GOOD AND EVIL by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (MONTREAL CANADA AUGUST 2004)
Dearest Guruji. After so many years on the path I’m finally starting to see how the divine cares for me. And that I am protected. For those with strong faith on/and a spiritual path, this appears to be so. However, what about victims of terrorism, abuse, slavery, starvation and tortures. They do not appear to be safe and protected. So is it that divine protection does not extend to all people on earth? Only those with a good fortune who do have faith? Please comment.

You do not know the mind of divine. You cannot fathom it. You cannot fathom all the mysteries of the world, you can only wonder about it. If you just stay with this question. Why the problem, why the problem. I don’t know when you will get an answer for it. Instead you should think what I can do? What I can do to help this problem. Suppose, imagine in this world there is no misery at all. Do you know one thing, all the good qualities will also disappear. I’m sure this is a tough truth to accept. You may not like to accept it because it is not too pleasant. For good qualities to exist, for compassion to exists, service to be there, kindness to be there… its opposite is essential in the world. Suppose there is no suffering, on who will you be compassionate? You will be compassionate on one who is very happy? What will happen to the quality of compassion? How will you even know compassion? That’s why the first principle of Art of Living… Opposite values are complimentary! The biggest gift to the world of theology. World of philosophy. From Art of Living is this first principle, Opposite values are complimentary. People do not know. They just are grouping in darkness. Not knowing opposite values are complimentary. They think everything is opposing. There is a fight always between good and evil. You know good and evil are friends also. In Indian mythology this comes. That both good and evil decided to play a drama, so they both came to the earth, one became a hero the other became a villain. And of course the victory is always to the hero. And then the hero thanks the villain for making him victorious, and the villain thanks the hero saying I’m so happy to be defeated at your hand and if find salvation because you defeated me. The good defeated.

This is something that is startling, it’s the story between Ram and Ravana. And Ravana the wicked was killed and the last breath of his life he says ‘I’m happy to be killed by you’. Because by that I only think of you, I attain you. What is called poison is sometimes a life saving drug. In fact if you looking at all the life saving drugs, its written poison. (laughter) And vitamins if you consume more than certain limit, that can kill you too. Opposite values are complimentary. This is a very profound knowledge. World over in theology people are struggling to place evil. Where to place evil? If God is omnipresent, omniscient… where is this place for evil to exist? If evil exist other than God, then God loses his qualification of omnipresence, number one. He loses the qualification of omnipotent, if he’s so potent why did he allow the evil to exist? And why does he warn people against the evil, number one. And then you have many stings of questions like that. Why wont God take care of the evil before it destroys everybody? Why wont God get so angry when he’s omniscient, when he knows everything, every step that is going to happen. Not a blade of grass will move without his will. Then what happens to this evil, where do you place the evil? It’s in a big mess I tell you. (laughter)

For centuries volumes have been written, people have argued back and forth. How to even count for the existence of evil. At the same time accept the omnipresence and omnipotence of God. Do you see what I’m saying? I mean we need not go into the theological discussion. Good and evil are just relative. God is absolute. They are two different fields. The ancient rishis explained in a beautiful manner. They said… the whole building, everything here is made up of wood. This is one level of truth. Yes, everything here is wood. That’s true. But the table is not the chair and chair is not the door. You can’t sit on the door. Nor put the chair for a door. Yes here everything is wood, on that level. Like atoms. Everything is atom. It is same atom which is in chocolates, same atom which is in carbon. In charcoal, you can’t gulp the charcoal. Same atom in a diamond as it is in a charcoal. Same even molecules. You can’t gulp a diamond. Or hang a charcoal in your ears. On one level there is only oneness, God comes from that level. Of everything is made up of one thing. Omnipotence. And in that there are diversities. Though it is the same wood, still it is different. One is cedar and another is sandalwood another is something else, teak wood. There is differences. And this is what is missing. There are big theological colleges. I tell you, if you just sit with them, the confusion they are in. It’s so obvious. This has robbed the smile from their faces. I’ve attended many conferences, I’ve yet to see a really childlike smiling, FREE theologian or intellectual. I think some of you should get into those colleges (guruji laughs) and bring in more life. More joy. Ya, we have to bring in that. Our education will have to make us more happier. Not so serious and bogged down.

Guruji, is it ok for us to have feverishness for the divine?
When the water in impure you put the alum. The alum removes the impurities and dissolves itself. So like that, the feverishness for truth, for divinity, for good company, can be the last feverishness. So it can replace the other ones, otherwise your mind will definitely clog onto some other feverishness. Please please take my chattering mind, I don’t want anymore mind. It’s talking too much. And it’s going all over the places. Love and gratitude. Wake up and see, where does the mind go, what does it want. We begin like that, what is that I want? First thing. Write it down whatever it may be. I want this relationship, I want this money, I want this fame, I want this, I want this. Write them down. Mind becomes so much more clearer. Its when you don’t know what you really want or long for. That’s when the mind is all over the place. And when you do not know how to achieve it, its even more trouble. And just know that even after achieving all that, you’ll be in the square one and the same place where you are. Really no use.

HMMMM? Look at all those people who have so much money. Are they happy? Look at those people who have so much fame, are they happy? Do you find satisfying or uplifting smile in those faces? Do you find them contented? No. And that peace, contentment, serenity is not in them. You look at your face into them mirror, you have much more joy and serenity than the so-called successful people in the world. Isn’t it? Hmmm, they are in a rat race. All the big industrialist, they are so miserable, they are in such a rat race, you know. Such showing off. You have how much wealth, I have so much wealth, I will show off, you show off. And then see where they end up. They’re like, really, you know, foolish kids. Really, their talks are foolish. So stupid. Their conversations are unworthy of even listening. So childish. Have no context for life. Don’t see life in context with the whole. With the vastness. With the vastness of time and space. Hmmm? Do you want to be like them? (laughter). Yeah, I tell you money is needed. No doubt. Work for money, I’m not saying just sit and daydream. Oh one day God will open the sky and pour money on my head. An angel will come on a carpet with a bowl full of gold and will give you. It’s not going to happen. Don’t sit and daydream. Don’t buy lottery ticket and look at your astrological chart. When is good luck going to come to you. It’s not going to come to you. There’s an old proverb in Sanskrit which says… tinga-linga-ling-school-bell-ring. (Paras note: Might have spelt it wrong hehehe) One who puts his effort and one who is courageous, to him the wealth will come, the goddess of wealth will come. You need to be courageous, brave, entrepreneurial and then effort. Just being courageous, not enough. One who puts the effort. So work hard, work intelligently. Money is needed but money is not all that, that is. Life is much more than that. Life is much more.

You know when the president of world bank met with me, he asked me, ‘Your holiness, please tell me the secret of your success. In the world bank we initiate so many social projects, we hardly get any success. How come your projects are successful with such a small amount of money? Less than a million dollars you’ve achieved so much result, so much has been accomplished. How is that possible?’ I told him it’s not just the money that works. Not money alone that works. Something more. It’s our volunteer’s motivation. Said, love and dedication to do work that makes you accomplish your work. What you cannot achieve at 10 million dollars, just over less than a million dollar could do that. The governments are astonished, how 21 thousand villages have been adopted. So much work happened. Hundreds of medical camps happened. Thousands of trees were planted. You must have seen all those details. How much seva happened in one years time. Then he called all his staff and said we should all have a permanent relationship with Art of Living. (applause) Said this meeting should not end here. Said we should have continuous programs happening. Lot of people are learning Art of Living here. Don’t clog yourself only to money. Life is worth much more huh?

You say come back to awareness of your body and environment at the end of meditation. I never lose awareness of my body or the environment. (laughter) Am I doing something wrong?
You know in meditation if you’re too conscious, oh what’s happening now, what’s happening, where is my mind going, am I here, am I there. In fact too attentive, too alert… meditation is not going to happen. You’re not going to relax. Meditation is not just doing that you know. Too conscious, too alert, too watchful every moment, what’s happening… no. Meditation is not concentration. Don’t concentrate on meditation. It is just letting go, relax. Hmmm? Its like when you sleep you lose the awareness of the body. In meditation, similar. You don’t know where you are but you know you are. I’m not just that. Many different type such experiences might happen. So don’t look for experiences. That becomes an obstacle for you. If you sit and… where is my experience, where is my experience. It’s not going to happen.

Dearest Guruji, I’m experiencing intense tidal waves of cravings. I don’t know how to handle them. What do we do when these cravings arise? How do we resist giving into bad habits and cravings?
A little cleansing and fasting would help you. Couple of days of just fast and juice or raw food or undergo some cleanse.

Dearest Guruji, what is the final balance between discipline, love and scolding? Sometimes I’m too soft or too hard on my loved ones. How do we teach them the right lessons with love and fairness?
How do you know you are too hard or too soft. What is your standard of measuring that. Perhaps they need that hard or that strong stance. See when you judge yourself that you’re too hard too soft, that becomes a problem. You don’t feel good about yourself. When you don’t feel good about yourself, you’ll never make others feel good. If you start accepting the way you are, you will start accepting the others the way they are also. Ya? Something to think about.

Dearest Beloved Guruji, I would like to ask you about being too sensitive. What can I do? Is this something good or not? With much love.
Who said you are too sensitive? Forget about it. Come on wake up. (Guruji laughs). When you brand yourself too sensitive. Then you prepare to get hurt. When you get hurt, then you pity yourself. See I’m too sensitive, I’m no good, I get hurt. You think you get hurt, you get even more hurt. Wake up the valour in you, come on nothing can hurt me!

What is the meaning of Natraj crushing the human body under his feet?
Natraj is the dancing Shiva. Under his feet there is a demon. This is a symbol. Demon is call apasmara. Means utter inertia. Natraja is total consciousness. The consciousness which is full of vibrance and dance. And that steps on the apasmara. Means the inertia. That means the opposite values are co-existing. Under the feet of the dance is the inertia. The dullness. That gives the whole picture of wholeness. In the wholeness, dullness is also part of it. Not just the waking… sleep is also part of it. Not just the dance, the lethargy is also part of it. To give you the full image of the wholeness. They put the opposites. One is the beautiful… standing on the ugly.

Dear Guruji, why do I crave some much for the attention and approval of others? How can I overcome this?
This is good, when you start getting more into knowledge listen to Ashtavakra. Go again and again and again. Delve more into knowledge. And understand everything is changing in the world. What is others opinion about you, so what, someone appreciates you today. How much time will it take for them to take back their appreciation. If they appreciate you, how sure are you that they are not jealous of you? And tomorrow if they blame you, what are you going to do? Let them blame. Don’t make your life football of their opinion. You know this you will understand the more you grow into knowledge huh?

With all due respect I have read of you being a living saint. What does that mean to you and how do you keep your ego out of it? Having people revere you is odd, isn’t it? Or did you always know that you had a gift to inspire others?
You know if someone reveres you, so what? Whom are you revering? When someone appreciates a painting, they’re appreciating the painter. When someone praises you, why you shrink? Why you feel uncomfortable? You should feel absolutely comfortable. And when someone blames you, then also you feel comfortable. If you are shy for compliments, you will be devastated when insults are hurled at you. In the Gita, the first thing Krishna tells Arjuna, he says ‘be equanimous’. Even if someone praises, doesn’t matter, so what. And someone blames you, doesn’t matter, so what. Nothing should touch you. People’s words, their actions, their reactions, their adorations or their blames just blow with the winds. You are there, fully centred, satisfied, unshaken. That is the whole knowledge. There is a saint in each one of you. Its wrong to think that sainthood is bestowed on somebody after they have died, and if they show some miracle here and there. Is a completely wrong principle/policy. Saint means the simplicity. Saint word comes from the Sanskrit root Sattva. Sattva means one is clear, harmonious, pure, unruffled… at home. You can be at home! You can be unruffled. And that seed of sainthood, I feel, is in every human being. Hmmm? It’s not a great deal about it. So just don’t worry. Just be like a child. I say I’m a child who refuse to grow up. Every baby is a yogi. Born yogi. And then they lose that yoga as they grow older, they lose that innocence.

Have you seen children? They do all the yoga asanas. When they are born, their legs are up in the air, they don’t sleep flat like you. They do the boat pose. (laughter) Their head is up, their legs are up. And then they try to catch hold of their toes. And then they do cycling. And then they go on the tummy. And then they do cobra pose, bojang asan (spelling). And then little while there, they do tricun asan, they crawl and one hand they lift, turn back and see, what’s happening behind them. They fall on the cheek, again they get up. If they fall by themselves nobody there they don’t cry. But if they see someone watching them then they start crying. (laughter) When they fall by themselves they wake up and they go happily. And they alternate their hands, they turn on this side and lift their hand and look. Haven’t you seen, just watch a baby. From the time it’s born to the age of 3 they do almost all the asanas. They put all the mudras (hand reflexology kinda thing). They suck the thumb, they sleep with chin mudra, then chinmaya mudra. All that they do. That’s why yoga is so natural. Its observing animals, observing human beings, observing different species, that which was conceived is yoga. It helps the growth of the mind, body.

But people say oh yoga is all devilish, satanic. You shouldn’t do yoga. It’s so unfortunate. You know in Europe, one in every third child, sometime or other goes to psychiatrist. In Washington DC 33% of youth go to prison. It’s alarming, they have committed some or other crime at some time. In such situation, these students, these kids they all need to be taught yoga. To balance their body, mind. The president of Croatia found the value of yoga, he found how his family been saved from disasters, difficulties. So he introduced yoga, immediately the church opposed oh this is all satanic. Made a big protest, withdraw yoga from the education system. It’s so unfortunate. We are not in the middle ages where all the scientists were prosecuted. It’s a free world. We should of course protest against alcohol, drugs, gambling, all these sort of things which destroy human life. Not which promotes human evolution. Wherever it comes from East or West doesn’t matter. What is needed is the welfare of mankind. We should see everyone being happy. And that is real religiosity, isn’t it? That’s unfortunate if people brand yoga as from the Satan. We all need to educate those people. Call them, have dialogue with the fanatic/fundamentalists. Educate them, hey come on, all it is is a simple exercise which uplifts your body, mind and spirit. Doesn’t matter whatever you believe. You can believe in 7th heaven, you can believe in 14th heaven, 3rd heaven. Doesn’t matter. Whatever is your belief system, but do something practical to uplift your spirit. Isn’t it necessary? That broadmindedness is what we need to bring into people.

Guruji I love you a lot, do you love me?
My dear I have no choice (guruji and everybody laugh). I cant but love you and you cant but love me. Neither you have a choice, nor do I have a choice. I am the way I am and you I tell you have no choice, you try your best not to love. (laughs and applause) See how you will get into love. Hmmm? I think everyone should play the role of a guru, at least for couple of people if not everybody. Role of guru is to be in unconditional love, support someone for their good, without expecting anything in return, not even a thank you note. That role everyone should play for as many people as possible that’s good. Play the role of a guru in your lives. Not because they are related to you, they are good friend or yours, they did favour to you, you do a favour to somebody. Just unconditionally loving, and wishing for their growth. Wishing for their blossoming. Working towards the happiness of all mankind. Then that guru principle will blossom in you, that song you know ajo anantaya, it’s so beautiful. Ajo means the guru principle is never born, guru is never born and is infinite consciousness. And ever pure. Nidhyaya shuddhaya it’s always there, eternal and pure. And in the form of bliss, dwelling in every heart. Invoking that principle and becoming one with that principle there. When you keep doing service, going deep in meditation. Sachidananda the pure consciousness you’re vibrating throbbing consciousness, everything, every cell of you, body is vibrant with that energy. Consciousness, nobody can deplete that energy. Infinite energy, you are in connection with the infinite energy. Your cells are throbbing with joy. Radiating energy and peace and love to the whole world. That is the real essence of guru principle, soaking in guru principle. Hmmm? Ok?

Why do I have health problem, is it because of bad karma? Please explain.
Health problem happens for various reasons. One is when you violate the laws of nature. If you have the wrong food, wrong habits. Violated laws of nature, health problems come. Second of course, due to some past impressions, karmas, all that is there. But you need to have confidence mind over the body. Our mind can make a difference. Definitely.