Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

I think at home men are already being dominated. So perhaps at the work place, at least, men want to preserve their dominance. My advice to men is to treat women at par. Gone are those days when women were subservient to men.

In India, the tradition is to address the woman first, and then the man. We say Shrimati (Mrs.) and then Shri (Mr.), and not Mr. and Mrs. So, women should be given their due place.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

When men pose challenges to women, then women should take it as an invitation to come up and dominate, rather than feel suppressed. Whenever you feel suppressed, you feel disempowered, and you expect someone else to empower you.

In Chinese, the word for opportunity and crisis is the same. So if you think men are not allowing women to come up, then that is all the more reason for women to take it as a challenge to come up. I feel women have the ability to do so.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

I agree with you, more women in politics will make the world a better place. I don’t think Indonesian women are different from women in any other part of the world. Perhaps, the one challenge they face is that of fundamentalists, who do not want to give enough power to women. Other than that, Indonesia is a country with a young population, like India; a large part of the population is in the age group of 20 to 40 years; so there is a large possibility of growth in every field.

Today, the world needs skilled and unskilled labour, and young people have a variety of professions to choose from (nurses, drivers, technicians, etc).

Women need to have more skill development and leadership training programs. We need more women pilots, engineers, and architects. There is a huge possibility to develop the tourism industry too. Of course, on the trading side, you would know better what to import and export. Culturally, women already have a dominant place.

In Indonesia, I heard that women are already taking charge in the health and police department. It is very refreshing to learn, that in a country which has religious restrictions on women, they are coming up with great enthusiasm and being accepted by society. Only make sure that fundamentalism does not take over. Indonesia should remain with its own culture, and not import culture from other parts of the world, as it may not suit the local situation.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Meditation changes the structure of the brain. According to an article in the American Medical Journal, if you meditate for two weeks, the structure of the brain changes, and the grey cells increase. Many such research studies are available that prove that meditation integrates the left and right side of the brain to make a holistic personality. Meditation has many benefits; it helps enhance the level of vibrancy and energy, which creates an environment that is more congenial, and harmonious; a stress-free, confusion-free mind; and an inhibition-free intellect.

People walk around with a lot of prejudice -- men have prejudice against women, women have prejudice against men. There are prejudices among age groups, nationality, social groups. All these prejudices can be done away with, and we will have a prejudice-free society, and a trauma-free memory.

When a person experiences a traumatic situation in their life, that impression gets stuck in their mind for a long time, and does not allow them to look at life from a new perspective. Yoga, meditation and breathing techniques are excellent resources that help work towards freeing the mind -- creating a trauma-free memory and a sorrow-free soul.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Sure, we will definitely be able to extend some help in this direction.

Drug addiction is a mental phenomenon. The mind wants to have some bigger joy. When we can give an altered state of consciousness through the breath, then addiction for drugs, alcohol and sex can be minimized. People get over their addictions very easily through breathing exercises. We can also train youth who can train others get over their addiction.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

There was a time when women never rode bicycles because they wore sarees or skirts, and riding a bicycle was not convenient. Today, fashion has changed and every woman knows how to ride a bicycle. If you know how to ride a bicycle, you should also know how to balance life because that is the same way you should balance your work-home situation (like riding a bicycle). You don’t need to neglect your home, and you don’t have to sacrifice your career for the sake of the home and be a homemaker.

Today in the technological era, women have many opportunities to become entrepreneurs and rise in the economic arena.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You have already done it, otherwise you would have not reached the position that you are in today. You are the perfect example of how to manage family life and get into politics. In fact, Indonesia is dominated by women; people have already accepted Her Excellency Megawati’s leadership (former president of the country, and leader of one of their largest political parties).

With respect to the family, women play a very important role. See, dominance does not have to be through aggression. Dominance can be winning over people’s hearts and minds, winning people’s respect, winning people’s confidence, and playing a proactive role at home. I think that is possible.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Three things need to be noted; the country, i.e., the nation and the people, the political party, and your political career. Unless you safeguard your political career, you cannot do anything for the country. To safeguard your career, you need to safeguard the nation, since that is the very goal of politics. Between the nation and the career, comes your political party too. Thus, in the larger interest, I would say, focus on the nation first, then the party, and then oneself. It may sound a little utopian, but in the long run, it yields the best result.

I would also like you to use your gut feeling. Sometimes, logically, things appear very correct, but there is something called your gut feeling that you should go by. Intuition is something that never fails. We must develop it and listen to it. Intuition comes when there is clarity in the mind, purity in our heart and sincerity in our action.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Let me tell you about a Guruji in Delhi. This man was a Sipahi (soldier) in the army. In 1971, in the India-Pakistan war, he got shot in the neck. After the bullet shot him he got unconscious and he got enlightened. He had all the knowledge about Tattva Gyan.

In those days I was a very young boy of 19 years of age, and he used to give me a lot of respect and used to call me Yogiraj. I used to feel very shy. He used to treat me like a big person and talk all about knowledge.

There used to be a lot of house flies and any one would feel averse to these flies. All he would says is, "Rehne do (let it be)". That one word 'Let it be' can change your whole attitude. That was a key thing. So to avoid aversion we need to meditate, we need to rest. Both craving and aversion can be overcome by meditation and by becoming still.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

What is needed today is conversion from the head to the heart and not from one religion to another. When you convert from one religion to another, you start comparing this is good, that is not good. If you are a spiritual person, you take wisdom from everywhere and honor everybody and walk your path. That is what the ancient tradition is all about -- let knowledge flow to us from every side. That is open mindedness.

This is the cause of terrorism in the world today. People think only their God is true God and every other God is false. They are creating so much havoc. .