Meeting Sri Sri Ravishankar was a turning point in my life: Rhea Pillai

Mumbai: There have been several turning points in my life but meeting my guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji numbers amongst the biggest of them. When I did the Art of Living course in Mumbai in 1996, I really didn't know what to expect. But later I travelled to Rishikesh for the advanced course and it was there that we met.

Over the last 14 years my depth and perspective on life has expanded immeasurably thanks to this journey that I've undertaken with Him. It gave me the answers to the questions I was seeking then and has continued to do so. It's brought about an indescribable change in my life, a feeling of depth and deep calmness.To give you an example I've just returned from the Art of Living ashram where I went through two weeks of learning something in Sanskrit, the process of doing which has taken my life state higher. With this comes a deep sense of assurance and knowing. Read More

Sahaj Samadhi to relieve stress

KOLKATA: For three days from Thursday, the city will experience a unique meditation programme that promises to transport participants to a stage of pure bliss. This particular form of meditation is called Sahaj Samadhi meditation and will be conducted by Bhanumathi Narasimhan, director, women empowerment and childcare projects for the Art of Living, and more importantly, sister of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Read More from the Times of India

There is no caste for the spirit

Transcript of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's address at “Indian Priests’ Congress” -Shrine of Our Lady of Good Health, Velanganni on February 9, 2010. This conference was attended by 1000 Roman Catholic priests across India.
Om Shanthi...Shanthi... Shanthihi...
Sri Sri : What a joy to speak to the lovers’of God! I am a child going to blabber in front of scholars. Let us discuss...
Lovers know the language of the heart-we are all lovers of God who want to unite with the spirit of the world. We all want to serve, ...see divinity in people around...
Three things are important for this:
Context (of life)
Commitment
Compassion
We have all the three. Apart from how to unite and connect, we have to know how to face challenges in life. When faith is shaken, how to rekindle it...
To know faith, we have to know doubt. Doubt is something about positive. We never doubt the negative.. we doubt whether we really happy, but never doubt our misery!
God is the most positive thing in the universe! Doubt about God, doubt in Self...How to get over these?
The Upanishads tell about the experience of divinity in four stages for the Seekers:
Saameepya: feeling the proximity of the Divine
Sannidhya: feeling the Presence
Saaroopya: doing what the Divine is doing, imitating the Divine
Saayoojya: Merging with the Divine.
Another challenge is to arrive at the inner peace and calmness. Mind vacillates between the past and the future. How to bring the mind to the Present? Using our own breath, we can calm the mind, reunite with the Spirit...Simple breathing techniques can remove negative emotions and we can experience Freedom within. Mind can right away go into Prayer easily, effortlessly.
We all are made of a substance called Love...God has made man in His own image.. and God is love.. Then why all the negative emotions? How to meet these challenges?
Wisdom, Spiritual wisdom help overcome these hurdles.
We are all committed to Service: service to God, service to humanity. Still, if something is missing, something is broken, then breathing, meditation can connect us to our inner self. Meditation is Wordless Prayer...words are there and not there at the same time! Ability to connect to everybody.. “There is no Other”...is the Mantra of Love! All is part of One...
As lovers of God, our relationship is only one...All in One.. One in All.. This is Prayer.. We don’t lack anything. There is abundance ..For the one step we take, the Divine takes ten...!!! Read More

Link to the News from the Hindu

Shri.Jairam Ramesh Responsive to Society. It is moratorium on Bt brinjal

NEW DELHI: Bt brinjal will not make it to your dinner table for now. On Tuesday, the Environment Ministry announced its decision to impose a moratorium on the release of the transgenic brinjal hybrid developed by Mahyco, a subsidiary of global seed giant Monsanto.

The moratorium will last “till such time independent scientific studies establish, to the satisfaction of both the public and professionals, the safety of the product from the point of view of its long-term impact on human health and environment, including the rich genetic wealth existing in brinjal in our country,” said Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. Read Morefrom the Hindu

Introducing Bt Brinjal in India a sin: Guruji

Taking a tough stand at Government’s bid to introduce genetically modified Bt Brinjal in India, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar on Thursday said it would be a sin to bring in the crop here.

“It will be sin to introduce Bt Brinjal until it is proved that it is not harmful to health,” he told Zee News on being asked his opinion on the issue which had Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh touring India to build a consensus.

“That the minister is touring India is good…he should decide that the crop will not be introduced,” he said. Read More

My Yamuna My Dilli - Clean Yamuna Campaign to be launched by Guruji

New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS) Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Thursday announced a three-month campaign to clean river Yamuna.

The campaign — ‘My Yamuna, My Dilli’ — to be launched here Sunday, is being organised in view of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) latest report that the faecal content in the water of the Yamuna is so high that the river resembles a drain.

“We are responsible for the present condition of the Yamuna. Therefore, if we all get together to clean the river, the efforts will definitely bear fruit. Keeping this in mind, we are launching the ‘My Yamuna, My Dilli’ campaign here on Sunday,” Shankar, who is the founder of the Art of Living movement, told reporters at a press conference here.

According to the CPCB’s 10-month-long monitoring of the Yamuna river at Nizamuddin, the water is unfit not just for drinking but even for bathing. Read More