Fri, 07/10/2015 Bad Antogast, Germany
Gurudev, what is better, doing one’s daily spiritual practices, or doing smarana (remembering God), or just observing the thoughts as they come and go?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You shouldn’t split it like that. What we do when we sit for meditation is we keep thinking about work. And when we are working, we want to go and rest. When you’re working give your 100%, and when you sit for meditation, just relax and retire. When you work, don’t worry about what is happening in your mind.
When your meditation matures it transforms into a state where a depth of silence and peace continues to exist even in activity. It is not a practice, it is a by-product.
Dearest Gurudev, are there any correlations between Kato Upanishad and Bardo Thodol of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, or are they two different ways to approach death?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Kato Upanishad is an ancient text. And His Holiness Dalai Lama himself has said, "We consider Hinduism as the mother of Buddhism and it is through that that we have got our Tibetan Buddhism".
So, it is from Hinduism that Buddhism has branched out, and this knowledge is only a branch of Kato Upanishad.
So, it is from Hinduism that Buddhism has branched out, and this knowledge is only a branch of Kato Upanishad.
How can true divine guidance be recognized from false guidance (of self proclaimed gurus and coaches)? Isn’t the Self your true guide?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If your intention is to find the truth, you will find it. But if your intention is to get something quickly, then you can get trapped. Whenever such scandals come out, I only say one thing, "If you put water in a pot which is not baked, neither the pot remains, nor the water. Both fall apart". And this is what happens to people who proclaim to be gurus and try to teach some techniques to people.
For sometime people get something out of it, but then eventually everything falls apart.
For sometime people get something out of it, but then eventually everything falls apart.
If time is only a concept of the mind, then how do we fit more activities in our day?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Even this is a concept! Time and mind are connected. When you’re happy, time feels so short, and when you’re unhappy, a short time appears to be so long. If you have to wait alone in the plane, or in the train station, you look at the watch ten times. But if you have someone to chat with you, then you can’t feel time passing. When you meditate, you transcend time.
Dear Gurudev, my mind is very scared and not ready to accept the emptiness of the present moment. It constantly looks for something or someone to hold on to.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This is the nature of the mind! Never mind! People who are fed up with the mind only say, ‘Never mind!’ The mind is like that, but you are not just the mind, you are much more than that.
Don’t try to repair the mind. Repairing the mind is like trying to stop the waves in the ocean. Can you stop the waves in the ocean? If you want to see an ocean without the waves, you have to dive a little deeper! When you dive deep inside of you, you will experience the stillness of the ocean. And if it all frozen, that is enlightenment!
Don’t try to repair the mind. Repairing the mind is like trying to stop the waves in the ocean. Can you stop the waves in the ocean? If you want to see an ocean without the waves, you have to dive a little deeper! When you dive deep inside of you, you will experience the stillness of the ocean. And if it all frozen, that is enlightenment!
When we don’t get to spend one-to-one time with you, how do we communicate with you on a day-to-day basis?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Twitter, Facebook, emails and meditation! Meditation is the best, but if you’re not satisfied with the communication through meditation and silence, then there is always email and twitter. Our SMS is silent message service!
No comments:
Post a Comment