What is a sin and what is a benevolent action?

An action that hurts others and oneself is a sin. An action that benefits others and ourselves is benevolence.

Can spirituality cure poverty?

Definitely. Spirituality brings a balance to the mind and brings great strength to us to do stuff.  Spirituality also grants the intuition of where to put the effort. Many dig for water where it is dry. Spirituality gives correct direction for your effort.  Removing the veil of ignorance spread over the mind is the same as waking the sleeping Divinity within oneself.

How should our speech be?

There is a lovely kannada song about this... Sri Sri sang it and translated to hindi... This is my translation of the hindi.  When you speak, it should be like a string of softly sparkling pearls. Clean and bright.  Your words should be clear as crystal, lucid and brilliant. Lord Shiva Himself should nod away in agreement with your words... Your speech should be so convincing and confident.

If Guru is there, is there any need for Pooja, astrology etc?

If the faith in the Guru is unshakable, unbreakable then no need for anything else. But a little bit of all this is always nice. Just a pinch of it. And anyways all this has no charm or strength when Guru is missing.

What's the point of all this creation, universes, life, etc?

What's the point of cricket?  Throwing a ball, hitting it, running after it... “For a bit of fun” - answered the questioner. Exactly. The vast infinite Divinity wanted to have a bit of fun. That's why this is called a Leela - a play. While you are in it... Simply enjoy it.

What's the significance of taking a sankalpa?

Sankalpa is taking the consciousness to the infinite universe. And then bringing it to the present, and make some special wish for oneself or family or friends.
Anyways in a Yagya, just being here, doing some service for others you become part of it and gain tremendous merit.
But if you want to take some special part in it, be part of a few of the rituals, then this provision is also made in the form of a sankalpa.

1. Acknowledging that one knows very little.

Many people think they know, without knowing or they get stuck in their limited knowledge. So they never learn. So the first thing is to acknowledge that one knows very little.

2. Willingness to know.

Many people acknowledge that they do not know, but they are not ready to learn.

3. Being non-judgmental and open-minded.

Some people would like to learn but their judgmental attitude and close-mindedness does not allow them to learn.

4. Total commitment and one-pointedness to the path one has chosen.

Some people are open-minded but lack commitment and one-pointedness. They keep shopping here and there and never progress.

5. Always putting truth and service before pleasure.

Sometimes even committed and one-pointed people stay away from the path in pursuit of momentary pleasures.

6. Patience and perseverance.

Some people are not swayed by pleasures and are committed and one-pointed, but if they lack patience and perseverance, they become restless and dejected.

Remind yourself of the knowledge. Focus on the knowledge, don't get entangled in the people around you.

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Don’t try to get over the misunderstanding. If there is a misunderstanding, just overlook that.

Educate and ignore. Move forward. Don’t do postmortem, i.e., sit and dig, ‘Why did you say that?’, ‘You don’t love me’, all this garbage is such a waste of time. We dwell into so much emotional garbage. We should throw them all out and have bubbling enthusiasm. You should move with enthusiasm.

If someone lacks enthusiasm, push them into enthusiasm, and do not go on complaining or asking for explanation from people.

To improve family relations you need two things - No Explanations and No Complaints. That’s it. Got it?

Asking explanation from others is a foolish thing. And explaining to others thinking they would understand is another foolish thing. It doesn’t work both ways. The best is to just move forward.

~Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Duty is what your heart tells you, when you feel ‘This is what I have to do.’ Expectation is what others want you to do. Have a balance between the two. Sometimes you can fulfill the expectations of others, but your duties are what you need to be more concerned about.

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

When you want to do something, look at your strength. Your weakness is that you start looking at others' strengths! When you are running, you can only look at the track below, not at who's next to you. Like a horse with blinders, you just look at your path and let anybody do whatever he/she wants.

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Who is a volunteer? One who comes to help, without being asked to help; one who is self-motivated, inspired, becomes a volunteer.

There is the possibility of the inspirational motivation going down in a volunteer, which could bring frustration.

Usually volunteers come from the space of demand rather than humility – this dilutes the quality.

Another slack that could happen to a volunteer is that they could slip away from commitment, thinking there is no 'boss' – "If I like it, I do it; if I don't like it, I don't!" It is like the steering wheel of a car – if all the tires say they do not need steering, then the car cannot run smoothly. If you want to construct a building, you have to accept the authority of the structural engineer.

All these can only be overcome by being more grounded in spiritual knowledge. A volunteer devoid of spiritual dimension is utterly weak.

1) A volunteer needs to stick to his commitment.

2) The integrity in a volunteer comes from spiritual practices.

3) The authority needs to be acknowledged.

4) The strength of a volunteer comes from the challenges he is ready to willingly face.

5) A volunteer moves beyond boundaries as he finds he is capable of doing so many things he never ever thought of doing.

6) A true volunteer does not expect appreciation or reward.

7) A volunteer has such a joy – that joy, itself, comes as the reward.

8) If a volunteer thinks he is obliging somebody, he is thoroughly mistaken. He is 'volunteering' because he derives so much joy out of it.

The joy is immediate – it does not come on the first of every month in the form of a salary!

When a volunteer realizes this, he is filled with gratitude.

When a volunteer waivers from within, the support system is knowledge and good friends.