Q: How to get close to and help people we love who are closed down and have built barriers around them?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: With patience and perseverance. People generally build barriers around them because they are insecure or have some prejudice. Prejudice and insecurity are two important things in society that we need to attend to and this requires that we relieve the stress in the minds of people. This we can do only with patience and perseverance.
Q: Did God create man or man created God?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Both. God created man and man created God. Isn't it funny? Man created different concepts of God, stories about God. But again, what is God. Is He somebody sitting up there who just created something and went away? No. The summum bonum of creation, if you take it that's the one thing by which everything has happened and in which everything is, may be you can call it God. So according to the Vedanta, it is 'Asti, Bhati, Preeti'. It is, it shines and it is love, and that's what the whole world is. Isn't it? And this could be one of the concepts unless until you start feeling it as an authentic reality in our life, as true as a pain in your feet if you have one.
Q: Sri Sri, is it only time that brings maturity? How does one cultivate it in life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Perception, observation and expression -- these three things can bring you maturity. The way you perceive things and observe things all around you. Wisdom doesn't need time at all. You don't need to become old to become mature. You simply need observation of not just yourself, but also in the lives of all around you.
Q: You say that our nature is love but why is there so much conflict in the world?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is because we have not realized we are Love. When the realization comes, this won't happen. I usually say war is the worst act of reason. There is some reason then you go in for war. Then you go beyond those reasons and find wars are futile. Nobody wins a war.
Q: You say live in the moment, but you also say have goals. Isn't it contradictory?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, truth is contradictory and multidimensional. You plan for future, but you live in the present moment. Even the planning of future happens in the present only. When you are driving your car, what do you do? You look through the windshield, you also look at the rear mirror and you also look at the side mirror. All three are essential. Isn't it? If you say, 'No, I am only going to look ahead and I am not going to look back or to the side mirror', you are going to get an accident. So while driving a car, the rear mirror is small so you should learn something from your past. From side mirror you should keep looking around also and drive ahead. So all these have to simultaneously happen. So plan for the future but at the same time be in the present moment.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: With patience and perseverance. People generally build barriers around them because they are insecure or have some prejudice. Prejudice and insecurity are two important things in society that we need to attend to and this requires that we relieve the stress in the minds of people. This we can do only with patience and perseverance.
Q: Did God create man or man created God?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Both. God created man and man created God. Isn't it funny? Man created different concepts of God, stories about God. But again, what is God. Is He somebody sitting up there who just created something and went away? No. The summum bonum of creation, if you take it that's the one thing by which everything has happened and in which everything is, may be you can call it God. So according to the Vedanta, it is 'Asti, Bhati, Preeti'. It is, it shines and it is love, and that's what the whole world is. Isn't it? And this could be one of the concepts unless until you start feeling it as an authentic reality in our life, as true as a pain in your feet if you have one.
Q: Sri Sri, is it only time that brings maturity? How does one cultivate it in life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Perception, observation and expression -- these three things can bring you maturity. The way you perceive things and observe things all around you. Wisdom doesn't need time at all. You don't need to become old to become mature. You simply need observation of not just yourself, but also in the lives of all around you.
Q: You say that our nature is love but why is there so much conflict in the world?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is because we have not realized we are Love. When the realization comes, this won't happen. I usually say war is the worst act of reason. There is some reason then you go in for war. Then you go beyond those reasons and find wars are futile. Nobody wins a war.
Q: You say live in the moment, but you also say have goals. Isn't it contradictory?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, truth is contradictory and multidimensional. You plan for future, but you live in the present moment. Even the planning of future happens in the present only. When you are driving your car, what do you do? You look through the windshield, you also look at the rear mirror and you also look at the side mirror. All three are essential. Isn't it? If you say, 'No, I am only going to look ahead and I am not going to look back or to the side mirror', you are going to get an accident. So while driving a car, the rear mirror is small so you should learn something from your past. From side mirror you should keep looking around also and drive ahead. So all these have to simultaneously happen. So plan for the future but at the same time be in the present moment.