Ankur Bora
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| Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Guwahati |
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar epitomizes the values
of peace, love and compassion. A revered humanitarian and the founder of Art of
Living ( AOL) foundation , Sri Sri has
touched and changed millions of lives. An ambassador of peace, he plays a key
role in conflict resolution, spreading his vision of non-violence at public
forums and gatherings worldwide. Today, Yoga and spirituality become a new
sensation in India, and it is spreading all over the world. There has been an
enormous increase in Yoga-related studies which is bringing the profound depth
of the inner teachings of Yoga into focus. Sri Sri is credited with bringing the essence of
spirituality to the forefront.
In the West and even in India, people are most familiar with
physical postures of Yoga. But yoga is more than a sophisticated system of
exercises. It is a physical practice towards a spiritual goal. One of the
essential practices of Yoga is Pranayama (breath control). Pranayama is a
practice of breathing techniques that involve exercises that have the potential
to noticeably affect not only the physical, physiological, and neural energies,
but also the psychological and cerebral activities, such as memory and
creativity. It is said that the practice of pranayama ushers a steady mind and
awakens the body with increased life energy. Sri Sri has designed simple and
accessible programs that offer tools and techniques to realize this higher
state of Yoga. The teachers and volunteers of AOL are spreading the expanded
awareness from the limited view of Yoga as a posture to the broader and deeper
understanding of Yoga as a whole system of health and self -awareness. As Yoga
has become increasingly popular as a form of exercise and stress management, a
lot of people are now eager to explore its potential for spiritual growth, personal
healing and living a life of more joy, enthusiasm, resiliency and purpose.
AOL foundation which was founded in 1981, today operates in 152
countries with 26,000 yoga instructors serving as volunteers. The scope of the
foundation is far-reaching, from women’s empowerment programs in India to
specialized treatment for cancer patients and prison inmates in the US.
Currently, the foundation enjoys special consultative status with the United
Nations Economic and Social Council. AOL was also at the forefront of first
ever International Day of Yoga celebrated on June 21th. On that day , Sri Sri gave
a lecture on the benefits of yoga and was leading a demonstration by several
hundred people at the UN and, through a video link, thousands on Times Square, in
the city of New York.
The Northeast has been struggling with communal strife,
ethnic conflicts and separatist movements for several decades. While the
condition is acute in this region, the world as a whole has been getting
incrementally less peaceful. We stand divided by man-made concepts of
separation. The root cause of any conflict is fear and mistrust, the open strife
among different group steams from the fear of losing one's identity. Sri Sri
teaches that when someone is able to broaden his awareness and realizes that he
is also part of the human race, his fear disappears. Sharing His core believes,
Sri Sri reveals, “The differences among
the followers of different faiths are marginal and it is the common points that
have fundamental significance.” It is a profound and unifying message. Our
religion practices, rituals and traditions may be different but the underlying spiritual
values are same. Spirituality is the common thread and all paths lead to the
same truth. The teaching of Yoga is that every-one of us are part of the whole;
no matter what our beliefs, we were born together into humanity.
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| Sri Sri with FARC leaders |
This enduring message of peace, love and compassion is
profoundly transforming the lives of millions all over the world. In the month
of June 2015 , a peace accord was signed between the Leaders of the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and Government. The truce, announced on June
29, 2015 in Havana, was initiated by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, after he had a
series of meetings with Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos and FARC. The
insurgent group had been fighting a 50 year-old guerilla war against the state.
Tens of thousands of Colombians had died caught in the crossfires of violence.
The truce, as such, is a monumental effort on part of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. In
a statement, FARC commander Ivan Marquez said he was happy to meet the Indian
guru: “Spiritual wisdom, much need in the
talks, was missing. We will work for peace and justice for all the people of
Colombia.” The Colombia Government , in turn , has conferred Sri Sri with
Colombia's highest civilian award for his contribution to peace.
India is home to unparalleled tradition of spirituality. In spiritual matters India is always the
teacher to the mankind. Through the ancient tradition of Yoga, philosophy of Vedanta
and the Classics of Indian Spirituality i.e. Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads, India
has been promoting interfaith harmony, peace and universal spiritual brotherhood.
Nowhere else in the world one can find such profound and deep spirituality;
India has won the hearts of people all over the world since time immemorial. Swami
Vivekananda took part at the maiden World Parliament of religion, Chicago in
1893, as a representative of Hinduism. But his message was so universal that
Vivekananda became the representative of all religions of the world. Sri Sri
Ravi Shankar imbibed this spiritual vision of Vivekananda – to consider
everybody as his own, dear and near and as sisters and brothers.
We are glad to know that Sri Sri is attending peace conference at the
invitation of ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia. It is a remarkable positive
development and we sincerely hope that this will usher a lasting peace in the
region. While discussing ways of achieving sustainable peace in Colombia, Sri
Sri made a poignant observation, "In
this conflict, everyone should be considered as victims. And inside every
culprit, there is a victim crying for help." Let’s there be a peace
and reconciliation in Assam, let’s heal the wound of sufferers, lets the long
lost son unite with the weeping mother.
In the World Parliament of religion, while others addressed
the gathering as “Ladies and Gentlemen” Vivekananda addressed them as “Sisters
and Brothers.” Thus, Swamiji won the hearts of millions of people. If the mare
expression of the words Sisters and Brothers can create such an impact, what
can be the effect if we all accept each other as sisters and brothers? While
welcoming Sri Sri to Assam and North East, let’s hope that his message of goodness,
kindness, and love spreads and unites all. If a human being thinks in term of
goodwill for all, there can be no conflict, no strife at all. When we associate
goodness with our lives, nurture it, there is no reason why we should disown or
run down one another. Let’s the spirit of human solidarity and kinship grow,
let’s foster greater friendship, respect and understanding among all and let’s
contribute toward a more peaceful world.
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