On Manglik Dosha: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Wisdom by Spiritual leader and Art of Living Founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Q: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji, is there something that God cannot do? What is it?

Spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

He cannot be surprised! God cannot take revenge on you; it is impossible!

Q:  People say there is something called Manglik Dosha. What does it mean and how do I get rid of it?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

See, Manglik basically means that the person is a little hot-headed, that's all. All these planetary positions indicate your physical and mental status, and they can always be remedied by meditation and chanting. All these remedial factors exist to get rid of these doshas. It is not fatalistic, it is always changeable.

Idol Worship:A talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Wisdom by Spiritual leader and Art of Living Founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

“The ancient people connected a particular type of energy to a particular form. It is totally scientific. If you go deep into it, you will be amazed by how beautiful this ancient knowledge has been.” – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Q:  If God has no form or shape, then why does Hinduism have so many idols and temples?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Guruji answers:

The ancient Vedic people discovered that (as human beings) we cannot relate to something that has no form. You are talking to me, but do you talk to the space next to me here? If you do, then you must have gone mad and you will be taken to the mental hospital. What do you relate to? To a form! We can only relate to forms. This is why they created so many forms and said, "When you need to relate to the highest spirit, relate through this form".

Gods and Goddesses have subtle forms (light forms) and not physical forms. They have subtle energies. The ancient people connected a particular type of energy to a particular form. It is totally scientific. If you go deep into it, you will be amazed by how beautiful this ancient knowledge has been.

The seed of ‘Not Ok’: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Wisdom by Spiritualleader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

“Most people are hanging onto the ‘not ok’ and are unable to relax, to enjoy life, to chill, to be creative. They are holding onto the seed of ‘not ok’”. - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

When you say, ‘It’s not ok, it’s not ok’, the seed of ‘not ok’ is not letting your mind relax. When do you go to bed? When everything is ok, and when there is comfort. When you are hanging on to the discomfort, how can you ever be comfortable? You have to accept things as they are. ‘It’s not ok, it’s not ok’ keeps you all outside. Those imperfections are there for a cause or purpose. It is going to be ok, it will take some time. Things are ok the way they are now. They will be ok in the future. Whatever happened in the past was ok. When you understand this, you relax and in that relaxation you can meditate. 

When you want to retire, it’s nivriti but when you want to come out (of rest) its pravritti. Then you can act. When you are tired but you are hanging on to what is not ok - then you cannot retire. When you have to chill out, what do you say? ‘Everything is perfect,’ otherwise you can’t chill, you can’t act! It is neither pravritti, nor nivriti. Dhyan yoga is nivriti, Karma yoga is pravritti.

Most people are hanging onto the ‘not ok’ and are unable to relax, to enjoy life, to chill, to be creative. They are holding onto the seed of ‘not ok’. That person, this situation, the government, the administration - everything is not ok. Then it comes to you - I am not ok. Subtly, it reflects on you that you are NOT OK. Then you don't like that feeling, and to cover that up, you make up many justifications and the mind is all confused. 

If tamogun is too much, you don't know the pravritti or the nivriti. When there is Satva, then we know what to act, when to act, whether to act or not. When Rajogun prevails then its half way through - you regret and act. Many of us act and then we regret. Mother scolds her child, regrets and then becomes nice. In Satva, you don't regret, you retire and relax, there is clarity. In Rajogun, there is confusion and chaos. In Tamogun, there is total inertia and lethargy. There is no strict border between the three gunas. It is very fluid, one flows into another.

Three Types of Space: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Wisdom by Spiritual leader and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

  

“Meditation is recognizing these three spaces." - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Humanitarian Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says:
When children are playing the space is beautiful. When you are singing and everyone is singing the same tune, that space generated is harmonious and serene, especially the ancient songs, the old songs.

The Sanskrit chants have an added influence because these have been in the Akashic record for the last 20,000 to 50,000 years. Maybe more, you don’t even know since when it was there. So those vibrations make it very benevolent and have a strong influence on the system.

Anything that is Divine is always universal. Are you getting what I am saying? Yes! Culture is different, religion is different, ways of dressing is different, music is different, different places, but the space is the same. The inner space is the same. And it is amazing that this science was known thousands of years ago. Good, good, good!

So many of you have just come today and you must be just relaxing. How many of you feel that as soon as you entered the ashram already you feel lighter? A different experience, a different space; you could feel that right! It’s obvious; even in Bangalore ashram, because there is meditation happening there everyday people say, ‘I just come in and wow, I already feel lighter. My mind is clearer’. It’s interesting how the universe functions, very good!

Three Types of Space: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Wisdom by Spiritual leader and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

“Meditation is recognizing these three spaces." - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Guruji says:
Today I want to tell you about three type of space.

One is the external space, in which all the four elements are there. The second type of space is the inner space where thoughts and emotions come from. When you close your eyes – that is inner space.

And then there is the third space. That is the space of energy where there is no thought, no emotion but you just feel energy. In deep meditation you experience that, isn’t it? Or after kriya you experience that space. There are no thoughts, nothing but space.

One is called the Bhut Akash, the outer space, second is Chit Akash the space from where thoughts and emotions come, and third, Chid Akash, i.e., space of consciousness. Consciousness itself is another space deep within us. So we seldom understand; pay attention, to these three different spaces.

Whenever you are frustrated what do you say? ‘Give me some space. I want to be by myself.’ It is very important. All inventions come from these three types of space. In the Chid Akash, in the consciousness it is already there. All knowledge comes to Chit Akash from the Chidakash through thoughts and emotions. Songs come as emotions, science comes as thoughts and ideas and then they manifest.

Meditation is recognizing these three spaces.

How can I forget a painful past doing the course

Wisdom by Spiritual leader and Art of Living Founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Q:  How can I forget a painful past doing the course?

SriSri Ravi Shankar Guruji:

It happens effortlessly.

Q:  I do not know how to express my feelings and emotions. As I was trying to hide them, all the stress goes into myself. I do not know what to do with this. Is it very difficult to empty my mind even while meditating with your guidance?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Hmm! If you get too many thoughts, there are certain reasons. One of the reasons, for getting too many thoughts, is when your bowel is not clear, when your stomach is upset, constipated. If your bowel movements are not ok then you get too many thoughts. If there is no proper blood circulation in the body, then also you get too many thoughts, yeah? So, yoga and pranayama will help. Proper food and diet will help. Show to Ayurvedic doctor, he will say if there is too much pitta in your system, then he will suggest the food, which will also help.

How do we keep God and the world together

Wisdom by Spiritual leader and Art of Living Founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Q:  In the present day, there is a pressure to commit fraudulent activities in corporate world. How to handle these situations?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Guruji:

Skillfully. If your boss tells you to do fraud, avoid it skillfully. Finally, say that your consciousness does not allow you to commitfraud. The boss will escape if you do fraud, and you will be put behind bars. However, hundred percent truth is also not workable, it is only an ideal. There is an ancient Indian proverb that says that as much lies are allowed as there is salt in food. For example, if you want to sell your product, it may not be the best; still you can say that your product is the best. That much lies are permissible. Ancient people have said this, thousands of years back. It is fascinating how they handled the human mind.

Q:  How do we keep God and the world together?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

How can you keep them together? They are already one. Where is the question of combining them? In the nature of form, it is world, and same is God in its formless nature. You don’t have to do anything to bring them together.