Wisdom Of gurudev sri sri ravi shankar

Question:- Guruji, Money cannot bring us happiness this knowledge happens after accumulating money or before it? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:            If you are intelligent, it happens before. And if you are little less intelligent, then it happens afterward. An intelligent person also learns from others experiences. But this realization is only authentic if you can experience someones experience as your own. It doesnt carry any value if a beggar says that he has abandoned everything. How can a beggar abandon anything? He has not earned anything at the first place. Also there are some people who do not understand this even after accumulating a lot of money. But this doesnt mean that you should not earn money. If you are too feverish for money thinking that only it can bring you happiness, then either earn money and see yourself, or learn from others experience.

Sevak (volunteer) Sri Sri:          As a Sevak(volunteer), you should remember that even if you get stones in return for Seva, it’s fine. If someone scolds you or curses you, you remain unfazed. Don’t make yourself sad or anyone else sad. Remember this - you need nothing in return forSeva - not even a ‘thanks’. Do not say: ‘I have never needed anything else, only a few words of gratitude’ - you shouldn’t expect even that. If you do Seva without expecting anything, then that is bliss. If you expect people to praise you or thank you, then the quality of Seva goes down. Seva should walk hand in hand with sadhana(spiritual practices). If one is absent, you will not gain anything from the other. From sadhana you get strength to do Seva, and from Seva you get depth in sadhana. But remember that sadhana is your first priority! You should make time to do sadhana, you should be smart in managing time. There is no end to work, there is always work every day. S...

Question: How does Seva help us grow in this path? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The way to expand from individual to universal consciousness is to share others's sorrow and joy. As you grow, your consciousness should also grow. When you expand in Knowledge with time, then depression is not possible. Your inner most source is joy. The way to overcome personal misery is to share universal misery! The way to expand personal joy is to share universal joy. Instead of thinking "what about me?" "what can ℹgain from this world?" think "what can ℹ do for the world?" When everyone comes from the point of contributing to society, you have a Divine society. We have to educate and culture our individual consciousness in order to expand in time with the Knowledge from "what about me?" to "what can I contribute?" If you are not having good experiences in meditation, then do more seva - you will gain merit and your meditation will be deeper. W...

Human Values: The Common Ground Of All Religions I see a crisis facing the world today. It is fundamentally one of identification. People identify themselves with limited charac­teristics such as gender, race, religion and nationality, forget­ting their basic identity as part of the universal spirit. These limited identifications lead to conflict on a personal level and globally. Every individual is much more than the sum of these limited identifications. The highest identification we can make is that we are part of Divinity, and only secondly are we human beings and members of the human family. In divine creation, the whole of the human race is united. Along with the proper identification of our true nature, we need to return to the values that are the essence of all major traditions. Religion has three aspects: values, rituals and symbols. The moral and spiritual values are common to all traditions, and the symbols and practices--those rituals and customs that form a way ...

  Question:-  Guruji, Is there a relationship between ego, and possessiveness,  and how do we get out of both?   Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: - Yes. Ego,possessiveness, jealousy, anger, greed are all linked. They are linked to the ego. Now, how to get rid of the ego? This is a big problem. Actually the solution is very simple. Just agree to be crazy for one day. Just act like a crazy person for one day. That is good enough. Ego means that you are trying to impress others. You need the other for ego to be there. When you are alone in a place, there cannot be any ego. Ego pops up when the other is there. If you are like a child, if you are natural and feeling at home, that is the best antidote for ego. Ego cannot sustain or survive when naturalness takes over, and when you feel at home with everybody and have a sense of belongingness with everyone. All these qualities can transform you. If the ego still says, ‘I am’, then that ego should be expanded. One is a Transparent Ego...

Question - Gurudev, is there any secret to handle our feelings, that makes us go up and down in life? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji - We can transcend feelings easily when we know that there is something which is much more basic to life than feelings, and that is the self; the life force, which is not changing at all. We have 1,72,000 nadis in the body. Sometimes the knowledge nadi opens up; sometimes the music nadi opens up. Different nadis open up and you experience different things. So, don’t be so obsessed with your feelings. Often, we don’t concentrate on what we have to do but we sit and ponder over that which is happening. We put so much attention on what is happening rather than on what we are doing. Put attention on what you are doing and leave whatever is happening to Nature. Nature will take you through whatever is happening. I tell you, whether it is thoughts or emotions or feelings, it is not an isolated incidence. It is a global phenomenon. Suppose you go t...

Worship – A Sign Of Maturity For a flame to rise, you need space above it. In the same way, for a man to rise up in his life, he needs an ideal, he needs something to adore and worship. What is Worship? Worship is the culmination of love and appreciation. In worship, a sense of belongingness, love, honor, and respect, all come together. Without a sense of belongingness, worship or idealism can bring low self-esteem. The ancient people knew this, and so they insisted that people should feel part of what they worship. They encouraged people to worship the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, plants, animals, and people. Why is Worship Important? Worship prevents love from turning into hatred or jealousy, and prevents appreciation from becoming low self-esteem. In life, if you do not adore or appreciate anything, you will be filled with negativity. And a person who has nothing to worship or adore is sure to fall into depression. Lack of adoration has led to many emotional, psychologi...

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji explains the importance of silence as a mother of creativity.      We live in a cluttered world! Cities are cluttered, towns are cluttered, markets are cluttered… So is our mind. “Too much to do, very little time…” has almost become a universal phenomenon, creating stress in virtually everyone’s life. Even when one is on leave from work, the mind gets no rest. From the moment it wakes up till the time it goes to sleep, the mind is always engaged – either in something utterly useless or something very important.  As it’s almost impossible to reduce the workload and increase the time, the only option left is to increase the energy level within us. When we have enough energy and enthusiasm, we are able to handle any challenge. The Silent Energy - But the question is how to increase energy? Spiritual practices like meditation, yoga, and pranayama do just that. They all lead one to a space of silence, which is charged with ener...

Question: What is the significance of a Christmas tree? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:          Be like the Christmas tree; evergreen, shining, full of lights and full of gifts. So everyone here is a Christmas tree. A Christmas tree only gives, it doesn’t take anything for itself. It just gives. So go with that thought, I’m a Christmas tree!      Come summer or winter or fall, it never falls, never springs. All through the year it’s green and in winter it gives presents.       I want to see everyone smiling and happy. Just create waves of happiness, everything else is irrelevant. In the world things happen, some pleasant, some unpleasant. Some things happen the way you want it, some things don’t happen the way you want. Bundle it all and put it aside. Nothing can really take away your happiness.      When you have had a good meditation, and when the prana is high, what do you feel? Nothing matters! Right? Noth...

Question - Gurudev, what is the purpose of fear? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  -             Nature has built a little fear into all living beings. This fear makes life defend itself, protect itself. Like salt in food, a little fear is essential for people to be righteous.  Fear of hurting someone makes you more conscious. Fear of failure makes you more keen and dynamic. Fear moves you from carelessness to taking care. Fear moves you from being insensitive to being sensitive. Fear moves you from dullness to alertness.  Total lack of fear may lead to destructive tendencies – a distorted ego knows no fear. Nor does one with expanded consciousness. While the ego dismisses fear and acts in a destructive manner, the wise one acknowledges fear and takes refuge in the Divine. When you are in love, when you are surrendered, there is no fear.  Ego, too, knows no fear. But there is a difference – like the difference between heave...

Question: Dear Gurudev, what is the key to keep a good friendship? Gurudev HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar : Not demanding anything from the friends, and telling them I’m here to support you. Just believe in one thing: what you need you will get. The giver is somebody else, so don’t demand love. When you demand love you are destroying love. So you should never demand love or attention from people. If you are there only to give love and attention, then anyone will feel comfortable with you. But if you are expecting something then you are putting people in a very uncomfortable position. Do you see what I’m saying? You can’t say this to everybody in the world, but intelligent people if they understand this, they can make their way.

Question - How to deal with rude behaviour of people around? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar -            What do you do when someone behaves very rudely towards you? 1) Get upset 2) React rudely back 3) Get frustrated 4) Run away and avoid the person or situation 5) Blame the person 6) Preach to the person None of these will in any way strengthen you. Then what are the options? See rude behaviour in this light: 1) It indicates the intensity of their commitment 2) It indicates their stress and insensitivity 3) It projects the upbringing of the person 4) It shows a behavioural pattern 5) It shows lack of Knowledge 6) It shows lack of observation of the mind and its sensations 7) It shows you behaviour to avoid 8) It is an opportunity for you to welcome and absorb the rudeness 9) It strengthens your mind 10) It reveals the love that you are as unconditional The next time when someone is rude to you, just give back a broad smile. If you can digest th...

Question - Gurudev, what is the purpose of fear? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar-            Nature has built a little fear into all living beings. This fear makes life defend itself, protect itself. Like salt in food, a little fear is essential for people to be righteous.  Fear of hurting someone makes you more conscious. Fear of failure makes you more keen and dynamic. Fear moves you from carelessness to taking care. Fear moves you from being insensitive to being sensitive. Fear moves you from dullness to alertness.  Total lack of fear may lead to destructive tendencies – a distorted ego knows no fear. Nor does one with expanded consciousness. While the ego dismisses fear and acts in a destructive manner, the wise one acknowledges fear and takes refuge in the Divine. When you are in love, when you are surrendered, there is no fear.  Ego, too, knows no fear. But there is a difference – like the difference between heaven and earth –...

Question - Gurudev, why do I go on and off in my sadhana (spiritual practice)? I hear that other people do this as well. Do guide us here, how to deal with such times? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji - Well, it's natural. When there are fruits in the tree you enjoy the fruits and you forget to water the roots. And then when the tree starts drying out then you water it again. This is how we do. Once, twice or three times you go through this cycle and then you become intelligent, then you make it part of your life. Once it is part of your life then you will feel so uncomfortable if you don't do your practice even for one day. Even for one day if you are not in knowledge, it throws you off, you feel as if you're missing something, or there is a lack of something.  So, you need to make these good practices part of your life, like brushing your teeth. One day you don't brush your teeth, do you feel comfortable? You feel so awful, isn't it? Just like dental ...

1) Gyan Mudra Touch the tips of the index finger and thumb and keep the other 3 fingers (index, ring, and pinky finger) stretched, relaxed and joined. Also known as the chin mudra, this is probably the most familiar mudra in mainstream society. Meditators are often seen pairing this mudra with their practice. 2)Uttarabodhi Mudra Hold the hands in front of the solar plexus. Interlock the fingers. Index fingers and thumbs of both hands should be joined together. While the index fingers point to the ceiling, point the thumbs to the floor. 3)Apan Vayu Mudra The tip of the index finger should be pressed lightly against the root of the thumb and second and the third finger should touch the inner tip of the thumb. Apan vayu mudra, also known as Mritsanjeevani mudra, is a very powerful mudra. In ancient India, it was believed to save lives in the case of heart attacks. Source -  Wisdom seekers

Question - Guruji, Who Am I? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji - This is a million dollar question. I want you to keep this question with yourself. I will never take it away from you, because this question is like a vehicle for you to transform your life, make unwanted things drop off your life and help you reach the ultimate. Keep asking yourself this question again and again - “Who am I?” This itself paves the way for going deeper into meditation. Just keep aside whatever you think of yourself or what you feel you are. This question cannot be answered through words. One who answers it through words does not truly know. This question is very important. So keep asking this question to yourself again and again - be it a hundred or a thousand times, over and over. Then ask yourself, “Why am I?” I would say first you should know who you really are. Then think over why you are, and also why you are not. Think whether there is anyone for whom you are not. You are not here to be ...

Question : I am not sure about what I want to do in life. I want to ask you but I don’t even know what to ask and what exactly I want. I get bored doing anything in very little time. I find myself being very moody. I am not satisfied or happy doing anything. How can I live my life with this kind of mental state? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji:           You want comfort too much. Get out of your comfort zone. You are only thinking of your comfort and pleasure; that is when you get into this sort of stage or state. You are here to be useful to somebody else. You are here to do something useful to someone. How can you be bored? Even if you are bored, you have to do that, because what you do is useful to someone else. If you are self-centered, and you think, ‘If I like it only then I will do it’, then that is not seva. That won’t bring you satisfaction. Do you see what I’m saying?      ‘I don’t like meeting people’, but you are meeting people f...

Question – Gurudev, why are people afraid of emotionally connecting with people? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji - Emotion is an integral part of you. If you are running away from emotions it is because of the fear of getting hurt. When you are emotional you should be ready to get hurt. Unless you are so established in wisdom then emotions are a celebration and they cannot hurt you anymore. Either you shut down or run away. You have to stand up to it and see the love beyond the pain. See the love beyond suffering. Love brings certain feelings that can hurt you. You love someone and they forget your birthday, what happens to you? You become miserable.  Your expectation from others hurts you emotionally. Thay fear of pain causes you to shut down. Wake up. Take pain as part of love. You love someone pain also comes. When you have such acceptance your love has reached a height beyond vulnerability. It gets you to a place of blissful divinity. Love without wisdom is a host...

Question - Gurudev, what is Guru kripa? How does it lead to self-realisation? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji - Guru is the self. Sometimes in his life a man becomes dissatisfied with it, and, not content with what he has, he seeks the satisfaction of his desires, through prayer to God etc.  His mind is gradually purified until he longs to know God, more to obtain his grace than to satisfy his worldly desires. Then, God’s grace begins to manifest. God takes the form of a Guru and appears to the devotee, teaches him the Truth and, moreover, purifies his mind by association.  The devotee’s mind gains strength and is then able to turn inward. By meditation it is further purified and it remains still without the least ripple. That calm expanse is the Self.  The Guru is both ‘external’ and ‘internal’. From the ‘exterior’ he gives a push to the mind to turn inward, from the ‘interior’. He pulls the mind towards the self and helps in the quieting of the mind. That ...