#677 - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

He founded the art of living movement, and he's one of the most respected teachers

of meditation in the world. A fascinating chat with today's guest, Guru Dev Sri Sri Arawi Shankar. a great experience. Guru Dev Sri Arawi Shankar, is that correct? Right.

Thank you for being here today. I appreciate your time. I appreciate your energy that you've put into the world. Thank you so much for your just your just your ability to be a guide for people.

“For our listeners that don't know you're a humanitarian, a spiritual leader, a practitioner of peace, is that fair to say?”

Yeah. Okay. And Guru Dev Sri Sri Arawi Shankar.

You can just go ahead and go to there.

Guru Dev Sri Sri Arawi Shankar. You had an experience that happened when you were very young at the age of four years old from what I hear if the story is true. That I could decide the ancient text. You could recite the ancient text of the Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavad Gita.

Can you tell us what the Bhagavad Gita is for our listeners that don't know? Gita is the scripture which was written 5,000 years old, but when Lord Krishna gave advice to our lessons to Arjuna, he's the warrior of that time. So, it's knowledge of yoga and everything about life. So, this is what Mahatma Gandhi had. He says a handbook. Okay.

And everyone in India, it's almost like a Bible for the Indian continent.

You can't say Hindus in English. Got it. So, at four years old, you were kind of a prodigy. You were kind of like the Justin Bieber kind of a meditation maybe. You know?

In a way. I don't know if that's. You were kind of the John Beneh of India, you know. Still living, of course.

“What was it like to have that much attention at such a young age?”

How did that affect you? I just felt very normal to me. Yeah. Was there a reason for that? I didn't feel any special.

I felt as normal as anybody else. Was there a reason you felt like you kind of received this download sort of that you received this capability? You know, there are so many child projects these days. You can see them all. So, it's very natural thing.

It was not something that you know. You make out of it. It was just part of your life. Part of your life.

“What effect did that have on your childhood?”

I was little strange in my childhood. As you know, that I didn't take much interest in normal things that kids would do. So, I spent most of my childhood with elderly people. With elderly people, adults. And yeah, a little bit out of place many times.

But I tried to fit myself in everywhere I used to be. Take me through some of what happens after that in your life that kind of lead you into becoming a guru. Well, you know, I'm a guru by accident. In a sense, you know, I just kept teaching or telling people what I know and then they started taking me as a guide. Well, apart from that, you know, I had deep interest in spirituality and science.

As a teenager, I was very much into physics. So, physics and astronomy, science and ancient scriptures. So, this interest in me quite a lot. Because I felt such a similarity or parallel between the spirituality and science. So, that was very interesting for me. And then, you know, my teacher was one who lived at Mahatma Gandhi for 48 years.

Your teacher lived with Mahatma Gandhi for 48 years. So, he is the one who taught him the Gita, the script when he came from South Africa. He was in there, water, jail. So, he was very funny guy used to tell a lot of stories about his time with Mahatma Gandhi. And now he was a rebellious person that there. And it was very interesting, you know.

So, I grew up with such a environment where, you know, this non-violence and friendliness, love, compassion, all had great value.

And he lived in God this last of about many years. At what point did you start to become a teacher?

“Like at what point did people start to come to hear what you were sharing?”

I think it's in my teenage that I started this one. And when I was 23, 24, I started the art of living movement. That time, two judges of Supreme Court of India, one was a thorough believer in a thesis. And another was an atheist. So, once we were a Christian, he was an atheist.

And what was the first one? He was a believer, a believer.

And they both came as a trustee, became the trustee of our organization. They made an organization. He said, you know, you have a beautiful knowledge to share. It needs a framework. You know, to hold a picture, you need a frame. So, we will be the trustee, and we'll make it up, make an organization.

So, it's 45 years now. So, the government started to help you sort of put a frame. No, the government, individually, the individual capacity, the people. The people did. I read that you started the art of living after you had a 10-day period of time.

The 10-day period of silence where it was kind of this epiphany that fell upon you.

Can you tell me a little bit more about that?

Correct. The breathing techniques. You know, I thought I was teaching meditations of yoga and all. I was feeling that something missing.

“There's something that I need to bring about, you know?”

People do all that, but still they have conflicts inside themselves. They're unable to get over that their habits. You know, there was a struggle. So, it must be something that would, so I went into a silence of 10 days. At the end of those 10 days, it was in a remote place in India.

Then a few of the doctors and engineers in that area, they came and then I started teaching. The breathing technique. That's a birth of that. And that's the sky, breathing technique. And can you take me through a little bit of what that technique is? Is that okay to ask you?

Yeah, it takes a couple of days to learn. Just three days to learn. It mainly recognizing the rhythm in your breath. You know, your breath has a rhythm. And your breath connects your body and your emotions, your mind and sensations. So, harmonizing this, you know, brings a lot of freedom from it.

And that's how it started, you know?

“And at that point, do you start traveling around us to share your knowledge and share your experience?”

Sure. In the earlier years, there was a lot of prejudice against meditation. You know, this must be for someone who is out there. Oh, yeah. I'm talking about 45 years back, 40 years back.

There was a lot of prejudice against anything about meditation or breathing. What were some of the places that had probably some more prejudice than others? Like, are what were some of the tougher places to go and teach? I would say, you will pad that and also you guys. You know, we go on to teach this in the prisons and then there was a lot of resistance.

Because I know that when we taught the prisoners because every culprit is a victim, himself or herself. Wait, say that again, every culprit is a victim. A victim of something, you know, situation, I'm thinking about. So when they need healing, they need that healing touch. When you teach this and that the anger, rage and distress, sadness, everything vanishes.

So that's where this has been very effective. We have taught prisoners all over the world now. You have read about that. When you're teaching this, when you say this, do you mean like someone's relationship with their consciousness? Is that kind of what you're talking about?

It's just a technology. You know, see how through your own breath, you can change your feelings, your moods. Well, many times people feel so desperate. Actually, you know, like trapped with their own emotions. Oh, yeah.

I feel so bad. I don't know how to get out of it. I pray, I do this, I do that still. There is something inside of us that doesn't let us feel the freedom from emotion. Using the breathing techniques, it makes a huge difference.

What are some of the first things someone will notice from using some of the techniques?

First of all, calmness of the mind. Then you feel your immune system becomes better. And then clarity in mind.

And your perception becomes better.

Lots of many benefits. All the benefits of many people say, "Oh, I can't meditate." You know, too many thoughts, "I'm on board my head." And you know, "I can't sit quiet." And I feel so restless.

Just a few minutes of this that takes care of all those issues. Amen. I know you just turned 70 recently. How are you? You look 75.

Does our consciousness age? Does it make sense to you kind of? Our intellect age of an intellect becomes mature. The consciousness is the same.

“As your consciousness felt the same from the beginning, do you feel like?”

Yeah, that's something that doesn't change in you.

Oh, God. You know, there are two aspects in it. One is that changes constantly. There's something else in you that's a referral point of all changes. So that which is a reference point of all changes cannot change.

That's fascinating. What is consciousness to you? Like, how would you describe consciousness? Everything is consciousness. Everything?

You are consciousness. There's trees are consciousness. All world is consciousness. It's just energy. The consciousness is that ocean of energy, which is manifested everything here in the planet.

Yeah, I think I just, I think, I don't know. I get scared a lot. Do you ever get scared? It's not so far.

“Yeah, I think I just have a lot of fears sometimes.”

You know, fear is nothing but love standing upside down. Really? Like, explain it to me. Fear is a sensation you get right in your chest region or in the belly. What are you afraid of?

Because you love something. And so that from the other side appears to be as a fear. Right, because I'm afraid it'll be different than what I think. Or I'm afraid it'll feel different than how I wanted to feel. I hate to lose what you have.

Yeah. Are you, you know, get what you want. That's a fear, right? And I just look back and relax. There's no fear.

Do you think there's like a group? Like, I feel like we're in a time and society where things feel very scary. It feels kind of stressful in the world, right?

“Do you, how would you suggest that we ward off that?”

Listen, it's like a boy, a girl going for an examination. And so scared what's the outcome of the exam. But someone who has already passed the exam would say, hey, don't worry.

If someone has to perform the first time on stage, they will feel so scared.

But a seasoned performer, nothing don't worry, go ahead. So similarly, if you're mastered the art of life itself, you know? Seeing life from a broader perspective, saying, so what? It's not the first time you're scared. It has happened to you when you're a child, when you're a boy, when you're a teenager.

When whatever, but still you are here. So broadening of our consciousness, our awareness, the fear disappears. Number one, second way to combat fear is attitude to your breath. Breathe on the back of the throat. Breathe from the back of the throat.

Long, deep inhalation and slow exhalation. You know, that's a little storm. That's a little down the fear, the sensations. And third thing is, though, this is all just a game. Everything I don't do is a game.

You shouldn't be afraid to play a game. Hmm. What do you think? I think I'm still a little scared. But you know, you're thinking about the past week.

That's why you're scared. Well, I think I probably am, you're right. I think something's a fear probably. Can I share with you some of my fears? Yeah, yeah.

I think I fear like, I fear that as a society, and that we're losing what it means to be human sometimes. That we're getting too, we're getting so involved with technology, that we're forgetting that the value of being human is starting to be. Yeah, I get what you're saying.

You know, I make it little distinction between concern and fear.

I'm also concerned, where are we going in the world?

“We are all, you know, moving the age of technology,”

and how mankind is going to use this technology, whether it's will be for, for the benefit of people or for a selfish game. I mean, that's a concern. Yes.

Concern must be there. If you don't have any concern, and you will have no passion. Right. You must have concern.

We're all concerned. Any conscious person will be concerned. Okay. And that concern is a great motivated, it makes you act. Yeah.

That's a good point. Yeah. So I'm glad I have concern because it makes me want to take action. Yeah, got it. How do you look at that?

How do you view that concern? I'm very concerned about the planet. I'm very concerned about the state of mental health in this in the whole world, especially in this country too.

Young people, one in every fourth person is mentally challenged, are getting into some sort of problems issues. For sure. So we need to attend to this tomorrow.

And then we need to realize that the human society is one family.

Always espoused a world as one family.

Yes. Sometimes it feels like we're losing our sense of purpose. You know?

“I think that's one thing that scares me.”

They can only lose the purpose when said, if they have not found there is no point, they cannot lose it. Oh, I mean, we have not even found what is the purpose of their life. Oh, that's a good point, huh?

I should be grateful that I found some purpose. Yeah. When you look at kind of where we're headed with technology, do you what's a positive way that you see it affecting us? It's very good, you know?

I tell you, and I was going to college. I had to go to library and to take a whole day to find the index and find the book and then today in the finger tips, you can get any knowledge, anything from anywhere to see. You don't have to wait for such a long time to understand something.

So knowledge is easily available in every corner of the world. Yeah, number one.

Second is artificial intelligence.

Many are very skeptical or even scared about artificial intelligence. As though it will take away the jobs. Yeah, but you know, artificial intelligence. Yeah, it is a boon also. It's not just the curse.

It's a positive, it's a positive thing. It challenges server intellect to be more original. It can only put what is already been discovered.

“I see we were saying so if it only has knowledge, right?”

And if everybody has knowledge, then creativity should maybe go to another level. Another level. Yeah. Because that will become sort of a primary. It's a challenge for if I'm an individual to be more creative.

Right. Because everybody has the same information now. So now creativity kind of has a new stage. Your stage. That's pretty fascinating.

I guess I haven't really thought about it like that. Do you worry that a lot of the power that's in the world is in evil hands? And do you believe I can do you believe I can good and evil? Do you think there's such thing? No, not one child is born on this planet as a evil child.

Everyone is born here as a bundle of joy. Every baby is a divine gift. They're all beautiful kids. But due to circumstances, situations, lack of understanding or wrong education or whatever you can say in doctoration,

it bleeds them where they are. That's where I feel that is a lack of values in the education system. Yeah. And if those people were cared in the very beginning, you need those negative qualities, trends in child.

I don't listen. In children, they don't come. In adolescent, they start getting up into the sort of, you know, rage. In adolescence. Adolescence, rage.

You know, anger. So there is no education. There is no peace education in the world. It's really true. You know, it's interesting.

I look back on like my experience in school. And a lot of it was just a lot of factual information.

But they never taught me how to be like a person or to look at myself.

Or to have a conversation with myself.

And how I can be a good friend. Yeah. Is that just an American education system? Or do you find that that's almost everywhere? I don't know, everywhere.

Universality is there. Maybe a little less or more in places. But the lack of education in human values, you can see prevalent. And when that is given,

you don't you will find there is no evil person.

I always say that evil is only a veil around the goodness of a person.

Amen. I believe that.

“Do you think that we come sometimes from a past life with other stuff?”

Or do you think it's new? No, we do. We do. Oh, man. Because that's a bummer.

Because I'm just, I could be dealing with somebody else's junk. You know, from junk you can create something. Okay, that's fair. But yeah, on this creation nothing is obvious.

But imagine, suddenly the waste also brings about. A waste also brings wealth. That's a good point. Manor, huh? Manor.

But it's kind of imagine you land at the airport

and you look at your luggage and it's someone else's, you know?

That's just lack of awareness. Yeah. I think you're right. That kind of does show. Yeah, I probably picked up somebody else's.

Yeah. I find if someone picks up yours, you call them a thief. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. Yeah, I think I'm trying to think of some other fears that I have.

I think I have fears sometimes of letting go of the past. That's something that's been very tough for me in my life. Like sometimes I think I've let go of the past. But it comes back again. You know, some of the same feelings.

Like even though I've offered like forgiveness and things like that, sometimes it still comes back. Do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah. I know.

I've very well understood that.

Delima.

“You know, that's why I say forgiveness cannot just happen”

from your thinking, from your intellect. It has to come from within your feeling level. And that can happen when you do meditation. Do the breathing. Really?

Yeah. And how does breathing help you heal from the past? Because you know, the emotions which are stuck in our system that need to be released. And breath is the best tool.

Mind is so abstract. You can't catch all of the mind and do anything about it. You know, you've tried and you can't do something with your own mind by the mind. Right.

It's like, yeah, that's correct. Yeah, it's ridiculous. It's like trying to grab your hand with your hand. With your hat. Of course, you have another hand to hold it.

That's good. But with the breath, it is much easier. Because breathing has a pattern for every emotion. You know, when you're happy, you're breath moves with a different rhythm. Is that true that breathing has a pattern for every emotion?

Right. See, when you're happy, how do you breathe? And when you're angry? See, you know, your emotions and the breathing has deep relations. And they have sensation in the body also.

“That's why attending to the breath and rhythms of the breath.”

Great magic. And what you think is so hard to forgive, forget all the things become a matter of fact so easy. Yeah. Oh, yeah, man.

It's like, I know it's like, yes, sometimes you just forget to breathe, you know? Yeah. We use only 30% of our length positive. We don't even breathe. Is that true?

Yeah. We use 30% of our length of pass? Yeah. That's what scientists say. So breathing and meditation.

Makes a big difference. That's the reason there's been programs are, you know, and big demand and popular with people because they get great benefit out of it. Let me have a look in with the wall veterans. You guys have been working with the war veterans?

Yeah. Well, veterans. Yeah. Take me through that experience that you had with some of those war veterans. I know you've had a lot of experiences.

I know with like incorporating new schools for children. Yeah. I know some of the different lore. But yeah, take me through what were you guys doing with war veterans? You know, while veterans, the PTSD syndrome in them.

The PTSD. The PTSD syndrome. They have been suffering a lot with that. And there are two movies made on that. Almost sunrise is one of that.

But while veteran is seeing the transformation that has happened in his own light.

Almost sunrise.

Not for me with having a good movie.

Yeah. It was there in, you know, many. Yeah. Okay. I'll check it out.

Almost sunrise. So that's a one. But you've had experience doing this. You know, I got so many letters from the families of the veterans. They say, "Thank you, Guru.

We got our son back. Thanks for getting my husband back." These are the letters, you know, because they would hold up in their own basement. They would not come and have dinner with their own family. That moral wound was so deep in them.

Just in four days or five days of really technique.

They were back, you know.

They could erase all those bad memories. And they couldn't become strong and get back with their families. About 8,000 of them we have taught in this country.

“And you should see the joy in the eyes of those people, the family.”

It's so fulfilling, you know. So see that. Talk bombing. And was that a certain program that you guys started? Yeah.

We started this. They started this welcome home troops. Welcome home troops is the name of the program. Yeah. And that was just in the US.

Yeah. This was US. No, we did that also in Canada. Some in some places in Europe as well. Yeah.

Yeah. This was a great project. Welcome home troops offers the power. Breath workshop as a resilience building program. Specifically designed to address the needs of returning combat veterans.

It offers practical breath work. Tools that decrease the stress anxiety and sleep problems that many returning veterans experience. Wow. Well, thank you for that. I know there's I have a close friend right now who's dealing with a lot of that.

A lot of past traumas. It's kind of fascinating how the body stores so much trauma. Yeah. Why does the body want to store trauma? This is asking why both eyes are in one side.

Yeah. Yeah. That's true. Yeah. I guess if one more back here would be more helpful.

That's what it is. It does, you know, a body has a photographic memory.

“When whatever you feed it, that's what it takes.”

And if you keep putting your attention on negative things and your body is full of those negative vibes. And you go to the beach and you look at the sunset. Just spend time with the with the nature. You know, your body responds to that.

Did you do it with the puppy? Yeah, puppy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

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I think one thing I have, I just deal with a lot of shame, sometimes shame will come up.

You know what I'm talking about? I'll be having a normal conversation or a normal experience. I'll have a memory will come up with something that I did that I'm ashamed of or that I wish I hadn't done. It'll just make me feel like I don't know. It's almost getting struck by lightning.

It's just getting so disciplined. I understand that.

“You get like to shame shivers, can I? You don't talk to me about it?”

Yeah. You know what? When you did that, something wrong. You are not the same person that you are now. You are ignorant.

You had no wisdom. You had no control over your emotions. So you did that.

But now, at this moment, you're different.

Look, there are two aspects in us. One is that which is different all the time. What about changes all the time? And one that doesn't change at all. The aspect that doesn't change in you is all good.

Really? So that's like a river. It's the same Mississippi river, old river. But the water there is new. Like that, the Theo I'm seeing is new.

It's not the same Theo as yesterday's.

“You know, there is a beautiful story about Lord Buddha about this.”

Have you heard of Buddha? Lord Buddha? Lord Buddha's story. You know Buddha? Buddha?

Oh Buddha? Oh yeah, I heard of him. You have heard Buddha's story on this? No, you want to tell me a please? Yeah, you want to?

Yes, please. Okay. Thank you. Buddha was teaching meditation. There were ten thousand people in his congregation. Then one elderly man came and he was so angry because his sons,

instead of helping him in the business, they were trying to do meditation there. So he came and he was so upset and he stood in front of Buddha and was got angry and just spoiled my son's life and my life and he spat on Buddha's face.

Buddha didn't react, he was just smiling. So the man went back home that night, the very vibration of Buddha brought something in him. It just stuck him. I said, I yell at him but he was so calm.

He's something, you know? It's something very ethereal about Lord Buddha that impacted him. So he felt so bad, he felt so guilty. So next day he comes and says, I'm so sorry, I did.

Will you please forgive me? And Buddha said, no, I can't forgive you. Everyone else got shocked because Buddha's principle is to forgive. No, he's saying no, I can't forgive you. Lord Buddha said, you are not the same person.

You are here now yesterday. And I was not the same person who was there yesterday. So if I ever meet the person who spat on the person who spat, I will tell that person to forgive that person. So everything is changing.

So you do mistakes in life from that you learn number one. Another thing you have done in a state of unconsciousness, ignorance. So we just move on. It's not just enough to forgive others. We have to forgive ourselves also.

Yeah, I think I have a self-forgiveness. So forgiveness. I have a tough time with that. I think I hold a lot of resemblance against myself. Sometimes for things that I can't,

that were a long time ago. 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. So I'm always falling short. You know, let me just little bit of guilt is okay. That keeps you moving but not too much.

“How much guilt you should have just as much as a salt or to best go anywhere.”

It's a flavor. It's a flavor. But not a meal. No, I'm here. So when a guilt bothers you,

what you have to know is, pick up and see. The whole past is like a dream. Isn't it? Some pleasant thing happens. Some unpleasant things happen.

None of them exist now here. Right? Right. But here, what's here now? Either you are really in rage of anger.

What other state? Or what you did?

What you did?

Both these eats your consciousness

and spoils the present and the future.

“And so wisdom is seeing this whole thing as a dream”

or a drama which happened and finished. But the person inside of you is untouched by all that. I see you, Shayan. Of course, it has brought some pain to others. If you feel you have more pain to others.

Okay? Now you bring some comfort to others. You know? Giving comfort is what compensates for the pain. Yeah. So no point in brooding over it,

regretting the past because regret causes a lot of toxins in our own body. And it blurs our vision. It doesn't help us to be happy now or you know, more compassionate also. So again, here meditation, breathing helps you

completely reverse these impressions in mind.

And make you feel that you are a mirror, not a photograph.

You know? You are not a polaroid photograph. You take something and you stay with that photo. No, your consciousness is like a mirror. You have many lives, many times you have done many mistakes

and every mistake you have learnt and you have come up. Out of it. So not latch on to that. But see forward and see this world is so beautiful. They are beautiful people around.

And many who are doing the same mistake, you are doing before. And how we can help them to come out of those mistakes. That's the gift that we have now is. We already did it and we know better.

Yeah, we know different than we can share. Perfect.

“Because you have a beautiful person inside, you know?”

You are a beautiful person. You think so? Yeah, definitely. Oh, thanks man. Yeah, thank you.

You have the feeling, you have the emotion. You have love. And that's what, you know? Everyone has love. Not everybody is able to manifest it.

Yeah. Yeah. How are ways do you think that we can love ourselves better? Do you feel like? Or is that a big question?

It's not an act. It's simply have to realize. Love is not a one. It's not an act. It is not something that you do to say though.

All actions are expression of love. But not love. Love is what you are. That's your nature.

“Like your bodies made up of amino acid, protein, carbohydrates.”

Your consciousness is made up of love. So love isn't really found in our body. Like in our, it's not like it's in us. But it's not in our. It's what you are.

Ah. Listen, all the negative emotions are just a distortion of love. Greed, what do you think Greed is? You love objects more than people. All for yourself.

Greed, see your love is off. Yeah. You got to in your love better. Your love is in wrong place. Yeah.

Narcissism is what? You love yourself. You have more than others. Hmm, than others. Jellacy is what?

You want everything for yourself? So love gets distorted and forms all these arrogance, anger. Anger is what? It's nothing but love. It's just love with a knife.

Yeah. You know, love for perfection. Hmm. Brings anger for imperfection. I've thought that's something I've struggled with.

Because you love perfection so much. Any imperfection brings up the anger inside of you. Well, it makes me feel like I could have done better. Something could be better.

There's all, I'm, I'm, I'm always looking for like,

Okay, this could be different. This could be more. This could be less. But I'm ne, you're punishing yourself to my own. I'm punishing myself a lot.

Every time you get angry, for someone else mistake or your mistake, you are taking a toll of your own mind and your own body. So this is where we should stop doing this. And we say, okay, I offer all the past to God.

You know what does God want? God doesn't want a promise from you. God just say, drop everything. Drop the past. God wants us to let go of the past.

Let go of the past. I know that the love of God is with you. You do you think that that's what puts the love inside of us.

God is love. Of is God and so are you. You are made in the image of God. Means you are loved too. Oh yeah.

That's cool, huh? It's kind of cool.

“It makes you feel good when you think about that.”

Sometimes I don't even think about that enough. You know, that God cared enough that he would make us. It's pretty fascinating. It's pretty cool. We don't have to think God is someone up sitting up in the heaven

and trying to give you a finger. It's only the Michelangelo painting.

God is love and you can never be away from God.

You can close your eyes and you can. Turn your face away, but it's there. Like air, like space. How can you go away from space? Can you go away from space?

No. Many right now. Yeah. And I'm still in it. And just realizing that pure energy, love is always with us.

All around us. And that's what meditation does. If we meditate for a period of time, this awareness wakes up inside us. Then there is no other.

Everyone is part of you.

“What is the feeling of the awakening of the awareness?”

What does it feel?

It just feels very normal.

What does it feel like? It feels normal. How do you notice that you have. You start smiling more maybe? Yeah, I don't feel any walls between you and others.

You don't feel it. Like how you feel with your own family. That's what you feel with everybody. You don't have anything to show off. There's no barriers between you and that.

Because you're all family then. Yeah, everybody's part of you. More than a family. More than a family. Sometimes something else that scares me is that I'm not living like whatever God wants me to do.

Like I'm not doing what God wants me to do. You don't be too hard on yourself. It's too hard. Yeah. It shouldn't be too hard on yourself.

You know? Yeah, I am. People tell me that a lot. Yeah, you are doing good. And you continue to do good.

You should do more too. Whenever it feels because when you love what you are doing,

you always feel you have to do more.

That's a sign of love. It is. It never says, "Oh, I've done enough." When you say, "I've done enough." That means somewhere you are retrieving from doing.

Ah. You know, your love has found a boundary. But when you're not feeling that, it means that you're still giving. It's always feel you can do more. And that's a good feeling.

That's a good feeling. That's a good feeling. Okay. It's always good to have the feeling I took do more for the world, for the people, for the ones you love.

That's good to have that. And what one has to get to where is I need wrong. I need bad. Wish I regret. We should come out as a regret.

And have a positive attention of what we want to do. And then you have that. Amen. Sometimes we look for all when it comes to relationships. I'm going to pivot a little bit.

And thank you so much for your time today. And thank you for helping me think about some things. Yes, sometimes it's nice to have a voice like to help you think about something. You know, we can't do it by ourselves. You know, sometimes I try to do so much by myself.

It's like, "I can do it. I can do it. I can do it." But I can't. You know, "I can't do it all by myself." Of course, in this world, we're all interdependent. The whole world is interdependent.

I can't grow my own. You know, cotton, I have to get my clothes done by somebody. I don't stitch my own clothes.

“So, but you know, that's how the world is all about.”

Yeah, someone grows food for you. Yeah. And we have this illusion just giving a little bill and we think if it is all mine, you know. But still, you have done some help to them.

But they have done something for you. I think that sense of interdependency in the whole world of all of humanity is the what we need to recognize and realize it. If we do this, conflicts will just evaporate. Yeah, because we need each other.

Yeah, if you need each other, you wouldn't want to get rid of each other. Good. Yeah. Where do you think that evil to want to cause harm?

Because there's a lot of harm out there right now.

“And I think more than ever we're seeing it because of devices.”

We see so much more harm than we did. Maybe 30 years ago. Yeah, right, right, right, right. And it makes us hurt, I think. So, we're walking around sometimes with hurt.

That's maybe something we shouldn't have seen. But at least now we are aware. So it's kind of that the shows, you know, the regions in the minds and hearts of people, the rage. See, neither at home nor at school. No one teaches you how to get rid of your negative feelings.

You get rid of rage. Nobody tells you how to calm your down. How to take care of this stuff here. That's where it's very, very pertinent now today too. Teach children how to manage their moods.

You know, our young people are swinging on one side from depression and suicidal tendencies on the other side. Rage and violence. We are swinging in these two extremes.

“We have to help them to get out of both this”

and be normal, happy individuals. Yeah, it just feels like we got. It feels like we took a wrong turn. Yeah, we can turn better. Yeah.

There is some lore that you were part of stopping a war in Colombia. Can you take me through some of that?

There were two million people of internally displaced people in Colombia.

They were all with anger and rage and lot of suffering. Because of the fog, gone. Plicters have been happening for 52 years. Because of the fog conflict, yeah? Yeah, I'm just so I can let our listeners know what it was.

And thank you for your time today, brother. Thank you. I needed to. It's all US. The Colombian armed conflict is one of the longest running ongoing armed conflicts

in the world. It appears to have began in 1964 with the creation of two major guerrilla groups. The revolutionary armed forces of Colombia. For us, armadas, revolution Eares, revolution Eonara, yes, de Colombia. That's far.

Founded by rebel leader, Manuel, Marulanda, and the National Liberation Army. Emmanuel, yeah. So this was going on for a long time. What a very long time. A lot of people were internally displaced.

So I went to our group of people who are doing their trauma relief for them and helping them with meditation. And so that was a very big success. So the government of Colombia gave me the highest civilian award for this work. So you went there to do it? Was it scary?

When you went there, was it was it was it? It was the Colombian capital. But Gota was almost like the shambal.

“You could never recognize that city when you compare from what it is today, you know?”

And the people were hurting. People were hurting. So when we then after that there was a formal handshake with the president to supposed to loss for five minutes. Then we were there for about 40-50 minutes.

We spoke to him and then the president and those said, "I don't think there is any hope with these people because so many people try the peace process and they are not agree." So I said, "Why not I go and try?" So he said, "Ah, you can do it, any help would welcome."

Wow. So I took a flight from there, a chartered plane and went to Cuba to meet with this gorilla. There were 15 of them come on those.

First they said, "No, go ahead."

And we don't have to anything to do with them. We don't have anything to do with the spiritual leader. Yes, kind of. We don't want to, so they said, "Our philosophy is Karl Marx." The philosophy is Karl Marx and Karl Marx.

Karl Marx? Karl Marx, you know? Karl Marx. The communist philosophy. Okay, what is the communist philosophy, you know?

Karl Marx. Karl Marx. Oh, Marxism. Yeah, what was the Marxist philosophy? Let me just dictate it so that our listeners can follow along.

Marxism, a social political and economic philosophy created by Karl Marx. It states that society is split into two main groups. The working class who do the labor and the owners who take the projects. So he said, you know, how are ideally Karl Marx? So we don't need to, we don't need to, we don't need to, we don't need to.

Because they have everything. So, but then that evening in Havana, I had a public talk in the university.

What is guy is talking, what coming from India?

“So they came and had given some talk and then I light people through a meditation.”

Then they told them, you know, maybe we should meet him. That he can influence that government and others to stop the bombing. To make this story short, so they came to meet with me. In the beginning, they were very agressive and then for next three days we were with me. We did some meditations.

I spoke to them. I told them, look, your goal is social cause. Social upliftment. I'm with you. Everybody wants social justice.

But the path you have chosen, the violence is what I cannot take it. I cannot digest it. Why don't you try a different route of non-violence, Gandhi in principle of non-violence? First they say, no.

But then they went back, they thought, then they came the next day and said, yes, we will. So they announced the unilateral ceasefire. And then we did a forgiveness process.

I got some of the victims flowing and the fog.

They put them face to face. There was forgiveness process. They forgot. I gave each other and that was a very moving. Then we had that forgiveness process all over.

The peace still happened. There's a movie coming about there. Someone has made a movie really. It's going to come. It's called white.

White.

“The Colombia and they are making a movie.”

Wow, that's so exciting. And how long did the whole process take? I would say a few months. A couple of months. Wow.

Yeah, there's just so much conflict in the world. Why, there we go. Mont, the director is go back. Mont, Mont too. Mont too. Mont too. Mont too. Yes.

We'll be the director. Oh, wow. There's an actor named Vikrant. My friend must say he's acting as me. He's playing you.

He better do a good job. But if he doesn't, it's okay. It's okay. It's okay. Oh, he's handsome man.

You think it's same? Yeah, he's handsome guy. He pretty handsome, huh? Okay. I think I am not.

No, no, it's good. Very close. Very close. Very close. Yeah.

“One thing I think sometimes about, like, I think about relationships a lot, right?”

Like, I'm not married yet, but maybe hopefully one day, you know? And... But like, good luck to you. Thank you. I appreciate it, yeah.

I think I need a little bit of luck, maybe. But sometimes I notice it's like... I have a tougher time probably with, uh... Like, I'll notice sometimes instead of trying to figure out how to love myself, I will try to find someone else and have them, like...

Like, I'm not going to figure out how to love myself, but you love me. You know what I'm saying, kind of? Does it, like, I'm going to put the responsibility on someone else? Like, it's their responsibility to love me instead of my responsibility. Does it make any sense?

If I say it to you? Like, say if I meet it someone, right? I see the confusion there. Yes, they can't see it. I keep seeing this all the time.

You do. People, yeah, every bit. Because it's easier. It's easier for me to say, "Hey, you love me." Instead of me say, "Hey, let me make sure..."

You know, that I love me. You want to love somebody. You should take it for granted. They love you. They're expression of love may be different,

but never question someone's love for you.

They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly.

They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly.

They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly.

They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly.

They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly.

They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They don't know how to express it properly. They ask you to prove that do you really love me? Do you really love me?

How more I can convince you.

“What else I can do to convince this person?”

I love that.

Expression of love can never be complete.

Because love is infinite. And the whole humanity from ages, they have been trying to encapsulate Love in words, in actions, everything is still. You find love is intangible. And it cannot be encapsulated.

That's why you say it's from self-love. The universe are love. They're all interconnected. So now I should say if I'm text a girl or something and she doesn't text me back It's like oh she loves me, she doesn't tell me.

She doesn't know yet. Yeah. But you're waiting for me. You know you would probably have waited a few lifetimes. Maybe that's okay.

You're putting that intention in you. Oh you're right.

So many lifetimes. Why? In this lifetime you want to achieve something.

You put the positive thought. Say everything is vibrations in this world. Do you think that's true that we can summon other. Do you believe that? Yeah, everything is vibration.

All our actions are. They go after a thoughts, right? Yeah, our intentions. They proceed our intentions. They follow our intentions.

Our intentions proceed all our actions. Most of the actions, at least. So you love somebody. You are attracted to someone. You love someone.

Then you have to express yourself. And expressing such a way that it is acceptable others. Yes, that's the key. Acceptable. Acceptable to other.

You know, we have to make a distinction here. First one is attraction. And then attachment. And then comes emotional. A entanglement or love.

Hmm. So sometimes it might not even be love. It might just be attraction. It might just be attached. Yeah.

Yeah. And sometimes you just want somebody to validate. You just want somebody to make you feel okay. You just want somebody to. You're nothing wrong in it.

It's okay. Everything doesn't have to be a problem, huh? The thing that, nothing need to be a problem. Can take everything as a challenge. Yeah.

Yeah. What do you think? When you look at relationships,

“maybe in your own life or in other people that you've met or witnessed?”

What is one of the keys to the most success in a relationship? When both of them have a common goal to achieve. Not focused on each other too much. You know, it's like two lines focused on each other. They'll meet and they'll go apart.

But if they have a common goal, then they go for infinity. Hmm. They go parallel. That is one thing. They should have a purpose a goal.

Because attraction doesn't last forever. It has its time, right? Your hungry and you eat food and that's done. You can't be perpetually hungry. So in the same way, attraction also is time bound.

But if you both go on a basis, then that lasts long. Number one.

Second, stop policing each other.

That is when you focus just on each other too much. Then you'll start policing each other. Third is understanding. Creating a room, giving a space for others to be. But they are not wanting to grow.

If you stand by a plan like this, it's going to maybe get nervous. Yeah, don't stifle someone with your love. If you stand by a plan with a magnifying glass, maybe it's going to get nervous.

It may not get nervous. You're wasting your time. It will take its own time, really. It won't take long. Yeah, that's true, that's true. Yeah, man.

“I think we all, like, I think we look a lot.”

I know that in my life, I look a lot for love from the outside. That's nothing wrong about it. It's okay. It's okay. That's what now you are needy.

It's a good thing to search for. I'm not looking for something bad. I'm just looking for, yeah, we just want, yeah. That's what we want. And you've ended.

Don't start doubting it.

I work out. You know, I'm in there.

Okay, I know my way around a barbell.

“I know how to do a baby squat, you know.”

But I'll be honest, sometimes I fall into a routine. Some of you guys may know what I'm talking about. Maybe, you know, you've been running the same program for years on end. You're just getting bored or you're hitting a plateau. You're just kind of going through the motions.

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Thanks. The best business ideas come from people who are passionate about what they're creating. People who had an idea and the drive to make something happen.

We're always waiting for the right time to do something.

I know I am. I have. I still have him, shoot. Especially when it comes to starting a business. The truth is the best time is now.

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There's no better feeling than having something that is truly yours. Find out what it feels like to say that's my business at Shopify.com/theo. That's Shopify.com/theo. Sometimes I'll have a feeling that something that comes up and I don't want to do it. But it's like something like, you know, I have a bad idea that comes up.

And it tries to plan a seed in me.

“It's like, oh, maybe you should do this at some point.”

And it could be something bad. It could be, or for me it would be bad. I'm in recovery programs so it could be drugs, alcohol, just things like that. Behaviors I don't want to do. Sometimes I have a seed that a little idea will come up. Like with a little bell, me like, hey, you know? Or where's something fancy of it? Like look what I'm wearing, you know?

Like a little idea, like a little lady will walk by this and idea will walk by and try to get me to follow. You know what I'm talking about? And sometimes it's a bad behavior. You know, these ideas come and you will and your intellect says, no, this is not good for you. So you stay away from it, you know? If it's so compelling, why it is so compelling because it is promising some joy, some pleasure.

Yes, that's part of it. So then you go for it, then you automatically you run towards it. Here you need to get a better joy. Some have been dealing with addictions, people with addictions all the time. You say, okay, I'm so addicted to alcohol.

I tell them, I'll give you a better brand of intoxication that will never let you go.

So when they come and do breathing they meditate, they find that ecstasy inside them. So they don't need any dependence on some substance. That alter state of happiness comes from within you with your own breath and meditation.

“So you're saying a lot of it is you have to replace it with something else of value.”

Of value of larger joy. More important, more important, more joyful thing. When it is when it bothers someone, first of all, your discrimination itself will stop you.

Your wisdom alone will stop is enough to stop sometimes and sometimes.

When it doesn't do then the better joy will just take you out of it. You'll just feel, see, you won't care. As you grow up, you're not craving for candies or chocolates like you were doing when you were a young boy. It doesn't bother you anymore. Yeah, I don't even like it.

Other things are more important.

“So you have to find something more important.”

I know you guys have done a lot of work with people who are in recovery and addiction. Tell me about some of your work that you guys said that you and your institute have done. Yeah, but you know, I've trained 38,000 teachers, volunteers who are all volunteers and teachers and they all run the whole thing. And they run their, it's a recovery community. The recovery, they do the teachings in the schools, in colleges, Skype campuses, they do in all the university.

For the sky breathing, sky breathing. Wow.

The university, we are in 170 universities.

Oh. So young people, young people feel so good, so such a difference. When they feel such a disconnect with their parents, with their walls, you know, after doing their breathing, they feel so good. You know, so many parents have to tend to, you know, you know, our children are behaving so much better now. I mean, very kind, they're not aggressive.

They don't have that rage and anger like before and they've been very kind. You know, they're helpful in nature. All these good qualities in a person start to manifest. And all that can come from our breathing. Come, come, when we get rid of her stress, stress is the cause of a lot of violence.

Stress is the cause of all violence. Simple, material clarity in mind, purity in heart, sincerity in action. That's my formula. Clarity in mind, purity in heart, sincerity in action. How do we make sure our actions are sincere? What can we do?

What can we ask ourselves, do you? Think spontaneous? Oh, spontaneous. Sometimes, yeah, I get it. Yeah.

Is meditation, does it have a stronger effect on younger people, do you think? Younger old doesn't matter. I've seen a lot of videos of children doing intuition tests. Yeah. Can you take me down some of the understanding of intuition tests?

And you guys have an Institute for intuition, is that it? Correct. The Institute of Absolute Intelligence. It's great. It's called Institute for Absolute Intelligence.

For example, I would love, I would love, have some of your intelligence.

“So please, what grade do you have to be?”

And I'll go. The children now, on teenagers, up to 18 years of age, we take them. And it's good. And I know. And it's a full school?

No, it's just 18 days program. Okay, it's an 18-age program. And so what is the program like taking me through it if you don't mind. The program is they learn some breathing technique. They learn some meditation technique.

And they learn how they can use their intuitive ability. They've got really much more stronger. And you know, gut feeling, that is, which is unfalable. That doesn't fail. That's what gut feeling is all about.

What is our gut feeling? What's it made out of? The all have it, but we don't use it. Many times it becomes very obscured. It's very real though, because sometimes you get a feeling like this is no.

And sometimes you get a feeling a lot of time, this is unsure. That's what I, those are the two.

I get, I never get a yes.

You know about it. Have you ever seen, you know, if you get, no, you will get a salsa there. Do you think so? Maybe you're right. Maybe I just not, maybe I gotta, yeah, you're probably right.

“No, for something that is for something else, right?”

But what is that feeling? What is it? What is that feeling? Do you think it? I never even think about it.

It's the same feeling you get when your heart is hurt. It's like, it's a feeling that's like, it's not. See, your head says something. Your intellect says, you're rational mind says something. But you're gut feeling, just overthrows that, you know.

The, all your rational logical thinking is overthrown by some gut feeling. And then you followed it and you find, well, that was right. Then you call it gut feeling. And how do you guys help children to understand that better? Like are there certain practices?

Yeah, I have to teach them a set of practices. 15 minutes per day and then they get it.

Because they don't have strong craving or aversion.

Their mind is still very fresh, you know. It's like learning a ballet dance. When the body is very flexible, they can learn the ballet very easily. So, and for an adult, it will take some more time to bend there. Yeah.

They are joined like that. It keeps their, they're easy to learn. But not that adults can all, they too can. But if you're a long-term mediator, yeah, you can. What's the youngest age you've seen someone start meditation at?

Meditation with 10, 12, something else. 10 or 12 years old, that's a good age. That's good age. But they have different meditation. But in the teenage or in 20s and 20s, 30s, that's good.

“You have to do a proper meditation, full meditation.”

Hmm. So, we have, that's why we have designed 67 different workshops, which would suit all different ages and, you know, conditions. And is that through the Institute of Absolute Intelligence? That is through the art of living, art of living.

Yeah. So, tell me a little bit more about the art of living, just so I understand it. It was a download that you took in during your period of silence, right? And since then, it spawned countless endeavors and outreach over the years. What is it constitute now, the art of living?

Art of living, you know, the very aim is to make life a celebration. Educate people to make life a celebration. Get over anger and anxiety.

Do you think it was always there?

The angering is from the beginning of time, but do you think we picked it up?

“Well, it's there, it's being there, only you need to learn how to overcome them.”

Anger about the past and anxiety about the future, when we learn how to raise over this, you know? You know, waves have always been there, only you need to learn how to serve. Yeah. So, main thing, let me put it in a small capsule. Art of living foundation is volunteers, largest volunteer-based organization.

They help wherever there is disaster, there is problem trauma. And then, the main thing is to make violence free and stress free society. We want to eliminate stress in society. Violence free, stress free society. Disease free body, make people healthy, it breathing and meditation and all that thing.

And then, confusion free mind, that confused about everything, you know? And bring clarity to mind, and inhibition free intellect, you know? People carry a different type of inhibition about gender inhibition about age inhibition, you know? People of different age don't mix with everybody, you see? They all find their own levels, and so there is a gap between generations.

The art of living brings that thing together, make better understanding. And inhibition between race, religion, gender, all that inhibition to be done away with. Listen, we are in the 21st century, where we see the technology has united the whole globe into a village. And how we still hold on to those sort of small mindedness and prejudice. That's no good, you know?

To helping people to get over their prejudice, all type of prejudice. Trauma free memory and sorrow free soul.

“That's what I would say, let me interpret it.”

Violence free society, disease free body, confusion free mind, inhibition free intellect. Trauma free memory and sorrow free soul. Amen. That's it. Sign me up.

Thank you. I love those goals. I believe that those are probably in our heart. It feels like those are all of our goals. That's what we want.

That's what we want. It feels like that's how we should live.

I just, it's amazing that we got so off course sometimes.

And that's so, you know, people from 180, two countries have taken this up. How many volunteers do you have total that work within your program within your organization? Oh, millions. We had a big world culture festival. I wanted to bring everyone together, every four years we did this.

The first one we had was in the first one you had. We had in India, there's first in 2026.

And Madras were in Bangalore.

I never been to Bangalore tonight.

“You must come with the IT capital of India.”

It's a Silicon Valley of India. Really? Yeah. Oh, good. I'm going to stay with you.

Yeah, you must. Oh, good. We have a nice campus there. You can see two elephants there. You can go to World Culture Festival.

Yeah. That's it right there. This is DC. We had this in Washington, DC. And A.

What a beautiful group of people, huh? We had 1.1 million people joined in DC and see, look at that. Did you really? Can you go back a little bit? Yeah, let's see it again.

And 17,000 artists. Let's go. There's Gary Bucy.

Yeah, this is in Washington, DC.

That's beautiful. Then we had in New Delhi. Just imagine how many it was. It was 36,600 to artists. On a, that's what?

Wow. You put this on? Yeah. On a stage, which was six soccer grounds. Seven acres of stage.

This is unbelievable. And people who are just listening and you can't see this video. This is, I mean, it's absolute. It looks like the Olympics. Yeah.

It looks like the Olympics of culture. Yeah. And I wanted all the, you know, amateur artists to come up on stage from 155 countries. This is from Lithuania. Look at that.

That's meatloaf. Wow. This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing. This is amazing.

And so every four years this happens. Yeah. So this was in New Delhi. Tenions back. And we had 3.75 million people in attendance for this program.

So it's all meditated. They all meditate at the same time. At the same time. Just imagine the sea of people. So silent for 20 minutes.

It was something. That's wonderful. It's powerful. Very powerful. Same in DC.

We had in the National Mall. A 1.1 million people sitting and meditating was very rewarding experience for people. See, this is what we need to do. Make life more a celebration. Bring people of all culture, tradition, music.

“Well, the truth is that it is a celebration.”

That's the real truth.

The truth is that we're here in the middle of nowhere.

You know, in the middle of existence. And we get to see each other for just a little bit. And we're sitting here and we're worried about. And I'm part of the problem. But we're worried about it.

We're like, why do we cry? We're at love set. But it's like, this is the magic. This is like, this is the magic part of the magic trick. This isn't like the practice.

And this is the tada. You know, this is the. When a magician goes like that, that's where we are right now. We're living. This is the magic.

So it is kind of fascinating that we get stuck in these other places. You know, and this is such a nice reminder. Yeah. Spinning time with you is such a nice reminder that that's not where we need to be. And that's not where we have to be.

It is a celebration. The fact you get to see someone that loves you sometimes. That's a celebration. You know, you don't need to seek love. You know, there are two types of joy.

Let me, I want to bring this up to you. Okay. The two types of joy, one type of happiness is that you get when you get something. You get a gift on a Christmas tree or you get to your birthday. You get a gift.

You get a new hat or something. You get some gift. The hermos. Getting something is really brings happiness to you. Yeah.

People give you a compliments you go. Yeah. Right. But it is another type of happiness that comes to you when you give. That's more mature happiness, I would say.

That's that's akin to them. The joy of a grandmother. You know your grandmother when you go home. She makes nice dishes. You make a cake for you and all that.

Oh, yeah. Her joy is in feeding you. Not eating by herself. Right. Right.

So the joy of giving is where we need to grow into life. But that is more. So similarly, when you are here to give love and not wanting love.

“You realize the source of love is within your life is very short.”

So let me give love as much as I can to everybody around me. You will see you will get ten times more love towards you coming towards you.

Yeah. Got it.

“And sometimes we're afraid that I think even give.”

Like there's been times I'm afraid to give because I won't.

I guess it comes from a place that I won't have something. You know, you give only what you can. Yeah. You know, if people expect you to give something which you cannot give, you simply say sorry.

Sorry. I cannot give. Someone says, you know, I have a problem. My health issue you come and help you. So you will let us say no.

I can't. But whatever you can, you will give. You will do anyway. Right. Yeah.

What's the longest that someone can meditate for? Twenty-four hours. You know, I would say you meditate for twenty, twenty minutes. Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes. That's good enough for you. But you know, after practice, then the state of. Calm, the scene of calmness continues even when you're acting when you're talking.

You know, doing anything. Well, I noticed it gives me a little more space between moments if I'm in it. Think of an answer. I'm not as reactive. Give me a little more.

Let me think. Let me make sure. Let me be certain. Let me. Let me.

Let me. Even just let me. Just that. It's me. Yeah.

It gives me a little bit of space before I react sometimes. If I'm having a strong meditation practice. Yeah. We live in a time right now when people are very anxious. There's a lot of anxiety going on.

Have you seen that grow in your lifetime?

Has it always been there?

“You think just things have looked differently or different things have caused it?”

Or do you feel like we're at a time that feels a little more? It's more than a large scale. Okay. It was not so prevalent. When I was a student.

I don't even know. I think I'm a student. In a student days, you could see that. There was no mental health issues. There was no.

I've never heard schizophrenia, bipolar or breakdown due to nervous. Yes, a lot. It sounds very new. All these things are today in every corner you find them. It's more intense and more prevalent everywhere.

What do you think are the causes of some of these things? Have you noticed? Whatever the causes, I feel there is a solution for it. And that's what I would say. It's meditation, breathing, engaging in art and culture and service activity.

All this is help. And it's helping. Yeah, I definitely noticed. And helping people get out of drugs.

We started in India, drug-free India campaign.

Drug-free India? Drug-free India campaigns. What's the most popular drug in India? What are they using over there? All kinds of drugs are there.

Really? I don't think it. I don't think it's not a good thing. I don't think it's a good thing. I don't think it's a good thing.

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I don't think it's a good thing. I see what you're saying by making new friends, even trying to make new friends, you are creating the ability within yourself to be friendly in general. What's a way that we can start to get to know ourselves.

“One thing that I think is might be causing some discomfort in our society and in our time is that we have less of a relationship with ourselves.”

I think when we didn't use to have so much technology and we didn't have our cell phones so readily available and usable all the time, we had more time to process things.

You wouldn't. No, they're all there. It's a tool.

It depends on how you use it.

You're excessively use anything. You're going to harm yourself.

“In all this, you must take some time, spend real time with people, engage in music, dance, meditation, breathing and sometimes just for yourself and to be with nature.”

See, working for environment is also something that aids in your development. You know, if you're capable of plans, if you're capable of nature, you know, it shifts your energy level. One of the things that seems like as we spend so much time trying to get to like trying to achieve some level in life, you know, that's kind of that we made up. You know, that's like a societal, you know, so I think we miss out on a lot of the things that really do mean the most to us. You need to have four modes. Okay, you can have a goal. Okay, want to achieve it. But being feverish about it is not going to help you.

Yeah, you have a goal. You want to go to Hollywood from here. And if you keep thinking the whole time, I'm going to Hollywood Hollywood. You will miss the exit. You will go somewhere else. You will land up somewhere else, right?

So it's okay to have an intention, but not make it a feverish. It, I have feverishly grippy or whole life, whole your mind.

“You know, how should I get something better in your life?”

So again, here, I know relax and you cool down, calm down. You still can have a passion, but then you go with awareness.

What's the first, what's the way that someone, like, how does someone start to get to know their self, right?

What's a way to get to know yourself? Like, what's the, how do you start to have a conversation with yourself? Does that make, does that make, does that make yourself? Does that make sense to you when I ask you that? Okay, so go ahead, I'm sorry. No, how to find yourself? First of all, see what is not yourself?

You're not just your body of what is changing. You know, every cell in our body is changing. The mind is changing, all the thoughts are changing, emotions are changing. So, by negation, it's like, almost going to what is the purpose of your life.

If you ask yourself, what is the purpose of my life, I would say, go with negation.

This is not the purpose, this is not the purpose, this is not the purpose. Then you find it. In the same way, negation, you settle into a space deep within you, which is serene, calm, fullness. Once, the glimpse of that, that's it, then nothing can disturb you. Nothing can take away the smile from you. And that's achieved through meditation, through a relationship with your consciousness.

Do you believe that? Meditation is one of the tools. Meditation is one of the tools.

“What are some of the other ones, to nurture that relationship?”

Other thing, it can come to you as a gift, give from above. And then you are intelligent, you are analytical mind, also helped too. See the futility of other things, and then you get to this very core. So through knowledge, wisdom, music, meditation, service, expressing your love, unconditional love in the society, all this will contribute to that inner blossoming.

It may appear to be very difficult or very idealistic, but I tell you, it's very, very practical. I'm a very practical person. So, though they all appear to be big ideals, but I say it is doable. Do you have any pets at home? I have two elephants. You do? We have elephants, cars, cars, cars, everything.

What's the elephant's name? We have one skull Maheshwar, Maheshwar. Another is in Drining, the girl in Drining. She sounds cute. She can play harmonica, you know?

Can she? Yeah. Oh yeah, these women are so talented now. Oh my gosh, that's her. Yeah. This is her with the tusk, the tusk her, the other one there.

And do you have a family at home?

Do you have children? No, I'm not married. Oh, you're not. I'm single like you. Yeah.

I hope to remain single the rest of the time also. But everyone is my family. Do you feel like you received enough like that? That was your space in the world for family was just everyone? Yeah.

That's cool. Before you go, Guruadev, I know you have this book Journey Within. That talks about the essentials of the art of living. Is that a good manual for someone to start to develop their own meditation practice? Yeah, it's good. It just brings some practical wisdom to your life and whatever you need whenever you need.

Journey Within is a book that people love. You know how it came out. I don't write books, but you know how it came up. These two, you know, a group of young people used to get around, get around and ask me questions. And every Wednesday we had this habit of coming up with some new topic. Like you said this past week, we used every week we would do.

And then I would same that around the world to everybody.

“So, and that's how this came with seven years of Wednesday knowledge sheets.”

We call it knowledge sheet. So there's new topics on Wednesdays, you guys would discuss some early new topic we discussed. And then that was compiled into this book. Journey Within, it helps people to, yeah. We were kind of a lot of authors of it in some ways, because a lot of people was thought to include it.

There were, there were questions and some of mine got it. They were all questioning me all the time. Okay, got it. It was the one thing. One thing, I had a great time.

I got to visit any of the ones as a student. We went to Madras, Shani, same place. Yeah.

And it was, it was amazing.

And one of the things I remember the most was just the children just how like the happiest kids in the world, I feel like that we saw that. We went to work, we worked at some children's homes and we're doing some stuff like that. You guys started, like you, you've started schools over the years called free schools. Yes.

And those are in India. Yeah, in India, Nepal and also in other places. And that is at a K through 12, or what is the, yeah. Okay. And the free schools all over, we have, you know, 150,000 kids studying in the schools.

And is meditation part of the curriculum? Little bit your kind of meditation. Yes, part of the curriculum. We have a university also. It's one of the very good university with the happiest campus everybody is.

Very happy and service mine and all that stuff. Yeah, for people, just before you go, for people that believe that they don't, don't believe they can get out of the mental state that they're in. That's not true, right? Everyone can do better, do you believe? Everyone can feel better.

Everyone can feel better.

“Again, I would say, if it's an extreme case, you have to see a doctor.”

And if that couch, you say you have to take medicine, you must take medicine.

But this is other than that practices which should first of all prevent you from getting there.

Second, it also helps you to recover. But it takes practice. You have to, you have to apply yourself. Yeah, practice. And it's not tough.

It's not. It easily people can adopt that. I call it the mental hygiene. Like you have a mental hygiene. Like that, you know, kids don't want to bless that day.

You have to, the parents have to force them to get into that habit. Got it. Right? Similarly, if you practice doing some breathing and meditation in the morning or afternoon evening, once it gets 15-year system, then it becomes a natural thing for you.

It's like mental floss, can I? Mental floss. Yeah. All right. When we leave this life, right?

Yeah. We are consciousness has to stay alive. You believe it?

“If the TV is shut off, but still the vibrations that they do remain here, right?”

Yeah. We are just the tubes or the screens. The consciousness is what gets projected in it. Cool. So we might see each other again in another time, huh?

Thank you. I appreciate your time today. Thank you very much. Lovely. Keep doing the wonderful work you are doing. You two, brother, thank you so much.

Now I'm just falling on the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves. I must be cornerstone.

I found I can feel it in my bones. So it's gonna take.