The Judgmental Tendency

Sat, 05/09/2015 Los Angeles, United States

(Below is a continuation of the post Make Space For Life To Live)

Gurudev, I work in the entertainment industry which is full of many unconscious and inconsiderate people. As someone who meditates and is trying to lead a spiritual life, what advice do you have to better thrive in these circumstances?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You have a very good market there. You have a very good job to do. You have a big opportunity. If you are in that industry, you do not want to move away from there. Stay put there and influence people around you to be more conscious, more loving and more generous. Sometimes we judge people just seeing their outer limited behavior or expressions. But it could be our own inability to see their magnanimity.

If you see through my eyes you will find that there are good people all over the planet in every profession. And even those whom we consider as not so good, I tell you, inside them there is goodness which is sleeping and wanting to be awakened. So you have a job to do.

How can a person who is plagued by fear in his life, eliminate that fear or at least learn to manage it?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Okay, I will give you three ideas.
1. Look back in your life. This is not the first time that you are afraid. You have been in that state a few months ago, or a few years ago. What happened during those times? You are alive.
All fear is about survival and when you know that you are going to survive these incidences or these moments, fear will vanish. Looking back at your own moments and experiences gives you strength. This is where looking back helps.

2. Observe the sensations happening inside you. See what is happening when you are afraid. Do some pranayama (breathing exercise). That will help.

3. Invoke the valor in you. Just say, “Okay whatever comes, I am going to take it. Let me take it as a challenge.” When you invoke the energy, the challenge in you, fear vanishes.

You know, I was in Iraq last November. I was invited by the parliament there to give a peace conference. There I met the Yazidi girls. They had formed an army of their own because it had come to that extent. They cannot be afraid of things anymore because it’s a matter of life and death. And these very delicate girls have no experience of holding even a gun. They just said, “We are going to now handle these people (the ISIS)”. Delicate housewives and girls who were going to college and are 15 or 20 years old, and also women in their 50’s and 60’s, stood up to fight against the ISIS.
How did this happen to people who are afraid, who sit at home and who run away? The demand of time brought a valor in them. I tell you it is unimaginable valor. They got it.

They said we are going to fight them out and they did. They did chase people. They did save many villages. They are all girls, because men were already beheaded. The women could get over their fear by invoking valor in them. And this is not just one incident. You can see it in your own neighborhood or in your own life at many places.
Whenever you have said, “Okay, I am going to take the challenge. I am going to work on it. I am going to stand up against it because I believe in what I stand up for and I love it”, the commitment in you has woken up and fear has vanished.

I want to add one more thing with this. You can say, “There is a power, there is my higher self that will always give me the best. No matter what happens all around, only the best will come to me or happen to me.”

Dear Gurudev, you have often said that all knowledge exists in the universe in a subtle form and it just needs to be downloaded. In what form does it exist? Is it energy? Can you please talk about downloading of wisdom?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You have already said it: it exists as energy. It exists as a multilingual energy, and not just in one language. For downloading it, all that we need to do is to be a little more hollow and empty. Like anyone who wants to go into innovation or a scientist with research agenda, cannot stuff their brain with too many concepts. They have to let go of all concepts and then intuition works. And intuition never goes wrong. If it goes wrong, it was never an intuition.

What are your thoughts around using brain entrainment and bio feedback technology to increase the efficacy of meditation and speed up the process of awakening and enlightenment?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

It is okay. You can try it once in a while but not regularly. It is nice when fruits ripen naturally rather than you artificially ripen them. It does not taste that good when done in that manner. Anything organic is much better. What do you say? We are in California. We love organic.

Every major decision has many uncertainties. How do we develop the ability to make the right decision that works for the present and also for the future?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Intuition, Intuition and Intuition. And how do we awaken our intuition? It happens through meditation. I think I said this in my last tweet before this session.

“If you are sad then what is the reason? The sadness in you is there because there is a thorn of desire that is stuck in your heart. And when you don’t notice it, it turns into cynicism, sarcasm, frustration and anger. And if you notice it and manage to pull it out, you will be filled with joy, enthusiasm, contentment and compassion.

The first thing that you do is to notice it, “Okay this is the desire which is stuck in my heart”.
Second is, “Okay, I don’t care. If it happens it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I can move on. “

I am 21 years old, how can I stop my drug addiction? I want to stop drugs. I don’t like to take drugs but I can’t control. Every time I think I won’t take drugs I end up taking them.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

There is no point in giving advice to someone who cannot implement it. Best thing is to go the de-addiction centers. Stay some time there. And there are de-addiction centers which teach Sudarshan Kriya and meditation and help people come out of it very fast. This has helped hundreds and thousands. So do that. Sudarshan Kriya will definitely help you.

What is the difference between other species or creatures on this planet and the beings who are enlightened? You have described how we should not let emotions affect us, be centered and be in the present moment. I see animals being that way at every moment. Seems like there is no difference between other species and a yogi and we are the only one who are different.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

The other species are very limited in the three dimensions that we spoke earlier. Their awareness is limited. Their knowledge is limited and their ability to express love is also limited. Human physiology has this unique ability to comprehend knowledge which is far beyond his or her circumstances.
We can know what is happening far away in many stars and what has happened in the past or what will happen in future. We have an edge over time, which animals do not have. We have access to knowledge. We have access to expressing love. We have ability to blossom in full awareness. This is unique to human physiology.

Well, we do not know much about whales or dolphins. They have bigger brains than us. But there is no need to compare them with us. We live in a world with many dimensions.

How would you define full maturity in a human being?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

A smile that does not wither away, a confidence that doesn’t get shaken, a compassion that never dies down and a youthfulness of spirit which is alive all the time would define it for me.