This Past Weekend with Theo Von - #677 - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

00:00:00.000 Today's guest is a humanitarian. He's a spiritual leader, a soul summoner, if you will.

00:00:08.280 He founded the Art of Living movement, and he's one of the most respected teachers of meditation in the world.

00:00:15.300 A fascinating chat with today's guest, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

00:00:30.000 is that correct right thank you for being here today i appreciate your time uh i appreciate your

00:00:47.940 um your energy that you've put into the world uh thank you so much for your uh just your just uh

00:00:55.860 your ability to be a guide for people.

00:00:58.560 For our listeners that don't know,

00:01:00.020 you're a humanitarian, a spiritual leader,

00:01:03.360 a practicer of peace.

00:01:05.940 Is that fair to say?

00:01:08.060 Yeah.

00:01:09.640 Okay.

00:01:10.920 And Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

00:01:13.680 You can just call me Gurudev.

00:01:14.980 Gurudev is fine?

00:01:16.000 Excellent.

00:01:17.320 You had an experience that happened

00:01:19.160 when you were very young,

00:01:20.860 at the age of four years old,

00:01:22.580 from what I hear, if the story is true.

00:01:25.860 I could recite the ancient text.

00:01:29.900 You could recite the ancient text of the Bhagavad Gita.

00:01:33.760 Bhagavad Gita.

00:01:34.740 Can you tell us what the Bhagavad Gita is for our listeners that don't know?

00:01:38.380 Gita is the scripture which was written 5,000 years old when Lord Krishna gave advice or lessons to Arjuna.

00:01:51.220 He's the warrior of that time.

00:01:54.100 So it's about, it's a knowledge of yoga and about everything about life.

00:02:02.580 So this is what Mahatma Gandhi had as a handbook.

00:02:07.340 Ah, okay.

00:02:07.980 And everyone in India, it's almost like a Bible for the Indian continent, you can say, Hindus mainly. 0.93

00:02:17.060 Got it.

00:02:17.940 So at four years old, you were kind of a prodigy.

00:02:20.060 You were kind of like the Justin Bieber kind of of meditation, maybe, you know, in a way.

00:02:25.280 I don't know if that's you were kind of the John Bonnet of India, you know, still living, of course.

00:02:31.060 What was it like to have that much attention at such a young age?

00:02:34.700 How did that affect you?

00:02:35.700 I just felt very normal to me.

00:02:38.560 Yeah.

00:02:39.660 Was there a reason?

00:02:40.720 I didn't feel any special.

00:02:42.380 I felt as normal as anybody else.

00:02:45.480 Was there a reason you felt like you kind of received this download sort of that you received

00:02:49.920 this capability?

00:02:52.400 You know,

00:02:53.140 there are so many 1.00

00:02:54.200 child prodigies 0.90

00:02:55.280 these days.

00:02:56.240 You can see them all.

00:02:57.780 So,

00:02:58.700 it's a very natural thing.

00:03:00.360 It was not something

00:03:01.640 that, you know,

00:03:03.520 you make out of it.

00:03:05.620 It was just part of your life?

00:03:07.040 Part of your life.

00:03:08.300 What effect did that

00:03:09.340 have on your childhood?

00:03:11.680 I was a little strange

00:03:13.320 in my childhood.

00:03:15.620 As you know,

00:03:16.540 that I didn't take

00:03:17.800 much interest in

00:03:18.880 normal things that kids would do. 1.00

00:03:21.820 So I spent most of my childhood with elderly people. 1.00

00:03:25.820 With elderly people? 0.96

00:03:26.540 Elderly people, adults. 0.98

00:03:29.120 And yeah, I felt a little bit out of place many times.

00:03:33.340 But I tried to fit myself in everywhere I used to be.

00:03:38.560 Take me through some of what happens after that in your life

00:03:41.720 that kind of leads you into becoming a guru.

00:03:44.440 well you know I'm a guru by accident in the sense you know I just kept teaching or telling people

00:03:54.840 what I know and then they started taking me as a guide well apart from that you know I had deep

00:04:01.280 interest in spirituality and science as a teenager I was very much into physics so physics and

00:04:11.340 astronomy, science, and ancient scriptures, all this interested me quite a lot.

00:04:17.680 Because I felt that such a similarity or parallel between the spirituality and science.

00:04:24.200 So that was very interesting for me.

00:04:27.540 And then, you know, my teacher was one who lived with Mahatma Gandhi for 48 years.

00:04:33.060 Your teacher lived with Mahatma Gandhi for 48 years?

00:04:35.780 For 48 years.

00:04:36.100 So he is the one who taught him the Gita, the script, when he came from South Africa.

00:04:40.600 He was in the Erwada jail and all.

00:04:43.000 So he was a very funny guy.

00:04:45.020 He used to tell a lot of stories about his time with Mahatma Gandhi.

00:04:49.680 And now he was a rebellious person there.

00:04:53.080 And it was very interesting, you know.

00:04:55.540 So I grew up in such an environment where, you know,

00:05:01.540 this nonviolence and friendliness, love, compassion,

00:05:07.460 all had great value.

00:05:10.600 And also, my grandfather was also a great follower of Mahatma Gandhi, and he lived in Gandhi's ashram for many years.

00:05:19.780 At what point did you start to become a teacher?

00:05:21.720 Like, at what point did people start to come to hear what you were sharing, I guess?

00:05:25.240 I think it's in my teenage that I started this one.

00:05:29.940 And when I was 23, 24, I started the Art of Living movement.

00:05:35.120 That time, there were two judges of Supreme Court of India.

00:05:40.160 One was a thorough believer, a thesist, and another was an atheist.

00:05:47.140 Just as we are Krishna, he was an atheist.

00:05:50.280 And what was the first one?

00:05:51.220 He was a believer.

00:05:53.020 A believer.

00:05:53.560 A great believer.

00:05:54.420 And they both, you know, came as a trustee, became the trustee of our organization.

00:06:00.480 Then he made an organization.

00:06:02.000 He said, you know, you have a beautiful knowledge to share.

00:06:05.040 It needs a framework.

00:06:07.440 You know, to hold a picture, you need a frame.

00:06:09.640 So we will be the trustees and we'll make it a mega organization.

00:06:13.380 So it's 45 years now.

00:06:15.740 So the government started to help you sort of put a frank...

00:06:17.940 Not the government, individually, their individual capacity, the people.

00:06:22.060 The people did.

00:06:23.480 I read that you started the art of living after you had a 10-day period of silence where it was kind of this epiphany that fell upon you.

00:06:34.200 Can you tell me a little bit more about that?

00:06:36.680 Correct.

00:06:37.340 The breathing techniques.

00:06:39.640 You know, though I was teaching meditations of yoga and all, I was feeling there's something missing.

00:06:46.160 There's something that I need to bring about, you know.

00:06:49.120 People do all that, but still they have conflicts inside themselves.

00:06:52.900 They're unable to get over their habits.

00:06:56.900 You know, there was a struggle.

00:06:58.300 So I thought there must be something that would come.

00:07:00.740 So I went into a silence of 10 days.

00:07:03.380 At the end of those 10 days, I was in a remote place in India.

00:07:08.820 Then a few of the doctors and engineers in that area, they came and then I started teaching the breathing technique.

00:07:16.480 That's the birth of that.

00:07:18.200 And that's the sky breathing technique?

00:07:19.680 Yes.

00:07:20.340 And can you take me through a little bit of what that technique is?

00:07:23.160 Is that okay to ask you?

00:07:24.960 Yeah, it takes a couple of days to learn it.

00:07:27.500 Just three days to learn it.

00:07:29.220 It's mainly recognizing the rhythm in your breath.

00:07:33.800 You know, your breath has a rhythm.

00:07:35.280 and your breath connects your body

00:07:38.900 and your emotions,

00:07:40.240 your mind and sensations.

00:07:43.240 So harmonizing this, you know,

00:07:45.540 brings a lot of freedom from within.

00:07:48.460 And that's how it started, you know.

00:07:50.940 And at that point,

00:07:51.840 do you start traveling around

00:07:53.360 to share your knowledge

00:07:55.760 and share your experience?

00:07:57.120 Correct, correct.

00:07:57.900 Though in the earlier years,

00:07:59.860 there was a lot of prejudice

00:08:00.960 against meditation, yoga.

00:08:02.820 People thought,

00:08:03.240 this is not

00:08:04.240 you know

00:08:05.780 this must be

00:08:06.320 for someone

00:08:06.880 who is out there

00:08:07.980 all cuckoo

00:08:09.040 oh yeah

00:08:09.540 I'm talking about

00:08:12.260 45 years back

00:08:13.480 40 years back

00:08:14.460 there was a lot

00:08:16.100 of prejudice

00:08:16.640 against

00:08:17.600 anything about

00:08:19.060 meditation

00:08:19.660 or breathing

00:08:20.540 what were some

00:08:21.880 of the places

00:08:22.300 that had probably

00:08:23.040 some more prejudice

00:08:23.820 than others

00:08:24.320 like what were

00:08:25.060 some of the

00:08:25.380 tougher places

00:08:26.020 to go and teach

00:08:26.700 I would say

00:08:27.620 Europe had that

00:08:29.720 and also US

00:08:31.140 you know

00:08:32.460 We wanted to teach this in the prisons, and then there was a lot of resistance.

00:08:38.940 Because I know that when we taught the prisoners, because every culprit is a victim, himself or herself.

00:08:45.660 Wait, say that again, every culprit is a victim.

00:08:48.180 Victim of something, you know, situation, ringing up.

00:08:53.280 So, they need healing.

00:08:56.200 They need that healing touch, you know.

00:08:58.660 When you teach this, anger, rage, distress, sadness, everything vanishes.

00:09:06.860 So that's where this has been very effective.

00:09:11.040 We have taught prisoners all over the world now.

00:09:13.780 Yeah, I've read about that.

00:09:15.360 When you're teaching this, when you say this,

00:09:17.660 do you mean like someone's relationship with their consciousness?

00:09:20.800 Is that kind of what you're talking about?

00:09:22.740 It's just a technology, you know.

00:09:24.940 see how through your own

00:09:26.880 breath you can change

00:09:28.960 your feelings, your moods

00:09:30.820 many times people feel so desperate

00:09:33.060 actually

00:09:34.620 you know like trapped

00:09:36.920 with their own emotions

00:09:37.940 I feel so bad I don't know how to get out

00:09:40.880 of it you know okay I pray

00:09:42.480 I do this I do that still

00:09:44.120 there is something inside of us that

00:09:46.840 doesn't let us feel the

00:09:48.840 freedom from emotion

00:09:49.880 using the breathing techniques

00:09:52.460 it makes a huge difference

00:09:54.380 what are some of the first things

00:09:56.460 someone will notice from using some of the

00:09:58.380 techniques

00:09:58.940 first of all

00:10:02.240 calmness of the mind

00:10:03.600 then you feel

00:10:06.420 your immune system becomes better

00:10:08.600 you feel better

00:10:09.560 and then clarity in mind

00:10:11.780 you feel more clear

00:10:13.980 and your perceptions become

00:10:16.360 better, lots of many benefits

00:10:18.560 all the benefits of meditation

00:10:20.160 many people say oh I can't meditate

00:10:22.220 You know, too many thoughts bombard my head.

00:10:24.680 And, you know, I can't sit quiet and I feel so restless.

00:10:28.160 Just a few minutes of this that takes care of all those issues.

00:10:32.200 Amen.

00:10:33.860 I know you just turned 70 recently.

00:10:36.980 Yeah.

00:10:37.600 How?

00:10:38.440 Do I look 70?

00:10:39.460 No.

00:10:39.840 Tell me.

00:10:40.780 You look 25.

00:10:43.040 Does our consciousness age?

00:10:46.140 Does it make sense to you kind of?

00:10:47.440 Our intellect age.

00:10:48.700 Our intellect becomes mature.

00:10:51.020 But consciousness is the same.

00:10:53.120 Has your consciousness felt the same from the beginning, do you feel like?

00:10:57.680 Yeah, that's something that doesn't change in you.

00:11:00.260 Oh, got it.

00:11:01.540 You know, there are two aspects inside.

00:11:03.400 One is that changes constantly, right?

00:11:06.800 There is something else in you that's a referral point of all changes.

00:11:12.680 So that which is a reference point of all changes cannot change.

00:11:18.260 That's fascinating.

00:11:19.860 What is consciousness to you?

00:11:22.280 Like, how would you describe consciousness?

00:11:24.200 Everything is consciousness.

00:11:25.700 Everything?

00:11:27.420 You are consciousness.

00:11:28.720 The trees are consciousness.

00:11:30.560 The whole world is consciousness.

00:11:33.740 It's just energy.

00:11:35.800 The consciousness is that ocean of energy

00:11:39.060 which has manifested everything here in the planet.

00:11:43.760 Yeah, I think I just, I think,

00:11:46.020 I don't know, I get scared a lot.

00:11:47.680 Do you ever get scared?

00:11:49.340 not so far

00:11:51.640 yeah I think I just have a lot of fears sometimes

00:11:56.980 you know fear is nothing but love standing upside down

00:12:01.100 really

00:12:02.940 like explain it to me

00:12:05.720 fear is a sensation you get right

00:12:08.140 in your chest region

00:12:09.880 or in the belly

00:12:11.660 what are you afraid of

00:12:14.460 because you love something

00:12:17.160 And so that, from the other side, appears to be as a fear.

00:12:23.280 Right, because I'm afraid it'll be different than what I think.

00:12:27.580 Or I'm afraid it'll feel different than how I want it to feel.

00:12:30.420 I'm afraid you will lose what you have.

00:12:32.920 Yeah.

00:12:33.260 Or you will not get what you want.

00:12:35.780 That's a fear, right?

00:12:38.160 And if you just sit back and relax, there's no fear.

00:12:44.140 do you think there's like a group like i feel like we're in a time in society where things feel

00:12:50.260 very scary it feels kind of stressful in the world right do you how would you how would you

00:12:58.500 suggest that we ward off that listen uh it's like a boy or girl going for an examination

00:13:08.120 and you're so scared

00:13:09.000 what's the outcome of the exam

00:13:10.540 but

00:13:12.060 someone who is

00:13:13.840 who has already

00:13:15.060 passed the exam

00:13:16.100 would say

00:13:16.460 hey don't worry

00:13:17.400 if someone has to perform

00:13:20.180 the first time on stage

00:13:21.520 they will feel

00:13:22.080 so scared

00:13:23.040 but

00:13:23.960 a seasoned performer

00:13:25.480 say nothing

00:13:26.160 don't worry

00:13:26.720 go ahead

00:13:27.180 so similarly

00:13:28.340 we have to

00:13:28.940 if you are mastered

00:13:31.140 the art of life itself

00:13:32.800 you know

00:13:34.700 seeing life

00:13:36.140 from a broader perspective

00:13:38.040 So what?

00:13:39.060 It's not the first time you are scared.

00:13:41.460 It has happened to you when you are a child,

00:13:43.340 when you are a boy,

00:13:44.100 when you are a teenager,

00:13:45.480 when whatever.

00:13:47.640 But still you are here.

00:13:50.140 So, broadening our consciousness,

00:13:52.560 our awareness,

00:13:54.360 the fear disappears, number one.

00:13:55.680 Second way to combat fear

00:13:58.860 is attending to your breath.

00:14:03.300 Breathe from the back of the throat.

00:14:04.580 breathe from the back of the throat

00:14:08.220 long deep inhalation

00:14:10.460 and slow exhalation

00:14:11.840 you know

00:14:13.780 that settles down

00:14:15.440 that settles down the fear

00:14:17.700 the sensations

00:14:18.540 and third thing is

00:14:21.900 know that this is all just a game

00:14:24.420 everything around you is a game

00:14:27.920 you know

00:14:28.180 you shouldn't be afraid to play a game

00:14:30.260 what do you think?

00:14:33.540 I think I'm still a little scared

00:14:36.620 But you know

00:14:39.180 You're thinking about the past week

00:14:41.100 That's why you are scared

00:14:42.260 Well I think I probably am

00:14:44.300 You're right

00:14:44.600 I think what I think

00:14:45.380 I think some things I fear probably

00:14:47.160 Can I share with you some of my fears?

00:14:48.520 Yeah yeah yeah

00:14:48.820 Okay

00:14:49.060 I think I fear like

00:14:51.180 I fear that as a society

00:14:53.560 And that we're losing

00:14:55.400 What it means to be human sometimes

00:14:57.100 That we're getting too

00:14:58.840 Like we're getting so like

00:15:00.720 Involved with technology

00:15:02.080 That we're forgetting

00:15:03.460 that the value of being human is starting to be...

00:15:08.220 Yeah, yeah, I get what you're saying.

00:15:09.900 You know, I make a little distinction

00:15:11.640 between concern and fear.

00:15:13.800 Okay.

00:15:15.340 I'm also concerned.

00:15:16.920 Where are we going in the world?

00:15:18.500 We are all, you know,

00:15:20.560 moving in the age of technology

00:15:22.420 and how mankind is going to use this technology,

00:15:26.680 whether it will be for the benefit of people

00:15:30.040 or for a selfish gain.

00:15:31.960 I mean, that's a concern.

00:15:33.320 Yes.

00:15:34.700 Concern must be there.

00:15:36.760 If you don't have any concern, you will have no passion.

00:15:40.420 Right.

00:15:41.080 You must have concern.

00:15:42.420 We're all concerned.

00:15:43.840 Any conscious person will be concerned.

00:15:46.540 Okay.

00:15:47.560 And that concern is a great motivator.

00:15:52.700 It makes you act.

00:15:53.920 Yeah.

00:15:54.560 That's a good point.

00:15:55.560 Yeah.

00:15:56.000 So, I'm glad I have concern because it makes me want to take action.

00:16:00.260 Yeah.

00:16:00.720 Got it.

00:16:03.040 How do you look at that?

00:16:04.880 How do you view that concern?

00:16:06.560 I'm very concerned about the planet.

00:16:08.380 I'm very concerned about the state of mental health in the whole world,

00:16:13.580 especially in this country too.

00:16:16.660 Young people, one in every fourth person is mentally challenged,

00:16:22.880 are getting into some sort of problems, issues.

00:16:28.060 For sure.

00:16:28.940 So we need to attend to this, number one.

00:16:31.620 And then we need to realize that the human society is one family.

00:16:40.360 I always espouse a world as one family.

00:16:44.780 Yes, sometimes it feels like we're losing our sense of purpose.

00:16:49.500 You know?

00:16:50.660 I think that's one thing that scares me.

00:16:53.140 They can only lose the purpose.

00:16:55.940 If they have not found, there is no point.

00:16:57.940 They cannot lose it.

00:16:58.920 So, many have not even found what is the purpose of their life.

00:17:03.480 Oh, that's a good point, huh?

00:17:05.240 I should be grateful that I found some purpose.

00:17:07.580 Yeah.

00:17:09.960 When you look at kind of where we're headed with technology,

00:17:14.300 what's a positive way that you see it affecting us?

00:17:18.680 It's very good.

00:17:20.100 You know, I tell you, I was going to college.

00:17:23.680 I had to go to library and it would take a whole day to find the index

00:17:28.420 and find the book

00:17:29.480 and that

00:17:29.920 today

00:17:30.860 in the fingertips

00:17:32.420 you can get any knowledge

00:17:33.860 anything from any

00:17:35.060 anywhere

00:17:35.920 you see

00:17:36.440 you don't have to

00:17:38.300 wait for such a long time

00:17:40.680 to understand something

00:17:41.680 so knowledge is easily available

00:17:43.760 in every corner of the world

00:17:45.340 yeah

00:17:45.720 number one

00:17:46.360 second is artificial intelligence

00:17:48.580 many are very skeptical

00:17:50.160 or even scared about artificial intelligence

00:17:52.500 as though it will take away the jobs

00:17:54.480 yeah

00:17:55.080 but you know

00:17:55.780 artificial intelligence

00:17:57.900 AI is a boon also.

00:18:01.840 It's not just a curse.

00:18:04.100 So it's a positive as well?

00:18:05.600 It's a positive thing.

00:18:06.820 It challenges our intellect to be more original.

00:18:11.460 It can only put what has already been discovered.

00:18:15.140 I see what you're saying.

00:18:15.840 So if it only has knowledge, right?

00:18:18.120 And if everybody has knowledge,

00:18:19.620 then creativity should maybe go to another level.

00:18:22.240 Another level, yeah.

00:18:23.940 Because that will become sort of a primary,

00:18:26.320 It's a challenge for an individual to be more creative, more original.

00:18:33.420 Because everybody has the same information now.

00:18:35.760 So now creativity kind of has a new stage.

00:18:39.000 New stage, yes.

00:18:40.420 That's pretty fascinating.

00:18:41.900 Yeah, I guess I hadn't really thought about it like that.

00:18:44.800 Do you worry that a lot of the power that's in the world is in evil hands?

00:18:51.000 And do you believe like in good?

00:18:52.640 Do you believe like in good and evil?

00:18:54.660 Do you think there's such thing?

00:18:56.320 Theo, not one child is born on this planet as an evil child.

00:19:04.400 Everyone is born here as a bundle of joy.

00:19:08.940 Every baby is a divine gift.

00:19:11.540 They're all beautiful kids.

00:19:13.800 But due to circumstances, situations, lack of understanding or wrong education

00:19:20.260 or whatever you can say, indoctrination, it leads them where they are.

00:19:26.320 That's where I feel

00:19:27.320 there is a lack of

00:19:30.140 values in the education system.

00:19:33.680 Yeah.

00:19:34.680 And if those people were cared

00:19:37.040 in the very beginning,

00:19:38.580 you nib those negative qualities,

00:19:41.380 trends in child,

00:19:43.240 in adolescent.

00:19:44.500 In children, they don't come.

00:19:46.180 In adolescent,

00:19:47.020 they start getting up

00:19:48.140 into this sort of,

00:19:49.780 you know, rage.

00:19:50.920 In adolescence.

00:19:51.860 Adolescence, rage and,

00:19:53.480 you know, 0.91

00:19:54.980 so there is no education

00:19:59.860 there is no peace education in the world 1.00

00:20:02.120 it's really true 1.00

00:20:02.980 you know it's interesting

00:20:04.000 I look back on like my experience in school

00:20:06.380 and a lot of it was just a lot of factual information

00:20:08.740 but they never taught me how to be like a person

00:20:11.360 or to look at myself

00:20:12.440 or to have a conversation with myself

00:20:14.560 or how to see if like something is going on with a friend

00:20:17.360 and how I can be a good friend

00:20:18.740 is that just an American education system

00:20:22.040 or do you find that that's almost everywhere

00:20:23.820 It's almost now everywhere.

00:20:26.220 Universally it is there.

00:20:27.760 Maybe a little less or more in places,

00:20:30.920 but the lack of education in human values,

00:20:35.240 you can see prevalent.

00:20:38.020 And when that is given,

00:20:40.940 you will find there is no evil person.

00:20:43.960 I always say that evil is only a veil

00:20:47.360 around the goodness of a person.

00:20:50.600 Amen.

00:20:51.700 I believe that.

00:20:53.820 do you think that we come sometimes from a past life with other stuff

00:20:58.780 or do you think it's new?

00:20:59.900 Yeah, we do.

00:21:00.420 We do?

00:21:00.940 We do.

00:21:01.380 Oh, man.

00:21:03.100 Because that's a bummer because I'm just, 0.98

00:21:04.960 I could be dealing with somebody else's junk.

00:21:10.000 You know, from junk, you can create something. 0.57

00:21:15.200 Okay, okay, that's fair.

00:21:18.160 Here, on this creation, nothing is a waste.

00:21:21.500 But imagine saying-

00:21:22.160 And the waste also brings wealth.

00:21:24.800 A waste also brings wealth.

00:21:26.140 That's a good point.

00:21:26.780 Manure, huh? 0.99

00:21:27.460 Look at manure. 0.99

00:21:28.080 Manure, manure.

00:21:29.260 But it's kind of, imagine you land at the airport

00:21:31.460 and you look at your luggage

00:21:32.440 and it's someone else's, you know?

00:21:35.460 That shows lack of awareness.

00:21:38.800 Yeah, yeah.

00:21:40.360 I think you're right.

00:21:41.380 That kind of does show a lot.

00:21:43.920 Yeah, I've probably picked up somebody else's.

00:21:48.200 And if someone picks up yours,

00:21:50.720 you call them a thief.

00:21:52.160 right yeah that's true yeah i think i'm trying to think of some other fears that i have i think i

00:21:58.660 have fears sometimes of like letting go of the past that's something that's been very tough for

00:22:02.600 me in my life um like sometimes i i think i've let go of the past but it comes back again you know

00:22:09.580 some of the same feelings like um even though i've offered like forgiveness and things like that

00:22:14.120 sometimes it still comes back do you know what i'm talking about yeah i know i very well understand

00:22:19.740 that Dalima

00:22:21.460 you know

00:22:23.160 that's why I say

00:22:24.520 forgiveness

00:22:25.500 cannot just happen

00:22:26.760 from your thinking

00:22:27.740 from your intellect

00:22:28.740 it has to come

00:22:30.280 from within

00:22:30.940 your feeling level

00:22:32.080 and that can happen

00:22:34.040 when you do meditation

00:22:35.400 do the breathing

00:22:37.080 really?

00:22:38.420 yeah

00:22:38.660 and how does breathing

00:22:40.080 help you heal

00:22:40.840 from the past?

00:22:43.100 because you know

00:22:44.040 the emotions

00:22:45.120 which are stuck

00:22:45.860 in our system

00:22:46.860 that need to be released

00:22:48.880 and breath is the best tool

00:22:52.340 mind is so abstract

00:22:54.780 you can't catch hold of the mind

00:22:56.240 and do anything about it

00:22:57.300 you know you try

00:22:58.020 and you can't

00:22:59.740 you know

00:23:00.440 do something with your own mind

00:23:02.260 by the mind

00:23:02.860 right it's like a yeah 0.97

00:23:04.480 that's yeah it's ridiculous 0.96

00:23:05.580 it's like trying to grab your hand 0.99

00:23:06.720 with your hand

00:23:07.200 with your hand

00:23:07.920 of course you have another hand to hand

00:23:10.300 that's good

00:23:11.340 okay

00:23:12.020 but

00:23:12.760 with the breath

00:23:14.260 it is much easier

00:23:15.480 because breathing

00:23:17.040 has a pattern

00:23:18.920 for every emotion.

00:23:21.080 You know,

00:23:21.260 when you are happy,

00:23:22.780 your breath moves

00:23:23.880 with a different rhythm.

00:23:25.380 Is that true

00:23:25.820 that breathing has a pattern

00:23:26.700 for every emotion?

00:23:27.740 Correct.

00:23:28.500 See,

00:23:29.100 when you are happy,

00:23:30.180 how do you breathe?

00:23:31.900 When you are angry,

00:23:34.500 yeah.

00:23:35.000 See,

00:23:35.320 you know,

00:23:35.640 your emotions

00:23:36.620 and the breathing

00:23:37.580 has deep relations

00:23:39.860 and they have

00:23:40.940 sensation in the body also.

00:23:43.240 That's why

00:23:43.620 attending to the breath

00:23:45.040 and rhythms of the breath

00:23:46.460 creates magic

00:23:49.400 and what you think

00:23:51.900 is so hard to forgive

00:23:53.680 forget and all

00:23:55.840 that things become

00:23:56.840 as a matter of fact so easy

00:23:59.340 yeah oh yeah

00:24:01.760 man it's like I know it's like

00:24:03.300 yeah sometimes you just forget

00:24:05.840 to breathe you know

00:24:06.740 we use only

00:24:08.920 30% of our lung capacity

00:24:11.420 we don't even breathe

00:24:12.440 we use 30% of our lung capacity

00:24:15.540 Yeah, yeah.

00:24:16.100 That's what scientists say.

00:24:19.180 So, breathing and meditation combined with meditation makes a big difference.

00:24:25.940 That's the reason there's been programs are, you know, in big demand and popular with people

00:24:31.880 because they get a great benefit out of it.

00:24:35.240 We are working with the war veterans.

00:24:37.660 You guys have been working with the war veterans?

00:24:40.000 Yeah, war veterans.

00:24:40.940 Yeah, take me through that experience that you had with some of those war veterans.

00:24:43.280 I know you've had a lot of experiences, I know, with incorporating new schools for children.

00:24:48.680 I know some of the different lore.

00:24:50.480 But, yeah, take me through, what were you guys doing with war veterans?

00:24:54.140 You know, war veterans, the PTSD syndrome in them.

00:24:58.260 The PTSD?

00:24:59.040 PTSD syndrome.

00:25:01.060 They have been suffering a lot with that.

00:25:04.220 You know, there are two movies made on that.

00:25:06.580 Almost Sunrise is one of that where a war veteran is saying the transformation that has happened in his own life.

00:25:14.400 Almost Sunrise?

00:25:15.500 Almost Sunrise.

00:25:16.220 I'm not familiar with that one.

00:25:17.020 It's a good movie?

00:25:18.120 Yeah, it was there in, you know, many, yeah.

00:25:23.140 Okay, I'll check it out.

00:25:25.420 Almost Sunrise.

00:25:27.600 So that's a one, but you've had experience doing this, right?

00:25:30.600 Yeah, yeah.

00:25:31.300 You know, I got so many letters from the families of the veterans.

00:25:35.680 They say, thank you, Gurudev, we got our son back.

00:25:40.620 Thanks for getting my husband back.

00:25:43.620 These are the letters, you know, because they would hole up in their own basement.

00:25:48.320 They would not come and have dinner with their own family.

00:25:50.840 That moral wound was so deep in them.

00:25:54.060 Just in four days or five days of breathing technique, they were back, you know.

00:25:59.120 They could erase all those bad memories.

00:26:02.980 and they couldn't become strong

00:26:04.700 and get back with their families.

00:26:07.400 About 8,000 of them we have taught in this country

00:26:10.380 and you should see the joy in the eyes of those people,

00:26:16.160 the family.

00:26:17.280 It's so fulfilling, you know,

00:26:19.880 so see that heartwarming.

00:26:21.940 And was that a certain program that you guys started?

00:26:24.320 Yeah, we started this.

00:26:26.020 We started this Welcome Home Troops.

00:26:28.220 Welcome Home Troops is the name of the program?

00:26:29.740 Yeah.

00:26:30.340 And that was just in the U.S.?

00:26:32.280 Yeah, this was U.S.

00:26:33.500 No, we did that also in Canada, in some places in Europe as well.

00:26:39.800 Project Welcome Home Troops offers the Power Breath Workshop

00:26:43.100 as a resilience-building program specifically designed to address

00:26:45.900 the needs of returning combat veterans.

00:26:47.960 It offers practical breath work, tools that decrease the stress, anxiety,

00:26:51.660 and sleep problems that many returning veterans experience.

00:26:56.540 Wow, well, thank you for that.

00:26:58.020 I have a close friend right now who's dealing with a lot of that,

00:27:01.120 A lot of past trauma.

00:27:02.780 It's kind of fascinating how the body stores so much trauma.

00:27:06.280 Why does the body want to store trauma?

00:27:10.360 This is asking why both eyes are in one side.

00:27:13.740 Yeah, that's true.

00:27:15.520 Yeah, I guess if one were back here, it would be more helpful.

00:27:18.520 That's what it is.

00:27:19.800 It does, you know.

00:27:21.140 A body has a photographic memory.

00:27:23.320 Whatever you feed it, that's what it takes.

00:27:26.860 and if you keep putting your attention

00:27:29.680 on negative things

00:27:30.840 and your body is full of those negative vibes

00:27:32.880 and you go to the beach

00:27:35.360 and you look at the sunset,

00:27:36.600 you spend time with the nature,

00:27:39.460 you know, your body responds to that.

00:27:41.420 With a puppy?

00:27:42.940 Or with a puppy?

00:27:44.360 Yeah, a puppy.

00:27:46.180 Yeah, I like that.

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00:30:13.860 limits apply go to chime.com slash disclosures for details yeah I think one thing I have I just

00:30:21.160 deal with a lot of shame sometimes shame will come up you know what I'm talking about and I'll

00:30:25.700 be just I'll be having like a normal kind of conversation or a normal experience and I'll

00:30:29.980 have like a just a memory will come up of something that I did that I'm ashamed of or that I wish I

00:30:35.000 hadn't done and it'll just make me feel like i don't know um it's like almost getting struck

00:30:40.420 by lightning you know it's like just getting so disappointed i understand that i understand you

00:30:45.200 get like the shame shivers kind of you know i'm talking about like yeah you know what when you 0.99

00:30:51.160 did that something wrong you are not the same person that you are now you are ignorant 1.00

00:30:57.880 you had no wisdom 1.00

00:31:00.640 you had no control over your emotions

00:31:03.080 so you did that

00:31:04.860 but now

00:31:06.240 at this moment

00:31:07.960 you're different

00:31:09.240 you know there are two aspects in us

00:31:13.940 one

00:31:14.340 is that which is different all the time

00:31:18.320 one that changes all the time

00:31:19.920 and one that doesn't

00:31:21.480 change at all

00:31:23.220 the aspect that doesn't change in you

00:31:25.800 is all good

00:31:26.540 oh really

00:31:28.320 so that's

00:31:29.800 it's like a river

00:31:30.420 it's the old

00:31:31.720 same Mississippi river

00:31:33.080 old river

00:31:33.820 but the water

00:31:35.860 there is new

00:31:36.680 like that

00:31:38.160 the Theo

00:31:39.320 I'm seeing

00:31:39.960 is new

00:31:40.340 it's not the same

00:31:41.120 Theo as yesterday's

00:31:43.000 amen

00:31:44.140 you know

00:31:44.620 there is a beautiful

00:31:45.320 story about

00:31:46.180 Lord Buddha

00:31:47.180 about this

00:31:47.800 have you heard

00:31:48.320 about that

00:31:48.800 Lord Buddha

00:31:49.460 Lord Buddha's

00:31:51.180 story

00:31:51.600 you know Buddha

00:31:53.260 Buddha

00:31:53.840 oh Buddha

00:31:54.360 Buddha

00:31:54.780 oh yeah

00:31:55.160 I heard of him

00:31:56.160 You have heard Buddha's story on this?

00:31:58.120 No, you want to tell me it, please?

00:31:59.640 Yeah, you want to?

00:32:00.340 Yes, please.

00:32:01.180 Okay.

00:32:01.680 Thank you.

00:32:02.880 Buddha was teaching meditation.

00:32:06.480 There were 10,000 people in his congregation.

00:32:10.860 Then one elderly man came and he was so angry because his sons,

00:32:15.760 instead of helping him in the business,

00:32:17.740 they were trying to do meditation there.

00:32:20.820 So he came and he was so upset and he stood in front of Buddha

00:32:24.780 and got angry and just spoiled my son's life and my life.

00:32:30.320 And he spat on Buddha's face.

00:32:33.420 Buddha didn't react.

00:32:34.460 He was just smiling.

00:32:36.280 So the gentleman went back home that night.

00:32:41.260 The very vibration of Buddha brought something in him.

00:32:45.180 It just struck him.

00:32:47.140 I said, I yelled at him, but he was so calm.

00:32:51.560 There is something, you know,

00:32:53.260 there's something very ethereal about Lord Buddha

00:32:55.920 that impacted him.

00:32:58.180 So he felt so bad.

00:32:59.960 He felt so guilty.

00:33:01.780 So next day he comes and says,

00:33:04.340 I'm so sorry I did.

00:33:07.800 Will you please forgive me?

00:33:10.700 And Buddha said, no, I can't forgive you.

00:33:14.800 Everyone else got shocked.

00:33:17.560 Buddha's principle is to forgive.

00:33:19.800 No, he's saying, no, I can't forgive you.

00:33:22.760 And Lord Buddha said, you see, you are not the same person you are here now yesterday.

00:33:30.020 And I was not the same person who was there yesterday.

00:33:33.360 So if I ever meet the person who spat on the person who spat, I will tell that person to forgive that person.

00:33:43.860 So everything is changing.

00:33:46.500 So you do mistakes in life.

00:33:50.080 From that, you learn, number one.

00:33:53.440 Another thing you have done in a state of unconsciousness, ignorance.

00:33:57.700 Yeah.

00:33:58.480 So we just move on.

00:34:00.840 It's not just enough to forgive others.

00:34:03.200 We have to forgive ourselves also.

00:34:06.080 Self-forgiveness.

00:34:07.840 Self-forgiveness.

00:34:08.820 I have a tough time with that.

00:34:10.200 I think I hold a lot of resentments against myself,

00:34:12.440 sometimes for things that were a long time ago.

00:34:15.420 I just like, I'll think like, man, I wish I could have figured that out or I wish I could have done better or it's like I always have my expectations so high so I can never achieve them.

00:34:26.920 So I'm always falling short.

00:34:28.940 You know, a little bit of guilt is okay.

00:34:33.540 That keeps you moving, but not too much.

00:34:36.820 How much guilt you should have?

00:34:38.460 Just as much as a salt or Tabasco in your...

00:34:42.700 Just a flavor.

00:34:43.340 It's a flavor.

00:34:44.280 But not a meal.

00:34:45.420 So, when guilt bothers you, what you have to know is, wake up and see, the whole past is like a dream, isn't it?

00:34:58.500 Some pleasant thing happens, some unpleasant things happen, none of them exist now here, right?

00:35:05.160 Right, but what's here now is new.

00:35:07.720 So, whether you are reeling in rage of anger, what others did, or what you did, guilt of what you did, both these eats your consciousness and spoils the present and the future.

00:35:24.240 And so, wisdom is seeing this whole thing as a dream or a drama which happened and finished.

00:35:33.640 but the person inside of you

00:35:37.480 is untouched by all that

00:35:39.960 I see what you're saying

00:35:43.500 of course it has brought some pain to others

00:35:47.680 if you feel you have brought pain to others

00:35:49.740 okay now you bring some comfort to others

00:35:52.500 you know

00:35:55.400 giving comfort is what

00:35:58.260 compensates for the pain

00:36:00.020 yeah

00:36:00.860 so no point in brooding over it

00:36:05.040 regretting the past

00:36:06.320 because regret causes a lot of toxins

00:36:08.880 in our own body

00:36:09.960 and it blurs our vision

00:36:12.320 it doesn't help us to be happy now

00:36:16.500 or you know more compassionate also

00:36:18.940 so again here meditation

00:36:22.060 breathing helps you to

00:36:23.920 completely reverse these impressions in mind

00:36:28.060 and make you feel

00:36:29.900 that you are a mirror

00:36:30.980 not a photograph

00:36:32.620 you know

00:36:35.520 you are not a polar eyed photograph

00:36:37.760 you take something

00:36:39.140 and you stay with that photo

00:36:40.660 no

00:36:41.400 your consciousness

00:36:42.700 is like a mirror

00:36:43.720 you have many lives

00:36:45.880 many times

00:36:46.660 you have done many mistakes

00:36:47.960 and every mistake

00:36:49.020 you have learnt

00:36:49.720 and you have come up

00:36:50.520 out of it

00:36:52.020 so

00:36:53.120 not latch on to that

00:36:55.280 but see forward

00:36:56.960 and see this world

00:36:58.540 is so beautiful

00:36:59.260 there are beautiful

00:36:59.900 people around

00:37:00.580 and there are many

00:37:01.720 who are doing

00:37:02.440 the same mistake

00:37:03.240 you were doing before

00:37:04.420 and how we can help them

00:37:06.500 to come out

00:37:07.120 of those mistakes

00:37:07.960 that's the gift

00:37:09.780 that we have now

00:37:10.540 is

00:37:10.860 we already did it

00:37:12.340 and we know better

00:37:13.380 and we know different

00:37:14.840 and we can share

00:37:15.600 because you have

00:37:19.420 a beautiful person

00:37:20.440 inside you know

00:37:21.240 you are a beautiful person

00:37:22.320 you think so

00:37:23.420 oh yeah

00:37:23.940 definitely

00:37:24.640 oh thanks man

00:37:25.680 yeah I think yeah

00:37:27.860 you have that feeling

00:37:30.320 you have the emotion

00:37:31.280 you have love

00:37:32.780 and that's what

00:37:35.240 you know

00:37:36.300 though everyone has love

00:37:39.220 not everybody is able to manifest it

00:37:41.360 yeah

00:37:42.240 how are ways do you think

00:37:46.380 that we can love ourselves better

00:37:47.860 do you feel like

00:37:48.740 or is that a big question

00:37:51.700 love is not an act

00:37:52.760 it simply have to realize

00:37:54.620 love is not a what

00:37:55.600 it's not an act

00:37:56.860 it is not

00:38:00.380 something that you do

00:38:02.100 to say

00:38:02.520 all actions

00:38:04.660 are expression

00:38:05.360 of love

00:38:05.940 but not

00:38:06.840 love

00:38:08.360 it's love

00:38:08.760 is what you are

00:38:09.740 it's your nature

00:38:11.340 like your body

00:38:12.800 is made up of

00:38:13.380 amino acid

00:38:13.920 protein

00:38:14.440 carbohydrates

00:38:15.080 your consciousness

00:38:16.040 is made up of love

00:38:17.200 so love isn't really

00:38:18.880 found in our body

00:38:19.820 like in our

00:38:20.320 it's not like

00:38:21.040 it's in us

00:38:22.000 but it's not in our

00:38:23.040 it's what you are

00:38:24.000 ah

00:38:25.200 Listen, all the negative emotions

00:38:29.800 Are just a distortion of love

00:38:32.320 Greed

00:38:34.120 What do you think greed is?

00:38:35.600 You love objects more than people

00:38:37.640 All for yourself

00:38:39.280 So your love is off

00:38:41.240 You got to tune your love better

00:38:43.560 Your love is in wrong place

00:38:46.200 Narcissism is what?

00:38:48.680 You love yourself too much

00:38:49.760 More than others

00:38:50.320 Jealousy is what?

00:38:52.720 You want everything for yourself

00:38:54.400 So, love gets distorted and forms all this arrogance, anger.

00:39:02.040 Anger is what?

00:39:02.780 It's nothing but love.

00:39:04.560 It's just love with a knife.

00:39:06.260 Yeah.

00:39:07.160 You know, love for perfection brings anger for imperfection.

00:39:15.960 That's something I've struggled with.

00:39:18.140 Because you love perfection so much.

00:39:20.200 Any imperfection brings up the anger inside of you.

00:39:24.920 Well, it makes me feel like I could have done better.

00:39:26.660 Something could be better.

00:39:28.000 I'm always looking for like, okay, this could be different.

00:39:32.560 This could be more.

00:39:33.340 This could be less.

00:39:34.240 But I'm not.

00:39:34.600 You are punishing yourself too much.

00:39:36.020 I am.

00:39:37.380 I'm punishing myself a lot.

00:39:39.140 Every time you get angry for someone else's mistake or your mistake,

00:39:44.240 you are taking a toll of your own mind and your own body.

00:39:48.540 So this is where we should say,

00:39:50.360 stop doing this.

00:39:53.580 We say, okay, I offer all the past to God.

00:39:56.400 You know, what does God want?

00:39:57.620 God doesn't want a promise from you.

00:40:00.960 God just say, drop everything.

00:40:03.580 Drop the past.

00:40:04.940 God wants us to let go of the past?

00:40:06.400 Let go of the past.

00:40:08.380 And know that the love of God is with you.

00:40:12.420 Yeah, do you think that that's what puts the love inside of us?

00:40:15.320 It's God, did it?

00:40:16.060 God is love

00:40:17.640 Love is God

00:40:19.400 And so are you

00:40:20.460 You are made in the image of God

00:40:22.480 Means you are loved too

00:40:23.660 Oh yeah

00:40:24.560 That's cool huh

00:40:26.580 It's kind of cool

00:40:28.000 It makes you feel good

00:40:29.440 When you think about that

00:40:30.180 Sometimes I just don't even

00:40:30.960 Think about that enough

00:40:31.920 You know

00:40:32.820 That God cared enough

00:40:34.160 That he would make us

00:40:35.180 It's pretty fascinating

00:40:37.020 It's pretty cool of him

00:40:40.220 We don't have to think

00:40:42.140 God as someone up

00:40:43.660 Sitting up in the heaven

00:40:45.040 and trying to give you a finger

00:40:46.420 and it's only the Michelangelo painting.

00:40:48.980 Yeah.

00:40:50.260 God is love

00:40:51.500 and you can never be away from God.

00:40:53.760 You can close your eyes

00:40:54.920 and you can turn your face away

00:40:58.020 but it's there.

00:41:00.200 Like air, like space.

00:41:03.400 How can you go away from space?

00:41:06.060 Can you go away from space?

00:41:07.400 No, I'm in it right now.

00:41:09.220 Yeah.

00:41:09.660 And I'm still in it.

00:41:10.640 Yeah, and just realizing

00:41:12.420 that pure energy, love is always with us,

00:41:16.220 all around us.

00:41:17.660 And that's what meditation does.

00:41:20.120 If we meditate for a period of time,

00:41:22.980 this awareness wakes up inside us.

00:41:27.640 Then there is no other.

00:41:29.040 Everyone is part of you.

00:41:31.060 What is the feeling of the awakening of the awareness?

00:41:34.880 It just feels very normal.

00:41:36.980 What does it feel like?

00:41:37.680 Very normal.

00:41:38.360 It feels normal?

00:41:39.100 Normal.

00:41:40.000 How do you notice that you have it?

00:41:41.340 Do you start smiling more, maybe?

00:41:43.320 Yeah, I don't feel any walls between you and others.

00:41:47.020 You don't feel it.

00:41:48.500 Like how you feel with your own family.

00:41:50.580 That's what you feel with everybody.

00:41:53.120 You don't have anything to show off.

00:41:57.040 There's no barriers between you and others.

00:42:00.760 Because you're all family then?

00:42:02.120 Yeah, everybody's part of you.

00:42:05.380 More than a family, I tell you.

00:42:07.180 More than a family.

00:42:08.060 More than a family?

00:42:08.940 Yeah.

00:42:09.140 sometimes something else that scares me

00:42:12.820 is that I'm not

00:42:13.760 living like whatever God wants me to do

00:42:17.200 like I'm not living like

00:42:18.520 like I'm not doing what God wants me to do

00:42:21.380 don't be too hard on yourself

00:42:22.680 it's too hard

00:42:23.340 shouldn't be too hard on yourself

00:42:26.440 you know

00:42:28.240 yeah I am

00:42:30.300 people tell me that a lot

00:42:31.280 yeah you are doing good

00:42:32.800 and you continue to do good

00:42:34.820 you should do more

00:42:36.100 whenever it feels

00:42:37.840 because when you love what you are doing,

00:42:40.880 you always feel you have to do more.

00:42:43.480 That's the truth.

00:42:44.280 That's a sign of love.

00:42:45.440 It is?

00:42:45.940 It never says, oh, I've done enough.

00:42:49.700 When you say I've done enough,

00:42:51.660 that means somewhere you are retrieving from doing.

00:42:56.980 Your love has found a boundary.

00:43:01.620 But when you're not feeling that,

00:43:03.600 it means that you're still giving.

00:43:07.260 It's, yeah, you'll always feel you can do more.

00:43:12.400 And that's a good feeling?

00:43:13.200 That's a good feeling.

00:43:14.480 That's a good feeling.

00:43:15.680 Okay.

00:43:16.260 It's always good to have the feeling I have to do more for the world,

00:43:19.500 for the people, for the ones you love.

00:43:22.060 That's good to have that.

00:43:24.820 And what one has to get over is I did wrong, I did bad,

00:43:32.520 or wish I had, regret.

00:43:37.060 We should come out as a regret

00:43:38.840 and have a positive attention of what we want to do

00:43:43.460 and you have that.

00:43:46.460 Amen.

00:43:48.300 Sometimes we look for awe.

00:43:49.880 When it comes to relationships,

00:43:51.160 I'm going to pivot a little bit

00:43:52.100 and thank you so much for your time today

00:43:53.540 and thank you for helping me think about some things.

00:43:56.080 Yes, sometimes it's nice to have a voice

00:43:58.180 to help you think about something.

00:44:00.840 We can't do it by ourselves.

00:44:02.520 You know, sometimes I try to do so much by myself.

00:44:05.300 It's like, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it, but I can't.

00:44:09.640 You know, I can't do it all by myself.

00:44:12.940 Of course.

00:44:14.740 In this world, we're all interdependent.

00:44:17.300 The whole world is interdependent.

00:44:20.220 I can't grow my own, you know, cotton.

00:44:24.320 I have to get my clothes done by somebody.

00:44:27.580 I don't stitch my own clothes.

00:44:29.100 but you know

00:44:32.040 that's what the world is all about

00:44:33.960 someone grows food for you

00:44:36.080 and we have this illusion

00:44:38.300 just giving a little bill

00:44:39.760 and we think food is all mine

00:44:42.500 but still

00:44:44.280 you have done some help to them

00:44:45.880 but they have done something for you

00:44:48.040 I think

00:44:50.320 that sense of interdependency

00:44:52.940 in the whole world

00:44:54.220 of all of humanity

00:44:55.960 is what we need to

00:44:58.700 recognize and realize it if we do this conflicts will just evaporate yeah because we need each

00:45:07.820 other yeah if you need each other you wouldn't want to get rid of each other correct yeah where

00:45:14.580 do you think that evil to want to cause harm where does that come from because there's so there's a

00:45:20.320 lot of harm out there right now and i think more than ever we're seeing it because of devices

00:45:23.960 we see so much more harm than we did maybe 30 years ago.

00:45:27.880 Yeah, you're right.

00:45:28.480 You're right.

00:45:28.960 You're right.

00:45:29.520 And it makes us hurt, I think.

00:45:31.400 So we're walking around sometimes with hurt.

00:45:34.060 That's maybe something we shouldn't have seen,

00:45:37.140 but at least now we are aware.

00:45:38.820 So it's kind of...

00:45:39.500 That shows, you know, the rage in the minds and hearts of people.

00:45:45.300 The rage.

00:45:46.620 See, neither at home nor at school,

00:45:48.840 no one teaches you how to get rid of your negative feelings.

00:45:52.820 you get into rage

00:45:55.340 nobody tells you how to calm you down

00:45:57.260 how to

00:45:59.340 take care of this stuff here

00:46:01.220 that's where

00:46:03.220 it's very very pertinent

00:46:05.420 now today to teach

00:46:07.260 children how to manage their moods

00:46:09.540 you know our young people

00:46:11.160 are swinging on

00:46:12.680 one side from depression

00:46:15.240 and suicidal tendencies

00:46:16.700 on the other side

00:46:17.840 rage and violence

00:46:20.020 we are swinging in these

00:46:22.640 two extremes.

00:46:24.780 We have to help them to get out of

00:46:26.740 both this and be

00:46:28.340 normal, happy individuals.

00:46:31.580 Yeah, it just feels like

00:46:32.760 we got, it feels like we took a wrong turn.

00:46:39.380 We can turn better.

00:46:41.280 Yeah, we can

00:46:42.880 turn better, yeah.

00:46:46.040 There is

00:46:46.740 some lore that you were part of

00:46:48.900 stopping a war

00:46:50.440 in Colombia

00:46:51.520 can you take me

00:46:52.840 through some of that

00:46:53.580 there were 2 million

00:46:55.120 people

00:46:55.860 of

00:46:56.380 internally

00:46:57.880 displaced people

00:46:59.020 in Colombia 1.00

00:46:59.700 they were all

00:47:01.120 with anger

00:47:02.380 and rage

00:47:03.220 and a lot of suffering

00:47:04.180 because of the

00:47:05.660 FAR conflict

00:47:06.360 it's been happening

00:47:07.200 for 52 years

00:47:08.800 because of the FAR conflict

00:47:09.820 yeah

00:47:10.120 bring that up

00:47:10.680 just so I can let our

00:47:11.540 listeners know

00:47:12.160 what it was

00:47:13.040 and thank you

00:47:16.180 for your time today

00:47:16.900 brother

00:47:17.180 thank you

00:47:18.400 I needed this

00:47:19.300 it's all yours

00:47:19.960 the colombian armed conflict is one of the longest running ongoing armed conflicts in the world it

00:47:26.780 officially began in 1964 with the creation of two major guerrilla groups the revolutionary armed

00:47:31.940 forces of colombia fuerzas armadas revolucionarias revolucionarias de colombia that's farc uh founded

00:47:41.840 by rebel leader manuel marulanda and the national liberation army emmanuel yeah so so this was going

00:47:49.340 on for a long time for a very long time so a lot of people were internally displaced so i went to

00:47:55.960 our group of people were doing the trauma relief for them and helping them with meditation and

00:48:01.360 so that was a very big success so the government of columbia gave me their highest civilian award

00:48:08.600 for for this work so you went there to do it was it scary when you went there was it was it

00:48:14.760 It was the Columbia, I mean, the capital, Bogota, was almost like a shambles.

00:48:19.280 You could never recognize that city when you compare from what it is today, you know.

00:48:24.740 And the people were hurting.

00:48:25.960 People were hurting.

00:48:27.620 So when we, then after that, there was a formal handshake with the president.

00:48:32.820 It was supposed to last for five minutes.

00:48:35.100 And we were there for about 40, 50 minutes.

00:48:37.640 we spoke to him and then

00:48:40.180 the President

00:48:42.220 Santos said I don't think

00:48:44.300 there is any hope

00:48:45.220 with these people because so many people

00:48:48.500 tried the peace process and they

00:48:50.280 are not agreeing

00:48:50.960 so I said why not go and try

00:48:54.000 so he said

00:48:56.100 you can do it, any help is welcome

00:48:58.640 so I took

00:49:00.380 a flight from there, I chartered a plane

00:49:02.320 and went to Cuba to meet 1.00

00:49:04.360 with this gorilla 0.98

00:49:06.260 there were 15 of them

00:49:07.440 commandos

00:49:08.140 first they said no

00:49:09.560 we don't have

00:49:11.320 anything to do with

00:49:12.720 we don't have anything

00:49:13.520 to do with

00:49:14.100 spiritual leader

00:49:15.880 yeah it's kind of

00:49:18.120 taboo

00:49:19.540 taboo 0.85

00:49:20.400 we don't want to

00:49:22.680 so they said

00:49:24.180 our philosophy

00:49:26.560 is Karl Marx

00:49:27.660 their philosophy is karma?

00:49:29.840 Karl Marx

00:49:30.460 Karl Marx

00:49:31.360 and 0.59

00:49:31.620 Karmacs?

00:49:33.980 Karl Marx

00:49:34.740 Karl Marx, you know?

00:49:37.040 Karl Marx?

00:49:39.280 The communist philosophy.

00:49:41.760 Okay.

00:49:42.400 What is the communist philosophy?

00:49:43.720 Do you know it?

00:49:44.460 Karl Marx.

00:49:45.880 Karl Marx.

00:49:47.000 Oh, Marxism.

00:49:48.360 Marxism.

00:49:50.400 Yeah, what was the Marxist philosophy?

00:49:51.940 Let me just dictate it so that our listeners can follow along.

00:49:56.180 Marxism, a social, political, and economic philosophy created by Karl Marx.

00:49:59.320 It states that society is split into two main groups,

00:50:02.360 The working class who do the labor 0.97

00:50:03.780 And the owners who take the profits 0.99

00:50:05.580 So he said

00:50:06.960 Our ideal is called Marx

00:50:09.120 So we don't need any more philosophy

00:50:11.880 We're happy with all

00:50:12.740 Because they have everything

00:50:14.160 But then that evening in Havana

00:50:18.420 I had a public talk

00:50:20.060 In the university

00:50:21.220 So they sent two people to check me out

00:50:24.200 What this guy is talking about

00:50:26.000 Coming from India 0.99

00:50:26.980 So they came

00:50:30.300 and I had given some talk

00:50:32.480 and then I led people

00:50:34.480 through a meditation, then they told

00:50:36.120 them, you know

00:50:37.460 maybe we should meet him, that he can

00:50:40.240 influence the government and others

00:50:42.020 to stop the bombing

00:50:43.460 to make this story

00:50:46.280 short, so they came to meet with

00:50:48.360 me, in the beginning

00:50:50.120 they were very aggressive

00:50:51.860 and then for next

00:50:53.920 three days, they were with me

00:50:56.080 we did some meditations, I spoke

00:50:58.320 to them, I told them, look

00:50:59.840 your goal is social cause

00:51:03.380 social upliftment

00:51:05.200 I'm with you

00:51:05.800 everybody wants social justice

00:51:07.620 but the path you have chosen

00:51:09.960 the violence

00:51:10.740 is what

00:51:11.840 I cannot take it

00:51:13.480 I cannot digest it

00:51:14.600 why don't you try

00:51:16.400 a different route

00:51:17.520 of non-violence

00:51:19.740 Gandhi in principle

00:51:20.680 of non-violence

00:51:21.640 first they say no

00:51:24.740 but then

00:51:26.240 they went back

00:51:27.440 they thought

00:51:27.960 then they came the next day

00:51:29.300 said yes we will

00:51:30.200 so they announced the

00:51:32.720 unilateral ceasefire

00:51:35.120 and then we did

00:51:37.280 a forgiveness process

00:51:38.440 I got some of the victims flew in

00:51:41.300 and the FARC they put them

00:51:43.220 face to face

00:51:44.040 there was forgiveness

00:51:47.140 process they

00:51:48.380 forgave each other

00:51:50.180 that was a very moving

00:51:52.520 then we had that forgiveness process

00:51:55.380 all over the peace deal

00:51:57.320 happen. There's a movie coming about

00:51:59.320 this. Someone has made a movie. Really?

00:52:01.480 It's going to come. It's called White. 0.99

00:52:03.820 White? White. 0.54

00:52:05.520 Columbia and 0.96

00:52:06.760 they're all making a movie.

00:52:09.400 Wow, that's just so exciting, huh?

00:52:12.120 And how long did

00:52:13.200 the whole process take?

00:52:16.440 I would say

00:52:17.320 a few months. A couple of

00:52:19.300 months. Wow.

00:52:22.300 Yeah, there's just so

00:52:23.340 much conflict in the world. 0.99

00:52:25.480 White, there we go. 0.80

00:52:26.340 The director is

00:52:28.860 Go back

00:52:29.260 By Montu

00:52:31.940 Montu

00:52:32.520 Montu Basi

00:52:33.540 Yes

00:52:34.080 Will be the director

00:52:35.760 Oh that's

00:52:36.560 Oh wow

00:52:37.460 And there's an actor

00:52:38.260 Named Vikrant Masi

00:52:40.080 Vikrant Masi 0.82

00:52:40.880 He's acting as me

00:52:42.080 He's playing you

00:52:42.980 He better do a good job

00:52:44.500 But if he doesn't

00:52:47.440 It's okay

00:52:47.980 Yeah it's okay

00:52:48.840 It's okay

00:52:50.060 Oh he's handsome man

00:52:51.560 You think it's same?

00:52:53.320 Yeah yeah

00:52:53.820 Same guy

00:52:54.360 He's pretty handsome huh?

00:52:57.200 Okay, man.

00:52:58.000 You think I am not?

00:52:59.100 No, no, it's good.

00:53:00.720 Hey, very close.

00:53:02.100 It's very close.

00:53:04.240 Very close.

00:53:07.360 One thing I think sometimes about, like, I think about relationships a lot, right?

00:53:11.260 Like, I'm not married yet, but maybe hopefully one day, you know?

00:53:17.540 Good luck.

00:53:18.300 Good luck to you.

00:53:19.320 Thank you.

00:53:19.960 I appreciate it.

00:53:20.780 Yeah, yeah.

00:53:21.480 I think I need a little bit of luck maybe.

00:53:23.220 but sometimes i notice it's like i have a i have a tougher time probably with uh

00:53:29.540 like i'll notice sometimes instead of trying to figure out how to love myself

00:53:34.420 i will try to find someone else and have them like like i'm not gonna figure out how to how

00:53:43.100 to love myself but you love me you know what i'm saying kind of does it like i'm gonna put the

00:53:48.200 responsibility on someone else like it's their responsibility to love me instead of my

00:53:53.740 responsibility does that make any sense if i say it to you like say if i meet someone right

00:53:59.160 i see the confusion there yes i see i keep seeing this all the time you do people yeah

00:54:05.220 it's easier for me to say hey you love me instead of me say hey let me let me make sure that i love

00:54:15.020 me? You want to love somebody, you should take

00:54:17.020 it for granted. They love you.

00:54:19.560 Their expression of love may be

00:54:21.000 different, but never question someone's

00:54:23.300 love for you. Wait, say it again

00:54:24.960 for me, Gurudev.

00:54:26.820 When you want to love someone,

00:54:28.860 you should take it for granted. They also

00:54:30.920 love you.

00:54:32.800 Their way of expression,

00:54:34.720 their expression of love

00:54:36.980 may be different, but

00:54:38.940 never questions the love of a person

00:54:40.880 for you.

00:54:42.760 Do you see what I'm saying? Because then no matter

00:54:44.940 what they love me yeah right oh they love me they might express maybe they don't call they don't

00:54:50.100 they don't express they don't know how to express it properly they love me yeah they don't text me

00:54:54.920 they don't text me back but they love me that's okay that's okay you know it's actually pretty

00:55:00.120 that sense your love for them grows oh you're right and it also makes the other person comfortable

00:55:06.540 just suppose if someone asks you to give the proof of your love for them

00:55:11.120 it's so hard

00:55:13.120 it's such a burden

00:55:14.080 on your head

00:55:14.840 right 0.70

00:55:15.140 suppose your girlfriend 0.72

00:55:16.820 every day

00:55:18.200 asks you to prove

00:55:19.180 that

00:55:19.520 do you really love me

00:55:20.780 do you really love me

00:55:22.100 then you will go like this

00:55:24.380 oh my god

00:55:25.240 how more I can convince

00:55:28.440 you know

00:55:28.880 what else I can do

00:55:30.280 to convince this person

00:55:31.460 I love them

00:55:32.180 see you know

00:55:33.300 expression of love

00:55:35.320 can never be complete

00:55:36.860 because love is infinite

00:55:39.180 and the whole humanity

00:55:44.020 from ages

00:55:45.920 they have been trying to encapsulate

00:55:48.040 love in words

00:55:50.540 in actions

00:55:51.620 in everything

00:55:53.420 still you find love is

00:55:55.900 intangible

00:55:57.280 and it cannot be

00:55:59.800 encapsulated

00:56:01.100 so that's why you see

00:56:03.740 from self love

00:56:05.800 the universal love

00:56:08.020 They're all interconnected

00:56:10.600 So now I should think

00:56:13.180 Say if I text a girl or something

00:56:14.940 And she doesn't text me back

00:56:16.120 It's like

00:56:16.440 Oh she loves me

00:56:17.400 She just doesn't tell me

00:56:18.440 She just doesn't tell me

00:56:19.220 She doesn't know yet

00:56:20.400 Yeah

00:56:20.860 But you wait in patience

00:56:24.880 You know you will

00:56:26.280 Maybe I'll wait a few lifetimes

00:56:27.840 Maybe

00:56:28.240 That's okay

00:56:29.060 See again

00:56:30.180 You're putting that intention in you

00:56:32.320 Oh you're right

00:56:34.000 So many lifetimes

00:56:35.320 Why?

00:56:36.140 In this lifetime

00:56:37.060 you want to achieve something, you put the

00:56:38.960 positive thought. See, everything is

00:56:41.180 vibrations

00:56:42.860 in this world. Do you think that's true, that

00:56:44.980 we can summon other, do you believe that?

00:56:47.280 Yeah, everything is vibration.

00:56:49.340 You know, all our

00:56:50.800 actions are,

00:56:53.700 they

00:56:53.880 go after our thoughts,

00:56:57.020 right? Yes. Our

00:56:58.720 intentions. They precede

00:57:01.160 our intentions.

00:57:02.780 I mean, they follow our

00:57:04.820 intentions. Our intentions

00:57:06.600 precede all our actions

00:57:08.100 most of the actions at least

00:57:10.200 so you love

00:57:12.760 somebody, you are attracted to someone

00:57:14.460 you love someone

00:57:15.800 then you have to express yourself

00:57:17.960 and express in such a way

00:57:20.560 that it is acceptable

00:57:22.680 to others. Yes, that's the key

00:57:24.580 acceptable

00:57:26.100 acceptable to others

00:57:27.640 you know, we have to make a distinction

00:57:30.820 here, first one is attraction

00:57:32.400 and then attachment

00:57:34.340 and then comes emotional

00:57:36.400 Entanglement

00:57:38.420 Or love

00:57:39.000 So sometimes

00:57:41.420 It might not even be love

00:57:42.500 It might just be attraction

00:57:43.540 It might just be attachment

00:57:44.640 Attraction

00:57:44.980 Yeah

00:57:45.380 Yeah and sometimes

00:57:49.880 You just want somebody

00:57:50.860 To validate

00:57:51.420 You just want somebody

00:57:52.180 To make you feel okay

00:57:53.220 You just want somebody

00:57:54.760 To

00:57:55.240 There's nothing wrong

00:57:57.920 In it

00:57:58.260 So what

00:57:58.660 It's okay

00:57:59.060 It's okay

00:57:59.720 It's okay

00:58:00.500 Everything doesn't have

00:58:01.380 To be a problem

00:58:01.940 Huh

00:58:02.240 Nothing

00:58:04.440 Nothing needs

00:58:05.560 To be a problem

00:58:06.380 can take everything as a challenge.

00:58:09.760 Yeah.

00:58:11.440 Yeah.

00:58:13.140 What do you think,

00:58:14.440 when you look at relationships,

00:58:16.020 maybe in your own life

00:58:17.020 or in other people that you've met

00:58:19.620 or witnessed,

00:58:21.360 what is one of the keys

00:58:22.460 to the most success in a relationship?

00:58:26.440 When both of them have a common goal

00:58:29.420 to achieve,

00:58:32.840 not focused on each other too much,

00:58:36.380 it's like two lines

00:58:38.060 focused on each other

00:58:39.100 they'll meet

00:58:39.640 and they'll go apart

00:58:40.520 but if they have

00:58:42.660 a common goal

00:58:43.620 then they go for infinity

00:58:45.180 they go parallel

00:58:47.500 that is one thing

00:58:50.220 they should have a purpose

00:58:51.220 a goal

00:58:51.800 because attraction

00:58:52.940 doesn't last forever

00:58:54.460 it has its time

00:58:56.860 right

00:58:58.140 you're hungry

00:58:59.160 and you eat food

00:59:00.440 and that's done

00:59:02.260 you can't be

00:59:03.200 perpetually hungry

00:59:04.180 so in the same way

00:59:06.540 attraction also is time bound

00:59:09.100 but if you

00:59:10.580 both go on ambition

00:59:12.500 then that lasts long

00:59:14.740 number one 0.99

00:59:15.280 second

00:59:16.160 stop policing each other

00:59:19.180 that is when you

00:59:20.620 focus just on each other too much

00:59:23.480 then you will start policing each other 0.62

00:59:25.540 that's second

00:59:27.760 third is understanding

00:59:29.460 creating a room

00:59:30.980 giving a space for others to be

00:59:33.080 what they are

00:59:34.240 not wanting

00:59:35.640 let them grow

00:59:36.140 if you stand by a plant

00:59:37.480 like this

00:59:37.960 it's gonna

00:59:38.340 maybe get nervous

00:59:39.520 yeah

00:59:39.820 don't stifle

00:59:41.920 someone with your love

00:59:43.060 yeah if you stand

00:59:43.900 by a plant

00:59:44.400 with a magnifying glass

00:59:45.540 maybe it's gonna

00:59:46.100 get nervous

00:59:46.740 it may not get nervous

00:59:49.060 you are wasting

00:59:49.640 your time

00:59:50.140 it will take

00:59:52.360 its own time

00:59:53.160 when it wants

00:59:53.880 to grow

00:59:54.240 yeah

00:59:55.880 that's true

00:59:56.940 that's true

00:59:57.480 that's true

00:59:58.100 yeah man

00:59:59.680 I think we all

01:00:00.580 like

01:00:00.960 I think we look

01:00:02.600 a lot

01:00:02.960 I know that in my life

01:00:03.920 I look a lot for love

01:00:04.980 from the outside

01:00:05.780 there's nothing wrong about that

01:00:08.240 it's okay

01:00:08.580 it's okay

01:00:09.060 it's okay

01:00:10.000 that's what now

01:00:10.700 your need is

01:00:11.600 it's a good

01:00:12.140 and it's a good thing

01:00:13.280 to search for

01:00:13.760 I'm not looking

01:00:14.220 for something bad

01:00:15.000 yeah

01:00:15.480 I'm just looking for

01:00:16.620 yeah

01:00:16.920 we just want

01:00:17.560 yeah

01:00:18.120 that's what we want

01:00:19.240 and when you find it

01:00:20.360 don't start doubting it

01:00:21.700 oh that's what I'll do too

01:00:23.220 I work out

01:00:25.780 you know

01:00:26.560 I'm in there

01:00:27.220 okay

01:00:27.900 I know my way

01:00:28.760 around a

01:00:29.220 around a barbell

01:00:30.900 I know how to do

01:00:31.620 a baby squat

01:00:32.420 you know but I'll be honest sometimes I fall into a routine and some of you guys may know what I'm

01:00:39.120 talking about maybe you know you've been running the same program for years on end and you're just

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01:03:11.080 You know, sometimes I'll have a feeling that something that comes up and I don't want to do it,

01:03:15.300 But it like, it's like something like, you know, I have a bad idea that comes up, you know, and it tries to plant a seed in me, you know, it's like, oh, maybe you should do this at some point, you know, and it could be something bad.

01:03:30.660 It could be or for me, it would be bad, like because I'm in recovery program.

01:03:33.700 So it could be, you know, drugs, alcohol, you know, just things like that behaviors I don't want to do.

01:03:38.200 Sometimes I have a seed that like a little idea will come up like with a little bell and be like, hey, you know.

01:03:45.300 or he'll wear something fancy

01:03:47.460 and be like

01:03:47.740 look what I'm wearing

01:03:48.580 you know

01:03:48.880 like a little idea

01:03:49.780 or like a little

01:03:50.320 like a little lady 0.96

01:03:51.500 will walk by 1.00

01:03:52.100 just an idea

01:03:52.860 will walk by

01:03:53.980 and try to get me to follow

01:03:55.780 you know what I'm talking about

01:03:56.940 and sometimes

01:03:57.960 it's a bad behavior

01:03:59.300 you know

01:04:04.440 these ideas come

01:04:05.820 and your will

01:04:06.740 and your

01:04:07.980 your intellect says

01:04:10.260 no this is not good for you

01:04:11.780 so you stay away from it

01:04:13.360 you know

01:04:15.500 If it's so compelling, why it is so compelling?

01:04:18.460 Because it is promising some joy, some pleasure.

01:04:21.720 Yes, that's part of it.

01:04:24.100 So then you go for it.

01:04:25.480 Then you automatically, you run towards it.

01:04:28.360 Here, you need to get a better joy.

01:04:31.040 I've been dealing with addictions, people with addictions all the time.

01:04:38.220 You say, okay, I'm so addicted to alcohol.

01:04:40.740 I tell them, I'll give you a better brand of intoxicant that will never let you go.

01:04:48.900 So when they come and do breathing, they meditate, they find that ecstasy inside them.

01:04:56.160 So they don't need any dependence on some substance.

01:05:00.820 That altered state of happiness comes from within you with your own breath and meditation.

01:05:07.100 So you're saying a lot of it is you have to replace it with something else of value.

01:05:10.920 Of value, of larger joy.

01:05:14.600 More importance, more joy.

01:05:15.760 More important, more joyful thing.

01:05:18.740 When it bothers so much.

01:05:20.360 First of all, your discrimination itself will stop you.

01:05:25.400 Tell me that part again, please.

01:05:27.340 Your wisdom alone will stop.

01:05:29.520 It's enough to stop.

01:05:30.660 Sometimes.

01:05:31.320 Sometimes.

01:05:31.720 time when he doesn't do then the better joy will just take you out of it you'll just feel

01:05:41.580 see you won't care you know as you grow up you're not craving for candies or chocolates like you

01:05:53.700 were doing when you were a young boy right it doesn't it doesn't bother you anymore yeah i

01:05:58.940 don't even like other things are more important yeah ah so you have to find something more important

01:06:04.400 i know you guys have done a lot of work with people who are in recovery and addiction

01:06:10.920 tell me about some of your work that you guys that you and your institute have done or yeah

01:06:15.320 you know i've trained 38 000 uh teachers volunteers we're all volunteers and teachers and

01:06:23.100 they all uh run the whole thing and they run the it's a recovery community they

01:06:28.640 They do the recovery, they do the teachings in the schools, in colleges, sky campuses they do in all the universities.

01:06:36.600 For the sky breathing?

01:06:37.520 Sky breathing.

01:06:38.520 Wow.

01:06:39.340 The university, we are in 170 universities in the sky.

01:06:42.560 Let's go.

01:06:44.000 Congratulations.

01:06:44.560 Young people, yeah, young people feel so good, so, such a difference.

01:06:49.100 When they feel such a disconnect with their parents, with their pulse, you know, after doing their breathing, they feel so good.

01:06:55.760 You know, so many parents have written to me, you know, our children are behaving so much better now.

01:07:03.600 They've been very kind, they're not aggressive, they don't have that rage and anger like before.

01:07:10.720 They've been very kind, you know, they were helpful in nature.

01:07:14.180 All these good qualities in a person start to manifest.

01:07:18.040 And all that can come from our breathing.

01:07:20.100 Come, come when we get rid of our stress.

01:07:22.180 Stress is the cause of a lot of violence

01:07:25.940 Stress is the cause of all violence

01:07:27.740 Simple, Mathieu

01:07:31.400 Clarity in mind, purity in heart, sincerity in action

01:07:36.300 That's my formula

01:07:37.180 Clarity in mind, purity in heart, sincerity in action

01:07:42.860 How do we make sure our actions are sincere?

01:07:46.660 What can we do?

01:07:47.820 What can we ask ourselves?

01:07:48.880 Being spontaneous

01:07:50.060 Oh, spontaneous

01:07:51.580 Yes.

01:07:53.420 Sometimes, yeah, I get it.

01:07:54.340 Sometimes, yeah.

01:07:57.140 Yeah.

01:08:00.580 Is meditation, does it have a stronger effect on younger people, do you think?

01:08:06.480 Younger, old.

01:08:07.540 Does it matter?

01:08:08.160 It doesn't matter.

01:08:09.840 I've seen a lot of videos of children doing intuition tests.

01:08:14.120 Yeah.

01:08:14.500 Can you take me down some of the understanding of intuition tests?

01:08:18.360 And you guys have an institute for intuition, is that it?

01:08:20.600 Correct.

01:08:20.900 the Institute of Absolute Intelligence.

01:08:23.060 We have...

01:08:23.620 Wait, it's called

01:08:24.260 Institute for Absolute Intelligence?

01:08:26.900 First of all,

01:08:28.380 I would love

01:08:29.300 Absolute Intelligence.

01:08:30.600 So please,

01:08:31.420 what grade do you have to be in?

01:08:32.620 I'll go.

01:08:34.500 The children now

01:08:35.460 and teenagers

01:08:36.340 up to 18 years of age

01:08:37.840 we take them

01:08:38.860 and it's good.

01:08:41.840 And, you know...

01:08:42.840 And it's a full school?

01:08:45.160 No, no.

01:08:45.640 It's just 18 days program.

01:08:47.580 Okay, it's an 18 days program.

01:08:48.900 And so what is the program like?

01:08:49.980 Take me through it

01:08:50.500 if you don't mind, Gurudev?

01:08:51.500 The program is they learn some breathing technique,

01:08:53.860 they learn some meditation technique,

01:08:55.260 and they learn how they can use their intuitive ability,

01:08:58.800 their gut feeling, much more, stronger.

01:09:02.320 And, you know, gut feeling, which is infallible,

01:09:06.680 that doesn't fail.

01:09:07.580 That's what gut feeling is all about.

01:09:10.100 What is our gut feeling?

01:09:11.280 What's it made out of?

01:09:13.380 We all have it, but we don't use it.

01:09:16.440 Many times it becomes very obscure.

01:09:19.440 It's very real though

01:09:20.620 because sometimes you get a feeling

01:09:21.840 like this is no

01:09:22.700 and sometimes you get a feeling

01:09:24.420 a lot of times this is unsure.

01:09:26.340 Those are the two I get.

01:09:27.580 I never get a yes.

01:09:30.300 Never mind.

01:09:32.260 Have you ever seen people-

01:09:33.260 No, no.

01:09:33.380 If you get no,

01:09:34.140 you will get yes also there.

01:09:35.580 Do you think so?

01:09:37.220 Maybe you're right.

01:09:38.420 Maybe I just not.

01:09:39.280 Maybe I got a-

01:09:40.180 Yeah, you're probably right.

01:09:41.180 No for something

01:09:42.040 then yes for something else, right?

01:09:44.080 But what is that feeling?

01:09:46.220 What is that feeling do you think?

01:09:48.140 I never even think about it.

01:09:49.600 It's the same feeling you get

01:09:50.600 like when your heart is hurt.

01:09:51.720 It's like,

01:09:52.280 it's a feeling that's like,

01:09:54.820 it's not.

01:09:55.100 See, your head says something.

01:09:57.100 Your intellect says,

01:09:57.860 your rational mind says something.

01:10:00.220 But your gut feeling

01:10:01.440 just overthrows that,

01:10:04.300 you know.

01:10:05.500 All your rational,

01:10:07.280 logical thinking

01:10:08.340 is overthrown

01:10:09.380 by some gut feeling.

01:10:11.020 And then you follow it

01:10:11.820 and you find,

01:10:12.340 hey, well, that was right.

01:10:13.880 Then you call it gut feeling.

01:10:15.840 And how do you guys help

01:10:17.260 children to understand that better?

01:10:18.960 Like, are there certain practices you use?

01:10:20.680 Yeah, yeah.

01:10:20.720 We teach them a set of practices, 15 minutes per day, and then they get it.

01:10:28.600 Wow.

01:10:29.200 Because they don't have strong craving or aversion.

01:10:31.640 Their mind is still very fresh, you know.

01:10:34.060 It's like learning a ballet dance.

01:10:37.180 When the body is very flexible, they can learn the ballet very easily.

01:10:41.780 so

01:10:43.920 for an adult

01:10:45.460 it will take

01:10:46.040 some more time

01:10:46.680 to bend their

01:10:47.360 yeah

01:10:48.820 their joints

01:10:50.160 yeah

01:10:50.560 like that

01:10:51.380 with kids

01:10:52.320 they are easy

01:10:53.760 to learn

01:10:54.760 but not that

01:10:55.800 adults can all

01:10:56.640 they too can

01:10:57.360 they too can

01:10:58.180 but if you're

01:10:59.260 a long term

01:10:59.980 meditator

01:11:00.660 yeah

01:11:00.960 you can

01:11:01.560 what's the youngest

01:11:02.860 age you've seen

01:11:03.600 someone start

01:11:04.180 meditation at

01:11:05.080 meditation

01:11:07.300 with 10

01:11:08.020 12 something

01:11:09.180 10 or 12 years old 0.88

01:11:10.200 that's a good age

01:11:11.280 That's good age.

01:11:12.360 But they have different meditation.

01:11:14.380 But in the teenage or in 20s and 30s, that's good.

01:11:20.120 You have to do a proper meditation, full meditation.

01:11:24.380 So we have, that's why we had designed 67 different workshops

01:11:28.560 which would suit all different ages and, you know, conditions.

01:11:34.740 And is that through the Institute of Absolute Intelligence

01:11:36.880 or that is through the art of living?

01:11:38.120 Art of living.

01:11:38.860 Art of living.

01:11:39.800 Yeah.

01:11:39.980 Wow.

01:11:40.380 So tell me a little bit more about The Art of Living, just so I understand it.

01:11:44.240 It was a download that you took in during your period of silence, right?

01:11:48.380 And since then, it's spawned countless endeavors and outreach over the years.

01:11:54.340 What does it constitute now, The Art of Living?

01:11:59.360 Art of Living, you know, the very aim is to make life a celebration.

01:12:05.260 Educate people to make life a celebration.

01:12:08.380 Get over anger and anxiety.

01:12:12.020 Do you think it was always there, the anger and anxiety,

01:12:14.220 from the beginning of time, or do you think we picked it up?

01:12:17.520 Well, it's there.

01:12:19.560 It's been there.

01:12:20.600 Only you need to learn how to overcome them.

01:12:26.540 Anger about the past and anxiety about the future.

01:12:29.920 When we learn how to rise over this, you know.

01:12:34.720 You know, waves have always been there.

01:12:36.560 only you need to learn

01:12:37.880 how to surf

01:12:38.600 so main thing

01:12:43.700 let me put it

01:12:44.360 in a small capsule

01:12:45.480 the Art of Living

01:12:47.100 foundation

01:12:48.220 is

01:12:48.760 group of volunteers

01:12:50.300 largest volunteer

01:12:51.420 based organization

01:12:52.500 they help

01:12:53.460 wherever there is

01:12:54.140 disaster

01:12:54.720 there is problem

01:12:55.760 trauma

01:12:56.380 and then

01:12:58.240 the main thing

01:12:59.560 is to make

01:13:00.460 violence free

01:13:01.640 and stress free

01:13:02.460 society

01:13:03.120 we want to

01:13:04.420 eliminate stress

01:13:05.280 in society

01:13:06.960 violence free

01:13:08.660 stress free society

01:13:10.160 disease free body

01:13:12.700 make people healthy

01:13:14.420 breathing and meditation

01:13:16.480 and all that thing

01:13:17.660 and then confusion free mind

01:13:20.380 confused about everything

01:13:21.680 and bringing clarity to mind

01:13:24.020 and inhibition free intellect

01:13:26.180 people carry

01:13:28.720 different type of inhibition

01:13:30.520 about gender inhibition

01:13:32.680 about age inhibition

01:13:34.820 And, you know, people of different age don't mix with everybody, you see. 0.79

01:13:39.420 They all find their own levels. 0.99

01:13:41.740 And so there is a gap between the generations.

01:13:45.780 The art of living brings that thing together, make better understanding.

01:13:50.020 And inhibition between race, religion, gender, all that inhibition to be done away with.

01:13:57.600 listen we are in

01:13:59.720 in the 21st century

01:14:02.080 where we see the

01:14:03.800 technology has united the whole globe

01:14:06.320 into a village

01:14:07.160 now we still hold on to those sort of

01:14:10.260 small mindedness

01:14:12.440 and prejudice

01:14:13.980 that's no good you know

01:14:16.200 to helping people to get

01:14:18.400 over their prejudice all type of prejudice

01:14:20.540 trauma free memory

01:14:22.540 and sorrow free

01:14:24.480 soul

01:14:24.900 That's what I would say

01:14:27.600 Let me repeat it

01:14:28.860 Violence-free society

01:14:30.480 Disease-free body

01:14:32.020 Confusion-free mind

01:14:34.700 Inhibition-free intellect

01:14:36.500 Trauma-free memory

01:14:38.080 And sorrow-free soul

01:14:39.060 Amen

01:14:39.620 That's it

01:14:40.860 Sign me up

01:14:42.400 Thank you

01:14:44.080 I love those goals

01:14:45.220 I believe that those are probably

01:14:46.400 In our heart

01:14:47.500 It feels like those are all of our goals

01:14:48.980 All of our goals, yeah

01:14:50.080 That's what we want

01:14:50.960 It feels like that's how we should live

01:14:52.540 Correct

01:14:52.880 I just

01:14:54.220 it's amazing

01:14:55.200 that we got

01:14:55.740 so off course

01:14:56.540 sometimes

01:14:57.140 and that's how

01:14:58.320 you know

01:14:58.760 people from

01:14:59.380 182 countries

01:15:01.120 have

01:15:01.420 taken this up

01:15:02.880 how many volunteers

01:15:04.860 do you have total

01:15:05.580 that work within

01:15:06.140 your program

01:15:06.760 within your organization

01:15:08.320 oh

01:15:09.020 millions

01:15:11.120 we had a big

01:15:13.480 world culture festival

01:15:14.660 you did

01:15:15.300 I wanted to bring

01:15:16.120 everyone together

01:15:17.400 every four years

01:15:18.400 we did this

01:15:19.080 the first one

01:15:20.500 we had was in

01:15:21.580 the first one

01:15:22.800 you had we had in india that was in 20 26 2006 oh yeah in madras in bangalore in bangalore we had

01:15:33.660 i've never been to bangalore it's nice you must come it's the it capital of india it's a silicon

01:15:38.160 valley of india really yeah oh good i'm gonna stay with you yeah you must oh good we have a nice

01:15:45.320 campus there you can see two elephants there you can go to world uh world culture festival yeah

01:15:51.240 That's it right there?

01:15:52.620 This is D.C.

01:15:54.520 We had this in Washington, D.C.

01:15:58.440 Hey!

01:16:00.340 Yeah.

01:16:02.220 What a beautiful group of people, huh?

01:16:04.520 We had 1.1 million people joined in D.C.

01:16:09.420 See, look at that.

01:16:10.820 Did you really?

01:16:11.700 Can you go back a little bit?

01:16:13.200 Yeah, let's see it again.

01:16:15.520 And 17,000 artists.

01:16:18.720 Let's go, there's Gary Busey

01:16:22.420 Yeah, this is in Washington DC

01:16:24.500 That's beautiful

01:16:26.120 Then we had in New Delhi

01:16:28.660 Just imagine how many it was

01:16:31.460 It was 36,602 artists

01:16:36.420 On a

01:16:37.540 This one

01:16:39.100 Wow

01:16:40.420 You put this on?

01:16:42.080 Yeah

01:16:42.460 On a stage

01:16:45.820 which was six soccer grounds, seven acres of stage.

01:16:54.560 This is unbelievable.

01:16:55.620 And people who are just listening and who can't see this video,

01:16:58.280 this is, I mean, it's absolutely, it looks like the Olympics.

01:17:02.140 Yeah.

01:17:03.400 It was like the Olympics of culture.

01:17:06.040 Yeah.

01:17:07.860 And I wanted all the, you know,

01:17:10.880 a mature artist to come up on stage from 155 countries.

01:17:17.660 This is from Lithuania.

01:17:20.180 Look at that, that's Meatloaf.

01:17:23.640 Wow, this is beautiful.

01:17:25.600 Thank you for sharing.

01:17:26.460 This is amazing.

01:17:27.260 And so every four years this happens?

01:17:28.900 Yeah.

01:17:29.420 Wow.

01:17:29.820 So this was in New Delhi 10 years back,

01:17:32.240 and we had 3.75 million people in attendance for this program.

01:17:39.680 Gosh.

01:17:40.660 So it's growing.

01:17:41.580 And they all meditated.

01:17:42.900 They all meditated at the same time?

01:17:44.600 At the same time.

01:17:45.480 Just imagine the sea of people so silent for 20 minutes.

01:17:52.160 It was something.

01:17:53.360 It was wonderful.

01:17:54.580 It's powerful.

01:17:55.420 Very powerful.

01:17:56.420 Same in DC.

01:17:57.360 We had in the National Mall, 1.1 million people sitting and meditating was a very rewarding experience for people.

01:18:07.580 See, this is what we need to do, make life more a celebration,

01:18:10.800 bring people of all culture, tradition, music.

01:18:14.000 Well, the truth is that it is a celebration.

01:18:16.160 That's the real truth.

01:18:17.480 The truth is that we're here in the middle of nowhere,

01:18:20.320 in the middle of existence,

01:18:22.280 and we get to see each other for just a little bit.

01:18:25.180 And we're sitting here and we're worried about,

01:18:27.480 and I'm part of the problem, but we're worried about it.

01:18:30.500 We're like whining, we're crying, we're upset.

01:18:32.440 that, but it's like, this is the mad, this is like, this is the magic part of the magic trick.

01:18:38.640 This isn't like the practice. And this is the ta-da, you know, this is the, when a magician

01:18:44.040 goes like that, that's where we are right now. We're living, this is the magic. So it is kind

01:18:50.260 of fascinating that we get stuck in these other places, you know, and this is such a nice reminder.

01:18:55.960 Yeah. Spending time with you is such a nice reminder that that's not where we need to be.

01:18:59.600 and that's not

01:19:00.160 where we have to be

01:19:01.100 it is a celebration

01:19:02.860 the fact you get

01:19:03.860 to see someone

01:19:04.440 that loves you

01:19:05.180 sometimes

01:19:05.640 that's a celebration

01:19:06.460 you know

01:19:07.740 you know

01:19:08.900 you don't need

01:19:09.460 to seek love

01:19:10.640 you know

01:19:11.060 there are two types

01:19:11.780 of joy

01:19:12.240 let me

01:19:12.560 I want to bring

01:19:13.460 this up to you

01:19:14.220 okay

01:19:14.500 there are two types

01:19:15.720 of joy

01:19:16.140 one type of happiness

01:19:17.360 is that

01:19:18.480 you get

01:19:20.400 when you get

01:19:20.900 something

01:19:21.300 you get a gift

01:19:22.720 on a Christmas

01:19:23.380 day

01:19:24.080 or you get

01:19:24.980 your birthday

01:19:25.600 you get a gift

01:19:26.240 yeah you get

01:19:26.500 a new hat

01:19:27.040 or something

01:19:27.480 you get some gift

01:19:28.720 caramels

01:19:29.400 getting something

01:19:30.920 is really

01:19:31.600 brings happiness

01:19:32.800 to you

01:19:33.260 right

01:19:33.440 people give you

01:19:34.460 a compliment

01:19:35.040 you go

01:19:35.540 yeah

01:19:36.460 right

01:19:37.020 but there is

01:19:38.300 another type of

01:19:39.400 happiness

01:19:39.960 that comes to you

01:19:40.880 when you give

01:19:41.640 that's more

01:19:44.200 mature happiness

01:19:45.100 I would say

01:19:45.640 that's

01:19:46.380 that's akin to

01:19:47.960 the

01:19:48.260 the joy

01:19:50.240 of a grandmother

01:19:51.060 you know

01:19:52.260 your grandmother

01:19:53.020 when you go

01:19:53.600 home

01:19:53.920 she makes

01:19:55.180 nice dishes

01:19:55.940 she makes a cake

01:19:56.940 for you 0.95

01:19:57.420 and all that

01:19:57.960 oh yeah 0.87

01:19:58.320 Her joy is in feeding you, not eating by herself.

01:20:01.760 Right.

01:20:02.280 Right?

01:20:03.040 So the joy of giving is where we need to grow into life.

01:20:09.160 Because that is more.

01:20:10.700 So similarly, when you are here to give love and not wanting love,

01:20:16.560 you realize the source of love within your life is very short.

01:20:21.540 So let me give love as much as I can to everybody around me.

01:20:25.060 you will see

01:20:26.140 you will get

01:20:26.660 ten times more

01:20:27.720 love towards you

01:20:29.000 coming towards you

01:20:29.880 and you believe that's true

01:20:30.820 yeah

01:20:31.280 got it

01:20:32.240 and sometimes we're afraid

01:20:33.980 to I think even give

01:20:34.960 like there's been times

01:20:35.740 where I'm afraid to give

01:20:36.780 because I won't

01:20:37.320 I guess it comes from a place

01:20:38.700 then I won't have something

01:20:39.760 you know

01:20:40.100 no you give only

01:20:41.660 what you can

01:20:42.560 yeah

01:20:43.520 you know

01:20:44.340 if people expect you

01:20:46.000 to give something

01:20:46.800 which you cannot give

01:20:47.800 you simply say sorry

01:20:49.080 sorry I cannot give

01:20:50.320 someone says

01:20:51.380 you know I have a problem

01:20:52.820 I have my health issue

01:20:53.840 you come and help me

01:20:54.660 You will have to say, no, I can't.

01:20:58.200 But whatever you can, you will give.

01:21:01.320 You will do anyway, right?

01:21:03.020 Yeah.

01:21:04.160 What's the longest that someone can meditate for?

01:21:07.920 24 hours.

01:21:11.060 You know, I would say you meditate for 20 minutes.

01:21:15.940 20 minutes is good.

01:21:16.580 25 minutes, 30 minutes.

01:21:17.720 That's good enough for you.

01:21:18.860 But, you know, after practice, then that state of calmness, inner calmness continues, even when you're acting and you're talking and you're doing anything.

01:21:29.780 Well, I notice it gives me a little more space between moments if I'm going to think of an answer.

01:21:34.640 I'm not as reactive.

01:21:36.320 It gives me a little more like, let me think.

01:21:38.540 Let me make sure.

01:21:39.800 Let me be certain.

01:21:40.840 Let me, let me, let me, even just let me.

01:21:45.920 Just that, you know.

01:21:46.540 Just be.

01:21:46.940 Yeah.

01:21:47.340 It gives me a little bit of space before I react sometimes if I'm having a strong meditation practice.

01:21:55.340 We live in a time right now when people are very anxious.

01:21:58.540 There's a lot of anxiety going on.

01:22:00.620 Have you seen that grow in your lifetime?

01:22:02.760 Or has it always been there?

01:22:04.180 You think just things have looked differently or different things have caused it?

01:22:07.960 Or do you feel like we're at a time that feels a little more?

01:22:10.480 It's more on a larger scale now.

01:22:12.860 Okay.

01:22:13.440 It was not so prevalent.

01:22:14.960 When I was a student, even now I think I'm a student, in the student days you could see that there was no mental health issues.

01:22:26.920 There was no, I've never heard schizophrenia, bipolar, or breakdown due to nervous.

01:22:35.520 Yes, it sounds very new.

01:22:37.420 All these things are today in every corner you find them.

01:22:42.320 It's more intense and more prevalent everywhere.

01:22:46.660 What do you think are the causes of some of these things?

01:22:49.180 Have you noticed?

01:22:49.700 Whatever the cause is, I feel there is a solution for it.

01:22:53.360 And that's what I would say, this meditation, breathing, engaging in art and culture and service activity.

01:23:02.140 All this is help.

01:23:03.040 And it's helping.

01:23:06.160 Yeah, I definitely noticed.

01:23:07.540 And helping people get out of drugs.

01:23:09.820 You know, we started in India,

01:23:11.700 Drug Free India campaign.

01:23:13.420 Drug Free India?

01:23:14.340 Drug Free India campaign.

01:23:16.000 What's the most popular drug in India?

01:23:17.640 What are they using over there?

01:23:18.980 All kinds of drugs are there.

01:23:20.680 Really?

01:23:21.220 Yeah.

01:23:21.760 Anything good?

01:23:22.640 Like, or anything not good, sorry.

01:23:24.020 I'm not too familiar about all the way.

01:23:26.440 But I'm only familiar about what has helped people.

01:23:30.760 That's what I meant.

01:23:32.000 Yeah.

01:23:32.480 And our programs, you know, for them.

01:23:35.040 We have, we conduct a program,

01:23:36.300 Yes, Bless program, Youth Empowerment Seminar.

01:23:38.700 Say it one more time, what's it called?

01:23:40.040 Youth Empowerment Seminar.

01:23:41.840 Youth Empowerment Seminar.

01:23:43.180 Yes, bless.

01:23:43.580 Yes, program.

01:23:44.580 Yes, program.

01:23:45.440 So that has helped.

01:23:48.240 You know, it includes the sky breath technique in that and many other things.

01:23:53.600 And with the children, yeah, you see.

01:23:55.960 Oh, beautiful.

01:23:57.480 With the kids, I gave them seven things to take home.

01:24:02.000 You know, when I say, make one new friend every day.

01:24:04.180 You know, first question I ask children, how many friends do you have?

01:24:09.760 They count on their finger, three, four, five.

01:24:12.620 I think, come on, you are living, you are going to a school for so many hours

01:24:17.520 and so many years with several thousand kids there

01:24:24.620 and you couldn't be friendly with all of them.

01:24:27.060 Yeah, get out there.

01:24:28.020 And how can you be friendly with 8 billion people

01:24:32.920 When you come out of the school

01:24:34.240 Yeah

01:24:34.800 So that just kindles that awareness in them

01:24:40.600 Then they take a vow to make one new friend every day

01:24:43.820 And they become friendly by nature

01:24:46.700 Yeah, because it's a practice

01:24:48.680 Yeah, it's not friendship for something

01:24:52.860 But to be friendly in nature

01:24:55.220 Got it

01:24:56.660 Oh, I see what you're saying

01:24:57.820 by making new friends even trying to make new friends you are creating the ability within

01:25:03.480 yourself to be friendly in general in general what's a way that we can start to get to know

01:25:11.160 ourselves one thing that i think is is um might be causing some um discomfort in our society and

01:25:18.940 in our time is that uh we have less of a relationship with ourselves you know i think

01:25:26.840 when we didn't used to have so much technology

01:25:29.620 and we didn't have our cell phones

01:25:30.780 so readily available and usable all the time.

01:25:33.240 We had more time to process things.

01:25:35.300 I wouldn't blame on the cell phones

01:25:37.660 or social media, no.

01:25:39.460 You wouldn't?

01:25:40.060 No, no.

01:25:40.680 They're all there that it's a tool.

01:25:44.840 You know, it depends on how you use it.

01:25:46.840 If you excessively use anything,

01:25:49.660 you're going to harm yourself.

01:25:52.140 In all this, you must take some time,

01:25:54.840 spend real time with people,

01:25:56.840 engage in music, dance, meditation, breathing,

01:26:01.800 and some time just for yourself.

01:26:04.560 And to be with nature.

01:26:07.380 See, working for environment is also something

01:26:10.340 that aids in your development.

01:26:14.340 If you care for plants, if you care for nature,

01:26:19.300 it shifts your energy level.

01:26:22.540 One of the things it seems like is we spend so much time

01:26:24.800 trying to get to like trying to achieve some level in life you know that's kind of that we made up

01:26:30.400 yeah you know that like a societal you know so i think we miss out on a lot of the things that

01:26:36.000 really do mean the most to us you don't need to have four more it's okay you can have a goal okay

01:26:40.800 i want to achieve that but being feverish about it is not going to help you yeah you have a goal

01:26:47.140 say you want to go to hollywood from here and if you keep thinking the whole time i'm going to

01:26:53.300 hollywood hollywood you will miss the exit you will go somewhere else you will land up somewhere

01:26:57.960 else right so it's okay to have an intention but not make it feverish it feverishly grip your whole

01:27:07.900 life hold your mind you know how you might get something better in your life so again here

01:27:15.720 and you relax

01:27:18.220 and you cool down

01:27:19.520 calm down

01:27:20.360 you still can have a passion

01:27:22.820 but then you

01:27:24.600 go with awareness

01:27:26.360 what's the first

01:27:30.100 what's the way that someone

01:27:31.160 like

01:27:31.620 how does someone start to get to know their self

01:27:34.760 right

01:27:35.120 what's a way to get to know yourself

01:27:36.940 like what's a

01:27:37.500 how do you start to have a conversation with yourself

01:27:39.360 does that make

01:27:40.060 see what's

01:27:41.280 not yourself

01:27:42.400 does that make sense to you when I ask you that

01:27:44.640 yeah

01:27:45.300 Okay, so go ahead, I'm sorry.

01:27:48.400 No, how to find yourself?

01:27:50.940 First of all, see what is not yourself.

01:27:54.320 You're not just your body.

01:27:55.980 Your body is changing.

01:27:58.060 You know, every cell in our body is changing.

01:28:01.120 The mind is changing.

01:28:02.660 All the thoughts are changing.

01:28:03.940 Emotions are changing.

01:28:05.900 So, by negation,

01:28:09.500 it's like almost going to what is the purpose of your life.

01:28:12.660 if you ask yourself

01:28:14.620 what is the purpose of my life

01:28:15.940 I would say go with negation

01:28:18.420 this is not the purpose

01:28:21.380 this is not the purpose

01:28:22.220 then you find

01:28:25.020 in the same way

01:28:26.800 with negation

01:28:28.300 you settle into a space deep within you

01:28:31.220 which is serene

01:28:32.960 calm

01:28:33.740 fullness

01:28:36.100 once a glimpse

01:28:38.800 of that

01:28:39.480 that's it

01:28:40.980 then

01:28:41.940 nothing can

01:28:43.440 disturb you

01:28:44.220 nothing can

01:28:44.920 take away

01:28:45.620 the smile

01:28:46.240 from you

01:28:46.840 and that's

01:28:48.140 achieved through

01:28:48.600 meditation

01:28:49.040 through a

01:28:49.600 relationship

01:28:49.960 with your

01:28:50.260 consciousness

01:28:50.700 yeah

01:28:51.880 do you

01:28:53.380 believe

01:28:53.820 meditation

01:28:54.380 is one

01:28:54.980 of the

01:28:55.300 two

01:28:55.660 meditation

01:28:56.420 is one

01:28:56.780 of the

01:28:56.940 tools

01:28:57.240 what are

01:28:58.420 some of

01:28:58.680 the other

01:28:58.920 ones

01:28:59.120 to

01:28:59.240 nurture

01:29:00.580 that

01:29:00.800 relationship

01:29:01.420 other

01:29:03.180 thing

01:29:03.440 it can

01:29:03.760 come to

01:29:04.120 you as

01:29:04.340 a gift

01:29:04.820 gift

01:29:06.960 from above

01:29:07.540 and then

01:29:08.560 you

01:29:09.560 were

01:29:09.760 your intelligent

01:29:11.680 your analytical mind

01:29:14.500 will also help to

01:29:15.940 you know

01:29:18.340 go deep

01:29:19.340 see the futility of other things

01:29:21.560 and then you get to this very core

01:29:24.380 so through knowledge

01:29:26.360 wisdom

01:29:27.580 music

01:29:28.840 meditation

01:29:29.960 service

01:29:31.260 expressing your love

01:29:33.420 unconditional love in the society

01:29:35.460 all this will

01:29:36.580 contribute to that inner

01:29:39.280 blossoming. It may

01:29:41.440 appear to be

01:29:42.580 very

01:29:44.120 difficult or very idealistic

01:29:47.700 but I tell you it's

01:29:49.200 very, very practical.

01:29:51.240 I'm a very practical person.

01:29:53.760 So,

01:29:55.220 though they all appear to be big ideals

01:29:57.280 but I say it is doable.

01:30:00.720 Okay?

01:30:01.940 Do you have any pets

01:30:03.340 at home? I have two elephants.

01:30:06.240 You do?

01:30:07.260 We have elephants, hearts,

01:30:09.280 Cows, tears, everything.

01:30:11.340 What's the elephant's names?

01:30:13.500 One is called Maheshwar.

01:30:15.340 Maheshwar?

01:30:16.040 Another is Indrani, the girl.

01:30:18.380 Indrani?

01:30:19.480 Ooh, she sounds cute. 0.83

01:30:21.040 She can play harmonica, you know? 0.94

01:30:23.640 Can she?

01:30:24.400 Yeah. 1.00

01:30:25.200 Oh, yeah, these women are so talented now. 1.00

01:30:27.400 Oh, my gosh, that's her? 1.00

01:30:29.440 Yeah. 0.99

01:30:30.880 This is her with the tusk. 0.97

01:30:32.440 The tusker is the other one there.

01:30:36.280 He's tough.

01:30:37.560 but

01:30:39.500 they're very cute

01:30:41.420 and do you have

01:30:42.620 a family at home

01:30:43.580 do you have children

01:30:45.400 I have

01:30:45.940 no I'm not married

01:30:47.600 oh you're not

01:30:48.280 I'm single like you

01:30:49.540 yeah

01:30:50.100 I hope to remain single

01:30:51.740 the rest of the time also

01:30:53.020 but I have

01:30:54.480 everyone is my family

01:30:56.500 you have a big family

01:30:57.500 yeah big family

01:30:58.400 do you feel like

01:30:59.120 you received enough

01:31:00.180 like that

01:31:01.180 that was your

01:31:01.940 space in the world

01:31:02.860 for family

01:31:03.360 was just everyone

01:31:04.140 yeah

01:31:04.780 yeah

01:31:05.420 that's cool

01:31:06.660 But before you go, Gurudev, I know you have this book, Journey Within, that talks about the essentials of the art of living.

01:31:14.480 Is that a good manual for someone to start to develop their own meditation practice?

01:31:19.780 Yeah, it's good.

01:31:20.600 It just brings some practical wisdom to your life and whatever you need, whenever you need.

01:31:27.640 Journey Within is a book that people love.

01:31:30.160 You know how it came out?

01:31:31.560 I don't write books, but you know how it came up?

01:31:34.040 we used to

01:31:36.420 you know

01:31:36.700 a group of

01:31:37.480 young people

01:31:38.580 used to get around 1.00

01:31:39.540 get around

01:31:40.160 and

01:31:40.480 ask me questions

01:31:42.400 and every Wednesday

01:31:43.940 we had this habit of

01:31:45.200 coming up with

01:31:46.220 some new topic

01:31:47.100 like you said

01:31:49.280 this past week

01:31:50.080 we used every week

01:31:51.400 and then I would

01:31:52.500 send that around

01:31:53.360 the world to everybody

01:31:54.260 so that's how

01:31:56.260 this

01:31:56.620 came with

01:31:57.940 seven years of

01:31:59.120 Wednesday

01:32:00.140 knowledge sheets

01:32:02.000 we call it

01:32:02.700 knowledge sheet

01:32:03.500 So just new topics on Wednesdays, you guys would discuss them?

01:32:06.300 Every new topic we discuss.

01:32:08.740 And then that was compiled into this book.

01:32:12.740 Journey Within, it helps people too.

01:32:15.560 So there were kind of a lot of authors of it in some ways

01:32:18.060 because a lot of people's thoughts were included?

01:32:20.020 There were questions, answers of mine.

01:32:22.800 Got it.

01:32:23.860 They were all questioning me all the time.

01:32:25.340 Okay, got it.

01:32:27.120 That was the one thing, yeah.

01:32:28.980 One thing, I had a great time.

01:32:30.860 I got to visit India once as a student.

01:32:32.360 We went to Madras, Shanae, same place.

01:32:35.860 Yeah.

01:32:37.040 And it was amazing.

01:32:40.460 And one of the things I remember the most was just the children,

01:32:42.980 just how like the happiest kids in the world, I feel like, that we saw that.

01:32:48.120 We worked at like some children's homes and we're doing some stuff like that.

01:32:52.980 You guys started a group, like you've started schools over the years called free schools.

01:32:58.560 Yes.

01:32:58.940 And those are in India?

01:33:00.000 Yeah, in India, in Nepal, and also in other places.

01:33:03.940 And is that a K through 12, or what is the...

01:33:06.860 Yeah, K through 12.

01:33:09.300 And the free schools all over, we have, you know, 150,000 kids studying in the schools.

01:33:18.300 And is meditation part of the curriculum?

01:33:20.780 A little bit yoga and some meditation, yes, part of the curriculum.

01:33:23.660 And we have a university also.

01:33:25.900 It's one of the very good universities, the happiest campus, everybody.

01:33:30.000 is very happy and service mind and all that stuff.

01:33:36.000 For people, just before you go,

01:33:38.720 for people that believe that they don't believe

01:33:43.080 they can get out of the mental state that they're in,

01:33:45.340 that's not true, right?

01:33:47.460 Everyone can do better, do you believe?

01:33:49.140 Everyone can feel better.

01:33:50.940 Everyone can feel better.

01:33:52.800 Again, I would say if it's an extreme case,

01:33:56.980 you have to see a doctor

01:33:58.600 and if psychiatrists say you have to take medicine,

01:34:01.260 you must take medicine.

01:34:03.100 But this is, other than that,

01:34:05.780 practices which would, first of all,

01:34:07.700 prevent you from getting there.

01:34:09.580 Second, it also helps you to recover.

01:34:13.220 But it takes practice.

01:34:15.420 You have to apply yourself.

01:34:18.480 Practice, yeah.

01:34:19.600 And it's not tough.

01:34:21.800 Easily people can adopt that.

01:34:24.460 I call it the mental hygiene.

01:34:27.200 Like you have a dental hygiene, like that.

01:34:30.120 You know, kids don't want to brush their teeth.

01:34:32.060 The parents have to force them to get into their habit.

01:34:35.660 Got it.

01:34:36.220 Right?

01:34:36.840 Similarly, if you practice doing some breathing and meditation in the morning or afternoon, evening,

01:34:42.580 once it gets fit in your system, then it becomes a natural thing for you.

01:34:48.620 It's like mental floss kind of.

01:34:50.400 Mental floss, yeah.

01:34:51.480 You're right.

01:34:52.440 When we leave this life, right, when this body ends,

01:34:57.560 our consciousness has to stay alive.

01:34:59.540 You believe it?

01:35:01.060 If the TV is shut off, but still the vibrations,

01:35:05.040 the radiations do remain here, right?

01:35:07.340 Yeah.

01:35:09.320 We are just the tubes or the screens.

01:35:13.780 The consciousness is what gets projected in it.

01:35:17.060 Cool.

01:35:18.140 So we might see each other again in another time, huh?

01:35:21.480 Thank you.

01:35:21.900 Thank you so much, Gurudev.

01:35:23.040 I appreciate your time today.

01:35:24.140 Thank you very much.

01:35:24.740 Lovely.

01:35:25.800 Keep doing the wonderful work you are doing.

01:35:27.640 You too, brother.

01:35:28.280 Thank you so much.

01:35:29.100 Thank you.

01:35:29.400 Now I'm just floating on the breeze

01:35:32.400 And I feel I'm falling like these leaves

01:35:35.340 I must be cornerstone

01:35:38.680 Oh, but when I reach that ground

01:35:43.240 I'll share this peace of mind

01:35:45.380 I found I can feel it in my bones

01:35:49.560 But it's gonna take

This Past Weekend with Theo Von - August 25, 2026

#677 - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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