Q n A with Guruji

Dear Ones. Jai Gurudev.These are amazing. Q: Why do we feel that something is lacking inspite of having everything? Sri Sri:Thats lack of knowledge. If you have knowledge and love, you won't feel any lackings in life. Q: Guruji in one of your books you have said that "God is an illusion",how? Sri Sri:I have never said "God is an illusion", I said "Surrender is an illusion", because anything you surrender anyway belongs to HIM only. Where is publication department?( Huge Laughter) Q: How can we give in our 100%? Sri Sri:Meditation is deep relaxation. 100% activity precedes or follows meditation. Q: When you know maya is an illusion, does it cease to exist? Sri Sri:A. Is your question a reality or an illusion. Q: What is truth? What is love? Sri Sri:Truth is that which does not change. To know what is truth, you need to go through all that is not true. So, all that changes is not truth. Life is a quest to find what is truth, don't be in a hurry. Truth can be realized in deep meditation and love is truth. They are two sides of the same coin. In short, truth is that which never changes and love is that which is undescribable. Q: Beloved Guruji, this course is so wonderful. How can I keep this wonderful state at home? Sri Sri: Don't try to hold on to the state of mind. Integrate wisdom in day to day life. Sometimes up & sometimes down. They'll come & they'll go. Q: Don't you get tired of wearing white all the time? Sri Sri: No. Because I am colourful myself! Isn't it? Q:. Dear Guruji, What to tell people at home who are very suspicious of what I am doing here? Sri Sri: When you go back give them gifts, show them all the nice pictures, give them a big smile. The depth of silence, the depth of meditation no one can know unless one has experienced himself. What beautiful wealth we all possess in our Self, that we have not explored. Every human being can go into that depth of meditation. That little experience, little skill to do that is missing. We are so fortunate to go into such stillness within ourselves. Q: How do I free myself of old & boring patterns in life? Sri Sri: The more whiter the cloth is, a small dot stands out. As you move into unconditional love, small imperfections in you become unbearable. The small moods of the mind can't touch the Self. Q: How many people are there in the world right now? (Question not complete...) Sri Sri: Tell me how many hairs you have on your head! There is no count. There may be few teachers. Knowledge is hidden in everyone like rice is hidden in paddy. Every child comes into the world with that innocence. We have to remove these outer veils, curtains that have been put on our mind.. Q: Missed the question. Sri Sri: When a baby tastes sweet, it wants to taste sweet all the time. It wants it again. You don't need to do anything too much. Only as much as is necessary. Q: I want to go deep in Meditation. What can I do? Sri Sri: This is an old question. You have already gone deeper. Q: Today my Seva was garbage cleaning & all I found was Paradise! When are you going to give me a proper job? Sri Sri: I don't have a job myself! Okay. Smile at everybody. Every morning give yourself a smile, come what may. Smile more. Take life easily. All will be provided. It's happening, no? Our prayer, meditation has such an impact, such an effect,that things happen before you desire. You need to strengthen yourself in Knowledge. Three types of peace are needed: First is material peace. If there is fighting around you, you cannot sit and stay peaceful. You need peace in your environment; Second you need peace in the body, in the mind. Third thing is peace in the soul. You may have peace in the atmosphere, you may have health in the body, to an extent peace in the mind, but if the soul is restless, nothing can comfort. So that peace is also essential. Only when all the three types of peace are there, can peace be complete; without one the other is not complete. So that which gives rest from all the three angles - physical, mental and spiritual, is ratri. And Shivratri is transcendental Divine consciousness, which brings solace to all layers of consciousness. Shivratri is where the shiv tatva and the shakti become one. Like mind, like memory, like intellect, Shiva is also a tatva. Shivratri is auspicious because it is more alive in the environment. That's why you don't sleep in the night, people say to be awake". Q: Lately I have begun to enjoy silence a lot. I feel like being silent all the time. Is this right? Sri Sri: It is alright for sometime. You can meditate and keep silence for sometime during the day, but not always! Q: Why do we come behind you like the mice ran behind the pied piper? Sri Sri: That's what I wonder too! [Looking behind Him] Anyway, there is no one behind me, all of you are sitting in front of me! We keep everyone in front of us and we push them forward! I am behind you! Q: There is a saying that even if God grants a boon, the priest denies it. Why is this so? Sri Sri: Mmm...so that you become the priest? What is the priest's role? He is the middleman between you and God. Why do you need a middleman? You deal with God directly. Maybe this is the reason why..... Q: After seeing you, I don't feel like going to temples to worship the idols. Sri Sri: It is okay....initially we need forms to worship and we gradually move towards worshiping the formless. The Divine is present everywhere. Q: What is the meaning of "So Hum" ? Sri Sri: What is the meaning of a seed? It means the whole tree, the roots, the leaves, the fruits, the flowers etc. Similarly the meaning of the mantra is everything in life, the tree of life. Q: I used to suffer from depression. After doing the course, I have become enthusiastic about life. I too have desires now to dress up and live life like others. Are these desires going to be obstacles for spirituality? Sri Sri: If you want to dress up for yourself it is fine. But if you want to do it because others are doing it, then... Why do you have to compare yourself with others? You do whatever you have to do. Q: Parents often complain that the youths who come to ashrams are brainwashed. They lose interest in their careers etc Sri Sri: If you are talking about other ashrams, I don't know! It is better that the youth get into satsangs and meditations rather than negative habits like drugs, drinking etc, isn't it? At least here they are on a positive track. Q: Both cows & buffaloes give us milk. But only the cows are worshipped. Why is this? Sri Sri: That is a good question! Maybe because when you worship, the one being worshipped should realize that they're being worshiped! You know, buffaloes are a little slow in realizing it. Maybe that's why! You know, when we worship, we do it for ourselves not for the one being worshiped. When we worship someone, we want them to know that we are worshiping them. That's why we see that there are no temples for Brahma. He is the creator. His job is completed. So nobody bothers worshiping Him. Vishnu is the maintainer, His work is still going on; that's why we worship Him! And we're scared of Shiva, after all He is the destroyer so we worship Him also! Q: I have been chanting Vishnu Sahasranaama from quite some time. But lately, I feel sleepy while chanting it. What to do? Sri Sri: Don't worry, He also sleeps! Q: What is more important: intelligence or innocence? Sri Sri: Both are important. Why do you want to choose one over the other? Q: What is life? What is death? What, if any, are the similarities between them? Sri Sri: What is life? You are finding out now. What is death? You will find out in the future; you will not miss it! And when you know both, you can compare and find out the differences or similarities between them! Q: I need to believe in a God. But I need some miracles as proof in order to believe. Sri Sri: Just look around! Everything is a miracle! A seed sprouts and grows into a huge tree. Is that not a miracle? When I was visiting Chennai last year, they brought a little boy who was born deaf. I just tapped him on his head and he started making noises. The next day, they brought 20 boys! Now, miracles happen naturally, and spontaneously. It cannot be forced. When everything falls in place, miracles happen on their own. Q: What is the difference between Veda and Vedanta? Sri Sri: Veda is knowledge. Vedanta is the end of knowledge, the ultimate knowledge. (He spoke more on this, but I can't remember all that He said.)