Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Question - Gurudev, when will all the negative thoughts go away? Gurudev Sri Sri - They won't go away, they will stay. What are you going to do? You have to live with them. There is no chance to get rid of them. The best thing to do is to make friends with them, shake hands with them, and make them sit next to you. If they are on your lap, tell them, ‘Please sit next to me, not on my head or my lap. It is too heavy, too long’.

Question - Gurudev, I try really hard, but I can't seem to get rid of negative thoughts? Gurudev Sri Sri - That is the problem. When negative thoughts come, don't chase them. If you chase them, then they come back with a big army. Just shake hands with them, say, 'Come on, sit with me.' Then they will disappear. These are the reasons we need to learn to meditate. When we meditate, we learn how to handle negative thoughts, or any thoughts for that matter. How to distinguish meditation from sleep or day dreaming? These are the things covered in the three day Art of Living Meditation program.

Question - Gurudev, after wandering and feeling lost for many years, I have found you. Please tell me where do I go ahead from here now?  Gurudev Sri Sri - See, all that wandering around has gotten you tired. So now that you are here, just relax and be happy. Once you come to my school, then you are here for good, even after you have graduate. Usually in schools when you graduate, you move out but my school is not like that. I will not make you run around from one grade to another. This is a school that takes you all the way to your (ultimate) goal and establishes you there, so that you can be content and at rest. Just by being here you will get all that you need to reach the goal. Once you have reached your home (here meaning one's final destination), do you ever ask where you should go from there? So now that you are home, just relax.

Question - Gurudev, is meditation the most effective way of harmonizing that relationship? Gurudev Sri Sri - Any technique will have to lead you to meditation. There is only one way to quench your thirst, i.e., by liquids. Only liquids can quench your thirst, right? It can be any liquid, but it has to be liquid, right? So, meditation is a state which is not waking, sleeping or dreaming, it is the fourth state, where your body is restful, and mind is alert. Praver and meditation are very close. In prayer, you are thanking or asking for something, whereas, from a layman's point of view, in meditation, one is ready to listen. So, you could call meditation a higher form of prayer. Meditation is a state of the mind, it is not just a process. It is also the final product.

Question - Gurudev, why do people crave for power? Gurudev Sri Sri - People crave power because they want attention and recognition. Power is a means, just like money. Their passion is for the goal. People who see power or money as an end in itself do not live, they simply exist. If you do not realize that you are the power - that you are enlightened - then you crave power. If you do not have talents, love, or passion, or if you are not innocent and childlike, then you will crave attention and recognition. Just as some politicians, you will crave power. If you have no talents and you are not contributing substantially to society such as an artist, a scientist, an Art of Living teacher, or a volunteer - then you will be hungry for power. If you do not have a love or a passion to help transform society, then you will be hungry for power.