attain, it turns into love; and when that love matures, it becomes
unconditional, it turns into dedication or devotion, the ultimate.

Love and longing go together. If there is no longing, if u kill the
longing, then love also slowly dies way. How can you keep the longing
alive? By being centered, by being in yourself. Do not get completely lost
in the other person, this becomes too much for the other person as
well. Getting lost in the other person is called entanglement. If two lines
run parallel, with some goal ahead, they will always be parallel, but
if they focus only on one another, they will meet, cross and go in
opposite directions! So, with attraction, you come together, meet and then
separate; but if there is a goal, then the attraction remains forever.
That�s why, in life, your charm is never lost when are well-founded and
centered, when your attention is on the knowledge.

Love has no completion� because it is infinity. Something which has no
boundary also has no completion. Radha is the longing, and Krishna is
the love. Sometimes, the longing brings pain. To avoid the pain, you try
to fill your space with something, but that pain makes you deep.

Q: What is the greatest responsibility of a human being?

Sri Sri: Every responsibility, whether small or big, is important at
different times. Even the smallest task can be done with perfection. You
do not have to be a genius� just be simple.


Q: How can I maintain happiness?

Sri Sri: Do not make such an effort. In order to save your happiness,
you have to spread it. Share your happiness with everyone. Why worry in
this short span of life when there is such beautiful knowledge.


Q: After death, does the soul retain any of the senses?

Sri Sri: Yes. It is very interesting. After death, the soul retains the
sight, smell and hearing. Touch and taste will go. The sight, smell
and hearing are not retained for ever, but for about eight to ten days.
Then the soul goes into a deep state of rest.


Q: Guruji, how do you know this?

Sri Sri: Those who have known themselves know this. You know, it is all
in the consciousness. Also this has been recorded in the ancient texts
by scholars.


Q: What to do if you have a boss who doesn't recognize your
contributions?

Sri Sri: Just smile.


Q: What is dharma?

Sri Sri: Dharma is more than just duty. It is that which uplifts you.
Serving, etc. It is that which is your inherent nature.


Q: Guruji, you said earlier that the ego is useful for action. Is it
possible to act without ego?

Sri Sri: Yes. An enlightened person will act without any ego.

See, praising a wise person is useless. They will anyway do good work.
They will continue doing good work even if you blame them. Praise a
fool -- that will pump up their ego and motivate them into doing good
work. Have you noticed, the ego troubles ones own mind more than others?

Q: Guruji, why do so many innocent people suffer in man-made and
natural disasters?

Sri Sri: It makes you wonder about whether there is a God or not,
doesn't it? More than five hundred people in Bombay this week... You simply
have to wonder. You know, you should think about how we can change the
bad people into good people. We have to think constructively.

It is also nature's way of telling us to have compassion. Without
misery there would be no compassion, is it not? In Africa millions of
children cannot afford a square meal. In Washington DC, fifty percent of
school children drop out and go into violence. What can we do? How to
reinstate goodness and faith in non-violence?

Non-violence is the first limb of yoga. The second limb is truth. Why
do we lie? It is because of our fear of losing our reputation and of
losing others love. You know why spouses lie to each other? Because if
they tell the truth, there will be a fight! When there is a conflict
between love and truth, love always wins, that is why spouses lie.

Yogas limbs are non-violence and truth, but yoga also leads to
non-violence and truth. See we have done lots of good work in prisons, and in
places like Israel, Kashmir... Is Dafna here? We have been teaching in
Tel Aviv, and also in the prisons in Israel. And in Iraq. Recently 43
people, mostly women and some men also, were in the Bangalore ashram.
They took training for eight weeks, and now they are going back to Iraq to
teach various yoga and meditation.


Q: Guruji, I have been having bad thoughts throughout this course.

Sri Sri: That is because of stress, toxins in the blood. Could also be
due to some hormonal imbalance. More cleansing will help. Don't be
bothered. The more you grow, the more these negative emotions, anger etc.
will be intolerable to you. So it is a good sign.

JOYY GURUDEV

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"Celebrate Life. Care for others and share whatever you have with those less fortunate than you. Broaden your vision, for the whole world belongs to you."

- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder, Art of Living Foundation.
 
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