From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Tamil: ஸ்ரீஸ்ரீ ரவிஶங்கர் ; Hindi: श्रीश्री रविशङ्कर), born Shankar Ratnam on May 13, 1956 in Tamil Nadu, India, is an exponent of Advaita Vedanta and the spiritual leader of the Art of Living Foundation (founded 1982), which aims to relieve both individual stress and societal disease and violence and which has UNESCO consultative status. Referred to by followers with the double-honorific "Sri Sri", Guruji or Gurudeva,[1] he also established in 1997 a UK-based charity, the International Association for Human Values, an NGO aimed at fostering shared global values.
Life
Born to Venkat Ratnam, a businessman in the automobile industry, and his wife Vishalakshi,[2][3] he was given the name Shankar after the 8th century CE Hindu saint, Adi Shankara.[1] According to his biographies, at the age of four he could recite a few verses from the Bhagavad Gita[4] and received a baccalaureate in science at 17 from St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore University.[5][6]
A disciple of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi,[7] Shankar joined Maharishi's entourage after graduation, being taught by Vedic pundits at Maharishi's charities. In the early 1990s, Shankar himself added the Sri Sri prefix (usually an honorific bestowed by others) to his own name Ravi Shankar after the renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar objected that the guru was capitalizing on the latter's fame.[1]
Shankar claims that his rhythmic breathing exercise सुदर्शन क्रिया (sudarśana-kriyā) came to him in 1982 "like a poem, an inspiration", after a ten-day vow of silence on the banks of the Bhadra River in Shimoga in Karnataka, India, adding: "I learned it and started teaching it."[2][8] Shankar says that every emotion has a corresponding rhythm in the breath and that regulating breath could help relieve personal suffering.[9]
Philosophy
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (center of the photo)
Shankar emphasizes breath as the link between body and mind and, therefore, as a tool to relax the mind, emphasizing both meditation and service to others. According to him, science and spirituality are linked and consistent. His stated vision, through jñâna-yoga, is to create a world free of stress and violence, and his programs claim to offer practical tools to accomplish wisdom. In his view, "Truth is spherical rather than linear; so it has to be contradictory." "Anything that is spherical is always contradictory."[10]
After the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Art of Living Foundation offered free courses in stress reduction to New Yorkers.[9] The group also ran a relief program in Kosovo for the war-ravaged population and for public health, university and UN personnel. The organization also started an operation in occupied Iraq in 2003 aimed at relieving the stress of the Iraqi population.[11] A similar program was implemented in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2006 teaching war victims as well as UN and NGO personnel. In 2007, Shankar visited Iraq at the invitation of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki and also met with Sunni, Shia and Kurdish leaders.[12] He visited Pakistan in 2004 and met with some political and religious leaders there as a part of his efforts to promote global peace.[13] Many volunteers have assisted the 2004 tsunami victims and Hurricane Katrina victims. There is a prison stress management and rehabilitation techniques program, known as SMART, which assists many prisoners and prison staffs worldwide.
Sudarśana-kriyā
Sudarśana-kriyā is the core component of the Art of Living courses. Persons enrolling for the courses are required to sign non-disclosure agreements promising not to reveal specifics of Shankar's breathing technique. [14]. However, some of the "asanas" and exercises have been disclosed in a newspaper article [15]. Atanu Dey describes Shankar's technique as a commercial repackaging of Patanjali's traditional pranayama techniques from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika[16] and later declared that Shankar's talks are incoherent.[17]
Selected Works
Shankar's disciples have compiled numerous books transcribed from his various discourses, and a few have been translated into Russian and Spanish.
References
- ^ a b c A. Salkin, Emperor of Air, Yoga Journal, 2002.
- ^ a b Mahadevan, Ashok (February 2007). "Face to face". Reader's Digest. http://www.rd-india.com/newsite/other/facetoface_feb07.asp. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ Prabhu, Nagesh (2003-01-17). "Vice-President to open 'Vishalakshi Mantap'". http://www.hindu.com/2003/01/18/stories/2003011803310400.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ WebIndia Biography
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.artofliving.org/intl/Founder/tabid/57/Default.aspx
- ^ Frankenberg, Ruth (2004). Living spirit, living practice: poetics, politics, epistemology. Durham, N.C: Duke University Press. pp. 58. ISBN 0-8223-3295-7.
- ^ Verughese, S., Lessons in Living Life Positive
- ^ a b MacGregor, Hillary E (2004-10-31). "Breathe deeply to relieve stress, depression". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2002075460_healthbreathing31.html. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ Washington Post interview
- ^ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3393327.stm BBC News | Indian stress-busters target Iraq
- ^ Art of Living guru in Iraq to talk peace
- ^ 'There's dignity of religion in Pakistan', The Times of India
- ^ Art Of Living course details
- ^ Sudarshan Kriya Asanas, Tehelka.com
- ^ Atanu Dey, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar a Con Man?, May 2000. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
- ^ Atanu Dey, His Most Exalted Holiness Sri Maha Param Pujaniya Gurudevji Bhagwanji Sriman Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji Mahadevji, I presume 17 April 2008. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
Secondary Sources
- Gautier, François, The Guru of Joy. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar & the Art of Living, Carlsbad, California, Hay House, Inc., 2008. ISBN 978-1-4019-1761-6 (First edition: India, Books Today, 2002. ISBN 8-187-47842-X)
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search