Holistic Living

The Guru of Love,

Peace and Joy
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
by RAMAA REDDY RAGHAVAN

"As we pass through life we come across many spiritual masters, how
is one to choose amongst them?" asked one person in the audience
of more than 2,000 people recently gathered in New York City's plush
Waldorf Astoria to hear Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, or Guruji, as he is called
by his disciples.
"Have you walked down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan?" asked Guruji,
eliciting immediate laughter from the audience "Have you noticed how
every shopkeeper says that his merchandise is the best? It is you who
decides which one to believe. In the same manner your heart will tell
you which guru or spiritual leader to choose."
This answer immediately endeared me to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a
humanitarian and founder of Art of Living, a volunteer-run foundation
with more than 20 million members in about 144 countries. Before
Saturday, I had paid Ravi Shankar scarce attention being a typical
busy, stressed-out New Yorker, but after listening to him answer a vari-
ety of questions on everyday problems like stress, depression, burnout
and even obesity, I concluded that he is one enlightened human being
who holds the solution to many of our problems.
The Art of Living course, pioneered by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, uses a
revitalizing breathing technique known as Sudarshan Kriya, which The session at the Waldorf began with about 20 minutes of hypnotic
releases stress and toxins at the mental and emotional level, thereby chanting led by one of the volunteers. The bhajans were beautiful and
promoting increased happiness and peace. When I questioned a vol- immediately relaxed the audience, including myself. When Guruji
unteer, Birjoo Vaishna, an liT graduate studying gravitational physics appeared, he took a seat and spoke of music. "Music brings harmo-
at Penn State University, about the difference between Sudarshan ny to our mind and whole being," he says. "The purpose of sound is
Kriya and Pranayama (another well-known breathing technique), he to lead to silence which leads to meditation Let us do a short medi-
responded: "During Pranayama, the body's vital energy is processed tation." After meditation he started to answer questions written on
and enhanced. Sudarshan Knya takes this process deeper; it mobi- cards by the audience.
lizes this energy to focus on the mind thus freeing the memory and
intellect from negative impressions and confusion. In addition, it pro- "Why is enlightenment not natural to human beings?"
duces intense cleansing at the cellular level of the cranial and spinal The Guruji laughed. He responds to all questions with wit, spontan,)
nervous systems. Sudarshan Kriya increases awareness and brings ity and simplicity, although some of his responses are quite profour~d.
about deep relaxation (as shown by the brain's beta and alpha activi- "It is the most natural thing, but because of conditioning we have Ie )st
ty), much more than traditional Pranayama." it. We have created inhibitions and built walls around ourselves. 11[1 a

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paddy field grows rice, likewise inside everyone there is enlighten-
ment, but the husk needs to be peeled little by little to see that enlight-
enment."
"What is depression and how is it dealt with?"
"It is when you keep thinking about yourself," he says. "Constantly
chanting 'What about me?' creates depression. Sudarshan Kriya
can alleviate that. Lack of spirituality brings about depression and
suicidal thoughts."
world and broaden their vision. Do service and make a change in this
world."
"What is the purpose of life?"
"Make life a celebration," answers the Guruji. "Do this by spiritual
practice and social service."
The question "Who is your dress designer?" brings laughter and relief
from these serious musings. "The One up in the sky," he responds.

When questioned about the one emotion we all seek, which is love,
he answered, "No creature on this planet has been deprived of love.
Every human being has had the experience of love. It begins the first
moment when a baby is born ... love later gives rise to other emo-
tions like anger, jealousy, fear and so on. The journey of man is to find
love which is free from pain. Meditation gives us this. It helps us relax
and frees us from mental and emotional anguish, thus bringing us
back to this integral emotion."
In conclusion I could not resist asking him, "What is your outlook for
the world?"
"A peaceful, more just world," he replied simply. I should have expect-
ed it. ea
For further information, visit www.artofliving.org

Guruji was bom in 1956 in Karnataka, India. It is said that he could

recite verses from the Bhagavad Gita when he was four years old. By
the time he was 17 he was knowledgeable in Vedic literature, had
completed his traditional studies and secured a bachelor's degree in
modern science. He later trained under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and
learned his Transcendental Meditation technique. In 1982, believing
that something more was required to make a difference in people's
lives, he practiced a period of silence. This led to the birth of
Sudarshan Kriya.
In 1997, Guruji founded the International Association for Human
Values, an integral part of which is the 5H program (Health, Hygiene,
Housing, Human Values and Harmony in Diversity) which delivers a
wide array of humanitarian service projects in India and other coun-
tries around the world. Some of these projects have included donat-
ing 1.5 billion rupees ($34 million) to tsunami victims, starting numer-
ous workshops around the world to bring healing to victims of war and
terrorist attacks, offering stress management to prison inmates to
enable their rehabilitation, rural development, and education of chil-
dren in India.
Ms. Linda Johnson, vice principal of P.S. 161 in Brooklyn said that
Guruji's Art Excel course (Art of Living for children) taught to 4th
graders resulted in a 70 percent increase in their math and English
scores.
In April 2005, Guruji was conferred the Bharat Shiromani Award by the
Indian Government, in recognition of his work across the world.

"What is your advice to youth?"

The Guruji smiles and says, "I encourage youth to travel around the

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