The audience asked Sri Sri questions on love, self realization, letting go, peace of mind & the purpose of life.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Shall we start with letting go of all the topics? Shall we?
When we were babies, when we were very young, we communicated without words. One glance could convey all our heart and soul. Some people can speak about love, and when they do so you will still not feel it. Yet one glance from a baby’s eyes and you can feel the whole message.
If someone is angry, upset, you can feel it. Their smile does not come from their eyes. Presence can convey so much. Presence speaks but we do very little to cleanse our presence. We must meditate and relax ourselves. Allowing the mind to expand, we lose all negativity.
When we are stressed we feel restricted and crushed. In happiness our consciousness expands. When we are happy there is something deep in us that expands. It’s worth knowing this fact; that consciousness expands, pulsates when we are happy.
So, who are you? Mind, body or emotion?
These are changing all the time. Mind is changing, body is changing, and emotions are changing. Yet there is something that doesn’t change, that is you. It is very simple. It is so easy. You don’t have to go somewhere else.
For meditation, there are three golden rules. When you sit to meditate, for the next 15 minutes say to yourself “I want nothing” – if you want enlightenment, you are not going to get it. Say to yourself “I do nothing” – any thoughts, just give them a hug and they will disappear, they don’t stay. Then say to yourself “I am nothing” – just because I think I am rich, I am not. I think I am poor, I am not. You have these three key principles, just let go.
Sri Sri led the audience into a 20 minute guided meditation.
Kauai (an Island in Hawaii) is a great place to sit and just let go. There are oceans and mountains. The spirit is up; in nature the spirit rises and is celebrated. When the heart rises up in nature it becomes a mountain.
“Parva” , a Sanskrit word, means both mountain and celebration. The water celebrates and turns into rain. When the whole world celebrates, all of nature is celebrating its diversity. It is very necessary to preserve this nature.
How many people among the audience do farming? In farming, growing multiple crops through the year is most beneficial. In India, we grow three crops a year so the process doesn’t deplete the soil. Don’t just plant corn by itself but put corn and other vegetables as well. Multiple crops gives more yield and are even better in taste.
I will share my experience concerning GM (genetically modified) foods. Proponents of GMOs went to 5,000 villages in India. People took to GMOs because it is very lucrative economically. The first year there were good crops and people were really impressed. They made several times the money they would have otherwise. The second year however there was devastation. The GMOs completely destroyed both the soil and the environment. Large numbers in the farming community committed suicide. The Art of Living Foundation worked in many of those villages, helping people recover from depression, trauma and suicidal tendencies.
I am not against GMOs but before going to mass production we must study the effects on the soil, other plants and the environment. We need to preserve nature, beauty and the native seeds. It is still a big challenge to grow from that incident; cattle ate the leaves of the GM cotton plants and died. It was a very tragic incident.
Recently the Government of India wanted to introduce GMOs in other villages. The Art of Living stood with the villagers and educated the government and farmers. The government reconsidered their plan. It was a success.
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