Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a humanitarian leader, a spiritual teacher, and an ambassador of peace. His vision of a stress-free, violence-free society has united millions of people the world over through service projects and the courses of The Art of Living.
Early Life:
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was born on 13 May 1956 to Venkatratnam and Vishatakshi at Papanasam in Tamil Nadu. Venkatratnam was well versed in Sanskrit, Tamil and English and was a devout social worker besides being spiritually oriented. He worked for the upliftment of poor girls through his Trust which included a school and a vocational training unit. Ravi Shankar‘s mother was a devout woman who kept herself busy with puja and visiting temples. His father, who dabbled in astrology, often predicted that he would be very special. As the village was famous for its Shiva and Vishnu temples, the parents named the boy Ravi Shankar Narayana, Shankar and Narayana being the names of Shiva and Vishnu respectively.
From his early years, there were certain events which indicated that the child was special. For instance, once he was seated on a large swing which was hanging from four iron chains. All of a sudden, the chains broke and the swing fell down. Miraculously, Ravishankar remained unharmed.
At the age of 3 he was sent to a teacher, who wanted to begin his lessons with a shloka from the Bhagavad Gita. Incredibly, the young Ravi Shankar completed the shloka for his teacher, surprising her with his knowledge. At the age of 4, little Ravishankar was discovered chanting shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita. He skipped sports lessons in school, but had mastered the Rig Veda by the time he was 9. When he was in the 8th standard, students from the 10th standard would come to him for advice. People liked and enjoyed his company even when he was an adolescent. His creative faculties were also quite enhanced right from his childhood and he would write poems and direct plays.
One day, he watched his father performing puja and wanted to know all about it. His father gave him a photo of Meenakshi, the consort of Shiva and he unquestioningly accepted her as his personal God. He would not eat anything before offering it to his personal God. Unable to pronounce Meenakshi, he called her Vicchini.
Enlightenment:
Ravi Shankar graduated from St. Joseph‘s College, Bangalore University with a degree in Science. After completing his graduation, he came into contact with a number of renowned masters and intellectuals. One such person was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who wanted to take the budding seeker and scholar to Rishikesh. This, however, led to a lot of discontent in the family since he had been offered the position of a manager in a bank and his family wanted him to take up the job. After an internal debate, the spiritual quest in Ravi Shankar got the better of him amidst a barrage of protests and he first went to Rishikesh, then overseas, where he completed his Ph.D in Vedas and science and spent a lot of his time travelling.
In 1982, Ravi Shankar observed 10 days of silence, speaking to no one. In his own words, he felt that something was ‗coming up‘. It is said that the sudarshan kriya was revealed to him around this time. It is also said that this is the definitive period of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar‘s enlightenment and the birth of ‗Art of Living‘.
Art of Living:
In 1982, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar presented to the world a new gift for humanity – the sudarshan kriya, which is a unique breathing process to eliminate stress from the body by flushing out the negative toxins and flooding each cell in the body with new life. The Art of Living Foundation was established on the outskirts of Bangalore, with its first course being held in Shimoga. It was a unique experience in which Ravi Shankar communicated with the participants without speaking a word. When he began to speak, many felt that they had already heard what he had to say. In course of time, these courses became more structured and its teachers were groomed to carry this knowledge all over the world. Since then, many more courses have been added. But the message of love remains the same. The Art of Living is an international, non-profit, educational and humanitarian organization. It‘s educational and selfdevelopment programs offer powerful tools to eliminate stress and foster a sense of well-being. Appealing not only to a specific population, these practices have proven effective globally and at all levels of society.
Philosophy and teachings:
Spirituality:
Shankar teaches that spirituality is that which enhances human values such as love, compassion and enthusiasm. It is not limited to any one religion or culture. Hence it is open to all people. He feels the spiritual bond we share as part of the human family is more prominent than nationality, gender, religion, profession, or other identities that separate us.
In Shankar’s view, ―Violence-free society, disease-free body, quiver-free breath, confusion-free mind, inhibition-free intellect, trauma-free memory, and sorrow-free soul is the birthright of every human being.‖ Spirituality is the food of every human being. Since we are made up of both matter and spirit, anything that uplifts one‘s spirit, enthusiasm and joy is spirituality. It is the lack of spirituality that leads to violence in society and to suicidal tendencies. Ravi Shankar refuses to endorse religious fanaticism, labelling it as distinct from spirituality.
According to him, science and spirituality are linked and compatible, both springing from the urge to know. The question, ―Who am I?‖ leads to spirituality; the question, ―What is this?‖ leads to science. Emphasizing that joy is only available in the present moment, his stated vision is to create a world free of stress and violence. His programs are said to offer practical tools to help accomplish this. He sees breath as the link between body and mind, and a tool to relax the mind, emphasising the importance of both meditation/spiritual practice and service to others. In his view, ―Truth is spherical rather than linear; so it has to be contradictory.‖
Sudarshan Kriya:
Sudarshan Kriya is a breathing-based technique that is a core component of the Art of Living courses and ―the cornerstone of . . . Art of Living Foundation’s trauma relief programs‖. It involves Ujjayi breathing and bhastrika in vajrasana followed by rhythmic breathing in sukhasana.
It is claimed that both sudarshan kriya and pranayama have been researched in the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, where they have been found to work wonders for 70-80% of patients suffering from severe depression.
Universal Love:
According to Ravi Shankar, our true nature is love and love infuses the whole creation. Once we rid ourselves of stress, we realise our true nature. Knowledge is the means to become ‗hollow and empty‘, to get rid of all the impressions one has accumulated over one‘s lifetime. These impressions cloud the mind, hence, the confusion and lack of clarity. Once one has attained this state of inner emptiness – the natural self – one can experience for oneself the dynamic oneness of creations, whose very nature, like our own, is love. Responsibility to our fellow human beings is not to be taught, it is an intrinsic part of universal love. This appears to be the core of Ravi Shankar‘s teachings.
Peace and humanitarian work:
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been on a goodwill mission to Pakistan in 2004 and again in 2012 when he inaugurated Art of Living centers in Islamabad and Karachi. During his visits to Iraq in 2007 and 2008, he met with political and religious leaders to promote global peace. Ravi Shankar was also instrumental in brokering peace between the Colombian government and the guerrilla movement FARC during his visit to Cuba in 2015. In November 2016, the South Asian Forum for Peace was launched at a conference titled ―Kashmir Back to Paradise‖ in Jammu. This forum would bring together 8 South Asian countries to cooperate and work in areas such as entrepreneurship, skill development, cultural exchange, educational partnerships and women empowerment initiatives among others.
68 militants from 11 militant outfits surrendered to the government in Manipur on the eve of India’s 71st Independence Day in August 2017. The Chief Minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh, lauded Ravi Shankar for his efforts in making this happen & ―bringing peace in troubled areas‖. Ravi Shankar’s organization has been working in Manipur for the last 15 years. In September 2017, at the ―Strength in Diversity – North East Indigenous People‘s Conference‖, Ravi Shankar claimed that another 500 militants were waiting to ―lay down weapons and join the peace process‖. The conference was attended by representatives from 67 rebel outfits from the Northeast. Expressing his willingness to facilitate the peaceful transition of any rebel group wanting to join the mainstream, Ravi Shankar claimed that his organization has been working for this for the last 10-12 years and ―will continue to work until the last gun is laid down‖.
Ravi Shankar is also involved in interfaith dialogue and currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute. Through interfaith summits in 2008 and 2010, he has been engaging faith-based leaders for collective action against HIV. In July 2013 at a meeting in UNAIDS headquarters in Geneva, issues including HIV prevention, gender based violence, stigma and discrimination were discussed.
In 1992, Ravi Shankar also launched the Prison SMART Foundation (Stress Management and Rehabilitative Training) to address the needs of individuals and professionals affected by the criminal justice system. Programmes are offered to prison inmates, at-risk youth and victims of crime and criminal justice professionals.
His volunteers assisted the 2004 tsunami victims, Hurricane Katrina victims, in Haiti, and many other regions of conflict and natural disaster.
Social Initiatives:
IAHV: In 1997, he also founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) an NGO which is based in Geneva to coordinate sustainable development projects, nurture human values and coordinate conflict resolution in association with The Art of Living. In India, Africa and South America, the two sister organizations‘ volunteers are spearheading sustainable growth in rural communities, and have already reached out to 40,212 villages.
Volunteer for a Better India: VFABI is involved in many activities, including protest against the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, free health camps, and voter awareness and registrations in India.
“NONVIO” Movement:
NONVIO was launched as a nationwide movement by Shankar’s foundation in March 2013 with the aim of eliminating violence. It encourages individuals to pledge one act of non-violence through different social and online media and adopt nonviolent principles in government, public health, and media.
India Against Corruption:
He was involved in the movement demanding a strong lokpal bill and was also one of the founders of the ―India Against Corruption‖ movement.
World Forum for Ethics in Business:
In 2003, he initiated the Ethics in Business – Corporate Culture & Spirituality dialogue with an aim of strengthening human values and ethics in business. This evolved later on in the formation of the World Forum for Ethics in Business which convenes international conferences on ethics. World Summit on Ethics in Sports, a one-day event held in September 2014 at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, focused on ―morality and openness‖ in sports.
Sri Sri University:
Sri Sri University in Odisha was established in 2009 on the initiative of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The school won a Best Innovative University Award at the 2017 National Education Excellence Awards.
Awards:
Numerous honors have been bestowed upon Ravi Shankar, including the highest civilian awards of Colombia, Peru, Mongolia and Paraguay. He is the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India‘s second highest annual civilian award and has also been conferred with 15 honorary doctorates from around the world, and many other awards. In 2009, Shankar was named by Forbes Magazine as the 5th most powerful leader in India.
Criticisms:
Numerous criticisms have been levelled against Ravi Shankar and his Art of Living. Many people who have been involved with Art of Living have alleged that it is an organization which shares many features with what many people refer to as cults, and that it employs what many refer to as brainwashing.
Criticisms have also been levelled against the safety of the Sudarshan Kriya, the breathing technique which is the center-piece of Art of Living‘s Basic Course. Some of the specific claims that Art of Living has made about Sudarshan Kriya include that it can cure cancer and AIDS, be used as a treatment for drug addiction, treat depression, improve sleep, improve focus and concentration, and that it is effective in reducing stress. It is claimed that although Art of Living take pride in flaunting the various alleged benefits of Kriya, they do very little if anything to warn prospective practitioners of any of the risks associated with practicing the technique. In fact, not only do they not warn participants that they may experience adverse side effects, they actually go so far as to deny that these side effects even exist. Hundreds of comments left by those who have practiced Sudarshan Kriya and who have reported that they suffered various ailments including headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, fatigue, abnormal changes in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels, development of various allergies, uncontrollable muscle spasms, and feeling faint to name but a few.
With regards to the surrender of militants in Manipur in 2017, the press release – or Shankar himself – did not quite elaborate what exactly was the ―major role‖ of Ravi Shankar or Art of Living was in bringing the hardened militants back to the mainstream. Or, for that matter, how the organisation had managed to convince these militants from the Meitei groups. The CorCom – as the joint coordination committee of the Kangleipak Communist Party, Peoples‘ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, Peoples‘ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Progressive) and United National Liberation Front is known – refuted the claims of the government, calling the surrenders a ―drama‖. In a press statement, the committee claimed that most people who had turned up for the surrender ceremony had long left their respective organisations and had been working on the orders of the security forces and had been ―randomly gathered and presented to the public in a fresh avatar‖. But the scepticism about the surrenders – among the media, Manipur residents and even some in the government – does not stem from the CorCom‘s denial, which was perhaps only natural. The size of the cache of arms supposedly recovered from such a large group of militants was underwhelming. A total of eight arms were recovered from the 68 militants: three AK series rifles, one Lethode gun, and four pistols.
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