Ravi Shankar (Tamil: ஸ்ரீ ஸ்ரீ ரவி ஷங்கர்),[1] usually known as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, born Ravi Shankar Ratnam, on May 13, 1956, in Tamil Nadu, India, is a spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation (founded 1982), which aims at relieving both individual stress and societal problems and violence, and which is an NGO with UNESCO consultative status. Frequently referred to simply as "Sri Sri" (honorific) or as Guruji or Gurudev,[2] he also established in 1997 a Geneva-based charity, the International Association for Human Values, an NGO that engages in relief work and rural development and aims to foster shared global values.
| Sri Sri Ravi Shankar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 13, 1956 Papanasam, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Hinduism - Advaita vedanta |
| Website | |
| www.srisri.org | |
Life
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's father is R. S. Venkat Ratnam, in the automobile business[3] and director of a rural women’s empowerment NGO as well as a scholar of Indian languages. His mother's name was Vishalakshi Ratnam. Born in 1956, he was named "Ravi" (a common Indian name meaning "sun") because his birth was on a Sunday, and "Shankar" after the 8th century Hindu saint Adi Shankara, with whom he shares the birthday.[2][4] He received a bachelor of science degree at the age of 21 from St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore University.
After graduation, Shankar traveled with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, being invited by Maharishi to give talks on Vedic science, arrange conferences on the Vedas and science, and set up Ayurveda centers.[5] He was earlier addressed as "Pandit Ravi Shankar" (or "Punditji") but in the early 1990s changed his name to "Sri Sri Ravi Shankar" after the renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar objected that the guru was using the name he had made famous.[2]
The 1980s saw Shankar initiate a series of practical and experiential courses in spirituality around the globe. Shankar says that his rhythmic breathing exercise sudarśana-kriyā (Hindi: सुदर्शन क्रिया) came to him in 1982 "like a poem, an inspiration", after a ten-day period of silence on the banks of the Bhadra River in Shimoga, state of Karnataka, adding, "I learned it and started teaching it".[3]
Shankar says that every emotion has a corresponding rhythm in the breath and regulating breath could help relieve personal suffering.[6] After realizing Sudarshan Kriya, Shankar started sharing it with others through the Art of Living course, first held in Shimoga.
Shankar inspired his father and several other prominent citizens of Bangalore to found Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth, an educational and charitable trust, in 1981. Under the auspices of this trust, he opened a school south of Bangalore for local rural children, which now provides free education for 2,000 such children.[7]
In 1983, Shankar held the first Art of Living course in Europe in Switzerland. In 1986, he travelled to Apple Valley, California in the USA to conduct the first course to be held in North America.[8]
[edit] Teaching
[edit] Spirit
Shankar teaches that spirituality is that which enhances human values such as love, compassion and enthusiasm. It is not limited to any one religion or culture, but forms the heart of the world's religions. Hence, it is open to all people.[9]
Shankar emphasizes breath as the link between body and mind and, therefore, as a tool to relax the mind, emphasizing both meditation and service to others. According to him, science and spirituality are linked and consistent. Emphasizing that joy is only available in the present moment, his stated vision is to create a world free of stress and violence, and his programs are said to offer practical tools to help accomplish this. In his view, "Truth is spherical rather than linear; so it has to be contradictory."[10]
[edit] Peace and humanitarian work
In the 1990s, Shankar initiated a number of humanitarian projects, which continue to this date, under the auspices of the Art of Living and its numerous national organizations. In 1992 he started prison programs to rehabilitate prison inmates and help them reintegrate into the mainstream.[11] 1997 saw the beginning of the International Association for Human Values, a humanitarian organization, and its 5H program, which aims to bring sustainable development to rural areas and revive human values.[12] After the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Art of Living Foundation offered free courses in stress reduction to New Yorkers.[6] The group also ran a relief program in Kosovo for the war-ravaged population and for public health, university and UN personnel. The organization also started an operation in occupied Iraq in 2003 aimed at relieving the stress of the Iraqi population, particularly the rising population of traumatized widows.[13] A similar program was implemented in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2006 teaching war victims as well as UN and NGO personnel. In 2007, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar visited Iraq at the invitation of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki and also met with Sunni, Shia and Kurdish leaders.[14] He visited Pakistan in 2004 and met with political and religious leaders there as a part of his efforts to promote global peace.[15] Many volunteers assisted the 2004 tsunami victims and Hurricane Katrina victims. There is a prison stress management and rehabilitation techniques program, known as SMART, which assists many prisoners and prison staff worldwide. He is also involved in interfaith dialogue, and currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute.[16]
[edit] Sudarshan Kriya
Sudarshan Kriya is a "breathing-based technique"[17] that is a core component of the Art of Living courses and "the cornerstone of ... [Art of Living Foundation's] trauma relief programs".[17]
In some of his talks Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has described Sudarshan Kriya as a rhythmic breathing exercise that cleanses and harmonizes the physical, mental, and emotional levels.[18]
A number of medical studies on the technique and its preparatory practices have been published in international peer-reviewed journals. A range of mental and physical benefits are reported in these studies, including reduced levels of stress (reduced cortisol—the “stress” hormone), improved immune system, relief from anxiety & depression (mild, moderate & severe),[19] and increased antioxidant protection, enhanced brain function(increased mental focus, calmness & recovery from stressful stimuli), among other findings.[20][21]
Persons enrolling for the courses sign a non-disclosure agreement with an undertaking not to teach the learned techniques (including Sudarshan Kriya) to other people without "personal training from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the Art of Living Foundation".[22]
[edit] Criticism
 | A concern has been raised that this article's Criticism section may be compromising the article's neutral point of view of the subject. Possible resolutions may be to integrate the material in the section into the article as a whole, or to rewrite the contents of the section. Please see the discussion on the talk page. (September 2010) |
While there are a number of published peer-reviewed studies on Shankar's techniques, Art of Living volunteers have been criticized[citation needed] for using pseudoscientific language in presentations, such as claims that HIV cannot survive in the oxygen rich environment produced by Sudarshan Kriya [23] ). Such descriptions could mislead participants. Sudarshan Kriya, which may involve hyperventilation,[24] could cause hypocapnia and respiratory alkalosis[citation needed].
According to an article in Reader's Digest: "There is no doubt, however, that some of its claims are exaggerated. For instance, according to an AOL brochure its “Youth Empowerment Seminar” is compulsory at 10 German universities. A random check by Reader’s Digest at five of the universities revealed that not only is the seminar not compulsory, it is not even part of the academic curriculum. It is offered as a leisure activity, alongside tennis and aerobics." [25]
Edward Luce in his book In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India (2006) alludes to Sri Sri's ties to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
[edit] Further reading
 | This article's further reading may not follow Wikipedia's content policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive, less relevant or many publications with the same point of view; or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (November 2010) |
Numerous books are based on Shankar's discourses and teachings, and are available in a number of languages.
- Patanjali Yoga Sutras[citation needed]
- An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker (volumes 1-7)
ISBNs: Vol 1: 1885289294,V2: 1885289308,V3: 1885289332,V4: 1885289367,V5: 1885289383,V6: 1885289405,V7: 1885289413
- Buddha: manifestation of silence ISBN 8189291912
- 1999 - Be A Witness: The Wisdom of the Upanishads, 106 pp. ISBN 8176210633
- 2000 - God Loves Fun, 138 pp. ISBN 1-885289-05-7
- 2001 - Celebrating Silence: Excerpts from Five Years of Weekly Knowledge 1995-2000, 206 pp. ISBN 1-885289-39-1
- Celebrating Love ISBN 1885289421
- 2005 - Narada Bhakti Sutra, 129 pp. ISBN 8178110296
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