Sri Sri: No, superficially. Thanking needs a separation. Thanking means there are two. If you are deeply thankful, it means you deeply feel the separation.

Deep within there is no need to thank, because there is one-ness. But superficially you can thank. Thanks are like ripples on the surface of the water.

When you say "Thank you," you complete something. You are finishing a transaction, a relationship, a process. "Thank you" is like "good bye." You can complete all transactions at a surface level, but deeper inside is only one-ness.

Thankfulness always exists in relation to something else. You don't thank for nothing at all, you thank for something. But in this case, something is less than nothing!

At the deepest level, thanking has no meaning. Does one hand thank the other hand? The deeper you go, you see there is no "other" to be thanked.

Sri Sri: It seems to happen like that. There is no reason. There was a time that lots of merchants came from Europe. And there was a time that lots of Scientists came from west. In America, there are lots of Oak trees. If we ask why, what can we say? It seems to happen that way. East seems to provide Enlightened Masters. But an Enlightened Master himself doesnt belong to East or West. He belongs to the whole world. His knowledge is universal !

Sri Sri: That is a good question. In manipulation, there is bad/horrible intention. In skill, there is good intention. in manipulation, there is guilt. In manipulation, you are not honest to yourself. When skillful, you get a pat from your heart "Go ahead...". You are honest, when skillful. In skill, your heart will not prick you. But finally, ONLY YOU know whether you are skillful / manipulative.