Let us learn to be compassionate

When you want to teach anybody a lesson, it never happens because you are acting out of anger. Only with true compassion can you teach people a real lesson. Then they listen because it touches their heart. Have this attitude, "Come what may, I will not get hurt. If someone is nasty, I will learn to be compassionate."

A New Beginning

Bangalore, India


When an individual does meditation, it is called Tapasya (focused effort leading towards bodily purification and spiritual enlightenment). But when everyone joins together from all over the world and does meditation it is called a Yagna and it is even more special because we create a field of sattva and a field of harmony which is most needed in the world today.

So, this is very beautiful and very sacred for a new beginning.

Every moment is a new beginning. You wake up and say, 'This is a new beginning!' That is it! There is no 'How', that is how it is.

What we should remember is that, we are ancient and yet we are new.

Look at the sun, it is old, isn't it?! Yet it is so fresh today! The rays are so fresh, the air is so fresh, the trees are fresh - old tree fresh leaves! So, you are also - FRESH! This is how you should live - I am ancient and new; ageless and timeless!

So feel very fresh and new, and you will see how the complaints and regrets simply evaporate. Acceptance dawns from within, dynamism dawns in life and harmony at every level starts happening.

In life you need three things, Compassion, Passion and Dispassion.

When you are miserable, be dispassionate. When you are happy, be passionate. You should have some passion in life. And passion to do service is the most wonderful thing that one should aspire for.

So, be passionate to serve when you are happy. Have dispassion when you are miserable, and be compassionate all the time!

Q: Gurudev, how can we make utterly materialistic people realize the importance and urgency of meditation in today's gloomy economic situation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Here, memory of the past will help you.

See in the past, after World War II or before that, the world was in such a big crisis. There was very little food and people had limited resources because everything was destroyed, but then people did survive.

We have seen worse periods on this planet. Before independence, in India, there have been so many crisis. We have undergone so many types of crisis - There was drought, floods, famine and a big plague. But people have survived all those hard times as well.

It is not any harder than what it was in the past centuries, so, don’t worry, we have survived those tough times.

Now is when we need to encourage more human values. We need to be of help to each other, share with each other and live together. We need to have good communication with people around us. This human touch is what will give us strength to overcome the crisis.

When you know there are a bunch of people who are behind you, who are supporting you, why would you be afraid of anything?

If you have faith in the consciousness, in the Divinity, it is bound to take care of you, why would you be gloomy?

So, you should make every crisis into an opportunity to turn towards the Divinity, turn towards humanity and turn towards the inner light.

Q: Dear Gurudev in every situation, how to remain ever new and eternal? For example when we meet people, our impression from our previous associations linger in the mind.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yeah of course, that is why I say you are both ancient and new. You are new that doesn't mean that you don't remember somebody's name. Every time you meet someone, you don't ask them, ‘What is your name again?’

Being ever new does not mean amnesia, where you forget everything, no! The depth of memory will certainly be there, but with the memory there will be a freshness. There is an essence of a renewed spirit.

It is difficult to explain but that's what it is. So, don't think that a new beginning or living in the moment means amnesia, okay!

What we should remember is that, we are ancient and yet we are new. Look at the sun, it is old, isn't it?! Yet it is so fresh today! The rays are so fresh, the air is so fresh, the trees are fresh - old tree fresh leaves! So, you are also - FRESH!

Q: Dear Gurudev, does meditation improve IQ? If yes, how can meditation improve intelligence?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Meditation brings the most needed rest to the brain; to the mind. Rest and silence is the mother of all creativity and intelligence. That is how it improves intelligence.

Q: It is said that, we can live our entire lives as meditation. How is this possible? How can my life become a meditation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Every moment is a new beginning.

You wake up and say, 'This is a new beginning!' That is it!

There is no 'How', that is how it is. Just let go!

Q: Gurudev, please tell us how Vedic knowledge can benefit the whole world.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It is obvious that it is benefiting – Yoga, Meditation, Breathing Exercises, Ayurveda, all this is Vedic knowledge.

Veda itself means knowledge; ancient and new. There is some value in the ancient knowledge and there is some value in the new knowledge. They go together bringing the much needed change in society today.

Q: Why does religion separate and divide people when it is supposed to bring people closer to God.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When ego enters there, that is when the conflict in religion begins. A religion is great because it is ‘My’ religion, not because of what it is.

It is 'My religion’ so it is great. It is the 'Me'; the ego which is the cause of conflict, and not really the religion; But we take religion as a pretext; as ones identity to create so many conflicts in the world, isn't it?

If religion is used only for the purpose of one's connection with God and not for political reasons then religion become spirituality.

Q: Gurudev, what can I rely on that can never be shaken?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The Self. Why you want to rely on anything? Just relax!

Relax and you will find that everything is falling in the right place.

Anything that bothers you, just drop it here. Send it to me. I am with you, yes!

Q: I worry too much about failure, especially when I am doing something important. It decreases my efficiency. How to overcome this?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: A new beginning.

That was the past – drop it. Have faith that there are many more new things to come into your life.

One thing that you should know is that you don't know yourself. When you look at what you did in the past or your weaknesses, the first step to gain confidence is to know that you don't know yourself.

When you think that you know yourself, only then do you attached yourself with all these negative events and qualities. But when you wake up and see that, ‘Hey, I don’t know myself’, then it is a new beginning.

Then you will discover that there are so many strengths within you that you were not aware of.

Q: How can I love with freedom, without any expectations and restrictions?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You want security in love and at the same time you are scared of commitment. So you have many emotions all rolled-up into one thing, and this is called confusion.

When there is confusion in love, I would say meditate more and just relax. Things will fall into place.

Q: Gurudev what is between New and Ancient?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Myself.

Don't hate, have compassion

Generally, if someone is very bad, you will just move away from them. But when you hate them, that means, there is a deep connection that you are unable to get away from. You want to be with them, that is why you start disliking them. One, who is caught in the whirlpool of mind, only deserves compassion, not anger.

Am I taking the correct decision?

August 31, 2012

Brazil, South America

How many of you feel that without you doing any bad, you have gained enemies?
People become your enemies. You have not done any harm to them, any wrong to them and still they become enemies.
Similarly, you have not done any big favors to some people but they became your very good friends. Isn’t it?
How many of you have this experience?
See, this is it, people become friends and enemies by some strange karma, some strange law. There is some strange law due to which suddenly friends become enemies and enemies become good friends.
So, put all the friends and enemies in one basket and become free.

When you make a decision,
somewhere you get the gut
feeling that says, ‘Yes, this
is correct.'
One thing you should know
is that even if you take a
wrong decision, it always
leads you to growth.

See, what bothers your mind is either your friends, or your enemies. Isn’t that so?
When you sit for meditation, you should keep them all aside, your friends, enemies and everybody, put them one side, sit, relax, and become free.
What do you say? Isn't that correct?!

When your mind is satisfied, when it is quiet and happy, it gains a very peculiar power, i.e., the power to bless.
When you are happy and contented, you are able to give blessing to others.
If your mind is agitated and you have a lot of desires then you cannot give blessings. Even if you give blessings, it does not work that well. So, time and again, we must see to it that we have contentment.
When you are contented, not only your desires, but you can fulfill the desires of others as well.

Q: How do I know if I am making the correct decision?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you make a decision, somewhere you get the gut feeling that says, ‘Yes, this is correct.'
One thing you should know is that even if you take a wrong decision, it always leads you to growth. You become stronger, you learn a lesson somewhere deep inside. So that is why, don’t worry.

Q: Please speak about compassion.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: In life there are three things which are essential:
1. Passion
2. Dispassion, and
3. Compassion 

Passion is like breathing in, and Dispassion is like breathing out. No one can say, ‘I want to only breathe in, I don’t want to breathe out.' Impossible! So breathing in is essential, and that is Passion, for things in life. Then, there is also a need for Dispassion. Dispassion means the ability to just let go of everything. Dispassion brings you relief and then Compassion becomes your nature. So you must have Passion when you do work, Dispassion when you want to rest, and Compassion as your very nature. That is it!

Q: Please talk about Reciprocity.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Reciprocity is very natural.
At a higher state of mind, reciprocity is instantaneous. Only when someone is not sensitive there is no reciprocity.
Often people reciprocate the bad things. If you blame somebody, they are ready to blame you immediately. If you insult somebody, they insult you immediately, but it is not the same for the good.
If you do something good, not everybody think they should reciprocate the goodness. That happens only when the mind is at a higher state.

Often people reciprocate
the bad things. If you blame
somebody, they are ready
to blame you immediately.
But it is not the same for the
good. If you do something
good, not everybody think
they should reciprocate the
goodness. That happens only
when the mind is at a higher
state.

Q: I am going through a separation. My wife and I have chosen different paths and live different lives. We both want our child to be with each of us. In this situation, what is the wisest thing to do?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The child should be exposed to both paths, and allowed to choose.
If there is no understanding between the couple, it is definitely a strain on the child.
What both parents should keep in mind is that they should not go on blaming each other in front of the child. Putting the child against one of the parents is no good. That is a very narrow minded approach.

Q: Gurudev, sometimes what make me happy conflicts with the expectations of my family and friends. In that case what do I do?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, you need to balance both.
Balance between your search for happiness and the expectation of others from you.
It is a little delicate but you should definitely make an effort.

Q: Dear Gurudev, I sometimes feel I am very arrogant. How do I get rid of this arrogance. I have done The Art of Living Course and I am doing my practices.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: One thing you must notice, before also you used to be arrogant, but you were not aware of it. But now at least you have become aware that you are being arrogant. That awareness is there, 'Oh, this is happening.'
It is good to have this awareness. This is the first step to get out of it.
Second step is to have a broader vision of your own life.
The more and more you steep into knowledge, you will see that all these little games that the mind plays is like a child playing. Once you see this, you will not mind it, and so you accept it and move beyond it.
When you see that the mind is like a small child playing, you will see it from a bigger background, a bigger perspective.

Q: What is the need for meditation and relaxation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you relax, the mind expands.
Have you noticed when you are happy what happens? Something inside you starts expanding.
And when you are unhappy what happens? Something inside you starts shrinking.
So when you relax the body, then the mind starts blossoming.

Q: Please tell us what is death?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There is no need to define death. It is an obvious phenomenon. We are born and we are going to die one day.
When we came to this world, the first thing we did was we took a deep breath in, and then we started crying. And the last thing we will do in this life is breathe out, and then others will cry.
If we don’t make others cry, then we have not lived a good life.

Balance between your
search for happiness and
the expectation of others
from you. It is a little
delicate but you should
definitely make an effort.

When the soul leaves the body with full contentment, with a lot of love and wisdom, then it is not compelled to come back. It can come back on its own will.

Q: Please let us know what is the biggest limitation for human beings?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Body has limitation, mind has limitation, but the spirit has no limitation.
When you think you are the body then you have limitation. Then you can do only that much.
When you think you are the mind, mind also has some limitation. But your love has no limitation. Your consciousness has no limitation.
See, how with one small cell phone, you can reach the whole world. You can reach any number of phone numbers with one call phone, isn’t it?
Similarly, our mind which invented the cell phone is much more powerful than the cell phone itself. You only need to make it available.

Karma is very interesting and very strange

July 12, 2012; Bad Antogast, Germany

Q: Guruji, please give us Gyaan (knowledge)? 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: For that you have to ask questions. Knowledge means you have to pull it out.

Q: What happens after death?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: What happens after death is the mind gets freed from the body, the spirit. The mind has memory and intelligence, so these two things become like a balloon. The karma, the deepest impressions form a balloon. It is like in sleep.
Death is nothing but a long sleep. Before going to sleep, see the last thought that you get, and as soon as you wake up, see what is the first thought that comes. Have you noticed? It will variably be the same though. 

Love is indescribable. You
can’t describe it. And there
is not a creature on this
planet which doesn’t know
it. Wherever there is a force,
or there is energy, or a pull,
or attraction, you call it love.
And where there is repulsion
that is also love in the opposite
direction.

So the physical body decays and the pranic body with all the impressions forms a balloon and leaves the body and hangs around.
Don’t imagine a balloon hanging around! It is a light; an energy.

I will give you the best example. In a television station, they conduct a program and then they transmit it through the dish and the program remains in the atmosphere – it is the same way.
When you send an email from the computer, you type all the letters and then you press the send button. What happens? It goes into the space. Does your email remain in the space till it is downloaded? Even after several days you can download your email. Even one year later or ten years later you can download an email. There is no expiry date, isn’t that so. It is not like those greeting cards which sometimes people send you that expire in 24 hours.
The messages or letters you send don’t hang as letters in the space, it remains in the space as energy.
Like that every soul is a particular frequency and every thumb is different because a thumb is like a particular cell phone chip.

So after death, every individual energy stays, and the impressions it has taken, accordingly to that it experiences those stages there. But then after sometime that soul comes back.
The soul enters the body at three times – this is all a secret. It is called the birth secret and death secret.
So the soul enters at the moment of conception, or it enters in the fifth month, or at the time of birth. So the three sections are there, but there is no way to determine when it enters.
So if at conception time it comes then what one should do to care for that?
Keep yourself happy. Usually pregnant women are kept very happy in India. Whatever she wants is provided to her.
I would say, don’t watch all these violent movies, and scary songs, and scary things. Generally light flute music would be good because it is soothing. It is good to listen to music, knowledge and wisdom. All these things would be preferable.
The soul also chooses where to be born, the place to come. According to its wish it will just come there.

Q: What is love?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The basis of all existence.
All the cells in your body love each other, that is why they are together. The day they stop loving each other, it all disintegrates. Got it?
If there is one substances by which everything is held together and you want to give it a name, you can call it love. Love is not all wiggly wiggly and mushy mushy, ‘Oh I can’t live without you, I love you so much’, and so on. It is not that. That is just an emotional something. Love means (silence)… that is it.
Love is indescribable. You can’t describe it. And there is not a creature on this planet which doesn’t know it. Got it?
From the sea to the birds, from a chicken to an enlightened person, everybody has experienced love. Love for life is what we think it is, but life itself is love. So see through this knowledge that this whole universe is love.
Love is an existence not just an emotion. Emotion is also love, but the existence itself is love.
The Earth loves the Sun that is why it keeps going around the sun. The Moon loves Earth that is why the Moon goes around the Earth. Wherever there is a force or there is energy or a pull or attraction, you call it love. And where there is repulsion that is also love in the opposite direction. Got it?
You are drawn to somebody or something, why? Because you love it.
You see a cheese cake and you are drawn to it, why? There is a pull.
You see a beautiful girl or a girl sees a beautiful boy, there is a pull, and what do you call that? You call it love! Why? It is because there is a pull, there is an attraction, there is a force. And that force is what manages the whole universe.
Some places it is more obvious and some other places, it is not obvious. The day the Earth stops loving you, you will start flying. The Earth loves you so much that the gravitational force keeps you glued to the earth. Did you get it?
So love is that force in human life. And all the negative emotions are also a distorted form of love only.
In anger there is love. Ask me how? You love perfection and that is why you get angry. Greed is love. Greed is when you love something much more than life. When you love objects more than life, it is called greed. Hatred is love upside down. Fear is love upside down.

On bad days don’t go down
and on good days don’t just
go off the roof. Maintain your
equanimity and your dignity.
This is what knowledge
teaches you.

Q: Guruji, my mother passed away on Christmas. Is there any special meaning to this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Well, do you know around the world, many people die on Christmas day or New Year day. Death knows no dates. Got it?
So, you feel uncomfortable because she died on that day which you celebrate. But another way of looking at it is – on that day she became bigger. She got over here suffering, her sickness from being in the body. She got liberated. So that is a good thing for her. It is a Christmas gift to her from nature, from God. Think that way, then your mind will be at peace and you can celebrate Christmas.
She got liberated on Christmas day. And on Christmas day she ascended. Isn’t this a better way to see? So celebrate her liberation and her freedom.

Q: What to do if people around me are always very negative? I have a friend who is extremely negative about everything and with time he seems to be getting worse.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, if someone goes to that extent of being totally negative, it is not easy for a human being. It is almost inhuman to be that negative. And when he has gone so far, there is no way for him to go any further, he will have to come back because everything is cyclic. Got it?
When you go to the rock bottom, there is no way you can go further down. You have to come up. And that is what he said. He has gotten so bad that now he has to come back. And also to demonstrate that originally nobody is bad, it is only the action. The spirit is never bad. The spirit is always free and blissful.
Actions have a limited sphere and time. See if you do a bad act, you are not condemned forever. Even a punishment given to you is only for a few years or so. And even in those few years, you are treated well, isn’t it? A prisoner, whatever crime he has committed, is he treated badly? No, he is treated with compassion. The same thing was said in the Puranas – even a person who has gone to the highest level of crime, when he comes in contact with someone who is pure, someone who is so brilliant, someone who is full of positive energy then the influence of that positive energy is so powerful that it can bring light even to darkness.
See, in the darkest place a candle is good enough to bring light.

Q: (A member of the audience spontaneously asked a question and it was inaudible in the recording)
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, see human life is mixture of pleasant and unpleasant days. You take the life of anyone including Sri Ram, Krishna, Jesus, Buddha, Mahavir or Guru Nanak. Take anyone in the history they all had some bad days while some days were good.
What is important is on bad days don’t go down and on good days don’t just go off the roof. Maintain your equanimity and your dignity. This is what knowledge teaches you. Yes, there are some bad days but if you have wisdom you will just sail through them and get over them. It does not affect you so much.

The law of karma is very interesting and very strange. If it has to rain, it will rain. But it is your choice whether to get wet or not. If you walk in the rain with a raincoat you will not get so wet, just a few drops will fall on your face. But if you walk without an umbrella you will be fully drenched and you will have to come and change your clothes. All this – sadhana, meditation, satsang, singing, knowledge, all these are umbrellas and raincoats.
So people say, ‘Oh, if you are having a bad time now, do hollow and empty meditation, do some Om Namah Shivayachanting and singing.’ You may feel some negativity in the mind but they just come and vanish. And when you go deeper into it, a time comes that they don’t touch you at all, and they don’t come anywhere close to you. That is enlightenment.

The law of karma is very
interesting and very strange.
If it has to rain, it will rain.
But it is your choice whether
to get wet or not. If you walk
in the rain with a raincoat you
will not get so wet.
Sadhana, meditation, satsang, 
singing, knowledge, all these 
are umbrellas and raincoats.

Q: What do you think about astrology?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is why I am saying this is a sort of lost science. Astrology is a science but not the astrologers. They just make things up. You must follow your intuition. You don’t have to worry too much about these things.
A general idea of it is okay. Like on a new moon or full moon day, the moon has an impact on your mind. How many of you have had this experience?
How many of you can’t sleep on the new moon or full moon day? Moon is very much linked to the mind. So it happens.
Just be watchful that is all, don’t be paranoid. There is big difference between being paranoid and just having an idea. Be watchful about it.

Q: Guruji, I read and hear a lot of knowledge, but almost immediately forget what I heard. What do I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Don’t worry; I will keep talking to you. So even if you forget a hundred times, never mind, I have enough patience. I keep telling the same things.
Those who are talking to you are also in the same boat. Many people here, they say, but they too live from the other side. Never mind!
Have you ever heard Ashtavakra Gita? Forgotten, right?!
Have you heard the saying in that, ’Blessed are those who have forgotten.’ So you must belong to that.
There is one talk in Ashtavakra Gita where Ashtavakra says, ’Those who can forget everything are the blessed ones.’
So you seem to fall in that category. But this at least you don’t forget that you are blessed. Just this one thing if you can remember, ‘I am blessed.’

Q: Guruji, I have lost my intuition. What do I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You are in the right place, no problem.
See, yesterday we were having a meeting upstairs in Krishna hall and suddenly I said that I want to go and see the basement. I have not been to the basement for probably more than a year now.
So I said that I want to go to the basement and so we all went to the basement. In the basement, I suddenly went to this room and asked, ‘Who is staying in this room?’
They said, ‘We don’t know, somebody is staying.’
So I said, ‘Open the door’, and so we opened the door and we found a candle burning there. The candle was almost finished and the flame was about to catch on to the bed and the cot. We would have had a fire there because the flame of the candle was all over. If we had gone ten minutes later, perhaps the bed would have caught fire. Somebody lit the candle and forgot. There was no business for me to go there to that room.
That is intuition. I felt I should go there and I opened that room only.

I would never go and open somebody’s room. But now you know anything is possible. I may just barge into anybody’s room.
So I barged into that room and we found that nobody was there of course and the candle was burning.
So intuition is something that everybody is born with and everybody has it. The more hollow and empty, the more meditative you are, it is very obvious then. Isn’t it?
So, don’t light candles in your room and then disappear from there, okay!

Q: Where is the world of spirit?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It is not somewhere, it is here only.

When you feel weak I am with you as your strength, you are not alone!

When you feel weak I am with you as your strength, you are not alone!

November 16, 2011

Q: In Ashtavakra you say to drop sense objects if you wish for freedom. Sometimes human values like compassion, love, etc., depend on sense objects. Should I drop this also?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, don’t hold on to anything, let go! Compassion and love is your nature, those will remain in you.
There is a saying in Hindi, ‘neki kar kue mein daal’.
If you think, ‘I am so good and everybody is bad’, that will make you sad. This attitude is what you should drop.

Q: Beloved Guruji, in the world if we are in love with someone we have to cry. But if we are in love with you, then too we have to cry. What to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: ‘Kabira hasana door Kar, rone se kar preeti, bin roye kyon paiye, prem piyara meet.’ 
If some tears of love and of longing are shed then that is good, makes life worthwhile.

Q: Jai Guru Dev, whom so ever I have loved whether my family or friends all have betrayed me and whatever I do for them goes wrong. I want to do something different and prove myself to them.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: What is the use of trying to prove yourself to them? If you attempt to prove something to them, it will only lead to a waste of energy. Leave it and move on. 
Instead do what you want for yourself. 
If you something good to prove to others, anyways no one will be happy seeing it. They will only become jealous. What will we gain by creating more jealousy? It will only increase animosity. Therefore, forget about others and focus on your own life. 
The thirty to forty years of life left do what you want to do, earn how much you want to earn, do as much service in society as you want to do and then relax.

Q: But what about people who have betrayed me?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Leave them and don’t be concerned. Uproot them from your heart. If they have betrayed you that is their karma, and your karma was to get betrayed and now it is over. The score has been settled.

Q: Guruji, how do I know that I am doing what you expect me to do? Am I on the right path? At times I feel very weak and cry a lot. How can I stop my tears?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you feel weak I am with you as your strength, you are not alone. Whenever you feel weak, know that you are not alone. 
Be clear with what you want in your life and what you want to do. Then plan and move on those plans. 
Sitting and crying being emotional is not going to help. Wake up and see this is the world and the world has its own metrics. See how you can move forward.

Q: Why do we get attached and how do we get over the feeling of attachment? It is very painful when the person whom we are attached to chooses to leave us.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Remember, whatever is yours will always be yours. Whatever is not yours will come for a little while and then go.
Wake up! Go deep in knowledge.

Q: I am good at making friends but bad at maintaining friendship, what do I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You have identified the problem. Now the solution is to be friendly, but don’t try to be over friendly. Just be yourself and focus on yourself. Don’t go and log on to your friends all the time and think how to impress them and what their opinion of you is. This is such a strain on your mind. Never get into this. 
How many years are you going to live? One day you have to leave everything on this planet. You have to leave your good company, bad company, everybody and everything. 
When this is the truth you should come out of the ashes of the slumber that you are in and wake up!

Q: Guruji you have said feelings are emotional garbage. Should we not share our feelings with our loved ones?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, you can share your feelings but don’t dwell on them too much. 
Observe if by you sharing your feelings whether you are doing any good to yourself or your love ones. Suppose you are not feeling good and you keep telling your friends that, are they going to help you in anyway? 
If you have fever, and you share that with a doctor, he will give you some medication. But if you just keep telling your mother, grandmother and your friends who are not doctors, it is not going to help you in anyway. 
Share those feelings that uplift people. Don’t share those feelings for which no one can help you. Share them only with those who can help you, someone elderly or someone you can trust. With them you can share and take guidance. 
That is why with a teacher, a guide or a Guru you can share all your feelings.

Q: What is Prayaschit?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: ‘Prayas’ means become young again. ‘Chit’ means your mind becoming young again. Your chitta, mind or consciousness becomes old when it is bogged down by regrets. To remove the regrets becoming new and young again is what Prayaschit is. 
I did a mistake, never mind now I am going to chant ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ and do my pranayama. Pranayama is the best prayaschit and when you do pranayama all that energy that is bogged down wakes up.

Q: I have seen the Bhagavad Gita and it is a fat book. How did Lord Krishna explain all the 700 shlokas in the Bhagavad Gita on the battle field?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sometimes you don’t need so many words to communicate. Communication happens faster, but when written it becomes longer. In those days wars would go on for many days. Mahabharata war also went on for many days and the preparations were for many days. So it is possible that Lord Krishna spent one whole afternoon in brainwashing Arjuna. Since Arjuna thought he knew everything, Lord Krishna had to talk to him and convince him in many different ways. So it is not an impossibility.

Q: Guruji, in the name of devotion some people pierce needles on their tongue and other parts of the body. Is it right to torture ourselves in the name devotion?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: No, this is not correct. Nowhere in the scripture does it say that you should do these torturous things. The Divine dwells in every heart and no one should torture oneself in order to please the Divine.

Q: Guruji, if we have to marry, why not marry the Divine. How to make that possible? Please guide.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Marriage is a commitment. It is an internal thing, an internal bondage with the Divinity. Be in your house and continue doing what you are doing and in your mind your attachment is towards the Divine, that is it! 
If you are already married see the Divinity sitting in your own husband’s heart.

Q: Guruji, I have heard that the soul chooses its path. Somehow if you get deviated from that path and do something else, the Universe kicks you back on to that particular path that you are supposed to be on, is that true?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is if you are lucky! If you are unlucky it takes you long time to get back to your path.

Q: Lust, desire, anger, attachment and greed, are all these created by human beings or God?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: God has put these tendencies in our lives for us to rise above them. Without this there is nothing else in life to do. 
We have also been given the wisdom and the tools to rise above them. So the solution has been given first and then the problem and we need to fit the right solution to the problem. 
If we don’t see the solution but remain caught up in the problem then that is ignorance.

Q: If we give blessings to someone, or pray intensely for their wishes to be fulfilled, are we going against the Universe?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: No. This feeling to pray has also been put in your heart by the Universe.

Q: Are bad dreams okay?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Bad dreams are okay and good dreams are also okay. Consider bad dreams as something negative leaving you and good dreams as indications of something good about to happen.

Q: Guruji, what is right and what is wrong?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That which gives you a little trouble in the beginning but happiness for a long time is right and that which gives you temporary pleasure but long term misery is wrong.

Q: Can you elaborate on the number 7, like there are 7 days in a week, the 7 continents, the 7 chakras and so on.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Every number is associated with something sacred and has sacredness to it.
That’s why when the Rudrabhishekam is done, all the numbers are said.

Number 1 and 2 are very sacred. Number 3 is also sacred. Number 3 is associated with so many things, Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh; Satva, Rajas and Tamas; Vata, Pitta and Kapha; Morning, Afternoon and Evening; Present, Past and Future. So number 3 is very sacred.
Then number 4 is more sacred. The four directions; the four Vedas has so much sacredness attached to it. The most sacred of the symbols Swastika has four corners. 
Then number 5, the five elements which are very sacred; the five organs of senses; five organs of perceptions; five organs of action. Pancha Devata, there are five important categories of Devatas. A village panchayat has only five members and so 5 is very sacred. 
Then comes 6, Shad Darshanas, the six systems of Hindu philosophy; Shadangas, the six angas are very important. Then the sixth sense, you say the mind is the sixth sense.
Then 7; seven Swaras, seven Chakras, seven days of the week, seven planets… 
8 has its own sacredness, Ashta Dikpalakas, are the eight divine entities ruling eight quarters or the universe, Ashtadhatu, eight metals which are very essential for the body. Ashtalakshmi, the eight types of wealth. So 8 has its own significance. 
Coming to 9, Navagrahas; Navaratna, nine gems; Navaratri, nine nights. In nine months a child is born. There are nine types of bhakti. 
10 and 11 is also sacred. No number is left which is not sacred. In the West number 13 is considered unholy, but in India no number is considered unholy or unlucky. All the numbers are good numbers. Every number has some significance, some glory attached to it.

Solve problems by being part of the solution

The subtle difference between talking the problem always and being part of the solution and how it has a impact is beautifully told by Sri Sri in this marvelous video.

Deep inside, you are simply the most adorable and most lovable person

Wisdom from Sri Sri: Deep inside, you are simply the most adorable and most lovable person

Dalai Lama spreads compassion, advice on first day of visits

Article: Dalai Lama spreads compassion, advice on first day of visits

Adding Value to Education

The Huffington Post, 19th May, 2010

H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Only a human values oriented approach in education can impart true intelligence. Today, every parent envisions that their child grow up to be a well educated and happy human being with good values. However, education often fails to fulfill its true goal - happiness.

A child's smile, joy and friendliness are unmatched. However, observe the face of the same child by the time he or she passes out of school and university - does the child still retain that joy, that innocence that beauty endowed as an infant?

Is there a way to retain the innocence of children once they grow older? If we can, then we would have attained something really marvelous, because innocence is beautiful.

How can we introduce and sustain the human values of compassion, caring and sharing into our education system? How can we ensure that education will nourish inbuilt virtues of a child and that every child will learn to be friendly and giving even in a competitive environment? Is education only about getting good grades so that one can secure a good job later - or is it about laying the foundation for long-term prosperity of the society as a whole?

The basic human tendency to "give" is lost somewhere in the pursuit of an education that has a narrow vision and promotes selfishness and greed. Old and outdated methods of teaching warrant reform. Education must not only instill in students an appreciation for the sciences but also reflect today's diverse cultural influences. A good system of education must instill self-esteem and creativity in children. It must help nurture a free, un-obsessed, anger-free and relaxed mind. Such a well-rounded education system can also prevent fanaticism in young minds. Education's stakeholders must ponder on an education system that will retain human values and address the various aspects of life. Teachers are the single most important resource to a child's learning. Teachers and local authorities must join hands to create a class room system wherein a child learns to increase awareness and not just assimilate information.

Education reform should include innovative strategies that empower teachers to improve student outcomes and nurture their growth. Today, media, Internet, movies and video games bombard children with information. This information overload affects the brain's capacity to digest and analyze data, and often results in health problems like Attention Deficiency Disorder. Creative methods of teaching can help combat these issues and help children build healthy personalities. In addition to intellectually stimulating children, education systems must also include physical activities such as sports as well as ancient techniques such as meditation, yoga and pranayama as part of a child's learning process that will teach them how to manage their emotions. True education means more than pursuit of a certain course of study. It means a preparation for achieving life skills to attain not only one's dreams but also build a safe and strong community. When a child grows up with a sense of belonging towards everybody, he or she is ready to engage with the communities in a meaningful way. And by the time young graduates pass out of college, they learn well how to embrace their duties towards themselves, the nation and the world.

It is time that we came together to identify ways and means of restoring the respect, honour and dignity that education has had historically. The need of the day is a broad-minded education accompanied by a warm and caring heart. The function of education is to teach one to think critically - where intelligence comes with character. It is of no use if one acquires good education and then begins to look down upon others - or just engage in building wealth for oneself. A well-educated person is one who is friendly and compassionate, and is capable of selfless action. A complete education is one which empowers an individual to play the role of a global citizen in making the local community stronger and the world a safer and happier place to live.

Use the five Cs to combat corruption

DNA, 21st February, 2010

H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Fear or insecurity makes one corrupt. We try to find security in money, which only makes us restless and unhappy.

In spite of the teachings of truth, honesty and loyalty, today we see so much of corruption everywhere. This is because of lack of wisdom; this is because we have become ignorant of the human values. And that is one of the causes of unrest and corruption in the world. When people are desperate to achieve some goals and are unable to do so ethically, this desperation brings up corruption in them. Corruption can be countered by five Cs.

The first is a sense of connectedness. Lack of a sense of belonging breeds corruption in society. That is why corruption is lowest at the village level. But in urban areas, its high because there is little or no sense of community. We need to develop that sense of belongingness with the whole world.

The second C is courage. Lack of self-esteem or confidence in ones own ability is one of the causes of corruption. Fear or insecurity makes one corrupt. People try to find security only in money, which doesnt really happen. Even after acquiring money, the insecurity doesnt disappear. In fact, they become more fearful as the money is not earned in the right manner. So the second C that we will have to focus on is to create courage and confidence in ones ability and in the laws of nature.

Third C is an understanding of cosmology: Look at your life in the context of extended space and time. Billions of years have passed since creation and billions will pass. Our creation, as scientists say, is 50 billion years old. And everything in this creation is recycled. The air we breathe is old, every cell in our body, every atom is old, the oxygen and the carbon-dioxide all are old! You are nobody, you are just like a drop in the ocean.

Seeing life in the context of this huge universe and unfathomable time can broaden ones vision, can broaden ones mind and can enrich ones heart.

The fourth C is for care and compassion. Care and compassion in society can bring dedication. It is the lack of dedication that causes corruption. One night, we were distributing blankets to the poor as it was very cold and I came across a youth, who refused to take a blanket, saying that probably someone else there needed it more! That sense of care and compassion: It doesnt matter even if I dont have, somebody needs this more can root out corruption.

The last one is a sense of commitment. When a person has a goal, a commitment to a higher cause in life, it brings a shift from taking to giving. If everyone keeps thinking, What can I gain? then corruption cannot be rooted out. Rather in society, we need to have this shift in our attitude, from What can I gain? to What can I contribute? If we could focus on How can I be useful to the people around me? then we could get rid of corruption in the world today.

But all this is not possible without individual and spiritual upliftment. Even if one part of the world remains ignorant of these values, the world will not be a safe place. Through education and patience, we can all create that sense of belongingness, combat corruption and bring about a change to create a better society.

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HH Dalai Lama: Our need for love

Ultimately, the reason why love and compassion bring the greatest happiness is simply that our nature cherishes them above all else. The need for love lies at the very foundation of human existence. It results from the profound interdependence we all share with one another. However capable and skillful an individual may be, left alone, he or she will not survive. However vigorous and independent one may feel during the most prosperous periods of life, when one is sick or very young or very old, one must depend on the support of others.

Interdependence, of course, is a fundamental law of nature. Not only higher forms of life but also many of the smallest insects are social beings who, without any religion, law or education, survive by mutual cooperation based on an innate recognition of their interconnectedness. The most subtle level of material phenomena is also governed by interdependence. All phenomena from the planet we inhabit to the oceans, clouds, forests and flowers that surround us, arise in independence upon subtle patterns of energy. Without their proper interaction, they dissolve and decay.

It is because our own human existence is so dependent on the help of others that our need for love lies at the very foundation of our existence. Therefore we need a genuine sense of responsibility and a sincere concern for the welfare of others.

We have to consider what we human beings really are. We are not like machine-made objects. If we are merely mechanical entities, then machines themselves could alleviate all of our sufferings and fulfil our needs. However, since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes fo; happiness on external development alone. Instead, we should consider our origins and nature to discover what we require.

Leaving aside the complex question of the creation and evolution of our universe, we can at least agree that each of us is the product of our own parents. In general, our conception took place not just in the context of sexual desire but from our parents' decision to have a child. Such decisions are founded on responsibility and altruism -the parents' compassionate commitment to care of their child until it is able to take care of itself. Thus, from the very moment of our conception, our parents' love is directly in our creation.

Moreover, we are completely dependent upon our mothers' care from the earliest stages of our growth. According to some scientists, a pregnant woman's mental state, be it calm or agitated, has a direct physical effect on her unborn child.

The expression of love is also very important at the time of birth. Since the very first thing we do is suck milk from our mothers' breast, we naturally feel close to her , and she must feel love for us in order to feed us properly; if she feels anger or resentment her milk may not flow freely.

Then there is the critical period of brain development from the time of birth up to at least the age of three or four, during which time loving physical contact is the single most important factor for the normal growth of the child. If the child is not held, hugged, cuddled, or loved, its development will be impaired and its brain will not mature properly.

Since a child cannot survive without the care of others, love is its most important nourishment. The happiness of childhood, the allaying of the child's many fears and the healthy development of its self-confidence all depend directly upon love.

Nowadays, many children grow up in unhappy homes. If they do not receive proper affection, in later life they will rarely love their parents and, not infrequently, will find it hard to love others. This is very sad.

As children grow older and enter school, their need for support must be met by their teachers. If a teacher not only imparts academic education but also assumes responsibility for preparing students for life, his or her pupils will feel trust and respect and what has been taught will leave an indelible impression on their minds. On the other hand, subjects taught by a teacher who does not show true concern for his or her students' overall well-being will be regarded as temporary and not retained for long.

Similarly, if one is sick and being treated in hospital by a doctor who evinces a warm human feeling, one feels at ease and the doctors' desire to give the best possible care is itself curative, irrespective of the degree of his or her technical skill. On the other hand, if one's doctor lacks human feeling and displays an unfriendly expression, impatience or casual disregard, one will feel anxious, even if he or she is the most highly qualified doctor and the disease has been correctly diagnosed and the right medication prescribed. Inevitably, patients' feelings make a difference to the quality and completeness of their recovery.

Even when we engage in ordinary conversation in everyday life, if someone speaks with human feeling we enjoy listening, and respond accordingly; the whole conversation becomes interesting, however unimportant the topic may be. On the other hand, if a person speaks coldly or harshly, we feel uneasy and wish for a quick end to the interaction. From the least to the most important event, the affection and respect of others are vital for our happiness.

Recently I met a group of scientists in America who said that the rate of mental illness in their country was quite high-around twelve percent of the population. It became clear during our discussion that the main cause of depression was not a lack of material necessities but. A deprivation of the affection of the others. So, as you can see from everything I have written so far, one thing seems clear to me: whether or not we are consciously aware of it, from the day we are born, the need for human affection is in our very blood. Even if the affection comes from an animal or someone we would normally consider an enemy, both children and adults will naturally gravitate towards it.

I believe that no one is born free from the need for love. And this demonstrates that, although some modern schools of thought seek to do so, human beings cannot be defined as solely physical. No material object, however beautiful or valuable, can make us feel loved, because our deeper identity and true character lie in the subjective nature of the mind.

HH Dalai Lama: How to achieve happiness

How to achieve happiness