Transcript of yesterday Satsang with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the Art of Living International Center:
Q:How to balance Excellence and Dispassion?
#Sri Sri: When you want to get a balance, you are already looking for it. Whenever you are out of balance, it pinches you. Listen to the pinch, that's all. If you have too much passion and no dispassion, you will lose night's sleep. You cannot do anything, you cannot meditate and it catches you like a fever, then remember dispassion. Know that there is a bigger power that is taking care of everything, I have nothing to do! Then you will become calmer. Remember the dream nature of everything. Everything is a dream, then the dispassion comes up automatically. If you find yourself being too lazy, thinking everything is dispassion and why do I have to do anything? Why do I even have to do my yoga class in the morning! C'mon! Wake up, do something. Never mind if it's a dream, you have to do something in the dream also.
Q: Can we also say that the indifferent person is dispassionate?
#Sri Sri: Why you want to call somebody who is lazy and indifferent as dispassionate? You want to honor them?
Q: Is the bad period over? If yes, what will unfold in the good phase?
#Sri Sri: Here in Satsang ( where all of you are sitting) it's a good period! See, it's upto you, how you define it. If it is a phase in which whatever you do is not giving any results and things are falling apart, it is an opportunity for you to show your brilliance and you ideas. The bad period can bring out all talents and good qualities in you. It can show how patient you are, how balanced and strong you are. If you have good intentions and you are doing good work, every period is a good period. Yes, some periods are more challenging than the others. That period will show you who your real friends are. Actually in bad period, even your very good friends behave like enemies. And if the time is good, even your enemies behave with you like your friends. This is what you must understand. In Kannada there is a poem - 'The one who has 'Hari'(Lord) in his heart, for him, every time is a good time. Today is the best day when you think of the divine. This moment is the great time to remember the divine'.
Q: Do meditations have effect on the global events? I am concerned about the situation is Kashmir. What can I do to bring peace there?
#Sri Sri: Definitely it has an impact. Meditate and have an intention to bring peace there. If a butterfly can flutter its wings in South America and have an impact on the weather in China, you think your thoughts and prayers have no impact? C'mon, wake up! You are more than the butterflies(laughter)
Q: What is the secret of Astral Travel, travelling beyond time and space?
#Sri Sri: In the name of Astral travel, there is so much nonsense going on. People can get into hallucinations, that's why we don't talk about it much. But if your mind is centered and you are well grounded, then of course you get connected to everything and everyone in the world. All of this is normal at a particular stage of growth within you
Q. Gurudev, Monday is for Lord Shiva and Friday is believed to be for Goddess (Devi). What is the relation between time & God?
#Sri Sri: All the days are for you & me only (laughter). At all times, time is for us only. It is a belief that days are associated with planets (Graha) and planets belong to one or the other God (Devta). But you should not worry about these things too much. 'Shivaratri' does not come only on Mondays, it can fall on any day. The day on which 'Shivaratri' falls, that day is of Lord Shiva only, right! It is not that only Monday is for Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva has control over some stars, planets, hence a rule is made like this. Not only days, but even Nakshatra have respective ruling deity. If you want to pray then pray to Parmatma, all the Gods are inside Him. That is why there are ‘Ishta-devta’ (Deity of entire family). We have ‘Kul-devta’ / ‘Ishta-devta’ for family, then ‘Gram-devta’ for entire village, ‘Kshetra-paal’ God for a particular area. All these rules are fascinating. We have prayers for three levels ‘Adhyatmik’, where we have knowledge of self, then we have ‘Adhyatmik’ traditions, etc., then ‘Aadi-bhautik’ divine energy, subtle energy. That is why we say ‘Shanti’(Peace) three times, ‘Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti’, for Aadi-devik’, ‘Aadi-bhautik’, ‘Aadhyatmik’. ‘Kul-devta’ is there in a family, then we have ‘Chandi’ and ‘Vinayak’ for effect of time.
But we should keep in mind that we are not keeping fast for God. 'If you fast on a Friday, then Goddess will become happy; if you fast on a Monday then Lord Shiva will get pleased', No, nothing like that! You are not fasting on Monday to please Lord Shiva. You are doing fasting just for your own sake, for your health, body cleanliness and purification.
Q. Gurudev, it is because of your peace talks that there is peace in Columbia now, same thing is necessary for our country also. Please bless and do something like that here also.
#Sri Sri: We are working silently in our country also at various locations. Our teachers went to naxalite area and worked for these people’s transformation. We have Mr. Sanjay who went to Bihar and worked there. Lot of people are working in Bharat, but we do not publicize these social service projects, we work silently. Even in Kashmir we have worked with thousands of people, our teachers working there.
And if you also would like to work in these areas then please come forward, I am ready to send you along with a team.
Q. Gurudev, how to take complete responsibility yet not to feel doership and pressure of results?
#Sri Sri: Look, forget about doership, just do it I tell you. Be a doer and do it, never mind. Don’t keep any split in mind, just do good work. Even if you say ‘I have done this’, ‘I have done this’, then also it’s okay, but do, we will see later. I will tell you later.
Q. Gurudev, I have come here to do Teacher’s Training Program and become a Teacher, I feel that there is some connection that is why I am here. Secondly, accordingly to you, which is most important quality that I should have?
#Sri Sri: You have come here to become a Teacher, good. You will go through lot of friction, washing and polishing. Then you will shine! Just that do not leave and run away in between. To make you a teacher, we will make you go through lot of challenges, difficulties, so that you become strong. After that you see that you will do wonders in society. There was Shankaracharya Maharaj Ji, Gurudev of Badri-Kashi, who used to say that those who go through difficulties in my ashram will not face any difficult outside the ashram. One will become very strong and only praises will follow.
Q: What can we do to help the refugees get connected to spirituality when even their basic needs are not met?
#SriSri: Why only the refugees? Even the slum dwellers are in the same position. See, you cannot go on supplying everybody with everything they need. You do whatever is within your capacity. Along with that see if the refugees are in the violent mode they can create disturbances; the poor people can take stones in their hands and throw at others, then they can also meditate and pray for other people. These are two different things. One is giving them food and the other is giving them the ability to become calm. They are not contradictory at all. In fact, they are complementary. Making someone self dependent isn't making them weak. By making them self dependent, you are bringing out their inner strength. To bring that strength, meditation is required. It's not a case that only the rich can meditate, spirituality is need even for the poor people so that they can stand on their feet. In fact, it's needed all the more for poor people because then they can manage themselves better with it. They can manage their feeling, emotions and they also get enough energy to act. It's needed as much for them as its needed for the wealthy people.
