Sri Sri: It’s like the river that wants to reach the ocean or the lake. So till it reaches it’s goal, it remains restless, it’s quite natural. Nature of mind is going towards something higher, something more and more charming, something more beautiful, something more interesting. Mind always longs for something new while heart takes pride in the old. You never say it’s my new friend. Do you say ‘Oh, this is my new friend? You take pride in having an old friend. So, heart longs for the old, mind goes for the latest and life is a combination of both.
Q. How do we achieve serenity of the mind in the midst of the dynamism of the world?
Sri Sri: That technique is called meditation. The technique to attain serenity in midst of chaos is called meditation.
Q. How to deal with the competitiveness and worldly demands that constantly assail us?
Sri Sri: Don’t take competitiveness as a burden but take it as a catalyst for you, an inspiration for you to move ahead. You know when there is competitiveness either you can take it as a burden or a threat or as a challenge to perform or an invitation to perform better. Competition is an invitation to perform better rather than a threat to your existence.
Q. How do we deal with the pressures of multi-tasking; the need to keep up with others and the times and the fear of getting outdated?
Sri Sri: If you are not worried, you become vibrant. And if you are vibrant you are ready to take challenges and you enjoy challenges, you love challenges. See people who are not worried only they take feat like sailing around the world or taking that solar powered aircraft throughout the world. If they are tired why would they do it? If they are tired, they won’t do it. Someone who has no enthusiasm, they won’t take any adventure. But adventure sports are there for those who are not scared and not tired. So the whole life is sort of an adventure sport. And to live life, you have to take it’s challenges to perform better you need to have that aptitude, not so tired & dull and sick & tired, worried. You have to be free from worry and tiredness. The tiredness in life is due to you over ambitiousness and wanting quick results.
Q. What is stress? And what are the habits that lead to stress?
Sri Sri: Stress is too much to do, too little time and no energy, this is the formula for stress. The formula for stress is too much to do, too little time and no energy. And the way to get out of it is confidence ‘that you can’ and energy that you get through your faith, your meditations. The energy you get through your meditations. Confidence, meditation and intelligence, and intuitive ability, all these will help.
Q. What is the attitude that we need to develop to let go of stress?
Sri Sri: Well, look back in life, all those moments when you felt this is the end of the world, you sailed through those moments, you are still alive and kicking. A look at your own life will give you that confidence to say ‘Yes, you can do it, it’s different.’ And practices, few minutes of practice to meditate, go inward can make a tremendous difference.
Q. What does it mean to live in the moment?
Sri Sri: You are anyways living in the moment. To live in the moment simply conveys to you ‘don’t worry about the future and don’t be upset about what has happened in the past.’ If you can let go the past and stop worrying for the future and the state you are in, is called living in the moment.
