Wisdom Of gurudev sri sri ravi shankar

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 ...

This Christmas, go to the values that Jesus truly represents and live them. Then he is not of the past. He is here now. And he will be in the future also, forever and ever. Jesus did all he could to help one cross the mind and get into the soul, the spirit, the source of life, the Self. Spirit is eternal and beyond birth, death, name and form. You find the most complete expression of love in Jesus. Jesus and love are synonymous. If you say love, you need not say Jesus and when you say Jesus, it means love. Whatever glimpses you may get here and there indicates that fullness, the ultimate expression of the inexpressible that life is striving to express throughout time. Love goes with courage and look at the courage of Jesus. He says, “The meek shall inherit the earth. The meek shall inherit heaven.” This is because love makes you meek. Yet love is the strongest force on this universe and brings you the kingdom of heaven. In those days too, even after showing all those miracl...

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 ...

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 ...