Q. Why should people meditate in our modern society?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you look at the benefits that meditation brings in our life, you will find that it is all the more relevant. In ancient times, meditation was used as a way for finding the Self, for enlightenment. Meditation was a way to overcome misery and problems. It's the way to develop one’s abilities.
If you want, keep aside enlightenment. Today’s stress and tension in society calls for meditation. If you take more responsibility, more meditation is required. Greater responsibilities and ambitions you have, greater is the need for you to meditate. If you have nothing to do, you may not need meditation as much.
The busier you are, the lesser time you have, the more desires and ambitions you have - all the more is the need to meditate. Because meditation not only relieves you of stress and strain, it also enhances your abilities,strengthens your nervous system and mind. Not only does it help eliminate stress and tensions, releasing toxins from the body and soothing the mind, it also makes you more capable, enhances you in every way. What else do you want?
I would say if you want to be happy and healthy, you’ve got to meditate
Q: How does the Art of meditation help the mind, the body, spiritual aspirations and relationships and society as a whole?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Meditation helps to change your perspective. It improves the way you perceive things. It brings clarity in the mind. It improves your interaction with people around –what you say, how you react and act in different situations, you become more aware. In general, from a stress-free society to peace and health in individuals and from a violence-free society to a sorrow-free soul – all are side effects of meditation.
Q: Guruji, to retain the state acquired in meditation, what should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Just keep doing what you are doing now. You have to continue doing it, again and again. ‘Baar baar Raghuveer samai’: Again and again meditate.So do meditation,sadhana and satsang and talk about it as well. Anything that is in your speech, the mind and in action gets firmly established. If you do your sadhana and the rest of the time you keep talking about petty things,whatever juice you got after your sadhana will start fading away. That is why in speech also,let that state find expression.Whenever you talk,talk about knowledge,talk about love.Then you will see it gets more firmly established in you.
This is the importance of satsang.In satsang we talk about the good things,we talk about knowledge,meditation and miracles.You talk about miracles happening in someone's life -isn't this what you discuss? How many of you talk like this,only about miracles? What happens when you talk only about miracles?Everyday something new happens in your life and so many new lessons are learnt. So the mind becomes strong with these kinds of discussions.
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